What did you do to your Beetle this week?

[TonyB]

Went on our first real trip away from the shop since installing the engine!

Had to go to the highway patrol for inspection because it was on a non-highway title ... drove through town about 9 miles, didn't get out of 3rd gear.

After the inspection we got on the highway! When I hit 4th and let go of the shifter it popped out of gear and started grinding pushed in the clutch, pulled it back into 4th and held it in gear ... started shaking like it was going to fall apart. Got of at the up next exit ... 1 through 3 are fine; 4th not so much; at lower speeds it just vibrated ... severely which is better than the violent shaking it was doing on the highway. Reminds me of how my 65 MG B felt when I broke a tooth on 1st gear.

Unfortunately my fun money is spent for now so I'm not sure what to do at this point ... I don't like putting money on credit cards if I can't pay off at the end of the month, especially if its not an absolute necessity. I guess at least I can drive it around up to about 45-50mph ... just stay out of 4th. On a positive note, when I was at the DMV I met a gal with her 99 bug (someone stole the renewal sticker off her license tag) ... she told me where to meet up with the local VW club!

<edit> This is pic is a couple weeks old, now it has the ill fitting canvas top on it and new diamond tuck slip-over seat covers (from Walmart!)

[bluebug66]

Installed new Italian made brake drums from jbugs.com on the rear of my 66. Adjusted brake shoes all around. Rears were at maximum ID and needed turning to make them true so I finally had to retire the original drums. The Italian made drums seem to be of a very good quality.

[67rustavenger]

Today's plan. Change oil (Valvoline VR1 30wt ) adjust valve lash.
If I feel ambitious. Adjust the brakes.

Otherwise, I just drove the crap out of the car. Daily commutes and weekend drives to work on the ranch with the father of my Grand kids (45 minutes each way)

Have a great Sunday all!
_________________
I have learned over the years.
Cheap parts are gonna disappoint you.
Buy Once, Cry Once!

There's never enough time to do it right the first time. But there's always enough time to do it thrice.
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo!

[TonyB]

Pulled the transaxle and got the axles out ... Seems that there is no one in town that want's to work on them anymore.

The guy I bought my bug from GAVE me another transaxle ... said years ago he had stripped several wrecked bugs for parts and he couldn't remember anything about it so it may be okay or maybe not; for free, I'll try it. I didn't have the correct puller but bought longer bolts and made what I had work. Hopefully the trans works okay and I'll be back on the road by Thursday if not before!

[VeeDubKev]

drop

[Murt]

Went to collect my new Beetle Engine from the builder, and it turned into a disaster.
1. Collected Engine in the Caddy Van
2. 83 miles into the journey home, the caddy goes into limp mode
3. AA Breakdown attends, and plugs in the computer. Computer says it's Injector 3 gone
4. He can give me a tow, but can't take me all the way home, as it's outside his area !!
5 Dropped off at a Service station 19 miles short of home, and another truck comes to collect me

_________________
1966 VW Beetle ‘Jules’
1967 Kombi Splitscreen ‘Barney’
2018 VW Caddy Maxi R Line
2017 Golf GTD saloon
2008 VW EOS 2.0 TFSi

[67rustavenger]

^^^^ Well that sux. But the engine is pretty neat!

I bought a polisher this week and played a bit a few days ago.
I haven't polished a car in 35 years. So I'm a bit rusty. But the results were worth the effort.
The rain here is making me complete the job in sections.
So far I have done the roof and trunk lid. I'll get after the rest of the car today. As long as the weather (rain) holds off.

This is after a bit of rain. Nice water beads on the freshly waxed paint.

Have a great week.
_________________
I have learned over the years.
Cheap parts are gonna disappoint you.
Buy Once, Cry Once!

There's never enough time to do it right the first time. But there's always enough time to do it thrice.
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo!

[gregbert]

Currently doing new clutch, standard tune-up, oil change, adjust valves.
_________________
1961 Typ 1 Beetle Ragtop Seafoam Green

[Bug-nut]

Repaired my broken odometer.

_________________
1959 Fjord Blue Volkswagen Beetle
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...highlight=

1962 Austin-Healey Sprite

[67rustavenger]

Installed a CSP EVO exhaust system. This system fits perfectly right out of the box.

The engine exhaust note is nothing like I have ever heard from any ACVW. It's kinda deep at idle. And at full throttle it's not a screamer. My ears are thanking me for this exhaust.

Now I have to re-jet the carbs to get rid of a slight hesitation at the transition from idle circuit to main jets.

The exhaust looks great and sounds fantastic on the + side of things.
It's much quieter than the EMPI POS exhaust that I was running.
On the - side. Damn it's expensive. But $$$$ well spent for my needs.

Keep wrenching fella's. Have a great week!
_________________
I have learned over the years.
Cheap parts are gonna disappoint you.
Buy Once, Cry Once!

There's never enough time to do it right the first time. But there's always enough time to do it thrice.
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo!

