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Mabel, Our 1968 Zenith Blue Beetle
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andrewvwclassic
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 4:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow what a great build. I was gonna do a thread like this when I finished my project and post some pics from start to finish. I think your doing great so far.
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houseofboyd
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 5:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

andrewvwclassic wrote:
Wow what a great build. I was gonna do a thread like this when I finished my project and post some pics from start to finish. I think your doing great so far.


Thanks... Smile
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Our 1968 Zenith Blue Beetle: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=619501

My '74 SB Build On The Samba: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=609943

Our Web Site: http://www.kentuckyhotwheels.com

1968 VW Beetle
2012 Turbo VW Beetle
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houseofboyd
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 12:31 pm    Post subject: Parcel Tray Reply with quote

Put this off long enough, so this morning I ordered the parcel tray...after looking at pretty much all of the vendors, I chose the one from cip1.com...

https://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=ACC-C10-1250
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Our 1968 Zenith Blue Beetle: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=619501

My '74 SB Build On The Samba: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=609943

Our Web Site: http://www.kentuckyhotwheels.com

1968 VW Beetle
2012 Turbo VW Beetle
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houseofboyd
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 12:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just wasn’t satisfied with the positioning of the fog lights. I really like them and the nice brackets, but they just stuck up too high and too far out. There’s no way to modify the brackets because they’re solid metal and I think they are more suited for the ’67 and earlier bumpers since those bumpers have an additional bar that sits on top of the bumper. So what I did to make them less obvious was to turn them in towards each other, putting the fog lights closer to the body and not protruding out past the bumper. Yeah, they still sit to high, but I think moving them makes them look less out of place.

BEFORE:
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AFTER:
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Our 1968 Zenith Blue Beetle: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=619501

My '74 SB Build On The Samba: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=609943

Our Web Site: http://www.kentuckyhotwheels.com

1968 VW Beetle
2012 Turbo VW Beetle
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Chochobeef
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 1:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not sure that setup will work for you in the long run. How are you going to open the bonnet?

Did you try mounting them so they are on the underside of the bumper like normal driving/fog lights? It may look better and be functional.

I'd be interested in seeing photos of them on the underside of the bumper.
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houseofboyd
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 1:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Chochobeef wrote:
Not sure that setup will work for you in the long run. How are you going to open the bonnet?

Did you try mounting them so they are on the underside of the bumper like normal driving/fog lights? It may look better and be functional.

I'd be interested in seeing photos of them on the underside of the bumper.


Clears the lights by at least an inch or so...I did try to mount them from the bottom...they had about half an inch of clearance from the concrete...lol
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Our 1968 Zenith Blue Beetle: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=619501

My '74 SB Build On The Samba: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=609943

Our Web Site: http://www.kentuckyhotwheels.com

1968 VW Beetle
2012 Turbo VW Beetle
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sb001
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 2:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That looks GREAT-- much MUCH better. That's something I wonder if I ever would've thought of.
As long as it's not blocking trunk lid access I'd say you're good to go!
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1969 autostick sedan, family owned since new
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Chochobeef
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 3:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

houseofboyd wrote:
Clears the lights by at least an inch or so...I did try to mount them from the bottom...they had about half an inch of clearance from the concrete...lol


Sweet. Since they clear the hood, I say it was worth the nice look. Too bad about not being able to mount below. Can't wait to see your next piece(s) for the car.
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houseofboyd
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

sb001 wrote:
That looks GREAT-- much MUCH better. That's something I wonder if I ever would've thought of.
As long as it's not blocking trunk lid access I'd say you're good to go!


Thanks...I like it a lot better as well..and the hood opens with plenty of clearance...trial and error...lol
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Our 1968 Zenith Blue Beetle: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=619501

My '74 SB Build On The Samba: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=609943

Our Web Site: http://www.kentuckyhotwheels.com

1968 VW Beetle
2012 Turbo VW Beetle
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houseofboyd
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Chochobeef wrote:
houseofboyd wrote:
Clears the lights by at least an inch or so...I did try to mount them from the bottom...they had about half an inch of clearance from the concrete...lol


Sweet. Since they clear the hood, I say it was worth the nice look. Too bad about not being able to mount below. Can't wait to see your next piece(s) for the car.


