Introduction/progress thread

[67rustavenger]

[Marinablau703]

Patched the two locations today. Before patching, I liberally sprayed the channels with rust converter, which then got sprayed over everything after I was done welding. I'm looking for function over form, so I did quick and easy lap welds, but my patches were L shaped to set atop the floor pan, and got welded there as well. I noticed some holes in the tunnel where the beams bolt, so those got some thicker plates. To quote a friend of mine "now how is all the water gonna get out?" Don't worry, there's still some more places. I also replaced the shot steering damper.

In no particular order (because pictures don't upload in any particular order).

[Marinablau703]

Some more shots (I hope my comments align with the respective pictures).

Patched up.

Hit the beam with converter. J-Bugs sent me final drive seals instead of grub screws (they've since corrected the issue and sent me the new grubs, but not before I'd first had to dumpster dive to find the old and crusty ones I'd tossed).

Remove the solid plastic decklid and trunk seals along with the decklid bump stop. I used weatherstripping adhesive to hold into place. My trunk seal was quite different than the original one; the original had a separate piece along the cowl, and the rest was a one-piece "U" shape. The new one was one-piece, with the seam at the tip of the nose.

Installed trim clips and trim. Before doing so, I used polishing compound where the trim sits so that future polishings would have better results.

My car never had one, but I like the look; that and I'd ordered the wrong trim and the trunk piece was too short so I installed the VW emblem. I made a template and used transfer punches to get the holes perfect before drilling. Rather than dragging out the welder again to fill the trim clip hole, I simply plugged it with blue RTV. Kinda ghetto fix, but it was simple and not permanent. The emblem covers the RTV anyway.

Torque arms painted, new urethane seals, new nuts... and original grub screws. The new ones are going in today.

While awaiting parts, I hit the entire car with polishing compound and then a coat of wax using the orbital buffer. It could certainly use it again, but I didn't want to go too heavy at first and remove too much paint. I think it looks better.

EVERY vendor I could find is backordered for the 3/4" front sway bar, which was the main thing holding me up. So, not knowing how long it would be and needing to get the Olds back in the garage (I don't like it being outside in the cold and snow), I cleaned up the stock front sway bar with gasoline, a wire wheel, and then Ospho before priming and painting. Hopefully the new bushings and clamps arrive today; if so, I'll install it. If not, I guess I'll be rolling with no front sway bar. I did install the rear bar yesterday; I don't have pics, but I did hit the rear torsion arms and surrounding area with rust converter before installing the brackets. One of the bolts' heads rounded off so I had to cut it out and replace, but other than than, the installation wasn't bad. When I get the car up in the air in the Spring to finish the underside of the chassis, I'll drop the bar off the chassis to finish the torque tube.

I also hit the front quarters and insides of the fenders with undercoating spray. Sure, it would look "better" if I butt-welded the patches, but the lap weld was far easier, and being behind the front wheels, not noticeable to all but the most discerning individuals.

Still dealing with random horn blasts, now when using the turn signals. I've replaced the switch (twice) using switches from two different years. I just replaced the horn ring on the bottom of the steering wheel. Now, I notice that the horn contact ring touches the "W" spring that keeps the turn signal parts together (I don't know their terms; they're on the right side of the switch), completing the circuit. I installed a nylon spacer to back the wheel off a little (without it the horn ring contacts the high beam switch, flashing the lights every time I jockey the wheel), but the wheel still sits too deep. My termporarily permanent solution is a donut of thin but tough plastic to insulate the contact ring from everything but the horn contact on the column (notched the donut to allow contact) but version 1.0 has my donut rotating around the column. I'll pull the wheel off today and see if a couple of carefully placed dollups of RTV are enough to hold the insulating donut in place on version 2.0. The more betterer solution is a different steering wheel, but I don't feel like playing the guessing game to figure out which wheel fits this column which I'm doubting is original. I left the front wheel covers and hub caps off for now as the wheels will come back off soon to install the front swau bar; I also just bought I set of Circuit 8s I've been told they're called..

