1962 Beryl Green Father/Son project

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I wanted a project so my son and I could have something to work on and enjoy together. I had Bugs as a kid and have always loved them so it was the logical choice. In January this year, I found one on the Samba and traveled to Alabama from the Tampa Bay area to pick it up. And so the journey begins. I wanted to document our progress, albeit slow, as a way for my son to look back on all we accomplished together.

Here she is from the pic in the ad:

Time for the long ride home:

Finally pushed into the driveway to hopefully get it running:

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We started with cleaning up the carb, fluid change, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, coil..... you get the picture. It has a 1600 dp

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After replacing the carb and getting it tuned, we started enjoying local club gatherings and cruising on date night.

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The more we drove it, my 9 y/o son would comment on the bumpy ride. First improvement was replacing the shocks and replacing the half pan below the batter before it fell through.

No pics of the battery tray replacement but here are the shocks after several hours of digging up 4-letter words I hadn't used since the Army days. The black shocks had a date on them of 62.

Do yourself a favor, apply a little antisieze to the shock bolts where they pass through the shock head.

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She was marking her territory with a bit too much enthusiasm. Oil was everywhere so finding the source was a bit challenging. We came to the conclusion that it was the main seal. Out with the engine to replace the seal.

End play was good, barely any movement. Clutch was in good shape. Flywheel was dirty but no burs or any damage. We cleaned it up and put it all back together. We went from a quart lost a month to a minimal loss to from another unknown source. We haven't had to add any oil in months.

[Sharp64]

Very nice. Looks great.

If you’re not aware, Bug Jam is coming up in early November. It’s a good time and pretty family friendly.
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1960 Indigo Blue Ragtop (Blue Barry)
1967 Ghia
1985 Westy Money Pit
“...some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.” - Michael Caine

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We have been enjoying it as often as we can in the Florida heat and rain. We will do a better job of taking pictures along the way. We done a few other things along the way but didn't take pictures. Here are a few more pics.

If anyone sees anything that needs to be addressed, please let us know. Brakes are next. On the horizon is body off pan replacement and front end rebuild. We are still discussing a return to a 1200 versus sticking with a 1600. To help keep us from getting carried away, my meager VA disability check pays for improvements.

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[Sharp64]

[Eric&Barb]

You will really enjoy a big bore 40 HP engine in that. Looking forward to many more of your posts!
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In Stereo, Where Available!

[Sharp64]

If the current engine runs well and funds are limited, I would vote to just clean it up and drive it. Finding and rebuilding a year correct 40hp won’t be super cheap. By the same token, you can usually find decent used ones for fairly cheap as no one wants them around here. But building an engine is also a cool experience.

Another thought would be to consider getting some rebuilt SP heads, switching out the manifold, get a 30pict-1 carb and matching distributor along with an oil bath filter and it will “look” closer to original. I had a 1300 in my 64 that most people would look at and assume it was a 40hp engine.
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1960 Indigo Blue Ragtop (Blue Barry)
1967 Ghia
1985 Westy Money Pit
“...some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.” - Michael Caine

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Thanks Guys. Right now it is running goood (knock on wood) so we will stick to the current engine and maybe build from a long block over time. Funds aren’t really an issue but need to keep it under control.

Right now safety and reliability are most important. We need to be able to enjoy it to keep the interest. We look forward to sharing the journey and soaking up the amazing knowledge on the Samba. I have enjoyed reading for the past 10 months.

If it stops raining, I will take some pictures. Pans are on the horizon but I will learn to weld first.

[Eric&Barb]

Just keep an eye out for a 40HP engine in your area. Get as close to your beetle month/year as you would like and the more complete the better. Then you can take your time to rebuild it at your leisure. A lot less of a hassle than to wait till the 1600 has a big problem or needs complete a rebuild, and the bug is down for the count.
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In Stereo, Where Available!

[67rustavenger]

Your car has a really sweet 67 rear bumper. If you want a period correct one for your 63. Keep an eye out for a 67 with an early rear bumper on it as nice as yours.
Maybe you can make a like condition trade.

Otherwise. Nice looking car there.

Good Luck.
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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!

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[Sharp64]

67 had one year only sloped towel bars to clear the deck lid. No one has reproduced the one year only bars. They are actually worth probably double what the regular ones are. I sold a set 2 years ago for $100.
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1960 Indigo Blue Ragtop (Blue Barry)
1967 Ghia
1985 Westy Money Pit
“...some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.” - Michael Caine

[vwuberalles]

Very cool, I'm excited for you and your son! My dad picked up a 73 when I was 12 years old and fixed it up together. I'm 40 and I still have that same car, I still get the warm memories of us working on it together every time I look at it. I hope your son experiences the same thing!
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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

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