1958 Swedish Beetle - In a garage since 2007

[Apostle_]

Large bum...LOL

[jordiando]

Took the beetle out for a little test run to pick up coffee on Sunday and what a difference the new shocks made. It previously was a bit skittish when going over a large bum or pot hole but it glided over everything in its path.

[jordiando]

I have been busy moving house and general life activities has meant slow progress on the beetle.

This is our old but new folding garage. I purchased it second had off Facebook market place and it seems to do the job. A few rain showers and we will see how it holds up. I am yet to bolt it down in the center.

Been meaning to replace the rear shocks, they are blown out and are way past there use by date. I purchased a pair of Wolfsburg West ones based off an original looking shock. They seem to be the same colour and style. I have previously removed the shocks when I was cleaning under the fenders, I was super thankful that I had anti seized the bolts so they were not a pain to get off.

I couldn't tell if the old pair were original or not but believe they must of been replaced at least once. One was painted over in black and I couldn't be bothered to remove it to read the part number.

I couldn't quiet understand why the hard brake line seems to be so high above the spring plate, might be something I fix later if I lower it. Right now it dosent contact the body or the shock so it is okay.

[jordiando]

[EVfun]

[jordiando]

After passing on my fuel cap holder template to a good friend who does leather work a few weeks back, I got the finished product this weekend. Turned out amazing, super happy with it. Means I won’t loose the old one or I take it out and use it for fuel stops.

[jordiando]

Tonight I removed the wheel bearing with a little bit of fire. It wasn't damaged, just a small amount of corrosion on the spindle. Using some scotchbrite it was easily removed and good to go. I bent the wire back to stop it from rubbing on the inner seal before assembly.

All back together, brakes bled and adjusted.

I am in the process of replacing the tie rod Outer and it seems like they have a longer distance between the center point and where the thread starts. I then had to remove the whole arm to adjust for the extra 1cm of length. All good cleaned the arm and the inner tie rod was serviceable. It was cool to uncover a VW logo on the steering arm. Left the arm unpainted just coated it in some linseed oil.

I am about to start the other side but noticed the driver side has a more pressed style arm, is this common to see?

[jordiando]

I had some time this afternoon to work on the front drums, I replaced the brake pads, one cylinder and both soft lines. I opted to keep the hardware as there was nothing wrong with it just needed a clean and re greasing.

I had one issue with the drivers side inner bearing staying on when I pulled the drum off. The use of heat and persuasion will get it removed and replaced in the near future.

Front Passenger:

Front Driver:

Still yet to get on to the hardlines this will be done with months paycheck. I have ordered some tie rod ends to get it steering a bit better.

[jordiando]

[mukluk]

[finster]

I was thinking those brake lines are looking a bit past their best...
_________________
"we're here on Earth to fart around" kurt vonnegut

nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect...

[EverettB]

[jordiando]

It has been a while. The sun has been shining and thus I have been making the most of it in the UK and EU.

I managed to get the beetle out for classics at the clubhouse in late JUN. It needed a little polish so got that done and checked off some basic maintenance things.

On the way out in the morning we had a little breakdown/run out of fuel and needed to turn the handle to reserve. After checking all the vitals I managed to fiddle round with the tap and went straight to the petrol station.

After a long day of driving I noticed that my brake lights were not working. not a good thing. This week I ordered the parts and replaced the brake light switch.

The one that came out seems to be an original or super old. I had to re pin the ends as the new one needed spade terminals.

Back working again.

[jordiando]

Managed to get some 6v Flashing LED bulbs for the semaphores. Spent the evening fitting them. You need to remove the semaphore to place the bulb in as it wont fit through the original slot.

I am having trouble with one not working too well. I think it is not receiving the full 6v or the bulb needs to be put in a certain way. It was working fine with the normal globe. Is this a common issue when installing the LED bulbs?

I have a 80s Hella bulb holder that I keep all my spares in. This sits in the glovebox for emergencies.

Finished up the evening tightening the fan belt and doing some tidying up.

[jordiando]

[Redfox86]

I’ve just caught up with this project having been absent for a little while. I’m really impressed with what you’ve done since I last viewed the thread. It is so good to see that in the world where we live now where a three year old cars are getting scrapped because of their unreliability, a 67 year old car not only looks good but is able to traverse to Europe without any problems.

It might be black, but in many ways it’s a green machine

[jordiando]

[vwuberalles]

Those look really similar to bicycle reflectors from the 60s or 70s, I'm guessing you can find something close enough for far less than 65 Euros. An NOS reflector for my 72 Schwinn Breeze was like ten bucks shipped on eBay and there were several to choose from.
_________________
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

[jordiando]

[scarabee]

Jeez, 65 Euros is a bit steep for what it is! They don't seem to be that scarce if I look at Beetles here in South Africa.