New owner soon!

[ppilotmike]

Congrats on the new car. It looks like its found a very good home!

[volx808]

It's been a little while so its time for a little update. So I did a mild gutting of the interior, greased the seat rails and added the missing assist springs, now the seats adjust fore and aft like they should. Rear bench doesn't sit well, I will have to remove the skin and check the frame as it now sits level but a little to forward on the left side. Tires had good tread "Lemans" brand? but sketchy dry rot so I got new Michelin XZX all around. First time using a pressure bleeder, too much air bubbles from not getting a good seal but the fluid did get cleaner and although I fought the bubbles I realized they were coming in either at the loosened nipple thread or the hose to nipple connection, in the end the pedal was good and not spongy. Adjusted each of the brake pads using the adjustment stars so the pads were even and two clicks from the drum. Clutch cable adjusted in that hard to reach spot! I really wanted to add a right side rear view mirror, but that damn door pin won't move and I was afraid to mar the paint. Getting used to it, though.

Missing ashtray cover was replaced by a homemade cut stainless sheet bent into shape. Taillights got a little craft store mirror mod to make them reflect better since the LED bulbs are bright but they face backwards towards the dull silver shell, so I thought they needed help and it made a big difference to me. Stepdaughter gave me a pair of usb fans so I went into the circuit, added a cigarette lighter and usb outlet and boy do they make a big difference on a hot day! Will tidy up wiring later. 3 speeds and you can move the fans on two axis's. Useful drink holder added. Fuel gage needed a bulb and holder, and dash trim was flipped right side up. Added assist straps after locating the threaded mount behind the headliner. Red button is a 12v electric washer and had to add nozzles to the hood, in the end safety check here didn't even care. Since my VIN was very low I had to get it "verified" at a state vehicle inspection center and weighed at a quarry cement factory that had a truck scale. Did a big run up the H-3 freeway that goes up into the mountains. Faster traffic passed me but I made it at 45-50mph until the crest of the mountain tunnel, but the little bug made it. Last pic shows the little friends hanging out at home. Lots of little things to do but I have been enjoying the process. Next is headlight hardware replacement/painting inside trim, possibly finding the dome light wiring, fix red/green/blue speedometer lights, and maybe rear window blinds.

[OldSchoolVW's]

Sounds like you had a fun first outing. You'll need to post that photo in this topic and introduce your flight crew.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...66eb493827
_________________
Tom

"Following distance is proportional to IQ."

"It's okay to think."

"If you don't do it this year, you'll be one year older when you do." Warren Miller

'63 Beetle Sedan
'69 Beetle Sunroof
'70 Beetle Sedan
'73 Type 3 Fastback

[volx808]

Hey I can't thank all of you guys enough for all the tips on what to do and look out for. I will be looking at this thread for all the advice and try to do them the best I can. Of course the first few days were exciting and I should have looked the car over carefully but I was also excited to drive it. I have taken it to the freeway and was impressed at its road manners and ability to reach 60mph, although it takes planning when accelerating and braking. Now that I have calmed down I will go over everything carefully. I need to get a floorjack so I can do oil changes and cable adjustments (I feel like there is 3" of clutch cable slack).

[OldSchoolVW's]

[zerotofifty]

Very nice. In addition to the motor oil, it is a good idea to flush the brake fluid, 5 years is about time to do so, more frequently in a humid climate such as yours. If still stock the Bug has only a single master brake circuit cylinder, no dual circuit, thus is is important to flush the fluid often to prevent corrosion induced fluid leak, cause any leak will render all four brakes failed. It is also very important to make sure the parking brake is in great adjustment just in case your single circuit brakes do ever get a leak. It is possible to upgrade to the later dual circuit master and associated piping.

also check tranny fluid level. Never drain the tranny without first assuring that the filler plug can be loosened, as some times the fill plug can sieze, requiring a torch to loosen it. if you already drained it, well then you wont be driving to a place that has the torch.

also these old Bugs have grease fittings on the front axle and spindles, and alos the tie rod ends (replacement rie rod ends usually have no grease fittings, sealed for life)
do not neglect to grease these points regularly.

check the battery area for spilled acid, and MAKE SURE the battery has a cover over its terminals, and a strap. Bugs have burnt do to the rear seat metal springs shorting to the positive battery terminal when someone heavy sits over it. I know this happened to someone I know.

have a fire extinguisher in the car, ready to go.

Also check the fuel hoses for cracks and loose fittings. hose under tank, hose near tranny and hoses i side engine bay. make sure the gas pipe that passes thru the engines front sheet metal near fire wall has a rubber grommet to protect the pipe as it passes thru the hole in that sheet metal, else vibration can chew a hole in that pipe.

also give pay attention to loose carb and fuel pump hose nipples. these nipples, or pipes that are pressed j to the carb and pump can come loose and cause a gas leak and fire, happened to me, and others.
there are threads here on samba on how to secure these fittings so they wont fall out. give them a good tug to make sure they are not loose already. do it with engine is hot as that is when the carb or pump body expand open the most with heat, causi g the pipe to be loose in the body

have fun
_________________
Sorry About That Chief.

Give Peace a Chance.

Words to live by.

[supercub]

Nice '62. Regarding the roller pedal, my '66 has the same setup. What happened to mine was the pedal pivot welded onto the floor pan broke at some point and the roller pedal was probably the easiest fix for the owner at the time. I'll bet that's what happened to yours. The stock accelerator pedal setup on these years is kind of complicated with lots of wear points. My rigged roller setup also had lots of side-to-side play, but I was able to add a washer between the pedal and the base which took care of a lot of the slop. The pedals are pretty tight on these cars. I've got size 13 feet and it took a bit of getting used to. Enjoy your VW.

