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My 1966 Beetle rebuild
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Big Bill
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PostPosted: Tue May 17, 2022 7:42 am    Post subject: Re: My 1966 Beetle rebuild Reply with quote

Great photos as always supercub I love the ones you post. I have my filter back by the transaxle but have been thinking about moving it to were yours is, changing it back there is a pain and seems like under the tank might be easier.
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supercub
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PostPosted: Tue May 17, 2022 5:08 pm    Post subject: Re: My 1966 Beetle rebuild Reply with quote

Thanks for the compliment on the pictures. I do enjoy photography, especially landscapes. My fuel filter is back by the transaxle. Under the tank is just a piece of rubber line. That piece from the tank is actually my least favorite line to change. I actually had replaced all the other lines a few years ago but avoided that one. I just figured since I already had to drain the gas to change the tank hose, I may as well get all the others and the filter too.
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supercub
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PostPosted: Mon May 23, 2022 6:27 pm    Post subject: Re: My 1966 Beetle rebuild Reply with quote

Sunday got busy with other things, so I didn't get around to posting my weekly update so here it is on Monday. I went on a nice drive out to south-central Wisconsin to go walking at Gibraltar Rock and Parfrey's Glen last Monday. I detailed that day trip with some pictures a few posts ago. On Thursday I took the VW down for some much-needed generator bearings. I had been hearing a faint high-pitched whining for the past several weeks. It was so subtle at first that I kept telling myself it was in my head. At first, I was thinking maybe it was in the transmission, but it always made the noise even in neutral with the clutch in or out. It was definitely engine related and the only thing on the engine that would make a high-pitched whirring would be the generator/fan. Driving home from work on Wednesday I had the windows down and could hear the noise plain as day from the right rear and it was getting louder. I drove it over to the detached garage at my parents' house where I parked it and exchanged it for my Grand Marquis. I ordered some generator bearings and brushes. Friday morning before work I removed the generator and took it to work with me where I zipped off the fan nut with an impact gun. On Sunday I disassembled the generator, and the bearings were noisy and dry. They sounded just like old skateboard bearings. The new bearings and brushes came today. I reassembled the generator and reinstalled it. It works fine and the whining noise is gone. Back to daily driving in the VW again. Expenses this week were two tanks of gas for a total of $71.75 and $33.02 for the generator bearings and brushes.

Beginning odometer 5-16: 56473
Ending odometer 5-22: 56866
Mileage this week: 393
Expenses this week: $104.77

Total mileage: 2,127
Total expenses: $441.17

The VW with the generator removed.
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Disassembled generator on my oh-so-organized workbench. I really need to do something about that.
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supercub
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PostPosted: Sun May 29, 2022 6:32 pm    Post subject: Re: My 1966 Beetle rebuild Reply with quote

This week I came really close to parking the VW and taking a hiatus from daily driving it. This VW really isn't suited for modern traffic, at least around here. It's just too slow. I can't accelerate fast enough from stoplights for anyone, so they are always an inch off my bumper and then nearly rear-end me when I have to push in the clutch to shift. Being tailgated at some point every trip gets old too. Maybe it's just a Wisconsin thing, but why would you park yourself 4 feet off someone's back bumper and sit there for miles while not taking any of several easy passing opportunities. It's aggravating and I'm growing weary of it. I stopped riding my old Honda C70 because of the aggressive driving around here and I'm getting a bit burned out on the VW too. I'm seriously considering building a more powerful engine for the car once this old 40 hp 1200 finally gives up. Anyway, sorry for ranting a bit, but I have been losing the enjoyment of driving the VW lately. Expenses this week were two tanks of gas for a total of $75.44. I didn't take any pictures this week as I was feeling burnt out.