[Marinablau703]

Also happy to report that after a test start and ride, the new Pertronix distributor is working great, and my timing seems to be near perfect on its initial stab. When the weather warms, I'll put the light on it, but the cold-engine stall and clutch shudder are gone.

All ball joints received zerc fittings and 3-4 shots of grease.

[Marinablau703]

Some updates: some vintage Wolfsburg wheels with new tires (185/60R15s). It rides MUCH better than with the old, probably mis-balanced tires. I finally got around to installing the new 34pict3 carb (the throttle shaft bushing was worn out on the last one), and along with the electronic distributor and flamethrower coil, it runs MUCH better. No more having to feather the throttle to avoid cold-idle stalls when coming to a stop. Yes, I kept the old distributor and points in the tool bag in the car in case of emergency. Clutch chatter and jackrabbit starts have also completely gone away now that timing isn't jumping all over the place.

Next up: in the coming weeks, I'll be dropping the engine to install a new exhaust and heater boxes. That kind of work is much nicer on a bench than under the car. I'll be pulling the heads to change the leaking pushrod tubes and seals, and while the heads are off, will clean up the rocker arm studs (their jam nuts are very tough to turn currently, when I adjusted the valves 300 miles ago). It'll also be a good time to check the jugs and pistons, but qualitatively, I think the compression is fine and it doesn't burn any oil, and the engine has plenty of power. While out, I'll check for valve stretch and replace as needed, and depending on their condition, I'll lap the valves. The oil cooler is likely leaking, so I have a new oil cooler and seals. Given the importance of the oil cooler and that this car basically sat for 20 years (its last known oil change, prior to the previous owner's change in 2017/18, was in the late '90s), I'm not even going to bother trying to have the oil cooler cleaned. I don't want it cracking/exploding either. This will also be a good time to ensure there's no vermin nexts in the fan shroud, as it sat outside and in a barn for over 2 decades, now that summer is coming.

Cold starts even in sub-0 temps are instantaneous, but hot starts are a little belabored. I've tuned the carb and timing as much as I can, but I can't tune out the vacuum leaks. Idle speed is set at 890-900RPM to get good airflow at idle. I've got copious exhaust leaks and oil leaks, both areas of vacuum leaks. I ordered new seals for the DP intake; both are a little dry rotted, and the port side is "sealed" with orange RTV that is quite degraded, so I'm hoping that wasn't done to "fix" cracks in the manifold, but we'll see when it's apart. I have a new engine bay floor seal, and I'll clean/paint the floor tins while out.

Not sure if I mentioned it, but I also replaced the trunk and decklid seals. I ordered a new rag joint for the steering column, but I don't think this one looks terrible, so its replacement isn't time-sensitive. Thoughts?

[Marinablau703]

I am still dealing with horn/column switch issues, for which I'm at a loss and definitely welcome insight. I've replaced the turn signal and wiper switches, and even the horn ring (it was wavy). However, the horn ring makes contact with one of the screws that hold the switches in place, sounding the horn, so currently I have a "custom" nylon spacer to insulate the two, despite nylon washers to lift the wheel off a little. Also, despite that, the high-beam switch (part of the turn signal switch) makes contact with the steering wheel, jockeying the high beams on and off when turning. I put a light coating of JB on the contact where it touches the horn ring to avoid horn blasts there. When I was putting the new switch in, I had trouble seating it deep enough in the column to even start some of the screws, which leads me to believe there's a parts compatibility issue. As we know, this car is a frankenbug, and it has the later model steering wheel. What I don't know is what year the column is; as changes often occur year to year, I don't know if I'm chasing an issue caused by parts mis-match. Did the inside diameter of the column change over time? IIRC the turn signal switch from a '70 didn't work on this column, so I ordered a '73. My plan is to pull the wheel and switches again to measure the inside of the column and switch diameters and shave as needed if the switches aren't sitting as deep as they're supposed to, unless anyone has great insight? Thanks in advance.

