TheSamba.com :: View topic - Squeaky Clean 68

Thu Feb 01, 2024 9:52 am

jeff68 wrote: Hey! Your car is very nice! I'm glad you're having fun with it. I read through your thread, great read & lots of fun. I'm glad you got your oil leak problem solved too.
I noticed the engine doesn't have the small factory breather box on the alternator stand. I couldn't see if you have a different breather box installed. If you don't, I'd consider finding one and installing it so that there is some crankcase ventilation. I know many people don't use the factory breather, but it's really a good idea to do so.
Have fun with your car!

Hey Jeff, thank you for the kind words! You are indeed right that my engine doesn't have a breather box, and honestly it never even registered to me that one was missing. Do you think the lack of the breather box could have contributed to that additional oil pressure build up that lead to me killing a few oil coolers? Regardless, crank case ventilation is important, so I'll be sourcing one to throw on this winter.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Thu Feb 01, 2024 10:30 am

Just read through your whole thread, nice car and a nice project for you and your dad.

Thu Feb 01, 2024 11:03 am

chicagovw wrote: Just read through your whole thread, nice car and a nice project for you and your dad.

Thank you, I really appreciate that! The car isn't even close to perfect, but we sure enjoy it! It's been a really cool way for us to grow a lot closer these past years, and will continue to be until I pass it onto my daughter someday (if she wants it, that is)

Mon Apr 01, 2024 12:46 pm

Took the old gal out a few times this past week to enjoy some beautiful weather and put almost 200 miles on her! It feels great to be almost fully back into "car" weather!

Sat Jan 04, 2025 11:58 pm

Small, but useful update:

The driver-side window crank has always given me issues, as the driver side door is earlier and not original to the car. The 68+ cranks I bought when I replaced the door cards never fit that door right, and were also made of junk plastic that broke about a year ago. After driving around using a pair of vise grips to open and shut that window for all of last summer, I decided to upgrade both cranks to solid, billet units I found on JBugs. The description said they fit all years of bugs, so I decided to give 'em a try.

I threw them on today, and I think they look great on the car. Planning on finally installing the rebuilt wiper motor and assemblies sometime this month too when I have a free bit of time on a weekend. That's all for now, cheers!

Sun Jan 05, 2025 4:19 pm

Good looking handles!

Sun Jan 05, 2025 10:39 pm

Buggeee wrote: Good looking handles!

Thanks man! Sure beats the old vise grip I had been using :lol:

Mon Jan 20, 2025 10:31 pm

Got a little work done on the bug this weekend.

I've had the horn disconnected for about a year now after it got stuck on like the bus in Little Miss Sunshine.

My dad at the time suspected the horn bearing in the steering column to be the culprit, so I ordered a new one. Well, I never really need the horn in the car, so I never got around to installing the new bearing until this weekend.

Started pulling the guts out of the column

Had a little trouble getting that 57 year old bearing out, but it finally gave up the ghost

Hooked back up the horn amidst the rat's nest of wiring in the trunk

Interior all buttoned up, and ready to go! My 2.5 year old daughter absolutely loved going "beep beep" in daddy's blue bug.

We actually got the wiper motor and mechanism all hooked back up this weekend as well, but no photos yet. I'm having dad sand-blast the wiper arms next week, so I can fully polish and clear them before they go on the car. I couldn't stand the matte-black paint that was on them, and wanted a little flair.

Sat Jan 25, 2025 1:01 am

Your photo of the ignition switch shows that you have a mixture of white (8amp) and red (16amp) fuses. My Bentley manual specifies they should all be 8 amp on a '68. Maybe worth checking

Sun Jan 26, 2025 9:39 am

wrdrew wrote:
Interior all buttoned up, and ready to go! My 2.5 year old daughter absolutely loved going "beep beep" in daddy's blue bug.

Your father/son project is turning into a father/daughter project!

It's such a fun feeling when the kiddos are into our rides, isn't it?