Beginning odometer 5-23: 56866
Ending odometer 5-29: 57245
Mileage this week: 379
Expenses this week: $75.44

Total mileage: 2,506
Total expenses: $516.61
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PostPosted: Sun May 29, 2022 7:04 pm    Post subject: Re: My 1966 Beetle rebuild Reply with quote

I understand your frustration. For too many people these days the only way they seem capable of driving is to tailgate the person in front of them, regardless of how fast or slow that person is going. It's almost like they don't know what to do unless they can latch onto somebody's bumper. Don't ask or expect them to pass when the opportunity arises either, as that would then require they focus on something farther away than just the car a short distance ahead... possibly that's all the focus they can spare away from their phones and infotainment gadgets.
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supercub
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 05, 2022 4:43 pm    Post subject: Re: My 1966 Beetle rebuild Reply with quote

mukluk wrote:
I understand your frustration. For too many people these days the only way they seem capable of driving is to tailgate the person in front of them, regardless of how fast or slow that person is going. It's almost like they don't know what to do unless they can latch onto somebody's bumper. Don't ask or expect them to pass when the opportunity arises either, as that would then require they focus on something farther away than just the car a short distance ahead... possibly that's all the focus they can spare away from their phones and infotainment gadgets.


True. I've been driving slow vehicles for almost 20 years now and only in the past 5 years or so have I really noticed how impatient and oblivious other drivers are. I did live in a couple of areas with a lot less people than where I live now though. I started driving in the crowded suburbs north of Dallas, TX, but there most roads were multi-lane so people could easily pass you if they wanted to speed, and they did pass.
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 05, 2022 5:00 pm    Post subject: Re: My 1966 Beetle rebuild Reply with quote

Wow I didn't realize how much driving I did this week as it felt like I went nowhere but put on around 450 miles. I did my 1500-mile oil drain and fill with some new 10w40 on Saturday morning. I went for a few drives before work, so I guess that's where the mileage came from. I lubricated the door latch mechanisms and door hinges today as they were getting a little sticky. Earlier in the week I ordered a new set of front brake shoes and hardware through work from NAPA for a total of $28 even. The front right brake is squeaking pretty bad sometimes so it's probably time to replace them. I haven't felt motivated to install them yet. I also got two tanks of gas for a total of $82.54 and the 3 quarts of oil came to $9. Gas was $4.99 this week and I suspect we'll cross $5 before next week is over. Fortunately, I'm averaging a tick under 30mpg.

Beginning odometer 5-30: 57245
Ending odometer 6-5: 57697
Mileage this week: 452
Expenses this week: $119.54

Total mileage: 2,579
Total expenses: $560.71

Here's a picture of the VW this morning on a nice little backroad by Palmyra, WI. A hiking trail roughly parallels the road up in the forested hills out of view to the left.
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supercub
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 12, 2022 5:46 pm    Post subject: Re: My 1966 Beetle rebuild Reply with quote

Not too much exciting with the VW this week. I still didn't get around to the front brakes. I have to work this coming Sunday so I may go in early and do the brakes before we open. The front right turn signal has been flaky for longer than I care to admit, and I finally pulled it off the fender to see what was up. It didn't work a lot of the time, but if you thumped the chrome cover you might get a day's worth of flashing before getting nothing again. Turns out it was a less than 5-minute repair. The plastic piece that holds the contact was loose in the metal socket and would slip down so it stopped making contact with the bulb. I carefully pinched the metal socket a bit in the vise and it tightened right up. It's been blinking reliably for several days now. I've been more involved in my bur oak planting project lately. Last fall I gathered up probably 75 or so acorns from an old bur oak by the outbuilding at my parents' house. I germinated them in bags in the refrigerator over the winter, and this April I potted up about 25 that looked the most promising. 15 of them sprouted and 13 were ready to be planted in the ground this weekend. I dug out an old broken flagpole near the driveway which was taking up a prime tree growing spot and planted one there. The other 12 I planted in various spots in the space between the house and the outbuilding. The most labor-intensive part aside from removing the flagpole was gathering the rocks to build tree rings around the seedlings. This part of Wisconsin is really rocky under the soil. Where my parents live was once the edge of a farm field and there is a steep hill that runs behind the house. I found a couple of old rock dumping spots from when the place was farmed and was able to dig up and cart off enough rocks to build the 15 rings in several wheelbarrow loads. I'm hoping to get about five bur oaks that take hold and grow up. I'll never see them mature but I really enjoy growing and planting them. Sorry to get so far off topic. I can sort of tie it all in though because I did use the VW to go get mulch for inside the tree rings. I found out that the VW's back seat is the perfect size to haul 5 bags of mulch; 3 horizontal and 2 vertical. The only expenses this week were two tanks of gas for a total of $83.56.