[Bobs67vwagen]

Looks real nice best of luck with it.

[volx808]

Well it arrived sooner than expected, 2 days ago instead of this coming Monday or October 15th, a pleasant surprise. Drove it from the shipping port to a nearby park for some pics and for some getting used to. Didn't realize it had a roller pedal (with lots of side to side play)and was it ever so close to the brake pedal (for my size 12 feet). Will have to take a pic of the brake return spring, looks hack protruding left and wrapped around the clutch lever??? Seat fore and aft lever moved but not the seat, gonna have to spray lube on it and check it out.

Only one left rearview mirror, made backing up into the garage a little tricky. All I need is a long neck right mirror, door pin with mirror threads, but do I need to get one of those triangular nuts too? Also, the push-button to release vent window lever worked loose and a spring and some parts fell off, will have to try to put it back together or order a new left side one. Rear seat back is forward too much on the left, will have to take out the back seat and check the hinges? But driving it around is a blast! Seems like everyone was looking at me in traffic! Felt like a dwarf among giant 4x4 pickups that everyone seems to favor here! But I love the feeling! Kind of like on my motorcycle, enclosed but an extension of my body, cool engine sound behind me, shifting by sound in that narrow cockpit...

[pondoras box]

I had a safety inspection done in Waipahu way back in the day. It had been modified to have older fenders and such to back date it. Well older bumpers won’t bolt on at all and since I was running Tee bars I didn’t need to worry about for the rest of the year.

I used lock wire to hold the bumpers in place and hoped for the best. The car failed. It failed due to the headlights needing adjustment which they would gladly do for a small fee. Of course I said heck yeah!

Later on I discovered that all of the adjusting mechanism was rusted and seized and the rubber inserts that held the adjusters to the buckets had turned to dust long ago and they were completely unadjustable. Oh well I got what I wanted, an inspection sticker!
_________________
Looking for anything from Hal Casey Motors out of Hamburg New York, from license plate surrounds to matchbooks.

1961 23 Window (Bobo)
1965 11 Window (Zelda). https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=563183
1965 13 Window (Lucas)
1957 Oval ragtop
1960 hardtop
1964 hardtop
1965 hardtop (Arschloch)
1973 standard bug (Dirty Gertie)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=804912
1988 Cabriolet VR6 conversion

[volx808]

Small update: a couple days ago I got the notification that it made it to the port in LA (picked up on a Friday) and today this morning (Tuesday) I got a notification that it left port and is on its way here! The shipping company initially said it might not make this voyage and to expect it a month later in mid October but I guess I got lucky and it hitched an early ship. How am I gonna finish Jim Muir's book? Well I still have to source a floorjack but another thing is Hawaii's out of state registration, safety check and insurance. I know that this 62 did not come with reverse lights from the factory so hopefully I am exempt. The previous owner did install lap belts, not sure if these are needed here for a vintage car. I am also waiting for CA DMV to mail me the new title as the previous owner went there back on 8/16/25 and did the paperwork. Needless to say I am excited!

[Bobs67vwagen]

Sorry about my confusion on the colors. I had put down the notebook to have a bite to eat and when I picked it back up I thought I was commenting on the white 64 with the red interior that came off a farm. Either way you have a nice car there and I think the seafoam looks good. You have gotten a lot of good advice so far from the others and the only thing I would add is try to get the best parts you can. If in doubt ask and someone will answer.

[Apostle_]

Looks like they painted the steering wheel too. It would have been the same color as the E-brake and shifter. I do like the blue!

[rcooled]

[OldSchoolVW's]

[volx808]

OldschoolVW's: The paint is not 1962 correct. The previous owner's wife made her own combination of paint and it turned out like this, which they call Seafoam Green. The closest thing would be like your paint on that bug, or turquoise.
Bobs67: the interior is actually off white beige, will post a pic. The stock 1600 dp, would that be 45-50 hp?
rcooled: Thanks for looking and advice. Wow you have a keen eye. Will order the tarboard panels. I'm okay with it not being fully correct for the era. Focusing on reliability and preparedness. I will be looking into that distributor you mentioned. Does that mean I have points type? Is the hall-type electronic conversion just a cap change away? See I have a lot to learn I don't know what I'm talking about lol.
Okay an interior shot. How come they painted the dash area white, is that factory? Looks like I might have to search for an ashtray.

[rcooled]

[volx808]

It has been converted to 12 volt, and the engine is not the original as it is now a 1600 dual port. My plans are to make sure the drum brakes work well, some fresh sparkplugs and oil, maybe new tires if there's too much dry rot, pretty much a good once over to make sure things work ok. Then touch up on any cosmetic things, like I think it needs an ashtray. Also learn a little bit more on the engine, tuning it, and making sure the parts are in working order. Get some tools for it, extra parts to carry. I do not foresee doing anything drastic to it. I will try to post a pic of the engine, maybe some members can tune in as to what's in there.

[Bobs67vwagen]

Wow that looks like a real nice car. I like the red interior also. Is it a stock 40 horse? What are your plans for it?

[OldSchoolVW's]

Beautiful car! I'm sure you can't wait for it to arrive.

Looks like a PO had it painted Pacific (or very close), which was a convertible only color in '62 IIRC. Still 6 volt?

_________________
Tom

"Following distance is proportional to IQ."

"It's okay to think."

"If you don't do it this year, you'll be one year older when you do." Warren Miller

'63 Beetle Sedan
'69 Beetle Sunroof
'70 Beetle Sedan
'73 Type 3 Fastback