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Sat May 10, 2025 6:41 am

Chinaclipper wrote: Cusser wrote: Today I replaced my Walmart Group 26R battery in my 1970, and started it up for the first time since the battery died 2 months ago. 4 years from a $69.95 battery with more CCA than Group 42, and at half the price - I'm satisfied, so I replaced it with another 26R.

Nice.
Curious, I am assuming there is no difference in the height of the battery vs the group 42, ie, risking the ol' seat to battery short...

Group 26R is 7.76 inches high. Group 42 is 7.1 inches high. I use a wide wood plank and a sheet of heavy plastic to prevent shorting out, just out of precaution, plus I don't have rear passengers.

Sat May 10, 2025 6:20 pm

I have been in the process of plasti dippin my bug. Trying to bloody it out.
Ill post pics. The reason im doing this is because the car was freshly painted 5 yrs ago with cheap quality paint... in 5 yrs it went from gloss shiney red to flaking clear coat..... just trying to cover it up to keep it from rusting. It don't have to be pretty to have fun driving it.

Tue May 13, 2025 8:42 am

Practiced my polishing skills today.

Sun May 18, 2025 4:13 pm

Picked up a standard 71, mfgr date 5/71. Now for the fun part of correcting the previous previous owners weird things he did, like took off the dog house oil cooler and fan shroud and replaced it with the oil cooler inside the fan shroud. Its an AH case and I'm pretty sure it came with dual port heads but he replaced them with single port. But theres no body damage, its got a lot of things on it like roof rack, aluminum running boards, empi 8 spokes and its already lowered. The engine is a little rough but it drives

Mon May 19, 2025 7:49 pm

Finished up a pedal cluster refresh with upgrades on my '69 (have already done this on my '63).

Installed a Big Boy Clutch Pedal Extender Kit and X-celerator Speed Wheel Kit from Classic Bug Parts.

https://www.classicbugparts.com

Also installed a brake pedal switch from Air Cooled Evolution to trigger the brake lights the moment the brake pedal starts to move forward.

https://www.aircooledevolution.com/product-page/pedal-activated-brake-light-switch

Though the pedal switch kit doesn't include a relay, I chose to wire it with one so the micro-switch and the 18 gauge wire supplied in the kit only need to deal with the very small amount of current needed to trigger the relay rather than carry the full current load for the lights. This will extend the life of the micro-switch and provide a more reliable current path to the bulbs.

Brake pedal micro-switch and the speed wheel accelerator.

The clutch pedal extender spacer moves the pedal ~ 3/4" ... which doesn't sound like much, but it makes a big difference. :D

Pedal cluster with all upgrades. Note that the accelerator pedal that comes with the speed wheel kit is noticeably taller than the original pedal.

Fahrvergnügen! :D

Tue May 20, 2025 11:20 am

slagathor wrote: Picked up a standard 71, mfgr date 5/71. Now for the fun part of correcting the previous previous owners weird things he did, like took off the dog house oil cooler and fan shroud and replaced it with the oil cooler inside the fan shroud. Its an AH case and I'm pretty sure it came with dual port heads but he replaced them with single port.
Sounds like he built a 1600cc single port engine from that AH engine and used the doghouse cooler and shroud and dual port intake and cylinder heads on a different engine.

Tue May 20, 2025 1:43 pm

Cusser wrote: slagathor wrote: Picked up a standard 71, mfgr date 5/71. Now for the fun part of correcting the previous previous owners weird things he did, like took off the dog house oil cooler and fan shroud and replaced it with the oil cooler inside the fan shroud. Its an AH case and I'm pretty sure it came with dual port heads but he replaced them with single port.
Sounds like he built a 1600cc single port engine from that AH engine and used the doghouse cooler and shroud and dual port intake and cylinder heads on a different engine.

Yep, pretty much what I'm figuring.

Fri May 23, 2025 2:25 pm

OTTO 1303 wrote: BIGMIKEY wrote: Do those seats sit you higher or lower? Same?

Mike T

These seats are actually lower, but have an elevation adjustment which can be higher or lower than the original seat.

ROME is correct about how I did it.

I will document the process in the forum when I have some time.

