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Waking up Dad's '67 Glitter Bug Dune Buggy - Main Thread
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Don Plumley
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 09, 2022 5:04 pm    Post subject: Waking up Dad's '67 Glitter Bug Dune Buggy - Main Thread Reply with quote

Buckle up. 1st time post to TheSamba.

In 1967 my dad made a Glitter Bug kit from a '67 chassis. I remember riding in the back (no seat or anything!) around Monrovia, the San Gabriel mountains, down to San Diego. I had the bug with me at college for a while in 1982-3 and drove my girlfriend, now wife, around. Well before my mom died in 2003, it sat in my Dad's garage in the SF Bay Area. It has 21,000 original miles and has been registered every year.

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(1994 - probably one of the last times the bug was out)

I knew that one day I'd have to do something with the Dune Buggy (I'm an only child). The Old Guy's health and stamina are declining, so I thought waking the old bug from its slumber would be a way to get him interested in a project, give us something to do together (even if he just sits in the garage), and maybe take him for one last drive in the Dune Buggy.

The car is 2+ hours away from my home. So I can only get down every few weeks at best. A couple of weeks ago I did a reconnaissance trip to see how it aged over the last few decades. It was in remarkably good shape, owning to a mild climate:

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The original (yes, from 1967) tires (well, the tubes in the tires) held air!. The bad news is the gas tank looks badly rusted, and there is no realistic way to remove it without disassembling the entire car:

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Here's my plan of attack - would love to hear your suggestions:

1) Clean out the gas tank in situ (somehow). Replace all fuel lines, put a big fuel filter under the tank and remove the inline filter next to the carb.
2) Figure out if I have to rebuild or just clean the carb.
3) Brakes. Definitely flush and replace the soft lines.
4) Engine: Adjust the valves (one of the plugs was running rich, the other 3 are lean); change the oil; change the plugs
5) Probably replace the CV boots. I hate CVs.
6) New Tires

I'm not trying to do a Concours restoration. I just want it to be safe so it can be driven. I have no idea if I'll sell it, but I don't have a place to keep it at my home - and frankly looking at it next to your typical SUV or pickup, I'd be terrified to drive it on the roads today.

I've been reading threads on restarting motors from the typical barn find. We'll see what the engine looks like with the valve covers off.

A bit about me:
I'm handy with cars, but know my limits (and I'm lazy). I built a Porsche 993 (last of the air cooled) Track-purpose DE car and was the technical moderator on the model specific forum on Pelican Parts.

Thanks for welcoming me to TheSamba

Don
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hobthebob
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 09, 2022 6:11 pm    Post subject: Re: Waking up Dad's '67 Glitter Bug Dune Buggy - Main Thread Reply with quote

Hey! Welcome to the forums brother.

I don't have much experience, but I can tell you that one thing you don't want driving down the road is brake failure. I got my 67 after it sat for a few years in hot and humid florida, and the brakes basically needed a complete overhaul.


I know you have a very mild climate, but I would still recommend replacing the master cylinder, as well as all wheel cylinders if the beauty of yours has been sitting since 1994, with the same old fluid in those lines... You can get away with stalling out while you're driving down the road, but you CANNOT get away with total brake failure. That could be instant death.
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irvanm
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 09, 2022 6:13 pm    Post subject: Re: Waking up Dad's '67 Glitter Bug Dune Buggy - Main Thread Reply with quote

How awesome!
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Bryan67
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 09, 2022 6:29 pm    Post subject: Re: Waking up Dad's '67 Glitter Bug Dune Buggy - Main Thread Reply with quote

Thats an awesome survivor! And its very cool that its still there. Here`s my take on your to do list...
Pour some muratic acid into the tank along with a couple handfuls of nuts and bolts. Shake the buggy around as much as possible then let it sit for a while. Then drain it out.
Just rebuild the carb. It`s easy to do. and cheap.
Do a full brake job including the master and wheel cylinders as well as the hose. The rubber in them is likely old and frail.
It is a swingaxle car so it doesn`t have CV joints. Just axle boots which aren`t very hard to change.
Everything else sounds great. And I`m looking forward to seeing your progress.
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oprn
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 09, 2022 7:47 pm    Post subject: Re: Waking up Dad's '67 Glitter Bug Dune Buggy - Main Thread Reply with quote

That is a beautiful Buggy! And in pristine shape too!

