Creeky the '69 Bug

[Stock Steve]

Here's the first installation of the new set of el-cheapo Taiwan chrome domes, on Saturday afternoon, July 13th, 2013, in a light drizzle. I like the look! That's my sister-in-law's Subaru parked next to the Bug...

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Stock Steve
Shoreline Antique Auto Connection
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[Stock Steve]

My first couple of shots from the day (Sunday, July 14th, 2013)--posing the Creeky '69 Bug across the street from the super-cool event sign that the CVA-ers made up for the CVA Volks-Meet event, which was posted on the Westbrook Town Green, Westbrook, CT:

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Stock Steve
Shoreline Antique Auto Connection
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[Stock Steve]

Here are a couple more shots of the Creeky '69 at the CVA 9th Annual New England Volks-Meet, 7/14/2013, Westbrook, CT, including a couple of fun hubcap reflections of yours truly in those high quality Taiwan chrome dome 'caps...

Make sure you check out the samba thread with tons of photos from the event: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=550424

In all, it was an awesome day! Thanks CVA! www.ctvwa.org

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Stock Steve
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Thanks Veterans

[Stock Steve]

Nice of our long-time old-VW friend Chuck P. to pose with the Creeky Bug this past Sunday, 7/28/2013, toward the end of the day at the "Time Machines 2013" antique auto show & flea market, in Guilford, CT. Chuck knows this car VERY well, inside and out, as he did some intensive, positively magnificent welding and metalwork on it a year or so ago, such that now it is EXTREMELY solid and structurally sound.

Chuck spent most of the day vending in his flea market space at Time Machines 2013, where he was selling his "Masterseries" line of coatings and restoration supplies, ref: http://www.masterseriesct.com/

Thanks again Chuck--not only for doing such fantastic work on my car, but also for supporting the Time Machines antique auto event!

Don't miss Chuck's upcoming "Connecticut Bug-A-Fair," Sunday, August 11th, 2013, at the Terryville Fairgrounds, and benefiting the Terryville Lions Club, ref: http://www.terryvillelions.org/vwshow.htm

Bug-A-Fair flyer FRONT: http://home.comcast.net/~shorelinesteve/11August2013TerryvilleBugAFairFlyerFRONT.jpg

Bug-A-Fair flyer BACK: http://home.comcast.net/~shorelinesteve/11August2013TerryvilleBugAFairFlyerBACK.jpg
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Stock Steve
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[Stock Steve]

Ah man, I wasn't able to make it to Chuck P's Terryville event this past Sunday, but heard it was a great day--thanks Chuck and all your helpers for the great job you do for the old VW hobby in Connecticut! And all the while supporting worthy charitable causes. BRAVO!

Anyway, here are a couple more shots of the Creeky Bug as it appeared at the "Time Machines 2013" car show, on Sunday, July 28th, 2013, ref: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=558398 (lots more pictures from the event there, and more that I still have yet to add...)

Happy to say we had a great day all the way around at Time Machines 2013, and the Creeky Bug ran great!
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Stock Steve
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[Stock Steve]

Took the Creeky Bug to a local cruise night on Friday evening, August 2, 2013, in North Branford, CT. This was a car event staged in conjunction with the overall "North Branford Potato & Corn Festival," which runs weekend-long (the car cruise is Friday night only). I think I was the only VW there, but still had a lot of fun participating and checking out all the other cool old cars and trucks...

More info on the Potato & Corn Festival: http://www.nbpotatofest.com/

More info on one of these events that I participated in a couple of years ago: http://home.comcast.net/~shorelinesteve/NBPCFestCruz11/NBCruz11Review.htm

Later on when I got home that same evening, I snapped a couple of shots in the driveway, before the sun went down completely...

I should add that I noticed clutch slippage on the way home from North Branford that evening, and have since done some clutch adjusting, which hasn't alleviated the situation. I haven't done much driving with the Creeky Bug since, as a result, and I've missed it...

So anyway, today as this is being written (Sunday, September 1, 2013), I think I'm going to dive into the clutch replacement--wish me luck!

And have a good rest of your long holiday weekend!
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Stock Steve
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[Stock Steve]

Car is back running again and doesn't seem to slip clutch at all on a local-area test run (after an initial adjustment when it didn't want to go into any gears).

Also initially didn't want to start (the hazards of letting these rookie mechanics mess with one's car), which was quite discouraging for a pretty good while.

Now that all is said and done we only fry our right side parking light fuse--which I can deal with (at least my headlights and one tail light still works, for when I may need to drive at night).

