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Mon Dec 30, 2024 8:12 am

scrivyscriv wrote: I’m looking forward to photos of how good the sound is!!!

It’s gotta be better than the small Bluetooth speaker I’ve been using. :D

The stereo outputs 300w that I’ll be hooking to four 6 1/2” rounds. I bet it’ll be pretty good. I’m stoked on the 2nd fuse box and the new USB/USB-C outlet I’m gonna install. I ash tray one I have been using is nice, but the ashtray is always open and it lets a cold draft through.

Mon Dec 30, 2024 5:13 pm

It’s kind of funny, my only experience driving a beetle before this year was a rusted out 1968 turd missing most of the package tray and all the interior panels. Suffice it to say the short trips I made in it were LOUD. My ‘67 sunroof car now has been really reasonable in terms of inside noise levels and I can see it improving even more when I get the soft stuff done, I’ll definitely want at least a basic working radio at that point! Even if it’s just a stocker AM. The small speakers up front in little kick panels seem like the best way to go without cutting into anything.

Mon Dec 30, 2024 11:35 pm

Although I’m use to it, I’d say my car is loud. Kinda expected with the 48s and VS exhaust. Not so bad when cruising, but when my foot is in it it’s pretty loud.

My only experience with a beetle before this was a friends 1970 vert that he often let me drive, it had a 1776 with Kaddies. It was a super fun car!

I have lots of experience with Buses going back to the mid 90s, but this is my first beetle. I gotta say that I really like it.

Tue Dec 31, 2024 8:36 am

I too Rich am a beetle driver now. I’ll drive it and the SC, mostly the bug though.

Wed Jan 01, 2025 7:31 pm

Happy New Year!!!

Jeff, stoked for you. Never thought I’d like a beetle as much as I do. It nice to park the bus, keep miles off the camper motor and still drive an ACVW.

Pretty big day with the car. I worked on it for about 7 hours. My Jbugs order came in on Monday and I could t wait to get wrenching! I got new door handles in the order and as the reviews said, the sucked! So I took them apart and the ones that were on the car apart, swapped some parts around and made 2 working and locking door handles out of the 4 handles. Stoked on that! Then I turned to the door strikes. I removed them, took them apart, cleaned everything with a wire wheel, greased everything, reassembled them and put them back on the car. The doors are working 100% better now.

Then I turned to the upholstery. I was able to get both front seats finished as it got dark, worked outside all day in the 30° temps. I’d like to thank the person who recover the seats the first time. They didn’t remove the original upholstery, they just put new over the old. So all the spikes under the seats were still in perfect condition. Well all but 2, but that’s still pretty good. The drivers seat back was pretty rough with 3 broken supports and one broken spring. Got that all fixed up. Used burlap, Jute, foam padding, trash bag then new Jbugs brand covers. The bottoms came out great, the backs are just ok. But I’m not pro, so they will work just fine.

Hoping to do the rear seat and the stereo system this weekend, if the stereo equipment shows up.

Door strike, found a easily searchable thread in this forum with all the info I needed to complete this job.

Repaired seat back and how I handled the rear of the bottom.

Before and after of the drivers seat.

The driving position is a lot different now. Before I felt low and far from the wheel and pedals. Which was good cause I’m tall. Now I sit like 2” higher and closer to the wheel. I’m sure I’ll get use to it, they feel more like my bus seat now.

Wed Jan 01, 2025 8:47 pm

I feel you on the seat height. I hung a ceiling mount DPD unit in my 1971 bus, and it became an unwanted headrest! Now when I'm window shopping for a bus, the tint strip is almost the first thing I look for. :lol:
Good job on the seat!

Thu Jan 02, 2025 1:51 pm

Is there a reason you have late '67 seats in the '65? TLDR the entire thread. No real issue of course, just curious. I have a late '67 and it took me a bit to find a good set of high latch low backs.

Sat Jan 04, 2025 3:43 pm

^The seats that came with the car, thought to be original, were all torn up. Good cores, but the upholstery was shredded and barely there. I picked them late ‘67 seats and the back seat I’m using up at the local VW graveyard, which unfortunately is no longer in existence. I did not know that they were half year only seats until I posted about them many many pages ago. I decided to stick with them because of the locking backs.

Well at the ski resort today I lifted the drivers seat back and I head a tear. :oops: The middle upholstery prong on the seat back broke off and tore the seat bottom. So pissed!!!!!!! I installed a self tapping screw and put a piece of duct tape on the tear. Can’t have anything nice….

After fixing this horribleness, I started disabling the current stereo system. But then it started to snow, tomorrows another day.

Sat Jan 04, 2025 9:08 pm

Dude, what a bummer!! You'll always see it from now on, too!

Sun Jan 05, 2025 7:43 pm

Spent 5 hours working on the car today. I did a bunch, but feel like I did nothing…

First I pulled the passenger seat apart and fixed one of the prongs on the seat back, as it ripped the seat bottom just like what happened on the drivers side :oops:

I pulled the old stereo, USB and the ashtray. Did some measuring and used a knockout to make a hole in the dash to the right on the ashtray for a new USB outlet. I liked the ashtray usb outlet, but I did not like having the ashtray open all the time. It was definitely nerve racking to make the hole, but it came out pretty good.