If you even think of selling that car with all the family history and memories I will personally come down there with a 2x4 and tune you in!

Do up the rubber bits, take the purse off your shoulder and get out there and drive it! Just pick quiet roads and off hours until you get over your fears. It never killed you or your Dad back then and it won't now if driven with respect.

That car is too nice to not be enjoyed! Find somewhere, someway or someone to keep it for you. There is always a way if you try hard enough. Good Lord, I would be happy to keep it for you just to show it off to my Buddies!

"See what I have under this tarp?" Very Happy "Eat your heart out Buddy!" Razz

Oh ya!
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Q-Dog
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 10, 2022 5:35 am    Post subject: Re: Waking up Dad's '67 Glitter Bug Dune Buggy - Main Thread Reply with quote

Very nice. Applause

Does the hood not come off on that car?
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Don Plumley
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 10, 2022 6:54 am    Post subject: Re: Waking up Dad's '67 Glitter Bug Dune Buggy - Main Thread Reply with quote

Thanks everyone - that's the encouragement I need.

Agreed on Brakes and safety. I'm not sure I've touched Drum brakes since 1979...

The MC was missing its reservoir cap, so replacing the MC probably makes sense too. Do you need to bench bleed them? I have a Motive power bleeder, just need to get the right fitting.

Didn't realize it was just a boot. Whew! Thanks Bryan.

Q-Dog - nope, there's no hood. Taking apart the front end is a Big Deal.

I'm off to drain the gas tank today and will look more closely at the brake system.
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hobthebob
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 10, 2022 9:47 am    Post subject: Re: Waking up Dad's '67 Glitter Bug Dune Buggy - Main Thread Reply with quote

When I did my replacement dual master cylinder on my 67 Beetle, I dd not bench bleed it. I did, however, fully bleed it through the wheel cylinders multiple times in order to get all the air out.

This was my first time doing the job, but it has been over 6 months and 6k miles since I did the job with no problems. Look for advice from more experienced mechanics, however!

I really love your dune buggy, man. I'm not usually a fan of them, but something about it catches me in a way I've never been caught before. I hope you enjoy working on it, possibly with your dad, as well. That sounds like a wonderful thing to do.
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joemama
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 10, 2022 10:52 am    Post subject: Re: Waking up Dad's '67 Glitter Bug Dune Buggy - Main Thread Reply with quote

Awesome buggy! Looks to be in incredible condition, if it was running back in 1994, and stored in the garage, should be easy to get it running again. Just think how great it will be to take your dad out for coffee, or ice cream in it.
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Don Plumley
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 11, 2022 10:44 am    Post subject: Re: Waking up Dad's '67 Glitter Bug Dune Buggy - Main Thread Reply with quote

UPDATE:

I pumped out a couple quarts of old gas, did a couple of quick vinegar rinses and that got much of the loose surface rust out of the gas tank. I need to next do the muratic acid (or similar chemical treatment) to get as much out as I can. I pulled the fuel line fitting off so the last bits of Vinegar would drain (used the foil here to direct it into the pan hold and a container underneath:

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I dropped the skid plate so I could see the underside of the engine. Looking pretty good:

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I was concerned about the oil I was seeing in the skid plate - turns out one of the boots is split and that's where most/all of the oil leakage is coming from:

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QUESTION: Where do you guys like to get parts for this era Bug? I going to look for a new gas tank fitting, boot, gas cap gasket next.

Thanks!
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MrGoodtunes
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 11, 2022 12:04 pm    Post subject: Re: Waking up Dad's '67 Glitter Bug Dune Buggy - Main Thread Reply with quote

Don Plumley wrote:
... Where do you guys like to get parts for this era Bug?