Thanks...got a couple of things on the way...next big project is door seals and rubber...really, really dreading this..every thread I've read leads me to believe it's going to be a pain in the arse...but it has to be done....all the other rubber/seals have already been replaced so at least the doors is the only thing left... Smile
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Our 1968 Zenith Blue Beetle: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=619501

My '74 SB Build On The Samba: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=609943

Our Web Site: http://www.kentuckyhotwheels.com

1968 VW Beetle
2012 Turbo VW Beetle
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Chochobeef
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 26, 2015 6:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Don't fret too much about the door seals. They aren't as bad as people make them out to be. There is a thread out there about refreshing your window track as you will probably want to do that to while you are at it.

It took me a few days to replace my passenger side only because i wanted to paint the window track and refresh its parts. The vent window rubber is probably the hardest part of it. Just take your time and you will be good. One of these days i'll get a build thread going as well.

Good luck and enjoy your beautiful bug.

CC
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houseofboyd
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 27, 2015 2:07 pm    Post subject: Not Everybody’s Cup Of Tea Reply with quote

So I’ve been thinking for a while about what to do about this. Some time, probably back in the 70’s, somebody had installed a CB radio in the Beetle. I remember when it was cool to have a CB radio installed in your car, way before texting and cell phones. Anyhow, somewhere along the line, the CB was removed, leaving a hole in the hood where they had mounted the antenna. The hole was plugged with a solid rubber grommet. When and if I ever decided to get the Beetle painted, I’ll probably have the hole welded up and forgotten about. Until then I thought it’d be a cool place to mount a tachometer. Not many places on or around the dash for a tach, so I figured why not. Since it’s something that I’m not totally sure I’ll keep, I got a cheapo Bosch tach at Autozone to fill the bill. Easy enough the hook up. One wire to the coil, one hot wire, one to the light dimmer and one ground. The hardest part was getting the wire from the front of the car to the coil. I know this probably isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but I’m digging it so far, whether or not it’ll be a permanent fixture is to be determined. Not worried about it getting wet...I'll be careful when I was Mabel and she's never out in the rain.... Smile And yes, the hood opens no problem, the tach doesn't even come close to the windshield...

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.
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And here's a video...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/boydhouse/16742806227/
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Our 1968 Zenith Blue Beetle: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=619501

My '74 SB Build On The Samba: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=609943

Our Web Site: http://www.kentuckyhotwheels.com

1968 VW Beetle
2012 Turbo VW Beetle
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houseofboyd
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 6:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Had some time this afternoon and concentrated on getting the trunk area cleaned up a bit. No rust, but a lot of dust. Got the spare tire area cleaned up and washer fluid reservoir hooked up. Also installed a new wiring cover on the back side of the dash. The old one had seen better days and was cracked. I plan to make my own trunk liner just to make everything look a little cleaner. Have a couple of ideas floating around, once I commit to the project, I’ll put together a how to. I also dressed up the wiring on the new fog lights, they look a lot cleaner now. And I also moved the fog light indicator in the speedo opposite to the bright light indicator. Now, when the fog lights are on, the left side blue light is on, when the bright lights are, the regular right side blue light is on. Hope my bamboo parcel tray will be here Monday or Tuesday so I can get it installed.

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https://www.flickr.com/photos/boydhouse/16340976053/
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Our 1968 Zenith Blue Beetle: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=619501

My '74 SB Build On The Samba: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=609943

Our Web Site: http://www.kentuckyhotwheels.com

1968 VW Beetle
2012 Turbo VW Beetle
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houseofboyd
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 8:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I’ve given a lot of thought about installing a radio in the Beetle. Unfortunately, most of today’s radios will not fit into the metal dash opening in the old Beetles. You can retro radios that will fit, but they’re very, very expensive. So I’ve opted to use my phone as my radio/mp3 player and I bought a EU Boom bluetooth speaker. This is a rechargeable, 360 degree speaker that has excellent sound quality. It’s design will allow me to place the speaker in the parcel tray for easy access. I was leaning towards a Boze bluetooth speaker that was actually a little cheaper, but the sound quality and design of the EU Boom changed my mind, plus it was only 20 dollars more.

