Russian VW Käfer restoration, Mex, 1984 Samtroter Sonderkäfer

[antonb]

Retro festival "Autostrada" on Moscow Race Way track in July 2016
Today visited a sports event retro MGCP (Moscow Classic Gran Prix).
It was not a little classical aircooled VW in the exhibition area of ​​the track, as well as other models of the global automobile industry, among which was a very interesting Buick and Corvette.
Suffice spectacular race in Russian class of cars "Volga-24" and "Moskvitch", where were 24 models.
So, do we have the honor and all the retro cars rode 3 laps organized by the sports track zooming pilots and riders of different teams! It was nice to meet with colleagues in the classic VW, who have not seen and did not know.

Russian ZAZ (aircooled with rear V4 engine) looks like Germany NSU

Retro parade on track

Link

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VW Käfer (Vocho), First registration date in Deutschland: 14/09/1984, Engine 1200.
(Hecho en México)

[Maddel]

I'm sure you added the split pin after taking the pic...

[antonb]

[antonb]

The first statement on the account 32 years ago 09.14.1984 year.
Based on the existing German documents (namely pass inspection Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I) car marks 32 years on the German rules, as it is considered the age at Date of first registration , is not particularly celebrate this event is planned
Therefore ordered to VW Zertifikat car in the historical museum VW in Wolfsburg, to 33 anniversary will be the official document on the hands up to the date of the release date.

_________________
VW Käfer (Vocho), First registration date in Deutschland: 14/09/1984, Engine 1200.
(Hecho en México)

[antonb]

Hello!
Just at 08/09/1984, from the Mexican port Veracruz to port Emden in Germany came first car special series of velvety red beetles. Yes, it is no secret that at all times, after the peak in the number of issue 1971 to attract new customers by Volkswagen, it was decided to produce special versions, which were issued until 2003 (information on all Special Edition VW Kaefer can be found here: http://www.sebeetles.com/1960s). This special version of bugs release 70-80s considered sufficiently interesting for collectors, as they are produced in limited edition.
But we return to the 80s: in the yard and C.C.Catch popular Modern Talking, aunts with curly hair in colorful tights, VHS movies from U.S. and have full road romp German front-efficient and maneuverable VW Golf, Jetta, Polo etc … and, to full the German stock with new-old beetles, factory in Mexico, supplies Europe with a limited number of different color and the original bugs, created specifically for the European market and the corresponding high at the time the safety requirements.

Now, go back a few years ago to the January 19, 1978 the last Beetle maded in Germany drove the production tape Volkswagen plant in Emden.
Demand for classic Volkswagen Kafer still present in Germany, Holland, Belgium, especially for novice drivers and fans immortal Bugs.
Already in 1977, the plant in Puebla were sent to German VW workers who knew the production from and to in order to educate Mexicans produce cars according to the European requirements and quality.

Although then in the 80's the birthplace of the Beetle is still only a distant Mexico, all new cars sailed from Mexico into the ocean port of Emden, where they again passed final inspection and preparation.
They are optional for radio, rear seatbelts and other trifles: an antenna, head rests, caps and so on (exactly on the same principle and are now being assembled in USA SUV e.g. Mercedes GLE/ML/GL / BMW X5/X6 for the EU). Many parts manufactured in Mexico, were labeled "Made in Germany".

Mexican Beetle until 1985 for Europe had only a engine with a 1200 cm3, 34-horsepower (for the South American market at that time already staged more powerful engines from 1.6 liters.), But it was decided to use the concept of the German machine for Europe Beetle model 1968, as well as later models).
1. Large taillights ( "elephant foot"), as in the German model since 1972
2. Heated rear window
3. deflectors ventilation behind ( "buds")
4. Pressure washer fluid reservoir (1981 with electric pump)
5. Bumpers ( "railway track") to the front turn signals, as in the German model in 1974
6. Dual-circuit brake system
7. All labels and markings on the vehicle are made in German
8. 3-point seat belts and head restraints (1980)
9. Secure the steering column with a deformable part of the shock plate (1971)
10. The energy absorbing plastic dashboard
As a result, about 70% of the Beetle parts have been produced in Mexico and only 30% continued to produce the German manufacturer such as Bosch, Hella, Continental, VDO, Solex, Secu, Repa-belts, MANN filter and interior details / decor for special models.
The cost of these beetles 1980s was twice as expensive as in comparison to the 1950s, and even in those years Beetles were considered one of the cheapest and quality cars on the German market.