[Aaron Williams]

Did some paint correction on our 1960 Beetle. The car is originally a euro beetle that had the semaphores filled in when it was brought to the US. Unfortunately they removed everything in the process. The car is mostly original and unrestored so we just want to preserve it for now and just enjoy it!

The first paint correction that was done was terrible so we stripped it, got the paint matched and wow did they do a good job on the paint match! Not bad for a rattle can in the garage paint job!

[REDKAFER]

Pop-out windows (original Sekurit glass and frames rebuilt with Wolfsburg West seals and bakelite/plastic bits) and a Yakima rack!

Used the Yakima 1A standard (not high-rise) towers and 48" bars. Have about 4" of overhang on each side of the bars for securing stuff which works out very nicely. Bike rack is a Volvo-branded Thule from my last car (identical to the proride 591) that has worked well for me as its designed to mount on Thule square and aero bars so the Yakima round bars was a non-issue.

Note about the towers: Where the fronts clamp, the door does clear but not by a bunch for sure. A poorly adjusted door may hit so I advise caution. I tried lubricating the rubber but it was torn up within about 2 weeks so I cut out a notch and that has helped dramatically with ease of door closing/damage. Still watertight.

[TonyB]

This weekend I got the white paint and sidebars on my 62 ragtop ... Its still a work in progress, sorta street Baja, sorta daily driver but a weekend explorer too, and put in a 40 year old Audiovox AM-FM cassette but only the radio works ... I'm amazed it worked at all!

I also came across a AM radio that's for a 72 or newer, I had been thinking of putting in the above 62 but when Audiovox came along that idea went out the window. I bought the 72 for the 1600 dual port that's now in the 62. The 72 Super still has a lot of other good parts and now I'm torn ... like the barnacles that were growing on it, it's growing on me, thinking it would make a good low rider with sucicide doors etc ... Something else to spend the money on, that my daughter could be using for collage ... but that's not until September!

[panicman]

Took the bug out for the first drive of 2019. Found this new commercial space in the business district. I thought the “BE” was appropriate for the little bug that just slept almost 8 months.

Car ran great. We got some fresh gas and shook off the cobwebs around town.
These little cars are just a blast to drive.

_________________
Plate of shrimp

[scottyrocks]

This past weekend was spent with a drill, a length of 1/4" braided steel cable, and my bug's intake manifold which is completely sealed up with carbon.

I got all the way to the middle on one side and began the other side, but I'm only at the first bend (I work slow).
_________________
“If you care for a thing long enough, it takes on a life of its own, doesn't it? Mending old things, preserving them, looking after them – on some level there's no rational grounds for it.”
– D. Tartt, 'The Goldfinch'

[Flat4VR6Guy]

Wash and photo shoot- all ready for spring!

_________________
'66 Beetle

[Spacejunkee]

Installed new steering wheel and washed the drug rug after the new pupper puked all over the back seat...

[Fozzy]

I finally got the gumption to get the rear wheel off and see what my "bearing problem" was. Well, the good news is that its not a bearing and fixing it cost me nothing. The brake spring pin somehow bent and the edge of the spring cup was rubbing on the ribs on the inside of the brake drum.. drove me nuts for a while. I was dreading the worst and already have my bus non-driveable.

I also replaced the front bearings.. I had a friend drive it to listen for the bearing noise and two minutes after being in the car he told me that I needed front wheel bearings... I bought the bearings and seals and cracked it open today. I had dealing with the amount of grease and the clean up and regreasing.. I found BOTH sides to have a lot of play in them.. the nuts where tight and one side still had the lock plate on them.. then it got weird. I knocked the races out of the drums and both sides had ball bearing races and roller bearings. I would say that the last owner(s) somewhere just missed it or replaced the bearings and not the races. Now everything is almost back together. I need to get to the bug shop and get some new thrust washers and lock plates tomorrow. The bug should be a lot quieter.
_________________
65 Sedan..
Adopted 07/15/17
this is the bug I've been looking for..

71 Tin Top Westy
Adopted Dec or so 2017

[REDKAFER]

Road trip!

I went to visit my friend a couple states over. Rainy drive in both directions, had to climb over the Green Mountains and went the scenic route, but averaged 25.8 mpg so not too shabby.

Interesting bit is: When I got out there my rear seat carpets ended up DRENCHED in water! and i mean a literal puddle, about .25" deep!

Climbed under the car and gooped a bunch of permatex RTV at the body seams where the crossmembers weld to the parcel shelf. The drive back was wet also but the carpets were MUCH drier when I got home, though still damp. I think I've got the culprit but maybe just need to get under there again and really lay it on in the corners where its most probably seeping in.

Good times!

[bluebug66]

Changed my engine and transmission oil. First change after initial fill and 300 miles on the rebuilt stock transmission which I have been very pleased with. I used Shell Rotella 15W40 diesel engine oil with a half of a bottle of STP (for the zinc additive). Second fill with the Rotella oil after learning that not all (any?) modern motor oils have the necessary zinc for the flat tappet VW air cooled engines. Filling the crankcase with a gallon sized oil bottle sucks. Impossible to not make a mess. I miss the old quart cans.