[VW_Jimbo]

There is an adjustment required at the steering column to make everything interact correctly. The switch housing can slide in and out to obtain the necessary 3mm gap between the steering column and steering wheel. Should be a 6mm Allen socket bolt.slightly loosen and
Push the housing towards the steering box. The Orange Bentley book covers this.

Good luck!
_________________
Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[Marinablau703]

[VW_Jimbo]

Check this thread out. You can see the elongated bolt holes at column to body and the 6mm Allen for the column housing.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8736009
_________________
Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[Rome]

Nice to read of your updates, Marina. How does the Beetle handle with the std front sway bar and the HD rear one?

Pushrod seals: Get the creamy white ones; they are of a more stable material than the cheapo brick red ones. If the pushrod tubes are still in good shape, stretch them apart slightly before reinstallation so that the bellows compress slightly as you tighten the cylinder head. This is listed in the Bentley manual. If the tubes are quite rusted, consider paying a bit more for stainless steel ones which hold up much better against corrosion, of course. I'm soon to do this pushrod tube installation on an engine that I disassembled down to the short block. It's sitting on a 5 gallon utility bucket in the basement so I'll need to get creative with the tubes so that they don't fall down as I put the head on. I could probably support the underside of the tubes with my arm held level, and put the head on with my other hand. I'm also thinking to make a simple loop out of string that goes around the bottoms of the tubes and over the tops of the cylinders, just to keep them somewhat level. Once the outer ends of the tubes make contact with the head's holes, I can untie the string.

Heads: At very least, replace the exhaust valves. No questions. Then yes, lap in all valves. The rocker arm valve adjusting studs use M8 x 1.0 mm threads if you want to chase them. The studs that hold the rocker shafts to the heads use M8 x 1.25 threads.

I looked at some other photos of your Beetle and can pick out a few other "Frankenbug" details. The steering wheel and combined blinker/wiper switch would be at least 1972. Speedometer style, font, and 100 mph would be '72 and later, since it's different than on your dad's '71 Cabrio. Your seat headrest style (and the rail style which I mentioned in January) coincides with a '73. Front fender blinkers are '68/'69. Since the color of your F & R fenders are different than the body, it appears as though the F & R fenders came off a '68 or '69 because your taillamps are the smaller style. Somebody already mentioned the taillamps. Too bad your body production tag is missing to the left of your hood latch. Is there a perforated body sticker on the driver's B-pillar that has the VIN and production month/year?

Shifter base and plate are the later style with the upturned edges on the plate. That style is "usually" installed on '73 and later Beetles that had a slightly shorter shift rod because the entire shifter was moved back maybe an inch or two at most from earlier cars. You can measure the distance of the front attachment bolt to the firewall and compare with that on your dad's Super, realizing that the Super had an additional support at the firewall that bolts to the front of the tunnel so that you don't want to measure at the support, but maybe half a foot up. The shifter base and plate interchange with the earlier style '68 thru '71/'72 so that those parts by themselves are not a strong clue as to the chassis era, but the distance from firewall is.

Your steel wheels are also the "deep dish" 4.5" wide ones fitted as of mid-year 1972 model year. If you look closely between the lug bolt holes, you should see "ET34" stamped in. My favorite stock "hubcap" style wheels.

Your steering rubber joint looks OK and still usable, though the small cracks along the edges would concern me slightly because they can grow. When you move the steering column by hand and hold the joint, do you detect any play at the joint?

All in all, a decent mix of details for a good driver. After your engine removal and cleaning work as well as the upcoming front disc brakes, having a robust and reliable Beetle for longer distance trips will be a lot of fun.

In what town is your friend's VW shop from which you bought your dad's Cabrio?

Meantime I loaded an old photo of my Marina Blue '72 into my gallery; from ~ the early 1990's. It had 5.5" wide Brazilian-made VW wheels sold by JC Whitney and were on sale. Tires were 185/65.

[Igpoe]

I'm a bit puzzled by the vacuum hose connections with the dvda and associated carb as compared to the hose connection from the new dizzy to the new carb. Thought the car ran good in the original post? Hope you didn't buy the new parts unnecessarily. I'm not trying to be a killjoy, we usually recommend using OG stuff and rebuilding it when we must.
_________________
'73 super.