Will add a couple nitty-gritty photos from today's garage adventures next chance I get...

I'm glad it's over!

Gotta love old cars!
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[Stock Steve]

Crummy images of a crummy job, taken with a crummy camera, arrgh.

Couldn't put it off any longer--it was time to dive into replacing the clutch in the Creeky '69 Bug. Yesterday, Sunday September 1st, 2013, was Clutch Replacement Day.

Turned out to be a bigger, gnarlier task than expected, but we got thru it, "semi-unscathed," for the most part! Glad it's done!

I took a couple of pictures along the way with my el-cheapo camera, and will share a couple from various stages of the process...

These first two show the car at the stage of getting ready to "undo the serious stuff," now that the air cleaner, and hoses have been moved out of the way already...

And what do you know, eventually I got the engine unhooked from the car! But it was not without a struggle, as the thick tarboard that was loosely attached to the firewall was quite warped and wavy, and restricted the space for my already-fat hands and arms from getting in there to access the two two nuts that hold the engine to the transmission. But we worked at it and eventually got it done...

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[Stock Steve]

The next time I picked up the camera, I had already installed the new clutch disk (with the help of my clutch disk centering tool, not shown).

In the process, I also realized that the "appropriate for a '69 Bug" pressure plate assembly was different from the one on this engine--and then I remembered that the previous owner had told me he had put in a '73 Bug transmission when he did the changeover from Auto-Stick. So, the "spare" PP I had on my shelf had the center ring attached to the center "spring leaves," while the one that was on the engine only had the bare leaves. So, I checked out the face of the PP, it looked ok to me, and then I installed it. Anyway, here are a couple of photos from right around that stage of the day's progress (that's the old disk I'm holding in my hand in the 2nd shot):

Remember when I talked about the warped and wavy tarboard last time? I decided that I wasn't in the mood to fight with it again (and my hands and forearms were also sufficiently scarred-up already), so I decided to pull it out.

I guess when you have a tarboard that is not held flat by all those little spikes on the firewall, it will tend to soften and droop during engine operation (heat from same I'm sure can soften the board in operation). Someday maybe I'll attempt to install a new one, but for now, it doesn't concern me, and it made re-attaching the engine a little easier. Here are a couple of end-on shots of the tar board that I pulled out:

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Stock Steve
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[Stock Steve]

Engine is back in and nearly all buttoned back up (yes, I eventually did reconnect the vacuum hose to the distributor).

Gnarlier-looking than ever now, with the tar-board-less firewall, but I am happier with it this way, and it's not like it's out of character compared to the rest of the car.

Like I say, perhaps I'll get around to installing a new tar board some day, but for now, we are definitely fine this way!

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Stock Steve
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[ruppsterdog]

Hey it's nice to see that the ol Bug is getting attention. I don't remember if I installed a new clutch in it when I did the change over or not, guessin that I didn't.

[Stock Steve]

[Stock Steve]

Forgot I had a couple more "overall scene" type shots from when I was still in the process of psyching myself up to begin re-installation of the engine:

Yeesh! "Controlled chaos" down there for sure! Cold adult beverages not shown...

And I also realized that I hadn't made note of the odometer reading at the time of clutch replacement--which would be 19,814.

Back when we first acquired the car (from none other than ruppsterdog), I think in March of 2010, the starting odometer reading was noted to be 17,606.

Which calculates out to 2,208 total miles that we've driven the Creeky Bug so far...

(See why I don't like to drive a car with a broken speedo cable?!... I would be depriving myself of all the self-congratulatory joy in reporting how many miles I've logged... What a tool...)
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[Stock Steve]

Last of the shots from Clutch Replacement Day...

First two show the car jacked up for quickie clutch adjusting activities.

Third shot is one I felt I had to take to document "evidence of the struggles that took place" that day (sheesh)...

Final shot shows the car finally back in its spot at the garage opening at the conclusion of all the day's activities, ready to plan the next outing on the highways and byways...

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Stock Steve
Shoreline Antique Auto Connection
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[Glenn]

I don't know "Stock Steve", aftermarket crank pulley and blue coil.

Also the generator needs to be rotated 90* CW so the cooling vent is positioned correctly.
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Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
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[Stock Steve]

[Glenn]

[Stock Steve]

[HeidiHo]

Steve, good job getting it all out and back together. Really like your pictures (as always).

Glenn's right bout the generator orientation, dunno if it will cause you any problems though?

Also I feel your frustrations about the tarboard, the one in my car looks the same. I cut out a few pieces but man I shoulda ripped it all out.
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[Stock Steve]