Beginning odometer 6-6: 57697
Ending odometer 6-12: 58166
Total mileage this week: 469
Expenses this week: $83.56

Total mileage: 3,048
Total expenses: $644.27

Sorry no pictures this week.
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supercub
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 19, 2022 4:29 pm    Post subject: Re: My 1966 Beetle rebuild Reply with quote

This week the VW just did what I needed it to do. I did nothing to it other than fill the tank once for $44.54. The VW averaged 30.3mpg over the course of the week. Last Wednesday was 94 degrees when I left work which made for a pretty uncomfortable ride home. The summer is so humid here that anything over 85 feels downright oppressive. This Tuesday the forecast is 101 degrees. I haven't seen the temp cross 100 since I left Texas nine years ago. My commute to work is a bit longer now as I stop by my parents' house every morning to water the new bur oak trees I wrote about in the last post. A bit off topic but today I replaced the much-needed shocks and struts on my '05 Mercury Grand Marquis. After 160K on the originals the car was wallowing around too much. It's like a different car now. Stuff like that deteriorates so slowly that I didn't even notice it until my brother rode in it with me a couple weeks ago and commented on how bouncy it was. The Grand Marquis is my winter car, but I like to get it out every so often in the summer to keep it from sitting too long.

Beginning odometer 6-13: 58166
Ending odometer 6-19: 58497
Total mileage this week: 331
Expenses this week: $44.54

Total mileage: 3,379
Total expenses: $688.81
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 22, 2022 6:43 pm    Post subject: Re: My 1966 Beetle rebuild Reply with quote

Today I drove the VW down to Illinois, just across the border, to go walking at Glacial Park in McHenry county. It's a little over 100 miles round trip and the car did fine as usual. It was sunny and hot, but not humid, with a nice northwest wind. I walked around the trails for about 2 1/2 hours. The highlight was the pale purple coneflowers covering the west slope of the tall hill overlooking the valley that the Nippersink Creek runs through. Tons of them. It was a nice walk. The marshes there were pretty dry though as the area has been in a drought since last spring. The drive home was mostly straight into the wind and there are a few long hills on highway 12 that the VW had to make it over. Highway 12 here is 70mph so traffic moves 75-80. I can usually maintain 65mph except on those hills which result in about 50-55mph by the time I crest them. Fortunately there's 2 lanes so people can pass me easily. I took my camera and got a few nice pictures.

The VW in a parking lot at Glacial Park.
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Looking toward the big hill from the valley below.
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Nippersink Creek.
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Looking back over the valley from the top of the hill. The pale purple coneflowers were absolutely covering the upper part of the western slope. It was really pretty. This hill was formed by debris deposited along the end of a melting glacier over 10,000 years ago.
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 24, 2022 8:20 am    Post subject: Re: My 1966 Beetle rebuild Reply with quote

Looks like a fun time! Very Happy
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supercub
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 26, 2022 5:16 pm    Post subject: Re: My 1966 Beetle rebuild Reply with quote

Beetlebaum wrote:
Looks like a fun time! Very Happy


Yes it was. I've been there lots of times in all seasons.
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 26, 2022 5:26 pm    Post subject: Re: My 1966 Beetle rebuild Reply with quote

The big news this week is I finally got motivated to replace the front brakes. I hadn't planned on doing it, but I woke up this morning and was like, "I need to do those brakes." Funny thing is they didn't make a peep all the way from the apartment to my parents' house where I did the work. It's like they knew. I also adjusted the steering gear and now the excessive play is gone. Went from a bit under 2 inches at the steering wheel to barely 1/2 inch. Wow I should have done that a while back. The VW is much nicer to drive with tight steering again. I put quite a few miles on this week with the drive down to Illinois. I'm closing in on the 3000-mile maintenance which will happen this coming week when the odometer rolls 59000. The only expense for this week was one tank of gas for $40.41 though I kind of cheated on that because the car really needed gas today, but I'll get it tomorrow to put it on next week's expenses.