The main design ideas belong to the designer Gunhild Liljequist VW Plant (designer who first put on the Golf GTI golf balls at gear shift. The designer has made a model of the Beetle in blue-red range in the passenger compartment and in the exterior, adding a list similar to porcelain depicting typical floral ornaments, the car was rich in chrome, including the chrome trim-rings.

During the week the designer has finished the work. Her work agreed without any — any change and thus in 3 months began the production of this beetle in the factory.
In my car this kind of design decisions left — door cards from time to time cracked, they have altered black leather substitute eventually seat covers with coconut filament substrate disheveled and have altered in balanced black and gray colors. Vinyl ornament on the body to restore is not the problem , there is evidence stickers on sale at Germany sites, but I dont like it Flowers looks like barbie car )

The car was officially available only in West Germany. Its price was 9.990 DM (excluding the shipping costs). This nostalgic model sold in parallel with the remnants of a special series yellow Sunny bugs, who retired from sale by dealers 13 August 1984
Chancellor Helmut Kohl visited Mexico from 08 to 12 July 1984 and 10 July 1984 the Chancellor took part in the festivities at the Volkswagen plant in Puebla after the release of 100,000-foot Beetle for the European market and launched the assembly line velvety-red Beetle!

In September 1984, the price for a velvet-red Beetle rose to 10,175 DM, and in November to 10,525 DM ! Thus, he became the most expensive 1200 VW Kafer for all the issue of time as a result of impact on the sluggish car sales figures.
In 1984, Germany was delivered and sold about 2,600 cars. The remaining 400 cars implemented until mid-1985, after which it was decided to complete their production.


Link


It is not possible to determine how many of these machines are still alive.
At least a couple of dozen of them remained in Germany and in Russia, including me and my friend (I will show you virgin 1984 velvet red without any restoration with original 54000 km!) full not to restore their state of no more than two! About other I do not know anything.
It should be noted that the control of the German specialists in Puebla made the car better, as the frame and floors were well treated and remained intact for the current day, the same applies to the body and wings, which even after 30 years is not a concern for the state of metal.
It should be understood that due to ultra violent exposure, these machines have survived much worse salons, fabric and leatherette burned and torn, cracked ceilings and sprawling. Find the original covers and door card is not possible (there are a couple of old worn salons ads on Ebay and no more), there is an opportunity to make them to order.
Velvet red Beetle was the penultimate special model for Volkswagen sales in West Germany through the official network of dealers.

The growth rate of US dollar has increased the cost of the Beetle in 1985, as well as new requirements on the ecology of the installation of catalysts nullified the sale of old cars in Europe for economic reasons. Based on the plant management decided to complete the production of special versions of the beetles for the Old World.
August 12, 1985 came the last ship with beetles from Mexico to Germany, with the inscription on the sides "From Mexico with Love".
So ended the life of a special model called "50 Years of Beetle", is issued on another continent.
In Wolfsburg, 17 October 1985, the official importer of Mexican VW Beetles in Germany held a celebration of this event, so the official European Beetle disappeared from sales and price lists Volkswagen dealers in Europe.
The well-known advertising agency Doyle Dane B. (DDB), which for decades has promoted Beetle in Europe, summed up: "It was fun. Most of the head of the German automotive history was over, but the beetle has to continue to live … "
Many fans, of course, brought for himself Mexican Beetles after 1985 with no official delivery, but the quality of the metal and treatment, water, salt and operating in northern latitudes did not allow metal to live a long time, plus the beetles for the South American market did not have a good heater, cooling flaps in Doghouse and thermostat, and its exterior appearance was so minimalistic in terms of the lack of chrome, including the poor quality of production — has not found great favor with potential European customers.

Classic last bugs for the South American market.

Further history of the release Mexican Beetles for the South-American markets until the end of 2003, consider a completely different story!

Thank you for reading the story of end of live official Mexican Beetles in Europe!

To be continued...
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VW Käfer (Vocho), First registration date in Deutschland: 14/09/1984, Engine 1200.
(Hecho en México)

[Tim Donahoe]

This has been one of the best--most enlightening--threads I've ever read on the Samba. I didn't realize that your model existed.

I thought my Sun Bug was a unique model, as I have never seen another except in photographs, but your Sonderkafer seems even more so.

