Bugly Beetle... 69 Resto

[Steeze]

Ok guys.. joined up yesterday and introduced myself a bit. Got the bug about an hour ago. I wasn't able to get it in the garage but I think im hoping I can get it running enough to drive it in. Im going to put the battery on a trickle charge tonight and see what happens in the morning.

Now for a lot of pictures... I don't know the 1st thing about these vehicles so while your looking please feel free to point out anything and everything that looks like it needs replaced. Any comments are very much appreciated... this will be a weekend driver and for my wife so first things first is safety and reliability. I can weld and have a decent set of tools so whatever input you have will help.

[Steeze]

Please keep in mind I know nothing about these so if there's anything that looks out of the ordinary please post it. As a noob to VW's I wouldn't see things like you guys would.

[loper]

Well, couple chewed up fenders, not too bad. the Pans need some lovin', and that rusty beam looks harsh, but for the price, I'd be happy.

Rust, man, get a handle on the rust before it gets worse.

[aqualung1]

Just time and money my friend

[drew8372]

let us know how the charging goes i'm curious to hear if the motor turns over.

[Pruneman99]

Before I did anything, that 300 year old, heat cracked fuel filter would get removed and replaced be a new one located down by the trans with some new rubber lines. It looks like you have some work ahead of you with that car but thats 1/2 the fun.. sometimes If it catches fire in the first 5 minutes, you might just shelling out another $40.00 for that trailer to hall a burned out shell to the scrap yard..
It looks like that engine has not ran it a bit. Might wanna pull out the plugs and shoot a little spray lube in the cylinders. Put in some fresh oil. Hand spin the engine a few times to make sure everything feels free and not stuck. If it feels ok you would be supprised how long these things can sit and still run. Good luck!

[Steeze]

Cool so i'll definitely look at replacing the fuel filter and bustin rust. I just started cleaning out the trash found a bunch of tools tucked away in random spots, fuses, condoms, bottles, coins etc... I tried to jump it but didn't work. The little red light comes on with the (G) inside it.. not sure what that is. the blinkers work, brake lights work, wipers work... however it won't even try to crank. I know for a fact the wiring is trashed... like a damn birds nest. Im sure it's some sort of fuse or something.

There's definitely quite a bit of rust.. most of it seems to be surface but some spots will require patching. The luggage area isn't as bad as I thought it would be... I can take care of the rust with some flap and wire wheels.. little bedliner and it should be good to go. I've got the battery out and on a trickle charge... I hope I can save it.

I need to get the beast in the garage before I can really get into it... all my neighbors are either deployed or gone so im trying to think of a good way to get her in. I'd like to get started tonight....

Thanks for all the advice and input guys.. I'll definitely be getting at the engine and fuel filter... gotta get it running before anything.

[EVfun]

That front beam scares the bejeezus out of me. Nothing else looks intimidating at all.

[Roostalee]

The "G" light is your generator. In '69 they finally marked them, because before there was just a red and green light. Green meant oil and red was generator, which seemed odd to me. But so does 1/1 (which any 3rd grade will tell you equals 1) to indicate a full tank.

Welcome to party.
_________________
Every morning, Greggery drives his little red Volkswagen to the ugly part of town where they keep the government buildings. "Voodn, voodn! Boy it's so hard to find a place to park around here!"

[Steeze]

Got her in the garage... I pulled her in with a come along and the help of my wife. Now I can start getting shit done.... by the way what's the front beam? Im assuming it's the top bar of the front axle... I don't know...

I'll get more time to search the forum and figure this thing out.. but now that its in the garage I need to go mess with it.

[jhicken]

Yea, a new beam is in your future. That is the whole front end. Not a big deal, easily and relatively cheap to replace. Pick up a few manuals. The Robert Bentley manual is the best for technical info and I like to recommend the John Muir Manual "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive" for new VW owners. It not only has some easy to understand language for a newbee to understand but it'll help you learn a little about the soul of your new car.

Start with the motor and trans, and then turn to the brakes and suspension [including that rusty beam]. Once you get it running and safe, then concentrate on the cosmetics and interior.

-jeffrey
_________________
Central Jersey Volkswagen Society
Vintage Volkswagen Club of America, New Jersey Chapter

[Q-Dog]

Looks like most of it is there, which is very good. It's not in bad shape at all and looks fairly original. I wouldn't be too hasty to tear it apart. Heck, I would be tempted to roll it as is, maybe after buffing the paint a little and going through the mechanicals to make sure it is safe.

Also, the wiring tends to look like spaghetti from the factory, so don't assume yours is a problem just yet. A bit of time cleaning connections can go a long way to clearing up most wiring issues.
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Brian

'69 Dune Buggy, http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=419624
'69 Beetle Convertible
'70 Beetle, http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=544918

[Derek Cobb]

I'd be replacing the brake lines, all the rubber fuel lines and that front beam. You can sit down with a wiring diagram and probably get that rats-nest wiring back in relatively good order with a few hours of patience.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/wiring/bug_6869.jpg
This oughta' help.

[Rustforlife]

[Steeze]

Cool thanks guys...

I pulled the rear bench seat last night, pulled the old carpet and matting out, removed the rear panels, cleaned up a bit. I know that I've got the battery back to life, I put it in after only 4 hours and the I've got the generator light and it seems to have power... It still wont even try to turn over so im going to look into that more today. Any ideas or things to look at first???

I also started looking for a new front beam.. found this on CL and wanted to see what you guys thought. Oh and yes I would like to lower it... im not telling my wife though. She thinks it looks fine but I think it needs to be slammed and well im doing all the work.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/pts/2978154420.html

The engine does spin freely... I cranked on it last night and everything feels fine. The PO said he had it running before we deployed... that was back in July. When we got back the battery was dead and when he tried to jump it, no luck... so I don't know what happened but im gonna try and tackle some of the wiring. There isn't any funny tricks to start these things right??? just push the clutch in and turn the key im assuming.

If I can just get it running I'll be pumped and ready to do an engine rebuild. I'd like to hear it go before I tear it down.

[Steve22]

you've never mentioned if you get the oil light or not, do not run it until you get that working too.
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'65 Karmann Ghia 'vert
'73 Super Beetle
'59 Beetle ragtop

[Steeze]

[Steve22]

oil light indicates oil pressure or lack there of, generator light does same for charging (and indirectly cooling fan spinning)
_________________
'65 Karmann Ghia 'vert
'73 Super Beetle
'59 Beetle ragtop

[Bierboy]

[NCdad]