Beginning odometer 6-20: 58497
Ending odometer 6-26: 58888
Total mileage this week: 391
Expenses this week: $40.41

Total mileage: 3,770
Total expenses: $729.22

There are some pictures from the trip to Glacial Park in Illinois a coupe posts back. Here's a picture of one of the 15 bur oak seedlings I planted with the VW way in the background.
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supercub
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 03, 2022 5:07 pm    Post subject: Re: My 1966 Beetle rebuild Reply with quote

This week I did the usual 3000-mile service on the VW. As usual #3 exhaust valve was just a touch tight, about 1/8th of a turn on the adjuster screw. I cleaned up the contacts under the distributor cap and noticed that there was a definite low spot on each of the 4 where the rotor sparks to them. My spare used cap under the rear seat actually looked better than what was on the car. I don't remember how many miles this cap, rotor, points and condenser have been on the car, so judging by the sorry state of the cap, I replaced it all. I have a stash of new ignition parts that I have had for long enough that I can't remember what any of it cost so I didn't include them in the expenses. Cheating I guess, but oh well. The car feels noticeably peppier and more responsive with the new ignition parts installed. Gas mileage didn't improve though. When I was changing the oil naturally the sump plate slipped out of my hand while removing it and fell into the pan of old oil, splashing it out onto the driveway. I can never seem to avoid making some kind of mess when I change the oil on this car. No matter how careful I am, something stupid always happens and oil ends up on the concrete. It fades in time though. Expenses this week were 2 tanks of gas for $83.35, 3 quarts of 10w40 oil for $3.99 each and a sump plate gasket set for $3.99, bringing this week's total to $97.81.

This is unrelated but I did get in two nice rides on my '82 Honda C70 Passport scooter for a total of nearly 100 miles. I have had the little Honda for 17 years now; the only vehicle I've owned longer than the VW. In 2005, while I was living in Kansas, I saw it sitting neglected looking in a front yard with a For Sale sign taped to it and a price of $250. I bought it, fixed it up a bit, and used it as my main transportation for nearly a decade, racking up about 35,000 miles. Now it mostly just sits in the corner of the garage. It's 45mph top speed is dangerously slow for the roads around here, with a real possibility of ending up as a hood ornament on some diesel bro's jacked up pickup. About the only time I ride it now is early on a Saturday or Sunday morning when most everyone else is still asleep. Riding it makes me miss the miles and miles of dirt farm roads I explored on it around central Kansas.
Gas $83.35. 3.49/quart 3.99 sump.

Beginning odometer 6-27: 58888
Ending odometer 7-3: 59273
Total mileage this week: 385
Expenses this week: $97.81

Total mileage: 4,155
Total expenses: $827.03

The VW with my 1982 Honda C70 Passport. I went for two nice early morning rides on the Honda, one yesterday and one today. Those are the only times I've taken it out this year, a far cry from the almost 10 years it spent as my primary transportation.
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 10, 2022 3:09 pm    Post subject: Re: My 1966 Beetle rebuild Reply with quote

I put a lot of miles on the VW this week, though I don't remember specifically doing what. I didn't take any longer trips but still racked up almost 450 miles. On Friday I got out of work at 2:00PM, so I went to Lapham Peak State Park which is just down the road from me. I've been there many, many times, but I brought my camera to take some pictures for this post. This morning I washed the VW, though you can never really tell because it is basically the color of dirt anyway. But it makes it a bit shinier than before. I took a look under the car before work one morning just for the heck of it to see what's up under there and noticed the rear trans mounts are shot. They are all spongy and gooey and smooshed down. I replaced all three mounts when I redid the car but 10 years of oil leaking on them has done them in. I ordered another set of all three and will stash them with my other parts on the to-do list for when the engine comes out this fall. Expenses for this week were two tanks of gas for a total of $77.08 and the three new trans mounts for a total of $43.57 after shipping.

Beginning odometer 7-4: 59273
Ending odometer 7-10: 59715
Total mileage this week: 442
Expenses this week: $120.65

Total mileage: 4,976
Total expenses: $947.68

Total mileage corrected 10-6-22. Something wasn't adding up mileage-wise and I checked back. I messed it up in the June 5 post. I only added 45 miles instead of 452 miles. This is the farthest back that I can still edit it, so I'll revise them from this post forward.