The dedication and work you're putting into your car is admirable. Keep up the good work.

Perhaps other owners of your model will see this thread and respond. Who knows? Maybe there are more survivors than you think?

Tim
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Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[alex857]

Hi,
great car, great thread, you already added a picture of my car, so here is one more:
It is 600 cars "older" than yours, but was registered on oct 1st - by my father. They probably shared the same boat. Keep up the good work and enjoy!

Visit our website for the mexican Beetles in Germany, not only Ultima Edicion:
www.k-ue.de
I will do an English version as soon as I find the time.

[Tim Donahoe]

See, there you go--another one .

Tim
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Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[antonb]

[antonb]

[antonb]

Autumm "Traffic Light"

With three Bugs
Viper Green = 1976
Yellow with powered 1.6 = 1974
And my young 1984 Velvet-Red.

Link



Link

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VW Käfer (Vocho), First registration date in Deutschland: 14/09/1984, Engine 1200.
(Hecho en México)

[hitest]

[antonb]

[antonb]

Preparing for the big auto repair.
Revision of parts.

Finally came from Europe parts to the bug, I planned to install this existing spare parts of the vehicle.
Planned following the previously described operation, namely:
1. Replacement of rubber plugs torsion
2. Replace rear shock absorbers
3. Replace the rear stabilizer gums + stab. restoration (removal of the rye, priming, painting)
4. Replacing the main bearing oil seal
5. Remove the engine gearbox, turn off and save all the electrics, disconnect all cables, pipes, tubes.
6. Replace the clutch assembly
7. Replace all tranny mounts
8. Replacement main bearing seal in gearbox
9. Replace the rear brake hose and rear pumping system circuit.
10. Adjust (raise) the rear torsion bar.
11. Replace the gaskets for ebony rod (fuelpump) at the removed engine
12. Replacing the clutch cable
13. Replacement of the fuel hose coming from the tunnel to the "cooling impeller" and to fuelpump (because I do not like when Bugs are burning;)
14. Restoration of the "skirt" of the body in the area of ​​the body, there is a local rust, you need to clean, handle and pain with protection based on bitumen.
15. Replace all rubber caps / and protective sleeves coming from the rear frame (accel., clutch, emerg.brake / heat exchanger control).
16. The restoration of beams and semi-axes (wash, paint).
17. Install the motor in place, electrical switching, cables, hoses.
18. Adjust the carburetor mixture with a gas analyzer.
19. Angles of adjustment wheel alignment rear suspension.

I think two/three full days it will take to frost plan to finish with the work on the back of the car.

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VW Käfer (Vocho), First registration date in Deutschland: 14/09/1984, Engine 1200.
(Hecho en México)

[mcdonaldneal]

I love this thread!
Thanks so much for posting, it's fascinating in so many ways.
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1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper

Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery!

[antonb]

[antonb]

Autumn Marathon with beetle in three parts

Today spent time under beetle about 12 hours without coffie brakes .
1. Engine unmounted.
2. Remove the doghouse, there were no flaps and found that original defective thermostat, all these parts, all delivered serviceable.
3. Replace the clutch assembly including a release bearing.
4. Changed all three tranny mounts, had to tinker with them fairly, some bolts do not want to give in.
5. Replace covers for gas and clutch control cables, as well as all dust caps.
6. Replace all gaskets outside engine, fuel pump, etc. pre-heating grab, turned the timer to the correct position (including the rotation of the shaft) to the slider "watched" on 1 cylinder.
When removing the "pre-heating-crab", which supplies the air-fuel mixture, and also performs a heat exchange function, it appeared that the muffler pipe-reaching in completely clogged stone stopper. As a result, the crab had divided grinder and drill to punch this "stone/bung", the event with the cleaning of a metall rope, the spokes on the drill did not bring results. All Bug owners to note: that the clogged pipe — a very strong influence on the correct operation of engine, in terms of fuel consumption/heating/motor resource and so on.
7. Tipped cavities on the back of skirt, processed with anti-rust waiting for tomorrow's work on the primer and coating bitumen mastic for water/rusty protection.
8. Replaced all fuel pipes and clamps coming from the frame to the "doghouse" and then to the pump and carb.

and finally cleaning engine with autocosmetics

To be contunue
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VW Käfer (Vocho), First registration date in Deutschland: 14/09/1984, Engine 1200.
(Hecho en México)

[favguy]

Your car is lovely My first car was one of these, registered August 1984 here in the UK. I used it daily for 10 years and 76,000 miles then sold it in April 1994. Loved every minute of it.

