TX-73 Bug Rebuild

sb001 · Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 5:50 pm Post subject:

Great job!!
Your engine looks fantastic BTW.
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I'm the humblest guy on this board.

1969 autostick sedan, family owned since new
1600 SP engine
Solex 30 PICT 3 carburetor
Bosch 113905205AE autostick distributor

Mr.Duncan · Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 9:44 am Post subject:

TX-73 · Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 5:22 am Post subject:

Started on passenger door installation. First thing is to get the door hung and aligned before weatherstrip and mechanisms/glass.

Small details, also used all new hinge screws with anti-seize.

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

Aligned the body seams so the trim will line up later.

Overall gap is pretty good/consistent. I had to pull the running board, I noticed it was a bit too high. Not a big deal, just decided to get the door on first and then set the board more precisely for clearance.

I had a bit of a hard time initially with threading some of the new screws. Figured out that the old original screws (couple had to be drilled out) left a bit of metal/buildup in the attachment plate threads. I chased all the threads with a tap to help with the new screw attachments.
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TX-73 · Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 4:56 pm Post subject:

Other side door installed really nicely, everything aligned and working properly.

Also installed the QuickRoof in both doors. The bumpy part is the original dampening material, other than removal of some brittle areas, I didn't see a need to pull it off.

Got with John at Aircooled for another muffler (first one came from CIP1), really great communication. I had expressed concern over fit, he assured me it would fit and he was right. Just sitting in there loose for now but everything lines up.

I also swapped out the cooling fan pulley on the alternator, for some reason it had a warp in it that was not acceptable. I missed that, Thomas caught it. The pulley will go back for exchange but for now I have a CBP aluminum pulley installed, no warp Very Happy

Starting to look like a CAR Blue Bug

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TX-73 · Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 4:52 am Post subject:

It'll be about a week before we wrap up/start the engine, in the meantime I'm installing the door internals/windows. Just posting update not really a how-to as there's already enough info on Samba, YouTube, etc.

First thing was I pulled the spiral out of the regulator to check. clean it. It has a sort of felt material wound into the grooves that looks like it's supposed to keep operation smooth and quiet. Pretty clever I thought. Cleaned and lubed it, then re-installed. Along with oiling the crank gear mechanism, the final result was really nice operation.

Then started on the vent window refurbishment. Pics of general condition.

Removed the glass section

Not sure if this is just my car but the aluminum supports were painted. I will be removing the paint and seeing if I can simply bring the aluminum back as polished brightwork. You can see in the pic my initial test of paint removal, no additional wet-sanding or polishing but I much prefer the aluminum over the paint.

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TX-73 · Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2015 5:59 pm Post subject:

I also wanted to mention that I took pics of all sides and connections at the vent window assemblies before I took them apart, makes it easier to know how the bits and pieces, channels, and rubber seals all fit together. Lots of pics like this.

Got the non-polished stuff painted black.

Figured out the best way to get the visible aluminum parts cleaned and polished is a multi-step process.
Generally first is a clean-up in the sandblast cabinet to get the paint off and create a uniform surface to move forward on. Glass is protected since it's left in the frames.
Then sanding with 220 grit, wet sanding with 400 and 1000 to get to this surface

I've polished metal before so I have 3 buffing wheels I use, sisal, fabric and flap in order of start to final polish, each has a different compound used. I put the wheels on my bench grinder and go through each step. I'll post up some pics for the intermediate and final results.
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rubadubug · Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2015 7:12 pm Post subject:

Very nice. Looks like the aluminum is coming back to life.

TX-73 · Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2015 3:48 pm Post subject:

Thanks

My trusty buffing setup, just used one side for the trim buffing wheels.

Finished everything off with an application of 3M mag/aluminum polish. Not perfect but so much better than the painted versions.

Started re-assembly, new weatherstripping.

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Chochobeef · Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2015 7:00 am Post subject:

Nice. I did something similar only I painted the wing window frame and then clear coated it with a high gloss. Better protection from the elements. I'm not sure if all of it is aluminum though as mine had a small amount of rust on it (course it was sitting outside for 10 years)

I really enjoy watching your progress. I hope to one day get as far along as you have. For now, I'm just runnin and drivin and enjoyin.

TX-73 · Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2015 9:55 am Post subject:

Thanks, I'm working towards that driving part lol. Had the same thought about clearcoating but thought I'd give this a try, will see how it lasts with car that's not really going to be exposed to the elements.
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TX-73 · Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2015 6:37 pm Post subject:

Exciting day, hit the engine running milestone Very Happy

As you read in previous posts, thanks to bad parts, this was the third time Thomas and I worked getting to this day. Happy to say we have a great running bug now.

Continued getting the bits and pieces finished, where we had wiring that was a bit too long or short, I modified the length to make for a nice fit. This is just a progress pic.

The Empi solid rocker set I bought did not have the proper shims so we used the stock setup. I can change them later but they are fine, plus they do have new adjusters.

Some more progress pics, obviously before all of the tin was back in place.