The VW from the path to the observation tower at Lapham Peak State Park.
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The view looking northwest from the observation tower. It was a nice afternoon.
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Here are some of the plants blooming in the prairie area at the park.

Leadplant.
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Compass Plant. This one was about 8 feet tall.
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Butterfly Milkweed.
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Common Milkweed. The exclusive diet of Monarch butterfly caterpillars. Didn't see any of them.
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A big old white oak at the north end of the prairie. I've always liked how perfectly shaped this particular tree is.
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Last edited by supercub on Thu Oct 06, 2022 7:26 pm; edited 3 times in total
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 14, 2022 4:44 pm    Post subject: Re: My 1966 Beetle rebuild Reply with quote

I had off work today and the weather was absolutely perfect, so I drove out to Kohler-Andrae State Park on Lake Michigan. It's just a bit south of Sheboygan and has some small sand dunes and a couple of miles of unspoiled beach along the lake. It's a really nice place. I got there fairly early, and the beach was practically empty. I spent close to two hours skipping rocks, one of my life-long joys. Growing up in Texas, I used to ride my bike several miles to a spot along Lewisville Lake where a small rock ledge crumbled near the shore leaving plenty of nice flat stones, perfect for skipping. I would spend the better part of an afternoon or evening just finding handfuls of stones and skipping them across the water until my arm was sore. It has always been calming to me and I still enjoy it occasionally. The beach at Kohler-Andrae is infinitely more beautiful than that crusty shoreline along the murky water in Texas, and perfect skipping stones are crazy easy to find in the sand. There were plenty of spots where I could chuck the rocks perpendicular to the surf. I got several to skip a few times then sail over the crest of a wave and continue skipping in the next trough. It was fun but eventually my arm got tired, so I just sat on a nice chunk of driftwood and watched seagulls dive down out of the sky and catch small fish in the shallows. I walked most of the length of the beach but cut back into the dunes just before the main parking area, as it was getting pretty crowded there. I followed a boardwalk back through the dunes to where I started. The VW did great all the way there and back, but half the roads I usually travel to get there were detoured for construction. Such is life here in the summer which is also known as construction season.

One of the county roads I take on my way.
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The VW at Kohler-Andrae State Park with Lake Michigan in the background.
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Looking south along the beach from close to the north end of the park.
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A nice little pile of skipping stones. Good skippers are easy pickings along this beach.
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This was a prime spot for finding stones. I spent quite a while here.
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Fine art. I drew this little picture with a stick while sitting on a piece of driftwood.
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Lake Michigan from on top of the dunes. These sand dunes are stabilized by grasses and other plants so they aren't what you would typically think of as "dunes". But under the tiny cover of soil is lots and lots of sand. There are areas where it's exposed and continues to drift into shifting piles.
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supercub
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 17, 2022 4:13 pm    Post subject: Re: My 1966 Beetle rebuild Reply with quote

The highlight of this week was Thursday's trip to Kohler-Andrae State Park which I posted about above. That was a bit over 200 miles round trip and the VW did great as usual. This morning I changed the transaxle gear lube before work. I used the Valvoline synthetic 75W90 from our big drum at work. I think it actually shifts a bit smoother on the regular old conventional 80W90 from the parts store but this was free so I can't complain. The odometer rolled 60,000 this week which would actually be a bit under 88,000 since the rebuild. It should hit 90k sometime in August. I doubt it'll cross 100k this year though, but who knows. I may drive it out to New Hampshire in October to do some hiking in the White Mountains. We'll see. The only expenses this week were two tanks of fuel for a total of $63.16. One was only a partial fill-up before I went on the little trip on Thursday. The total expenses crossed $1000 this week after only about three months of tracking them. If gas hadn't have gone so crazy I'd probably still be well under that, but oh well.

