Maryland 1966 Beetle Project

mukluk · Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 11:26 am Post subject:

If the latch is anything like my '60 then it's bolted on... mine also has slots in the bolt holes in the latch that will let you adjust its position a little bit.

obfuscurity · Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2013 9:41 pm Post subject:

Some minor updates. I took the car to my local shop last week to have the sheared pan bolt under the rear seat repaired. He ended up having to drill it out and then welded a nut on in its place. Not my preferred method of repair, but it was effective and allowed me to reinstall the rear seat belt properly.

I finally got my hands on a correct relay bracket recently. Installed that tonight and mounted the replacement 9-pin flasher relay. I still have a couple wires to fix for the passenger turn signals but it's nice to have that finally close to finished.

Looking forward to getting the buffing and polishing done very soon. The weather is supposed to be decent for the next week and I have tomorrow (Sunday), Monday and Tuesday (personal days) off, so I'm hoping to get a lot of stuff done over the next few days.
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66 Sedan L456 "Ramona"

obfuscurity · Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 7:51 pm Post subject:

Resurrecting this thread since it's been a year and I managed to get some small projects done last year. More importantly, I have a ton of new parts and little cleanup projects planned for this spring. I would've loved to work on it over the winter but the east coast weather made it downright unbearable to do any real work in the garage.

Some things I worked on last year but neglected to mention:

Over the winter I stockpiled a bunch of replacement interior bits (headliner, door panels, seat covers) a set of new pop-out windows, and still have a bunch of door and window bits (weatherstripping, scrapers, etc) to replace. I'll be trying to squeeze as much of this work into my spare time over the next couple months as possible.

Photo opportunity with the kids last summer:

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

The new carpet kit, installed:

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66 Sedan L456 "Ramona"

obfuscurity · Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 8:04 pm Post subject:

Most recently I resumed work on repairing the driver's side vent wing window assembly. The original lock was broken so I found a used assembly in somewhat poor shape in the classifieds (but with a working lock) and rebuilt mine with the repurposed lock. I picked up a tip from one of Chris Vallone's videos, using latex adhesive and some "shim" pieces of rubber floor mats to restore the rubber holding the vent wing window into the frame.

I'm pretty happy with the results. If I hadn't done the work myself I don't think I'd have been able to tell the difference. Now I just need to rivet this back into the frame assembly with the new weatherstripping and then figure out how to reassemble all of the door and window pieces. Razz

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66 Sedan L456 "Ramona"

obfuscurity · Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2014 3:59 pm Post subject:

After finally reassembling the vent wing window and frame, I had a rough time reassembling the window until I figured out the upper loop of the regulator fits inside the inner lip of the door (where the scraper attaches).

Of course, once I finally got everything together the window lift channel seal gave way and the glass popped loose. Ordered a new set of seals from Airhead (WW was out of stock).

Went to install the new seal today and discovered that the lift channel is badly rusted. There's enough life in it for now, and I really wanted to get this door back together, so I went ahead and cleaned it out and re-mounted the glass.

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66 Sedan L456 "Ramona"

obfuscurity · Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2014 7:33 pm Post subject:

Fixing the door panel. I purchased some replacement TMI panels but even though they're nice, they're not a match for the one-year-only '66 panels with the chrome strip. The corners of the door pockets are damaged but it's worth it to me to keep these in use as long as I can. Stretched and re-fit the corners with a hair dryer, a tube of Seal-All and some binder clips.

New door panel clips and seals and the panel goes on. Of course, I forgot the door handle and winder springs, so I pop the panel off and refit it with the springs.

Last but not least, the handles go in with the dowel pins and I'm finally done with this long overdue project.

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66 Sedan L456 "Ramona"

mukluk · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 12:49 am Post subject:

Looking good, keep it up. Cool

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1960 Ragtop w/Semaphores "Inga"

camit34 · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 1:06 am Post subject:

Very nicely done! I so miss having a Beetle.
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In search of a Vanagon
1971 Westy (SOLD)
1971 Deluxe (SOLD)
1967 Freedom Camper (SOLD)

obfuscurity · Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2014 10:03 pm Post subject:

Installed new pop-out windows. I would've liked to pick up a used set but when I was looking there was nothing available, so I forked out for the new set from Jbugs.

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66 Sedan L456 "Ramona"

obfuscurity · Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 7:53 am Post subject:

Polished (rubbing compound, polishing compound, wax) up the rear quarter panel and fender on the driver's side. You can see the original state of the paint from the first couple photos.

Finished the quarter panel. Dat reflection.

Polished and reinstalled the trim with new seals.

Final shot after polishing the rear fender. I wish this work went faster but I'm having to go over every area 3 times, and I'm doing all the work by hand. You can see that the engine lid and louver area are still to be done.

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66 Sedan L456 "Ramona"

Buscowboy · Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 8:03 am Post subject:

'66 is looking sweet. I have one which I am running around in at the mo, was not really into late 60's Beetles until got mine up and running. Now thinking about hanging on to it for a little longer just to enjoy driving it.
keep up the updates.

Regards
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1962 Gulf Blue Patina Deluxe Beetle
1963 SubHatch Westfalia MG/PW
1967 Fastback RHD Regatta Blue
1970 FI Auto Squareback
1999 T4 Transporter 2.5 TDI Reimo

http://www.youtube.com/@BuscowboyClassics

https://www.instagram.com/buscowboy/

obfuscurity · Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 8:10 am Post subject:

bigdog1962 · Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 8:50 am Post subject:

I'm definitely following because I love pictures with the story. Helps me to learn. Keep it up!

sportin-wood · Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 9:40 am Post subject:

Looks SHARP! Only problem I ever had with polishing up oxidized paint was it'll revert back to it's dull self real quick if you don't do it regularly. Crying or Very sad

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Paused 66 project bug
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"Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman. He's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it." --- Jeff Spicoli

obfuscurity · Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 7:17 pm Post subject:

You all have no idea how happy/relieved I am right now. Very Happy

This beetle has had (typical?) startup issues ever since I got it. It would startup immediately when cold, but then have a really hard time starting once I got somewhere (if the engine was still warm). Went through a series of "idiot diagnoses" (buying replacement parts): new starter, hard-start relay, even a new battery. Ok, the last one was needed since I wasn't trickle-charging over the winter. My bad.

Meanwhile, I've had more than one person suggest that the battery cables were old and should be replaced. Pishaw, I say. It couldn't be anything as simple as that. The cables looked ok, I told myself repeatedly. It must be something more complex! Well, after running out of ideas (or worse, expensive parts to replace), I finally snagged a $15 set of replacement battery cables from Airhead. Installed them this evening. Sure enough... problem solved.

Everyone, please learn from my obstinance.

P.S. In the end I'm not too upset about the new parts. At least I know I won't have to deal with those again anytime in the near future. And I've ordered a Battery Tender charger, so no more dead batteries either.
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66 Sedan L456 "Ramona"

dubjeep · Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 3:01 am Post subject:

Your car looks really nice. The polishing is really paying off. I'm glad you were able to get the starting issue resolved too.
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"Harvey"--My 1970--http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=495804

rcroane · Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 8:19 am Post subject:

Looking really nice.

What brand products did you use for the compounding, polish and wax?

Thanks.

obfuscurity · Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 5:29 pm Post subject:

obfuscurity · Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 5:34 pm Post subject:

We had such a good time at Volksfest today. What a great event.

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66 Sedan L456 "Ramona"


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