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Mon Nov 01, 2010 6:21 am

I bought myself a small compressor this weekend since I figured it would be good to have to fill the tires in the cars.

Since its getting cold, it prompted me to check the air in the tires to see if they needed to be filled. So here is what I found from PO's fill..... Front was 34 PSI; rear driver was 42; rear passenger was 52!!!!! Max written on the side of the tire is 35.

This is my first Beetle and I thought it drove like crap. It felt like I had cinder blocks for suspension; but I figured this is the way a 1970 Bug rode. Apparently only if the PSI is set to double what its supposed to be!! Doesnt have the ride of a modern car, but it is sooooo much better now.

Tue Nov 02, 2010 2:57 am

there is always an exception not all p.o. are p.o.s's just some are more creative then others ok
I paid 500 for my bug
my 74 the body is completely restored i mean a 10,000 dollar job did the bondo body wrinkle removing trick and everything. Its spectacular all the parts where replaced new floor pans new suspension new front end new stearing box. the body and pan are awsome no half ass repair work painted the original color still has original rubber mats under the expensive carpet kit. a custom one off interior no major rust this thing was an ex show car from maybe the 80's paint went a little south from too much buffing went almost threw the paint in a few places

now thats from one p.o. the next p.o forgot how to take car of paint slapt a huge motor in it and drag raced it stuck all the race stickers under the hood you know STP,GULF or GOLF the old school fuel stations,AAA raceway, many more. sold the car no engine still has modified tranny

another p.o. put a brand new rebuilt gex 1500 in lowered the rear end painted the Rivieras with flat black chalky painty stuff stuck smiley stickers on it and a nice cheep paper sticker that i cant take off that says powerless didnt take care of this beautiful interior and now its all dried up and ripping

the p.o. i bought it from (a dealer) said the car didnt come with a engine thats why he wanted 1500 for it he just wanted what he paid for the engine in it now.

After i beat him to the ground for about an hour he showed me the old engine and said it didnt have any power thats when i said its a big bug lots of weight and thats a 1500 after ferther inspection it was a new 1500 from mister last PO who only drove the car maybe 800 miles before he traded it in still under warranty and the dealers mechanic pulled it apart awfully did the old shove a flat head between the case to separate it trick and toasted it

back to what i was saying they bought a 1776 short block put used pistons in new cylinders one new head and one old head dropped the distributor drive gear in 130% backwards wired the choke open and called it a day it leaked so bad and ran like shit but i new that but the body was just to good to pass

Tue Nov 02, 2010 5:27 am

PO was a tweaker! (meth head) I think that's all I need to say :roll:

The one thing I still cant figure out was the 1/2" of bondo over the entire front 1/4 panel, there was no dent :?

Tue Nov 02, 2010 6:49 am

vw_hank wrote: PO was a tweaker! (meth head) I think that's all I need to say :roll:

The one thing I still cant figure out was the 1/2" of bondo over the entire front 1/4 panel, there was no dent :?

Maybe he THOUGHT he saw a dent.....

Tue Nov 02, 2010 7:00 am

Bierboy wrote: vw_hank wrote: PO was a tweaker! (meth head) I think that's all I need to say :roll:

The one thing I still cant figure out was the 1/2" of bondo over the entire front 1/4 panel, there was no dent :?

Maybe he THOUGHT he saw a dent.....

Preventive maintenance?

Tue Nov 02, 2010 8:25 am

jlex wrote: Hey... don't knock all PO's... some are absolutely brilliant!

I like this..........

I am also thinking of an access to the engine blower nut from the firewall.

Tue Nov 02, 2010 8:41 am

Now why the heck couldn't volkwagen figure that one out. Come on, they were making the car in the 30's. That would have been a great improvment for the VW mechanics as well.

Tue Nov 02, 2010 8:59 am

kjvforme wrote: Now why the heck couldn't volkwagen figure that one out. Come on, they were making the car in the 30's. That would have been a great improvment for the VW mechanics as well.

