Author |
Message |
Beetlebaum Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2008 Posts: 2181 Location: Virginia Beach, VA
|
Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2018 7:33 pm Post subject: Re: Beetlebaum: The 1973 Super pulled from a Junkyard |
|
|
Beetlebaum got his first tank of gas since February today!
He drove decently well. I think that the new fuel pump has too much pressure, because the car stalled as I moved it into a parking space in front of the store and then had a backfire as loud as a gunshot for the second time since I bought the new pump as I tried to restart him.
My brother is also concerned about the rubber oil lines hanging down near the exhaust pipes, but I've been told that they're fine as long as they don't touch the pipes.
On the way there, traffic was slow, but he still performed well.
Right as I was finishing up, a beautiful air-cooled Porsche rolled up! We talked about our cars; he has owned '59, '63, and '69 Beetles and two Karmann Ghias. The best part: for once, I wasn't the one who pulled up next to another car.
Three days to go. _________________ 1973 Super Beetle
2003 New Beetle
Post your Super here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=331999
Beetle Bums VW Club Member |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Beetlebaum Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2008 Posts: 2181 Location: Virginia Beach, VA
|
Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 11:00 am Post subject: Re: Beetlebaum: The 1973 Super pulled from a Junkyard |
|
|
BEETLEBAUM PASSED INSPECTION TODAY!
For the first time in seven years, Beetlebaum is legal!
He has a few more problems to sort out; I heard a nice crunchy sound as I went around a corner, so I'm pretty sure that the rear wheel bearings are shot. His fuel gauge also keeps going up and down. The inspector also said that he noticed some play in all the bearings, so I may have to tighten the front hubs a tiny bit.
I took him to get lunch to celebrate, and I'll take him out later today to celebrate again.
_________________ 1973 Super Beetle
2003 New Beetle
Post your Super here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=331999
Beetle Bums VW Club Member |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Beetlebaum Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2008 Posts: 2181 Location: Virginia Beach, VA
|
Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 9:42 am Post subject: Re: Beetlebaum: The 1973 Super pulled from a Junkyard |
|
|
It's supposed to rain today, so, before the storms move in, I decided to take Beetlebaum out and run some errands.
First, we made our very first trip to Starbucks. I've been to Starbucks more times than I care to admit, but this was Beetlebaum's first-ever trip to get coffee.
Next we went to Walmart. I bought some square canvas boxes for the trunk so that I can put non-food items in there when I run errands.
Beetlebaum's cam makes the powerband happen relatively high in the RPMs, which can be annoying when doing daily driving, but I'm already learning and adapting to how he runs now. I'll dial in the tuning as time goes on. _________________ 1973 Super Beetle
2003 New Beetle
Post your Super here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=331999
Beetle Bums VW Club Member |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Beetlebaum Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2008 Posts: 2181 Location: Virginia Beach, VA
|
Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2018 4:28 pm Post subject: Re: Beetlebaum: The 1973 Super pulled from a Junkyard |
|
|
Beetlebaum went to the Virginia Beach oceanfront today!
...and the Virginia Beach convention center.
Since he passed inspection, I've put about forty miles on him. Until earlier this evening, I hadn't even driven the New Beetle in about three days. Totally worth it.
Beetlebaum goes to his first-ever Cars & Coffee event on Saturday, January 5th. _________________ 1973 Super Beetle
2003 New Beetle
Post your Super here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=331999
Beetle Bums VW Club Member |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Beetlebaum Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2008 Posts: 2181 Location: Virginia Beach, VA
|
Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2018 9:25 am Post subject: Re: Beetlebaum: The 1973 Super pulled from a Junkyard |
|
|
This morning, after I took the car to get breakfast with my brother, I decided to go on a landmark-seeing trip, so I went back to the oceanfront and visited the Cavalier Hotel, one of Virginia Beach's most recognizable structures.