I see those adapters now that Rome pointed them out. Nice idea and nice job of fabrication. Some adapting was needed too when I put the seats in My 1973 Bug. I am tall and worked hard to put the seat as low as I could.

Mike T

2011 Honda Accord power leather seats.

Mon May 26, 2025 7:12 pm

Well, this weekend I installed a clutch cable, thinking mine was stretched out but it turns out it's my clutch pressure plate that is worn. That's a project for another day. Installed a Accu-Fire on my dizzy. But still chasing down a problem with my left wheel dragging it's shoes. I have the adjusters backed all the way out, and I have my 1mm set on the master cylinder plunger. At this point, I think it's a bad wheel cylinder.

Tue May 27, 2025 7:45 am

Amsoiltek wrote: still chasing down a problem with my left wheel dragging it's shoes. I have the adjusters backed all the way out, and I have my 1mm set on the master cylinder plunger. At this point, I think it's a bad wheel cylinder.
Or a bad rear brake flex line...

Tue May 27, 2025 8:51 am

Cusser wrote: Amsoiltek wrote: still chasing down a problem with my left wheel dragging it's shoes. I have the adjusters backed all the way out, and I have my 1mm set on the master cylinder plunger. At this point, I think it's a bad wheel cylinder.
Or a bad rear brake flex line...

Welp, Cusser you might have called it, although it wasn't my rear but front brakes. This morning I was getting ready to head out, and the left flexihose sprung a leak. I opened up the wheel cylinder and found some gunk in it, all cleaned out now so I'm sure that was the cause of the drag. I'll pick up two new hoses on my way home from work today.

Tue May 27, 2025 5:35 pm

Trip to the Southington Drive-in Car Show cut short... The bug was running a little rough, no power. pulled over, troubleshot a little bit - distributor cap was a little oxidized (?), sanded it, adjusted idle and volume; turned back round (scenic road), and came home to clean the cap better and tune the idle. :)

Fri May 30, 2025 12:38 pm

I took off the driver door panel on my 1970 because the window was tough to roll up or down, and I didn't want to break anything. Then I cleaned and lubed everything on the window tracks, etc., and lubed the door hinges, so now good to go !

Mon Jun 02, 2025 4:34 am

Actually yesterday. Swapped out the 52 year old ignition switch for a new replacement. I think I bought it from Wolfsburg West. I actually started this little project about a month ago but sadly the bug has been sitting in front of mynhouse with no steering wheel and the steering guts out all this time. Other projects. Anyway, after bundling all together the car would still not start, battery dead. Charger for about an hour and then roared (as much as a beetle engine can roar) back to life. We'll see if the new switch solves my interment starting issue. This was a relatively easy project but undoing all the stacked crap in the steering column was a bit intimidating. Especially getting it all back together.
Washed down and drove all day. Even up to Greenwich, Ct. for their Concours event. Running outstanding.
I did fix that droopy Dead sticker too, that was also easy, ha.

Mon Jun 02, 2025 6:29 pm

Tired of looking at the butchered dash cut for single DIN by PO.

I fashioned a radio delete plate of thin plastic laminate, painted it satin black, and mounted w/ double-stick tape.
A significant improvement, easily reversible if necessary.

Wed Jun 04, 2025 7:00 pm

See latest posts in https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=664950&start=600

Sat Jun 07, 2025 8:52 am

I got 10 wheels for free from a guy an hour away. 5 were chrome so I took them to work yesterday and gave them a quick wash and 5 minutes with 0000 steel wool. I plan on giving them more attention once I get the chrome polishing and sealing kit I want.
Before washing.
After washing.

Before and after hitting the wheel with a steel wool pad.

Sun Jun 08, 2025 12:10 pm

Installed replacement turn signal switch into my 1970 sedan. I had installed a German SWF switch back in 1989.

Sun Jun 08, 2025 7:03 pm

Deleted duplicate post.

Sun Jun 08, 2025 7:04 pm

Yesterday, installed a "NOS"-ish steering wheel on my '73 Super. Picked it up at a show last summer for 50 bucks, a steel, no cracks from sun-baked shrinkage and still has the "instructions" sticker on the horn pad.