Yeah, and while they are at it, they could install hinges on the heads to check cylinder wear. :roll:

Tue Nov 02, 2010 11:06 pm

[quote="brycastillo"] jlex wrote: Hey... don't knock all PO's... some are absolutely brilliant!

take a piece from the shelf on a junker bug and a hinge and bammoo instant door

i did this to a camaro i owned to get to the fuel pump other wise you had to drop the axle to change it. mostly everybody had a problem with it but i say make a car work for you not you work for a car

Wed Nov 03, 2010 6:41 am

brycastillo wrote: jlex wrote: Hey... don't knock all PO's... some are absolutely brilliant!

I like this..........

I am also thinking of an access to the engine blower nut from the firewall.

I guess this PO mod also have access for one of the engine bolts, which is awkward to get underneath with the clutch arm in the way.

Thu Dec 16, 2010 4:49 pm

The guy said it was in good condition over the phone. I got there, the car wouldn't idle, it would barely run. I took the car on a test drive and any time you hit a pothole or "bump" the car would jerk to the right or left (it would actually do this randomly). The radio would turn on and off randomly, no turn signals, no fuel gauge reading . . and it was in good condition!? Now for the even better: Opened the hood to find numerous open ended wires hanging around, fiberglass everywhere (it had been in a rough wreck). Then the guy said he knew nothing about vw's (but he strangely had 4 sitting in his backyard?). Then, I get it home and find out that the front beam had been cut and was only spot wielded in 2 PLACES!!! There were no struts, nothing. The rear end was slammed and couldn't fit the bolts into the brackets so he just spot wielded the spring plates as well!!! Half of the engine tin is missing among other things but hey!! I got a new beam on the front end, engine runs like a champ now, and i'm in the process of doing a complete brake rebuild and raising the rear back up (once i get the wields broken :-()

Thu Dec 16, 2010 8:23 pm

ok, this is what my friend bought(w/o asking for any help) 71 super.

the entire front looks like its made of wood (really like mahogany or something) thick bondo there.

the muffler its a kadron, brazilian muffler , never seen one in usa may be they are not exported to usa, i have just seen it here in dominican republic. its a collector type that broke in the collector and let just four tube pieces as a muffler.

the fuse box was replaced with just ONE , BIG , SQUARED fuse holder. which all the wires where attached to.

it had an adapted alternator from a mitsubishi(using a welded piece of metal to hold the alternator and a huge belt).

the engine (1300) had more oil in the outside than in the inside, had a datsun 1200 carb using some adaptor plate.

a week after "the adquisition" the brakes failed and guess what we found in the brake fluid reservoir?? engine OIL.

the front windshield was held in place with silicone as the complete headlights assemblys.

had no taillights just the bulbs in the holders...

the "gas tank" was a 2 gallon oil can , in the back of the back seat ...

the pedals were held in place by cord pieces who keep them from falling down...

the door hinges were welded to the frame and to the door(both doors)

the deck lid was welded too.

the 4 tyres were as "smooth" as a baby bottom.

the floorpans were just to large pieces of steel spot welded to the tunnel and everything.....the p.o claimed they were "new" :roll:

the switch was a universal unit, same as the headlight switch.

now the goodies:

a temperature gauge(for watercooled)

oil pressure gauge(with no sender)

voltmeter (non working)

the light from the 3 gauges work with the hadlight switch.

the glove box door is made of wood(real wood)

an empi "hurst style" shifter(real slopy)

a collection of at least a dozen of pine three

the seats were from a bmw "electronic commanded" in good order.