Wolfsburg West is pretty good for stock parts:
https://www.wolfsburgwest.com/cart/DetailsList.cfm?ID=111501153A

Before you place any order, here's a recent thread you should check out:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=763598
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hobthebob
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 11, 2022 3:51 pm    Post subject: Re: Waking up Dad's '67 Glitter Bug Dune Buggy - Main Thread Reply with quote

That's where my transaxle boot was torn as well. I use socalautoparts, wolfsburg west, jbugs, and aircooled.net, among others.

I think I've even gotten my points and rotor from places like advance auto and autozone.

Look closely at the description of the parts you're ordering and find the best quality matched with the best price imo.

Some places like advance auto or autozone may have a lifetime warranty for their parts such as a coil, brake shoes, distributor, etc. which imo makes it worth your while. [/u] In fact I just bought a spare coil from one of those two before I took my 50 hour road trip. I have not had the need to install the coil, but when I do down the line, it has a lifetime warranty and if it doesn't work they will replace it free of charge. If you consider how much parts could cost in the next ten years, you may be saving some serious cash.

*Edit* Yeah I got the coil from autozone, which has a lifetime warranty for that part. If you purchase it online or have an account with them they can track your entire history of purchases and kep a record. Of course, keep your receipt! I tried that with Ford Parts one time where I got a 2-year warranty for headlights, and one went out after a year. I went there and they had just reset their system so they had NO record of my original transaction. Even though I had the original box, the manager was a hardass and wouldn't honor the 2-year warranty without a receipt. Lesson learned. Never buy a ford!
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oprn
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 12, 2022 6:14 am    Post subject: Re: Waking up Dad's '67 Glitter Bug Dune Buggy - Main Thread Reply with quote

On your tank issue, years ago back when I worked in a custom paint shop guys would bring in old motorcycle tanks that were very hard to de-rust and clean up due to the sape and all the nooks and crannies. After using whatever method they chose to clean them out the practice was to pour in a product to seal the rest of the rust/dirt/blasting medium in place permanently. I don't recall the name of the product.

Now on to this picture: as is the case with the rest of this car, extremely clean and in excellent condition! There is a thermostat in place! Awesome!

But... I hope you took the sled tins off to inspect the bottom of the engine. You do NOT want to run without them when you have a working thermostat! What happens is that on the road at speed the air rushing by from off the road becomes what the thermostat measures. This results in the thermostat thinking the engine is cold and closing the flaps causing the engine to run too hot.

The thermostat is too exposed without them. It needs to only see air coming down from the cylinders, no road slipstream at all to do it's job properly!
Don Plumley wrote:
UPDATE:
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Don Plumley
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 14, 2022 9:23 am    Post subject: Re: Waking up Dad's '67 Glitter Bug Dune Buggy - Main Thread Reply with quote

Thanks for the continued advice. I'll put an initial order in with SoCal this week.

Appreciate the links to the axle boots. For now I'll use the black split boots to keep the grease in. If I ever need to pull the axles I'll switch to OEM.

There's no engine tin under the buggy that I'm aware of (certainly nothing to do with heat) - there is a skid plate that keeps most of the direct underbody airflow away. Not sure if the tstat is connected to anything, I'll have to check that out.
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 25, 2022 6:39 am    Post subject: Re: Waking up Dad's '67 Glitter Bug Dune Buggy - Main Thread Reply with quote

Q-Dog wrote:
Very nice. Applause

Does the hood not come off on that car?

Quote:
Q-Dog - nope, there's no hood. Taking apart the front end is a Big Deal.