Mon Feb 03, 2025 9:45 am

hulbyw wrote: Your photo of the ignition switch shows that you have a mixture of white (8amp) and red (16amp) fuses. My Bentley manual specifies they should all be 8 amp on a '68. Maybe worth checking

Good to know! I truthfully did not think a thing of that, but I will take a look at those next time I work on the car. (It lives in my dad's shop this time of year so I can keep mine and my wife's cars in the garage away from the winter)

Thanks for pointing it out to me!

Mon Feb 03, 2025 11:24 am

odecom5 wrote: wrdrew wrote:
Interior all buttoned up, and ready to go! My 2.5 year old daughter absolutely loved going "beep beep" in daddy's blue bug.

Your father/son project is turning into a father/daughter project!

It's such a fun feeling when the kiddos are into our rides, isn't it?

It sure seems that way, and it is the best feeling! My wife and I got her her own Bug for her 2nd birthday this past summer, and she loves having the same car as me!

I would have killed for a little powerwheels Bug like hers when I was a kid! :lol:

Mon Feb 03, 2025 7:32 pm

Alright! Little victories on the big dub and little princess on the little dub. That makes for a great day.

Congratulations all the way around. :D

Mon Feb 03, 2025 11:01 pm

Buggeee wrote: Alright! Little victories on the big dub and little princess on the little dub. That makes for a great day.

Congratulations all the way around. :D

Thank you!! :D

Wed May 07, 2025 11:20 am

Decided to go with a 2" narrowed beam on the car. At the height it's currently at, its rubbing the tires a decent amount even on the 135's. I think tucking the wheels in an inch on each side will be just the ticket.

Really contemplated a 4" narrowed, but I don't like the sunk wheel look, and I think it's overkill for my ride height.

Will post some pics when it's in.

In the meantime, here's a recent one of the car with my beautiful wife hanging out the window. Nothing like eating at a drive-in in a classic car!

Wed May 07, 2025 4:28 pm

Awesome looking car! I love the body color skirts.

I just had to get in on the "pictures of Beetles with your kids Beetle"

Thu May 08, 2025 8:17 am

Thehate916 wrote: Awesome looking car! I love the body color skirts.

I just had to get in on the "pictures of Beetles with your kids Beetle"

Thanks man! The body colored skirts really grew on me, and I love them now too! (Didn't like them at first at all)

Thanks for sharing that photo! It is so cute and fun to see them enjoying their cars just like we are! My wife and I wanted the pink one for our little gal initially, but it was sold out, so we went with the blue.

How's the performance in it for you? I ended up upgrading my daughter's to dual motors and a larger lithium battery. Reeeeaaallly was tempted to rewire the whole thing to 12v so I could get some real power out of it haha.

Recently I've started teaching her that it's important to keep our cars clean. Trying to mold her into being my little garage and car show girl when she's older!

Fri May 09, 2025 12:57 am

wrdrew wrote: Thehate916 wrote: Awesome looking car! I love the body color skirts.

I just had to get in on the "pictures of Beetles with your kids Beetle"

Thanks man! The body colored skirts really grew on me, and I love them now too! (Didn't like them at first at all)

Thanks for sharing that photo! It is so cute and fun to see them enjoying their cars just like we are! My wife and I wanted the pink one for our little gal initially, but it was sold out, so we went with the blue.

How's the performance in it for you? I ended up upgrading my daughter's to dual motors and a larger lithium battery. Reeeeaaallly was tempted to rewire the whole thing to 12v so I could get some real power out of it haha.

Recently I've started teaching her that it's important to keep our cars clean. Trying to mold her into being my little garage and car show girl when she's older!

My daughters is pretty slow too! I keep telling my wife I want to pump it up a bit for her but the wife thinks it’s fast enough for a 2 year old. All in due time I guess haha

Fri May 09, 2025 8:00 am

Thehate916 wrote: My daughters is pretty slow too! I keep telling my wife I want to pump it up a bit for her but the wife thinks it’s fast enough for a 2 year old. All in due time I guess haha

My wife said basically the same thing. But I couldn't help myself. If the time comes, I got the set of motors for like $40ish off of Amazon, and they're higher rpm so it moves a good bit quicker than before. With both wheels powered, it can make it up the driveway curb now too!

Mon May 19, 2025 7:29 am

New beam is in!

The plan is to get it in the car this weekend so I can get it on the road for some test miles!