[Marinablau703]

Thanks for the details and information Rome, I'll be sure to heed the valve advice.

Regarding the new distributor, its SVDA not stock DVDA. While thinking it ran great when I got it, a few hundred miles in a more varied set of conditions proved otherwise. Parts were not tossed at it unnecessarily; the stock 34pict3 carb definitely had throttle shaft bushing air leakage, and the stock distributor shaft was so sloppy that I saw up to 7* change in timing. As I mentioned, I've gone as far as I can with tuning, but I can't tune out vacuum leaks. An oil leak is a vacuum leak (in addition to the exhaust and intake leaks).

Thanks all for the info on the steering column adjustment and the "to dos" while the engine is out.

Rome: check your PMs. Also, after peeling off the layers of the onion, my dad sold the '71 Super Vert, but I'm trying to convince him to go for an OG '62 with 52k miles.

[Marinablau703]

Regarding the stock sway bar and 3/4” rear: handling has definitely improved from stock, but a few variables were address concurrently: rear sway bar, front sway bar bushings and ball joints. I also still need an alignment, what’s been done is just crude with a tape measure but I have an appointment on Monday for both the Bug and my 442. I’m not a fan of the bar mis-match and want suspension parts matching, but I have no control over availability.

I have the white pushrod tube seals and new tubes; I was planning on using a pipe cutter to gently spread the bellows to get the tubes to the proper distance. 91-94mm or something like that? I’ll of course check. I also have two new “engine” mounts and the third transmission mount to install while the engine is out, and a new Bowden tube. If needed, I’ll order a new clutch, pressure plate and throw out bearing. I’d ordered a starboard heater hose for a ‘73 believing that it needed to match the engine, but it was 4” too long. The tube for a ‘70 fits. I have no idea when the heater channels changed, but it’s another layer of the onion. I don’t mind; a running, driving Frankenbug is better than a completely OG non driver, IMO. Whoever put this car together didn’t hack it and did it “right”, as the mods are pretty seamless, if not the finer details to keen eyes.

[Rome]

The Bentley manual for 1300 - 1600 Type 1 indicates that the pushrod tubes need to have the dimension of 190 - 191 mm from the outer face of the outer bellows to that of the opposite. What I do is grasp each bellows with thumb and forefinger, like gripping a handlebar. They slightly pull the bellows apart until I get that distance. I have a cheap plastic 12" inch/millimeter ruler marked at 190 mm with a red paint dot so that I can quickly notice if the spacing is correct.

For the seals, know that the cut ends/openings of the tubes are VERY sharp- easy to make a deep cut into your fingers if you press the seals over the tube ends. My method is to place the seal on the workbench, bevel end down. Hold the tube vertically and press the end down into the seal center, slightly "rocking" the tube so that the end is worked down into the seal. No exposure of the sharp end to fingers.

[Marinablau703]

Well dang; even with the o ring spacers to lift the steering wheel, it was only sitting 1mm off the column. The orange Bentley said 2-4 mm but I preferred a little extra lee-way (W spring a little loose), so I slid the column down to 5mm clearance with the wheel fully seated. It works as it should!

Rome: well I was way off with my memory of reading what the length should be, but I would have caught that when reviewing the specs. Thanks for the tips on the install, and the valves.

[Marinablau703]

Got the wheels aligned today at a shop about a half hour from my house. Car was driving great, so I figured I’d take it on the highway for the first time! She was singing along nicely doing 60-65 mph, so I passed my exit to go to the next one seeing as how it is such a beautiful day. Right after the exit, at the top of the hill, engine died and all warning lights came on. Coasted to the side, open the decklid. Belt intact. I then noticed the fuel filter was DRY. Several crank attempts, and it stayed dry. Started loosing the line to the carb, a little fuel vented out, but then nothing. Crank; still dry. Called a friend to bring a spare fuel pump and a tow strap, and while waiting I opened the fuel tank cap and reinstalled, Then noticed a little fuel in the filter. Crank; no start, but more fuel. On a whim I decided to stab the old points distributor in, but when I pulled the cap off, the coil wire fell off the coil! I had to finagle the end with a blade screwdriver just to get it to sit in the coil, but the boot doesn’t have a great fit. Crank;started instantly, and drove home the 8 or so miles. By the time I got home, the filter had less fuel in it than when it started, and it’s level dropped while watching. So, I know I need to reroute the fuel lines and filter; when I drop the engine in the coming weeks my plan is to put the filter under the car, as is often recommended. I plan to also replace the pump.