Beginning odometer 7-11: 59715
Ending odometer 7-17: 60170
Total mileage this week: 455
Expenses this week: $63.16

Total mileage: 5,431
Total expenses: $1010.84


Last edited by supercub on Thu Oct 06, 2022 7:28 pm; edited 2 times in total
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 4:43 pm    Post subject: Re: My 1966 Beetle rebuild Reply with quote

Nothing of much note happened this week. I did the 1500 mile drain and fill on the engine oil. Only needed two new quarts though because I still had a full one in the trunk that I used to get the other half a quart. Went for a drive this morning after some trail running at Lapham Peak State Park even though it was drizzly and overcast. The rain really helped get all the bug splats off the windshield. Since the windshield is so upright, it really gets blasted by bugs, much more so than any other car I've had. It's still averaging right at 30mpg. Expenses this week were 2 quarts of oil at $3.99 each and one tank of gas for $34.95.

Beginning odometer 7-18: 60170
Ending odometer 7-24: 60507
Total mileage this week: 337
Expenses this week: $42.93

Total mileage: 5,768
Total expenses: $1053.77

Sorry no pictures from this week.


Last edited by supercub on Thu Oct 06, 2022 7:28 pm; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 31, 2022 5:41 pm    Post subject: Re: My 1966 Beetle rebuild Reply with quote

This was the week of the mysteriously disappearing brake fluid. Actually, I think the brake fluid has been slowly vanishing unchecked for a long time now and this week it finally made itself known. The brake pedal started to get low about a couple of weeks ago and I attributed it to the new front shoes wearing in and needing adjustment. Monday I adjusted them and the back brakes as well. The right rear actually needed quite a bit of adjustment. No change. The pedal was still wasting about 2/3rds of its travel accomplishing nothing. I pumped the pedal a few times and it improved. Air! Checked the brake reservoir and it is bone dry. This was in the evening with the car in the garage at my apartment, so I looked over as many of the connections as I could see and nothing, no dampness or signs of leaking anywhere. I took the car to work early next morning and lifted it on the alignment rack to get a better look. Absolutely nothing. Back of the master cylinder is dry and no leaks by the pedal assembly where the line goes next to it. Now I have not checked the brake fluid level for probably five years or so. What can I say, I'm slacking. I have no idea where it went, so I used our vacuum bleeder and bled the air out with some new fluid. Now the brake pedal is great, better than it's been in a long time. Doesn't seem to be losing fluid either. I don't know. Guess I need to check the level periodically. Other than that, it's been just the same old VW, doing what I need it to do. The brake fluid I used was a nearly full jug that I've had for long enough that I don't remember what it cost, so I didn't include it in the expenses. All I bought this week was one tank of gas for $35.52. It was $3.99/gal, the first sub-$4 gas I've bought in a few months now.

Beginning odometer 7-25: 60507
Ending odometer 7-31: 60831
Total mileage this week: 324
Expenses this week: $35.52

Total mileage: 6,092
Total expenses: $1089.29

No pictures this week either. I need to get it together. But you know what the car looks like.


Last edited by supercub on Thu Oct 06, 2022 7:29 pm; edited 1 time in total
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supercub
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Joined: June 07, 2010
Posts: 358
Location: Wisconsin
supercub is offline 

PostPosted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 6:37 pm    Post subject: Re: My 1966 Beetle rebuild Reply with quote

There was nothing real eventful VW-wise this week. I did go for a couple of morning drives before work. There were two cool, damp mornings with fog rising from the marshy lowlands and fields. The fog catches the rising sun and makes for some pretty views. The brake fluid level is still holding steady, so I guess the car fixed itself. I don't know. I vacuumed and wiped down the interior one day before work. I used some Simple Green and a scrub brush to clean the driver's seat belt. I get kind of dirty working on cars at work and a few years' worth of crud from my work shirt was staining the red seatbelt. After a good scrubbing it looks great again. The VW is running good and just keeps on going. Not much else to report for now. Expenses this week were two tanks of gas for a total of $66.06 and I bought two oil sump-plate gasket sets at $5.08 for the pair.

Beginning odometer 8-1: 60831
Ending odometer 8-7: 61215
Total mileage this week: 384
Expenses this week: $71.14

Total mileage: 6,476
Total expenses: $1161.03

The VW next to a curious paint splattered rock along a random farm road.
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Another picture from the same morning drive. The low marshy areas were quite foggy.
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Last edited by supercub on Thu Oct 06, 2022 7:29 pm; edited 1 time in total
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