TheSamba.com :: View topic - Where do I start? This may be a dumb unanswerable question

Wed Jan 26, 2005 8:10 pm

First of all, may you know, I know nothing about cars. Nothing. I know how to change a tire, and "mechanicaly" that's about it. But I'm ready to learn. I've been preparing for this day a long time, cramming my dyslexic brain over and over again with John Muir's manual, I still have yet to understand most of the chapters, but my 67 is comming Saturday morning. The first car I've ever (or any one in my family) has ever had that actualy required work that involved more than dropping it off at the repair shop. (ford, toyota, bmw, honda) Now it's time for a Vdub. Anyway, I'm getting off topic. Where do I start with this little bugger? What should I do besides hug it and marval at it's slightly rusty beauty? I will probably just gauk at it the first few days, pick out a name, sit in it, bounce on the seat, open all the little compartments, turn things on, stare at stuff....but I actualy want to work on this car. He has taken pretty good care of the car, but he lost interest and decided to sell it. (some of you already know all this, I should probably have just bumper a post up) Here are some of the e-mails about the car we exchanged.

"the car runs, the pans are just going and need to be gone over on the
electrical, most of it works, but some of it doesn't, like the wiper
motor needs to be replaced, but I have a replacement in the car, just need to be installed"
"drives good, the motor runs well, once warmed up, brakes are all good,
new steel and rubber lines, I had been driving it every weekend until
the last month or so. Steering is also good, new steering damper."

So what should I do? It has some rust issues, should I start with those? The engine seems alright, should I just leave that alone until I clear up the rust? If you were getting you car, and weren't giddy like me, what would be the first things you did? This post may be useless until I have pictures and more information about "my baby". So I'll continue to be excited until I can actualy fill this post with information that would help answer my questions.

Sorry :wink:

Wed Jan 26, 2005 8:39 pm

OK,How old are you,and what are you on?JK I am always that excited when I get a new vw out of the woods(or barn) but over the years I've learned to categorise everything into two categories;want and need!Case in point,I WANT new rims and tires for my '60 eurorag,but I NEED new floors,so guess what I did first?

Wed Jan 26, 2005 8:50 pm

Haha, sorry, I can't shut up. I guess I just need to talk about it, I'm so damn excited. This is my first old car, and I'm thrilled, I've been wanting a vw forever. The car needs new floor pans, and I guess the rust should be the first issue? I'm just trying to figure out where to start. I guess rust, because it could spread. I was just wondering if I should work on mechanical/electrical stuff first or the body work first?

Wed Jan 26, 2005 9:08 pm

you still havent answered my questions! again put your problems in your categories! Do you NEED to fix the rust,or do you NEED to fix the electrical?you will be able to figure it out when you start driving your beetle

Wed Jan 26, 2005 9:19 pm

#1 brakes. #2 mechanical(oil change,grease job,check trans fluid level,fill wiper fluid resivor, put 20 pounds air front tires and 25 pounds rear.,check shocks,check clutch adjustment) #3electrical(spray all contacts on fuse panel with electrical contact cleaner) #4 body ( work from bottom up.)#5 interior. #6 send me email at [email protected] i will send care package.

Wed Jan 26, 2005 11:16 pm

Damn BILL, that was a very very nice gesture. It was also a very good answer. I hope to one day own another VW but for now I am stuck with mine. Would you send me a care package too? HAHA.....I will probably send my car back down to BFY. LOL....They do awesome work!! See Bob and tell him I sent you....Good luck with your new ride man!!!

Wed Jan 26, 2005 11:22 pm

gee alex you dont have a 67-- i always send a care package to 1st timers that dont offend me. one thing is a 1/16" npt barb fitting to replace pressed in tube in top of carb so car dont burn down, and a photocopy of a 67 owners manual,a colored schematic of 67 only wiring diagram and other stuff..

Wed Jan 26, 2005 11:23 pm

Damn I knew it was too good to be true!!!!

Thu Jan 27, 2005 5:38 am

bill may wrote: gee alex you dont have a 67-- i always send a care package to 1st timers that dont offend me. one thing is a 1/16" npt barb fitting to replace pressed in tube in top of carb so car dont burn down, and a photocopy of a 67 owners manual,a colored schematic of 67 only wiring diagram and other stuff..

Hey Bill - Have I ever offended you? I'd love to get my hands on that stuff!

Thu Jan 27, 2005 6:32 am

That is nice if you Bill. It was also good to see that you mentioned being able to STOP the car before he gets it going!

Thu Jan 27, 2005 7:20 am

Bill, my first bug is a 67. I don't think I have offended you as well. I have a 67 owners manual, and if the wiring schematic is in a Bentley's I have one as well. But I wouldn't mind a
Quote: 1/16" npt barb fitting to replace pressed in tube in top of carb

I could send you a little $ to cover shipping.