Then I ran a 10ga wire and speaker wire to the back. I ran it down and out the hole I drilled when I changed the defrost tubes. I used zip ties to keep the wires together and I ran them under the carpet to the rear.

Then I turned to the Retro Sound stereo I bought. I gotta be honest, I’m not to impressed with this unit. It took waaaay to long to set up and it really doesn’t fit that well. The top of the unit hits the wiper mount and it won’t sit flush. I’m gonna have to pull it out, for like the 15th time and grind the wiper mount down a bit for a better fit. I may also need to make a dent in the unit. Hopefully it works so good, that it makes all the BS installing it worth it.

I think that’s all I did, really not that much for how much time I spent. I did vacuum it to get all the horse hair I could up.

Hole in dash

USB

Wires, the new speaker kick panels will cover these. I’m also planning on a better carpet job in this area as well

Stereo photos.

The stereo does not pinch the dash, it’s the stupidest thing ever. So, I made some brackets to pinch the dash.

Here’s where it hits the wiper mount and the gap at the bottom of the face plate because of the interference.

I think it looks pretty good, although there’s no power to anything yet.

Mon Jan 06, 2025 8:32 pm

Looks great Rich, time well spent.

Tue Jan 07, 2025 9:24 am

Bummer about the setbacks Rich, but man you've done a really nice job on it all. If I can get my '65 to half the build you have with yours, I'd consider my work a success.

All of that is VW life, I suppose :D

Thanks for keeping this thread going!!

Sat Jan 11, 2025 5:31 pm

^Thanks Mike, there’s always something to do.

Cold as shit here today. But, after skiing this morning I got out there and did a few things. I put a small dent in the top of the stereo, so it would clear the wiper motor and sit flush on the dash. I hope this unit works good, because as I’m typing this I feel like it’s a total POS! Definitely not worth the money or the headache of installing it.

Then I turned to figuring out where to mount the new fuse box and relay. Took me some time because there really isn’t really a lot of empty space behind the dash. I ended up removing the speaker from the factory location, cutting a piece of paneling to fit, spray painted it black and mounted the units there. There’s lots of room and they don’t interfere with anything.

I’m on vacation this week and not going anywhere but the ski resort. So, I’m hoping to finish this project.

Sun Jan 12, 2025 4:45 pm

Got some wires run today. It’s freakin’ cold out tho.

Sun Jan 12, 2025 8:08 pm

How are you operating that 120A relay, is it an accessory switch or is it automatic with the ignition key?

Sun Jan 12, 2025 8:32 pm

scrivyscriv wrote: How are you operating that 120A relay, is it an accessory switch or is it automatic with the ignition key?

Switched with the ignition key.

Mon Jan 13, 2025 6:18 pm

Today I was able to get the speaker kick panels installed. I cut out the speaker hole and got them lined up pretty close to each other. I also cut a new piece of carpet for the passenger side, still have to install it. It started snowing and I had to switch to working on the garage. I disassembled the rear seat bottom and back. I cut a piece of paneling for the rear of the seat back, reupholstered the seat back, installed the panel and carpeted it. Then I ran out of time. Tomorrow is another day, although I think we are going skiing. So maybe Wednesday.

Mon Jan 13, 2025 6:34 pm

Behind the rear seat, if you make a sort of parcel tray or shelf, is a really good place for speakers. I did that on my first car at age 16

Mon Jan 13, 2025 6:59 pm

chrisflstf wrote: Behind the rear seat, if you make a sort of parcel tray or shelf, is a really good place for speakers. I did that on my first car at age 16

I made a shelf a few years ago. I’m gonna recarpet it and install two 6.5” rounds in it.

Tue Jan 14, 2025 5:00 pm

I woke my son up this morning and gave him the choice of going to school or going skiing. You know he picked skiing and we went to the resort for a morning session. Bring mid week, the slopes were empty but it was freezing out.

Last night I finished the upholstery on the rear seat bottom. The football game kinda sucked, so I did the job in the living room during the game.

Today I made custom carpet panels to cover the speaker kick kick panels. I’m using industrial carpeting from HD, same stuff I used on the rest of the car. I got them glued into place and I’m letting the glue set up (or freeze) over night. Then I pulled the rear parcel tray, re-carpeted it, cut speaker holes and installed the speakers with Boom Mats (they are like speaker pods). I also recarpeted the area under the parcel tray. The HD carpeting is not UV resistant and had turned black. So I bought and used some black auto carpeting.

Under 30° out. Wearing long John’s, a long sleeve, a sweat shirt, a lined benie and a puffy with the hood up.

Maybe I’ll be done with this project tomorrow , obviously I’m not rushing.

Carpeted kick panels, not perfect but good enough.

Rear parcel with the speakers and a pic of the Boom Mats.