1958 Swedish Beetle - In a garage since 2007

[jordiando]

I have been on an adventure to try and get semaphores back on the beetle. so far I am 50% of the way there.
I have issues with one as it is missing a few parts and was super bent. I spent the last 5hrs trying to rebuild and find a way to make it work.

Would any one know where I can get a cone spring that fits on shaft to hold the lens over so it doesn't move.
This is the spring I am after.

I swapped over the lens.

Trying to straighten out the mount and also it didn't catch with some sandpaper. The bore was extremely far out.

[jordiando]

For a lot of early Swedish beetle's it was mandatory to have 2 reflectors on the back of the car. It is something my beetle has been missing. I was lucky enough to source some from the Netherlands recently.

I was basing the mount off a few pictures I have seen online and phots i have taken of other Swedish import cars.

I managed to knock up a few brackets this evening. I am yet to drill as I am waiting on the reflectors to gauge the height. The gauge is a bit thinner but seems to be quiet stiff.

If any one has some more information on them that would be greatly appreciated.

[scarabee]

Jeez, 65 Euros is a bit steep for what it is! They don't seem to be that scarce if I look at Beetles here in South Africa.

[jordiando]

[vwuberalles]

Those look really similar to bicycle reflectors from the 60s or 70s, I'm guessing you can find something close enough for far less than 65 Euros. An NOS reflector for my 72 Schwinn Breeze was like ten bucks shipped on eBay and there were several to choose from.
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1973 Superbeetle: 1st car, owned since age 12. Update thread --> https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9919140#9919140
1967 Kombi: Owned since age 17, Dad's retirement project.
1966 Beetle: My new project. (SOLD) Build thread--> https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=678040

[jordiando]

[Redfox86]

I’ve just caught up with this project having been absent for a little while. I’m really impressed with what you’ve done since I last viewed the thread. It is so good to see that in the world where we live now where a three year old cars are getting scrapped because of their unreliability, a 67 year old car not only looks good but is able to traverse to Europe without any problems.

It might be black, but in many ways it’s a green machine

[jordiando]

[jordiando]

Managed to get some 6v Flashing LED bulbs for the semaphores. Spent the evening fitting them. You need to remove the semaphore to place the bulb in as it wont fit through the original slot.

I am having trouble with one not working too well. I think it is not receiving the full 6v or the bulb needs to be put in a certain way. It was working fine with the normal globe. Is this a common issue when installing the LED bulbs?

I have a 80s Hella bulb holder that I keep all my spares in. This sits in the glovebox for emergencies.

Finished up the evening tightening the fan belt and doing some tidying up.

[jordiando]

It has been a while. The sun has been shining and thus I have been making the most of it in the UK and EU.

I managed to get the beetle out for classics at the clubhouse in late JUN. It needed a little polish so got that done and checked off some basic maintenance things.

On the way out in the morning we had a little breakdown/run out of fuel and needed to turn the handle to reserve. After checking all the vitals I managed to fiddle round with the tap and went straight to the petrol station.

After a long day of driving I noticed that my brake lights were not working. not a good thing. This week I ordered the parts and replaced the brake light switch.

The one that came out seems to be an original or super old. I had to re pin the ends as the new one needed spade terminals.

Back working again.

[EverettB]

[finster]

I was thinking those brake lines are looking a bit past their best...
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"we're here on Earth to fart around" kurt vonnegut

nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect...

[mukluk]

[jordiando]

[jordiando]

I had some time this afternoon to work on the front drums, I replaced the brake pads, one cylinder and both soft lines. I opted to keep the hardware as there was nothing wrong with it just needed a clean and re greasing.

I had one issue with the drivers side inner bearing staying on when I pulled the drum off. The use of heat and persuasion will get it removed and replaced in the near future.

Front Passenger:

Front Driver:

Still yet to get on to the hardlines this will be done with months paycheck. I have ordered some tie rod ends to get it steering a bit better.

[jordiando]

Tonight I removed the wheel bearing with a little bit of fire. It wasn't damaged, just a small amount of corrosion on the spindle. Using some scotchbrite it was easily removed and good to go. I bent the wire back to stop it from rubbing on the inner seal before assembly.

All back together, brakes bled and adjusted.

I am in the process of replacing the tie rod Outer and it seems like they have a longer distance between the center point and where the thread starts. I then had to remove the whole arm to adjust for the extra 1cm of length. All good cleaned the arm and the inner tie rod was serviceable. It was cool to uncover a VW logo on the steering arm. Left the arm unpainted just coated it in some linseed oil.

I am about to start the other side but noticed the driver side has a more pressed style arm, is this common to see?