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Our 1968 Zenith Blue Beetle: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=619501

My '74 SB Build On The Samba: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=609943

Our Web Site: http://www.kentuckyhotwheels.com

1968 VW Beetle
2012 Turbo VW Beetle
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houseofboyd
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 1:51 pm    Post subject: 12 Volt Aux/USB Input Reply with quote

One thing the ’68’s lacked was a cigarette lighter. Since I don’t smoke, I have no need for a cigarette lighter, but I do have a need for a 12 volt aux, better yet, a USB connection to charge my phone when needed since I’ll be using it as my radio/mp3 player. I was at our local auto parts store this morning looking for a license plate cover for my wife’s motorcycle and came across this 12 volt aux/usb input. I immediately thought it’d fit perfect underneath the ashtray and it was only 8 bucks, so I figure what the heck. I needed to clean up the nasty ashtray anyhow and since it had the autostick shift pattern decal that needed to come off, I thought it’d be a nice little project this afternoon. I was going to be cleaning up my fresh air box anyhow. The 12 volt aux/usb bracket fit perfectly underneath the ashtray just as I had hoped. I used high durable double sided tape to secure it after I cleaned up the ashtray a bit. Ran the ground wire into the ashtray which made for a perfect ground, one less wire to run. The hot wire runs through an existing hole that used at one time to mount a radio or CB, just made the hole a little bigger, inserted a rubber grommet, worked like a charm. I ran the hot wire to the back of the fuse panel to #2. It’s only hot when the key is on. I was going to have it continuously hot, but the USB unit has a little l.e.d. light that would stay on all of the time. Buttoned everything up, tested it and it’s perfect. Finished with a little cleanup of the fresh air box, then took her out for a drive around town, enjoying this nice spring weather! Waiting on the arrival of my bamboo parcel tray and bluetooth speaker. That’ll be next weekends project!

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Our 1968 Zenith Blue Beetle: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=619501

My '74 SB Build On The Samba: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=609943

Our Web Site: http://www.kentuckyhotwheels.com

1968 VW Beetle
2012 Turbo VW Beetle
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houseofboyd
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 01, 2015 6:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Put the finishing touches on my 12 volt aux/USB connection for my bluetooth speaker and phone charger. Happy with the way it turned out. Also started making the template for my trunk liner. I decided to try and make my own not only to save costs but it’ll also be more durable than anything I can buy. I’m using corrugated plastic, then I’ll cover it with a heavy duty vinyl. I finished my first template this evening and I’m very pleased with the results. Still some tweaking to do, then I’ll try to cover it. So far, so good. I also got my UE Boom bluetooth speaker in the mail today. Love the sound output, it’ll be perfect for the car. The parcel tray should be here tomorrow, hope to get everything mounted and in place this weekend.

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Our 1968 Zenith Blue Beetle: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=619501

My '74 SB Build On The Samba: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=609943

Our Web Site: http://www.kentuckyhotwheels.com

1968 VW Beetle
2012 Turbo VW Beetle
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houseofboyd
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 8:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Got the new bamboo parcel tray that I ordered from cip1.com. Happy with the quality of the build, came with necessary hardware that I’ll have to figure out. Two screws are pretty self explanatory, but a large black rubber band that I’m not too sure about. Did a quick dry fit before leaving for work, love the look. Anybody know exactly what the rubber band is for? How does this thing install?

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Our 1968 Zenith Blue Beetle: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=619501

My '74 SB Build On The Samba: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=609943

Our Web Site: http://www.kentuckyhotwheels.com

1968 VW Beetle
2012 Turbo VW Beetle
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vernonc
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 9:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Maybe the rubber band is for 'extra horsepower' to offset the increase in weight. Laughing

Just a thought. Popcorn

mort
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'69 sedan, low mileage, all original.....currently being 'freshened-up' for road trips and daily driving...just not every day

Freshening-up link http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=617386
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 11:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

houseofboyd wrote:
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Get a horn ring!!

Your bug looks incomplete with out
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1969 autostick sedan, family owned since new
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Solex 30 PICT 3 carburetor
Bosch 113905205AE autostick distributor
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 12:32 pm    Post subject: 68 Beetle Reply with quote

Fantastic thread, from a fellow '68 Beetle owner!

One small item I noticed. On the washer fluid bottle, some OEM retaining pins would clean up the look...then you wouldn't need to use cotter pins. Makes for quick easy removal of the bottle without tools and reduces vibration. Here's one advert (not mine):

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1599587
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