Thanks.

Thu Jan 27, 2005 7:52 am

You probably know this already but I'll repeat it anyways; do not get your car on the road until all the salt slush is gone and the roads are bone dry. Salty slush is one of the worst corrosives (any former navy guys around?) and will eat up your car. If there are holes on channels and the slush gets in, it will eat your car from the inside out.

If you have to drive it, wash it right away. If you take it to a car wash, make sure they do not recycle their water. Washing salty slush with water that still has more than trace elements of salt might be just as bad; salt may deposit into places where it wouldn't have gotten otherwise.

Did you get the seats with the headrest already? I think I saw some at Crazy Ray's in Jesup.

Thu Jan 27, 2005 8:09 am

This may help ..... read this page at John Henry's website,
"OK, I Bought a Beetle, Now What?":
http://thebugshop.org/bsfqwhat.htm

Lots more good articles there:
http://thebugshop.org/gotech.htm

Thu Jan 27, 2005 8:17 am

OiOi is a female. i sent a "care package " to a daughter of Ray Yoder (rayvw) on vintagvw list when she bought a 68.. helped get car setup for driving -no worries. besides i need room for other stuff. ask l227,allen willis,industryvw and others on parts i have-especially 67 stuff.

Thu Jan 27, 2005 8:28 am

OiOiOi wrote: Where do I start with this little bugger?

I just got my 1970 out of field this past Sunday and I know just how you feel. I keep going out to the shop and looking at it and thinking "Where do I start?"

Well, my inclination is to start by cleaning it out! It's a mess and that thread where everyone posted what they found in the Beetles has got me scared to death a Black Widow is in there (a very likely possibility here in the Tulsa area.)

I want to take the seats out and all the rubber and rotted carpet and clean in there real good. But I want to pull it back out of the shop to do that and the brakes are froze so it isn't like my husband and I can just push it out.

So this weekend, I'm getting some of that PB Blaster that was recommended and I guess we'll start on loosening up those brakes!

Kim

Thu Jan 27, 2005 10:57 am

A care package would be amazing, I have a 67 manual on the way in the mail, knowing I could have gotten a photo copy would have been nice...oh well, I guess the real deal is just as fun :wink: .

Thanks for all the information everybody, I guess the breaks it is.

Fri Jan 28, 2005 2:17 am

i feel just like this guy , i just got my 69 1 week ago . but i know alot about cars , but nothing about bugs , and from what im seing its a hole dif ball game ! hehe . it has no brakes , no heat , ( 18 deg here right now ) rusted floor pans hole under the battery, no fresh air box but still have vent in hood , now i have a water logged 500.00 cd/mp3/xm player ! haha, leaking gas tank , padel that moves from side to side ! oh yea and the light switch on my master cilender with the 2 wires closest to the front of the car gets very hot to the tuch ?? dont know why have read and read about it and still cant find a fix! anyone know why . umm what else ----- oh yea the hood dont line up so there is a major draft inside! but it runs like a top , never hesatates to start never bogs down , runs great, about that care package , got anything for the 69 ? i can pay ya , i never expect anything to be free . and any advice that me and this guy can use will be great thanks alot ! ( [email protected] ) thats my e-mail , also im in virginia .

Fri Jan 28, 2005 7:54 am

people put a fuel filter on pressure side of fuel pump (between pump and carburater) and the weight of it vibrating,bouncing pull the brass tube loose from carb top. it will spray gasoline all over engine as long as pump is pumping. any spark ignites it and you have a fire. i put fuel filter between engine and frame (suction side= no pressure) and check it (filter ) when i jack car up to change oil. i cant remember how many burnt,burning vw's i have found with burnt rear hoods or burnt to ground since 1965 when i got my 1 st beetle. removing tube and knurling it to get tight fit is band aid as is epoxy glue. removing top of carb ,drilling 1/4" and tapping 1/16" npt and putting barb fitting in place is not.

Fri Jan 28, 2005 5:47 pm

Bill,

I also recently got a 67, and this line intrigued me:

1/16" npt barb fitting to replace pressed in tube in top of carb

I am handy, but don't know much about engines. Could you explain what this barb fitting does? I'd really appreciate it.

Also, you say you put the filter between engine and frame. Just to check, do you mean between the gas tank and the engine? If not, where exactly do you mean?

I didn't even think about these things, and I just drove my car to Seattle from Los Angeles. Maybe I took a huge risk and didn't even know it.

I'd love to figure this out before any more driving.

Thanks for any and all help!

You can respond here or to [email protected]

Matthew