I also realized that I absolutely need to fix the exhaust leaks, as exhaust definitely gets in the cabin as I drive, so I've decided to park the car until I sort out that issue (with the exception of driving him to Saturday's car show). _________________ 1973 Super Beetle
2003 New Beetle
Post your Super here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=331999
Beetle Bums VW Club Member |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Beetlebaum Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2008 Posts: 2181 Location: Virginia Beach, VA
|
Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2018 8:48 pm Post subject: Re: Beetlebaum: The 1973 Super pulled from a Junkyard |
|
|
In the interest of ensuring that no exhaust gets in the car, I pulled out the stuff from behind the rear seat to start properly cleaning back there. I'm pretty sure that there's some mold back there from back when the car had a leak from the rear window, so I'm stripping as much residue out of the package shelf as I can.
Overall, the package shelf is extremely solid, with just one small hole which probably has been allowing the exhaust in. It's small enough and hidden enough that I wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't specifically searched for holes.
Here's the before picture from this morning.
Today I scraped tarboard...and tomorrow I'll scrape more tarboard...and hopefully by Thursday I'll have everything cleaned up, sealed, and painted. I'm cheating and just using JB Weld to fill the small hole; I'll fix it properly when the body comes off for the full restoration in the distant future. _________________ 1973 Super Beetle
2003 New Beetle
Post your Super here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=331999
Beetle Bums VW Club Member |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Beetlebaum Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2008 Posts: 2181 Location: Virginia Beach, VA
|
Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2020 3:36 pm Post subject: Re: Beetlebaum: The 1973 Super pulled from a Junkyard |
|
|
Hi all!
I haven't been posting for a long time because I ended up having some crazy health issues shortly after getting Beetlebaum legal. I'm slowly starting to feel a little better, and so I'm working to get Beetlebaum ready for inspection this year.
Yesterday I got Beetlebaum running again by filling the carb float bowl after months of him sitting, so he fired right up and ran well enough on some really old gas.
I took him around the block yesterday and was satisfied with how he rode.
Then today, the governor of VA issued a "stay at home" order for the coronavirus which permits going out for fresh air, so I took Beetlebaum to a local pond to feed some ducks and to test his running.
After not having driven him for a while, I have to say: WOW, I had forgotten how much exhaust this car makes. _________________ 1973 Super Beetle
2003 New Beetle
Post your Super here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=331999
Beetle Bums VW Club Member |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Blue Baron VW Aficionado
Joined: June 16, 2006 Posts: 23748 Location: Southeast USA
|
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2020 7:38 pm Post subject: Re: Beetlebaum: The 1973 Super pulled from a Junkyard |
|
|
It's great to see this car up and running again.
Will somebody please donate a set of running boards to this special car? _________________ We are striving for perfection, to make our cars run forever, if possible.
Heinz Nordhoff |
|
Back to top |
|
|
EA812 Samba Member
Joined: December 07, 2008 Posts: 1223 Location: North central, CT
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Beetlebaum Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2008 Posts: 2181 Location: Virginia Beach, VA
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
webberjames95 Snorkelstang Finder
Joined: January 18, 2011 Posts: 1091 Location: Pullman, Washington
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Beetlebaum Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2008 Posts: 2181 Location: Virginia Beach, VA
|
Posted: Sat May 16, 2020 9:45 am Post subject: Re: Beetlebaum: The 1973 Super pulled from a Junkyard |
|
|
Still not much in the way of proper updates, as I'm still dealing with health stuff, but Beetlebaum did go on a (short) cruise with a friend's '72 Super last night, just around the block! It's the first time that Beetlebaum has ever been part of a VW caravan.
I like the light trails in this photo. Beetlebaum is in the front.
And a short video!
Link
Plans for the short-term: replace the heat exchangers and muffler with ones I got recently, and finally install the running boards. The running board on the driver's side poses a challenge, because the door droops from when the car was hit on the driver's side back in the '80s. _________________ 1973 Super Beetle
2003 New Beetle
Post your Super here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=331999
Beetle Bums VW Club Member |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Buggeee Samba Member
Joined: December 22, 2016 Posts: 4390 Location: Stuck in Ohio
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Beetlebaum Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2008 Posts: 2181 Location: Virginia Beach, VA
|
Posted: Fri May 22, 2020 2:59 pm Post subject: Re: Beetlebaum: The 1973 Super pulled from a Junkyard |
|
|
Blue Baron wrote: |
It's great to see this car up and running again.