[antonb]

[antonb]

Autumn Marathon with beetle (Part 2)

Today, it was planned to complete all the work, but fortunately or unfortunately where the car is not useful, do not unscrew pop up more and more surprises.
Today we won "pre-heating crab", brewed with argon heat exchanger and a hole in it, otgruntovali, painted with special enamel, which holds 400 degrees of Celcium and burns, set it on the internal combustion engine, hanged all attachments and get to work on the suspension.
Paved and installed cables, gas, clutch, handbrake, handbrake pulled, it is now necessary to dissolve pad with one hand, but it's not a problem. The main feature was the fact that the arm torsion bar suspension, especially right, has a rubber outer rubber of about 1 mm of living metal (right side, where is too wet road), the rest completely died under the hood, I'm not going to write how bad unscrewed the bolts in the text below, I had songs burners and dance around each bolt/nut, which spawn no twisting.

torsion covers so tired that almost did not hold their shape and are deformed, had to hold the floor to not curved covers.
In the end, to restore the bars does not make sense, they should be ordered, along with the lids and change is all in next year spring, will manage the new torsion elastic bands on this year were much older and tired them great production from this machine back had lower clearance While at the wheel the car is not set, but expect it will be at 2 cm above. As a result, no adjustments were limited torsion.
As the stabilizer, it is restored, the long part of iron is absolutely alive and her arms, feel bad trays and lids are just taking pictures with them using chisels and screwdrivers were scattered on the paper layers In the end, put it did not make sense, we will order the iron and next year.
One plus that cost almost without any fight — is to install shock absorbers struts Everything is transparent, except for soured bolts that essentially Hardened thread and in 32 years almost devoured evil rust
While the suspension was disassembled, cleaned yesterday corrosive lesions, treated with anti-rustication, today it is all flooded the previously described rubber mastic asphalt. Also replaced by bellows stove, when removing the old scattered, not exchanged for new ones, but it is alive and OEM
Yes, yesterday, spent a lot of time "crab". Today too much rusty bolts/nuts of torsion bars. The plan was a couple of hours at work, started to install internal combustion engines, it gets in the hairpin but not until the end (about 3-5 mm before the hairpin), not only did not and once cool, does not get in the end a couple of hours very tired 4 times removed the engine and saw the picture (see photo, how flywheel scrathced metall).

It's shit! Not original tranny mounts (production Danish-Chineese JPGroup - crap!!!)

Those mounts that courtesy and not for cheap sold from a German store (Hoffmann-Speedster.de for old classic air Volkswagens just have longer bolts, which rested on the flywheel, and I do not say that one right tranny mount had to finalize the last hole for the ground mount is in 1.5 cm (!!) from the desired and the side small holes does not coincide with the fastening transmission supporting plate.
Once again, convinced, like parts choosed TOP-quality (expensive), such as stores and not the last, attendants is iron, you carry it here, you start to set, and it is utterly worthless. Therefore, where possible, I try to save OEM item, whether it be the original washer or bolt, having him work on its revival and bring to a normal appearance. Another example, a rubber cap for gearbox shifter installed a year ago, in fact not driven 4,000 kilometers, already has a damaged hole, and the pedals pads of a soft rubber that it integrated into the sand and left the cavern (fantastic quality). All kinds of anthers-shirts, for example, for gas and clutch cables just are not in the frame tube, again undertake the drill, bore 0.4 mm of each other …
In general, I'm the bad news, this week before the frost beetle should be out of the studio to bring to hibernation, this is left to change the brake hoses, dilute pads of the rear wheel, but maybe second pump back loop, remove the back cushions, to measure the size studs on old pillows, make new cushions in the image, put a combustion engine, adjust the ignition, adjust the grip (good lamb is now spinning wherever you want, and not just yesterday by "amputation of cable cutters and dancing on the vise
And most importantly, see how Beetle goes after all the done.
Well, and in the winter there for some cosmetic work, the main thing for this time consciously be bought above the iron to be ready by the spring again to return to the rear suspension, but without heating bolts, sledgehammers and other heavy tools!

To be continued!
_________________
VW Käfer (Vocho), First registration date in Deutschland: 14/09/1984, Engine 1200.
(Hecho en México)