Even managed to make it back to the shop to have the Olds aligned at its scheduled time!

[Marinablau703]

Temporarily rerouted fuel lines and moved the filter to avoid heat-soak. Went to the store and back, about 8 miles round trip. I was in the store about 10 minutes, and noticed the fuel filter was empty when I came out. When I got home, I checked the filter again, idling, and saw that it was completely empty of fuel, with just the occasional blast of fuel spraying through the filter feeding the carb. Shut it down, and let the oil drain overnight; by the next morning, despite not being able to smell much fuel on the dipstick, the garage wreaked of gasoline. I ordered new parts, but I'm not going to just stab them on. I noticed the engine seeming to be running a little hot (~170*F on the top of the sump), so the engine is going to come out for a mile refresh. The oil cooler and pushrod tube seals are past their expiration date and the cooler itself could be an issue waiting to happen, and before the weather gets hotter, I need to make sure the fan shroud is clear of debris. Hoping to drop the engine this Sunday!

[Marinablau703]

Pulled the engine this past Sunday. Took about 2.5 hours; some of the time was spent getting the car at the right height. I'd first jacked it too high only to find my jack couldn't reach the engine, so I had to lower it. I'd debated using the Quickjack but wasn't sure it'd get high enough; in hindsight I think it would have been fine, so this weekend I'll drop the car back down, get it on the lift, and raise it back up. Being level will also facilitate engine re-installation. I'd made the mistake of not removing the rear engine tin, so the engine couldn't come aft enough. The engine tin seals are also solid plastic by this point and have zero give to them. New seals will go in. I'd also made the mistake of having to run to AZ during that 2.5 hours to get a 20mm wrench for the frame horn bolts, only to find those didn't hold the engine in; my lower nuts were so covered in grease, I'd missed them the first time. And yes, after the pic was taken I have cribbing shoved between the stack of wheels and the chassis for additional safety/support.

Some oil spray on the forward tarboard, so I presume part of my copious oil leaks are due to the oil cooler.

Little bit of oil in the bellhousing; the scent of gear oil didn't smack me in the face, so methinks it is the rear main seal.

Set to to proper time before pulling the belt, distributor and carb.

Might be why I was running about 10* hot! Oil cooler shroud not in place.

Might also be why I was running about 10* hot.

Some disassembly. Tins soaking in the parts washer.

Trans/engine mounts are smoked!

Flap linkage soaking in PB.

Pealed back the port side tarboard, not bad other than debris and old wasp nests.

Starboard tarboard, not so much; turns out the engine room floor was holding the seal channel in place. On both sides, I found loose wires that have clearly been disconnected for quite some time. My stop, tail, turn and reverse lights work, but these look like they're grounds coming from them. My rear fenders have the outline of my taillights only slightly larger by 1/2" all around; anyone have any idea about the lights/tails that were on these fenders? They shape doesn't match that of the elephant foot.

After wiping down the inside of the bellhousing, I noticed some wear on the case, outboard of the throwout bearing. The case is gouged out 0.006".

However, the pressure plate doesn't have a mark on it, other than clutch disk shadow. As the engine isn't original to this car, my guess is that the old engine wore out the thrust bearing and the crank walked forward. Any other ideas?

[vamram]

[Marinablau703]

Yeah that was before lowering the car. First time learning curve is always great; I was going off the Bentley's direction of 3 '. Wheels chocked, 4 jack stands and cribbing, the car isn't going anywhere at this point, at least until it's on the lift. I appreciate the lateral extraction idea!