Will somebody please donate a set of running boards to this special car? |
You mean like these running boards, bought for my tenth anniversary with the car and abandoned out of frustration with their poor fit?
For some reason, Mid-America Motorworks sells kits for only one side (with stupid $10 shipping!), so I accidentally only bought mounting hardware for one side. So now Beetlebaum's passenger side has a running board, but the driver's side doesn't. I'm going to buy the cheaper, less expensive to ship, and presumably higher quality mounting kit for the other side from Wolfsburg West. I only use MAM for non-essential parts because of their reputation, and I finally got burned by it.
Here's the driver's side, waiting for me to get the other mounting hardware and drill out the mounting holes on the running board (the sagging driver's door, thanks to the '80s wreck, rubs too much on the running board when I try to install it).
And here's a closeup of the passenger side...
_________________ 1973 Super Beetle
2003 New Beetle
Post your Super here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=331999
Beetle Bums VW Club Member |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Blue Baron VW Aficionado
Joined: June 16, 2006 Posts: 23748 Location: Southeast USA
|
Posted: Sun May 24, 2020 11:03 pm Post subject: Re: Beetlebaum: The 1973 Super pulled from a Junkyard |
|
|
Nice job.
Cup half full! _________________ We are striving for perfection, to make our cars run forever, if possible.
Heinz Nordhoff |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Beetlebaum Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2008 Posts: 2181 Location: Virginia Beach, VA
|
Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2020 10:20 am Post subject: Re: Beetlebaum: The 1973 Super pulled from a Junkyard |
|
|
Happy 47th birthday to Beetlebaum!
July 28th: Beetlebaum is scheduled to go through inspection,depending on some family events at the end of the month.
I have the parts needed to replace the leaky exhaust system, but the weather has been uncooperative lately. I just gotta get the new heat exchangers and muffler on.
#Beetlebaum2020 _________________ 1973 Super Beetle
2003 New Beetle
Post your Super here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=331999
Beetle Bums VW Club Member |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Beetlebaum Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2008 Posts: 2181 Location: Virginia Beach, VA
|
Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2021 4:42 pm Post subject: Re: Beetlebaum: The 1973 Super pulled from a Junkyard |
|
|
Wow, it has been over a year now since I last posted here about Beetlebaum!
My health is still a frustrating mess, but there's a bit of hope for getting things under control relatively soon.
Today marks thirteen years since I bought Beetlebaum! So to celebrate, I did a bit of work on some small things.
Something like six years ago, I replaced Beetlebaum's wipers as a "promise of better tomorrows" or something like that, and that pair of wipers had degraded, so it was time to replace them.
I also cleaned and organized a bit of the garage, because I haven't been out there in forever, and it was an unusable mess.
And, because it just wouldn't be summer without finding mud dauber nests in Beetlebaum's engine bay, I knocked out one which--creatively--had been built next to the alternator stand, and I replaced some of the fuel line.
And that was it for today, but it still felt really good to get back to Beetlebaum for a little bit! I need to get more penetrating oil to get the muffler off, but I forgot to grab some when I went out this evening. Hopefully tomorrow.
The fuel in the tank smells awful, so I also need to replace the braided lines and drain the gas.
Anyway, that was how I celebrated 13 years with Beetlebaum today! _________________ 1973 Super Beetle
2003 New Beetle
Post your Super here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=331999
Beetle Bums VW Club Member |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Lingwendil Samba Member
Joined: February 25, 2009 Posts: 3987 Location: Antioch, California, a block from the hood
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Beetlebaum Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2008 Posts: 2181 Location: Virginia Beach, VA
|
Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2021 6:46 am Post subject: Re: Beetlebaum: The 1973 Super pulled from a Junkyard |
|
|
Oh yeah, Beetlebaum is still doing his thing! I need to get out there and spray some penetrating oil on the exhaust nuts and studs so that I can replace the heat exchangers and the muffler, and I need to drain the fuel so that I can replace the fuel lines.
By the way, what type of carbs are you running on yours? _________________ 1973 Super Beetle
2003 New Beetle
Post your Super here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=331999
Beetle Bums VW Club Member |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Lingwendil Samba Member
Joined: February 25, 2009 Posts: 3987 Location: Antioch, California, a block from the hood
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
|