We started the engine for about 30 seconds, then drained the oil since it was full of assembly lube etc. I had 2 Wix filters and 2 cheaper O'Reilly Microguard filters, decided to use the MG filters for the first 2 runs since they were short duration.
About a minute into the second start, the MG filter blew right off of the pump. Turns out the threads were barely rolled, held hand tight but oil pressure knocked it off, made a mess. Stopped the car immediately, no harm done but no more cheap filters. Installed the Wix filters and all was fine.

Here's the results of Thomas's work. First half is the very first start, second half was after break-in. Still some details to finalize, etc. but feels great to have this part finished.

Link
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I would like to thank Thomas for the days he spent to help me. He went above and beyond to check and re-check things, a true professional to work with. I'd like to think I had everything ready and lots of tools but Murphys Law decided that we had to do all this in 3 days, not one. I'm grateful to call him a friend and very fortunate he's in the Houston area. He also showed me a lot of things along the way, things I would not have picked up. Just a great guy and a top notch technician. THANK YOU Thomas!

We're going to be moving to another house, so progress will slow on the rebuild for a bit but I'll still be working in it in-between moving boxes lol. Next will be tires so I can pull it to it's new home and I'll also post up more progress on the window installation.

Thanks to Samba as well for info and comments, greatly appreciated.
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ddedman · Posted: Sun Oct 11, 2015 8:13 am Post subject:

I've got to say I have used your build thread to help me with my build. A lot go good ideas and I am extremely impressed with your abilities. Keep up the good work and I can't wait to see the final version when done.
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TX-73 · Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2015 5:30 am Post subject:

I think the best compliment is when someone uses what you did to help them, that's great Very Happy

thanks
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stumper · Samba Member Joined: May 10, 2007 Posts: 45

Looks good as usual . Are you moving closer to town or further away ?

TX-73 · Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2015 5:25 am Post subject:

Wheels and Tires Very Happy

I had posted some questions about tire sizing here
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=637717
and decided to initially try 185-65-15 tires. However when we mounted one of them, the overall wheel/tire looked puny, just didn't like it. So we tried 205-65-15 tires and they seem to fit fine as well as look much better.

The main thing this gets me now is the ability to tow it over to it's new home.
The maddening part is that somehow I lost one of the acorn bolts, so one of the front wheels only gets 3 bolts until I get a replacement. For towing this should be fine.

Before installation I got the rear castle nuts torqued down, the Torquemeister makes it a breeze.

With the wheel offset and tire sizing, they are about flush with the fenders. Turning the front wheels was not an issue. This is the first time the car has been on the new front suspension so I expect it to settle a bit. If not, I will look into lowering the front a little to help fill the wheelwell.

Overall, also considering the body trim yet to be installed, the wheels give me the balance of shiny bits to paint that I wanted.
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TX-73 · Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2015 10:14 am Post subject:

Build will pause for a bit as we transition to another house but some minor stuff that will continue. I still plan to complete the car by the end of the year Blue Bug

I will say that it tows quite well lol. Hooked up and ready to go to the other house. Surprised to get a lot of thumbs up on the way.

Tucked away in its new spot.

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peteandvanessa · Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2015 12:45 pm Post subject:

I know the feeling. We recently moved too, here's "Norman" being towed to his new home:

Here's "Norman" safely tucked up with "Billy" and "Sparks" in their new garage:

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My Son's 1971 Bay Window Westie Build Thread:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7295189#7295189

TX-73 · Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2015 2:42 pm Post subject:

Pete, I think I've followed your footsteps all along the way! The main thing I was worried about towing was some dufus running into the bug, people follow way too close.
That's such a great looking car you've got, color combo is outstanding.
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peteandvanessa · Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2015 11:58 am Post subject:

TX-73 · Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2016 6:02 pm Post subject: Re: TX-73 Bug Rebuild

Well the little bug's been sitting patiently through this house move, finally able to start moving forward on it. I've built my new work and storage areas and feel like I can function in an organized way again.

Since I last posted all I've done is run the engine. It starts and runs great. Next visit from Thomas will be for the purpose of getting the car driveable, so things like brake bleeding, shifter rod bushing and coupler are at the top of the list. We are also going to re-install the solid rocker arm setup now that I've gotten additional shims from aircooled.net We had to remove it the first time around as we were lacking a few of the right shims to get the setup right.

A few small steps today. Installed a retractable style antenna, you can see I've pulled up a bit on the rod in the second picture, fully extended I think it's around 20" or something like that.

I then replaced the H4 headlight bulbs with CREE LED's from VintagecarLEDs, which is Thomas's business. Very nice and easy installation.

I already had H4 conversions in the car. You can read back in my posts about how the wiring is set up but I use 3 relays for the headlights. One relay each for left/right lo beam and one relay for hi beams. I use the two lo beam relays for redundancy - if there is a circuit failure, there is still one side lo beam circuit working.
Anyway, the CREE H4 replacement is an exact drop-in deal, very simple and the quality of the units are very good.

Started with this H4 halogen bulb setup.

CREE bulb.

Installs only 1 way, retaining ring is not shown here.

And done

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