Thu Dec 16, 2010 8:35 pm

i still say i win

Sun Dec 26, 2010 5:25 pm

Mine was listed as a 50000 mile car with title. I discovered later that the title was junk and many of the parts had been sold and then replaced with junk parts. The rack and pinion was just laying in its place. No bolts connected to anything. They did however overlook the perfectly working bn2 and I feel better about the deal everytime I turn it on. :D

Sun Dec 26, 2010 8:02 pm

volkyoo wrote: ok, this is what my friend bought(w/o asking for any help) 71 super.

the entire front looks like its made of wood (really like mahogany or something) thick bondo there.

the muffler its a kadron, brazilian muffler , never seen one in usa may be they are not exported to usa, i have just seen it here in dominican republic. its a collector type that broke in the collector and let just four tube pieces as a muffler.

the fuse box was replaced with just ONE , BIG , SQUARED fuse holder. which all the wires where attached to.

it had an adapted alternator from a mitsubishi(using a welded piece of metal to hold the alternator and a huge belt).

the engine (1300) had more oil in the outside than in the inside, had a datsun 1200 carb using some adaptor plate.

a week after "the adquisition" the brakes failed and guess what we found in the brake fluid reservoir?? engine OIL.

the front windshield was held in place with silicone as the complete headlights assemblys.

had no taillights just the bulbs in the holders...

the "gas tank" was a 2 gallon oil can , in the back of the back seat ...

the pedals were held in place by cord pieces who keep them from falling down...

the door hinges were welded to the frame and to the door(both doors)

the deck lid was welded too.

the 4 tyres were as "smooth" as a baby bottom.

the floorpans were just to large pieces of steel spot welded to the tunnel and everything.....the p.o claimed they were "new" :roll:

the switch was a universal unit, same as the headlight switch.

now the goodies:

a temperature gauge(for watercooled)

oil pressure gauge(with no sender)

voltmeter (non working)

the light from the 3 gauges work with the hadlight switch.

the glove box door is made of wood(real wood)

an empi "hurst style" shifter(real slopy)

a collection of at least a dozen of pine three

the seats were from a bmw "electronic commanded" in good order.

If you didnt notice these issues prior to the purchase I say its a matter of purchaser,not PO.

Sun Dec 26, 2010 8:38 pm

love the brown extension cords-- has to be the best

hahahahahaha

Mon Dec 27, 2010 4:21 pm

Fiberglass half-pans

No frame rails

Rotted out doors

Frankensteined heater channels. Basically took expandable foam, assorted metal bars and PVC to keep the forward half from collapsing back into the interior (this is a vert).

The rest of what the PO did was lack of proper care. Entire forward body was rusted out and required lots of sheet metal to restore.

Mon Dec 27, 2010 10:22 pm

missionaviator wrote: Ok, here's my entry:

Is that a wadded bit of duct tape in place of the oil cap?

The coil is held up by a bread tie. Your car is a fucking monster.

And who would paint the crank case, in Ferrari red. no less?

Tue Dec 28, 2010 4:13 pm

SWODude wrote: Fiberglass half-pans

No frame rails

Rotted out doors

Frankensteined heater channels. Basically took expandable foam, assorted metal bars and PVC to keep the forward half from collapsing back into the interior (this is a vert).

The rest of what the PO did was lack of proper care. Entire forward body was rusted out and required lots of sheet metal to restore.

Just got done with the sticky on engine fires. Plus side is that the fuel line through the tube is stainless. The fuel filter is located by the carb. The hoses connecting the line with the fuel pump and between the fuel pump and the carb are braided and in good shape. When I bought the car, the only thing right was the drivetrain.

Tue Dec 28, 2010 4:34 pm

Bought a 1970 standard
-said the motor had just been rebuilt, only 100 miles on it, found out later that day it had 88000ths end play.
-gas tank was just termites holding hands
-the "never wrecked" car had been wrecked, and was hidden by the rat nest in the spare tire compartment.
- tail lights were brake lights, brake lights were tail lights, and running lights were fuse poppers.
-speed limit 25 sign for a pan half(still functional at the moment)
-ash tray face glued in place, no ash tray present
-ground wire for horn pulled out of steering column, and hooked to the hot on the speedo for the bright light indicator???