Most fiberglass body dune buggies have a separate hood. Likely the case with yours. No, it does not open, but it is removable. Look under the front fenders to see if there are numerous fasteners going into the body approx. at the bottom height of the hood joint. Prevalent method was to use large sheetmetal screws to hold the hood bottom edge to the main body, but there are other fastener styles possible. To remove the hood on yours, you'd need to remove the windshield, the windshield support, probably disconnect the entire wiring behind the dash. Often, the dash is an integral part of the hood which is why you'd need to disconnect the wiring. If your dash is a stand-alone part, then you'd need to only disconnect the wiper wiring. After all this (yes, a bit of a big deal) you would have full access to the tank and remove it for a more thorough cleaning.
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Don Plumley
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 25, 2022 8:26 am    Post subject: Re: Waking up Dad's '67 Glitter Bug Dune Buggy - Main Thread Reply with quote

Quote:
Most fiberglass body dune buggies have a separate hood. Likely the case with yours. No, it does not open, but it is removable. Look under the front fenders to see if there are numerous fasteners going into the body approx. at the bottom height of the hood joint. Prevalent method was to use large sheetmetal screws to hold the hood bottom edge to the main body, but there are other fastener styles possible. To remove the hood on yours, you'd need to remove the windshield, the windshield support, probably disconnect the entire wiring behind the dash. Often, the dash is an integral part of the hood which is why you'd need to disconnect the wiring. If your dash is a stand-alone part, then you'd need to only disconnect the wiper wiring. After all this (yes, a bit of a big deal) you would have full access to the tank and remove it for a more thorough cleaning.


Thanks Rome. Yes, that's right - but it's not possible to do this under the circumstances. It will be necessary one day, but my mission now is to do whatever it takes to get it running simply.

Spent the day there yesterday - although most of it was spent finishing a garage door opener install that the old guy didn't finish from years ago.

Got a simple inspection camera/endoscope to look more closely at the inside of the tank:

bottom:
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underside:
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I attached a 5/8" vinyl hose to the tank outlet, secured with a hose clamp and pinched the end closed with vice grips. Then poured a gallon of PB Blaster rust removal bath into the tank. This is a chelation agent and biodegradable. After a few cycles with some agitation, it's improved:

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But a long way from rust-free. It needs to be replaced without a doubt.

I did remove a lot of loose rust, but my current thinking is to cycle some gas through it and replace a filter or two, and move on to brakes and oil.
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 25, 2022 8:28 am    Post subject: Re: Waking up Dad's '67 Glitter Bug Dune Buggy - Main Thread Reply with quote

Just for info. The Glitterbug was made in the city of San Fernando in California, just a few miles from where I live. The place was called San Fernando Buggy Center. I had a vendor and a couple of customers in that area, and as recent as maybe 25 years ago, I remember driving by their shop and seeing bodies leaning against a wall off the parking lot. By the time I built my buggy, about 20 to 21 years ago, they were gone.
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 25, 2022 10:38 am    Post subject: Re: Waking up Dad's '67 Glitter Bug Dune Buggy - Main Thread Reply with quote

Quote:
but it's not possible to do this under the circumstances. It will be necessary one day, but my mission now is to do whatever it takes to get it running simply.

How about leaving the tank in place, disconnecting the outlet fuel hose and plugging it as well as the ingoing line to the chassis? Buy a 2 gal. plastic generic tank, place it on the rear seat area, and set/wedge it into place somehow so it does tip over during your short actual drives. Then run a fuel hose from it down to the engine's fuel inlet pipe. 2 gal. will get you maybe 50 miles and you just look at the fuel level in the tank to determine when you need to "fill" it again.
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 26, 2022 5:26 am    Post subject: Re: Waking up Dad's '67 Glitter Bug Dune Buggy - Main Thread Reply with quote

Personally I would just put a good filter on the stock tank, run the Buggy and change the filter often. I think you guys would be shocked at the amount of rust in your own tanks on the cars you daily drive right now if it's more than a few years old.
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 26, 2022 9:19 am    Post subject: Re: Waking up Dad's '67 Glitter Bug Dune Buggy - Main Thread Reply with quote

Thanks guys.

I'm going to do exactly this - try first to change filters (after relocating to under the tank) often. If it won't run, then as suggested, put a temporary tank in the spare tire well behind the driver's seat.

Now on to the boots, brakes, and valves...
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