Cubey's '64 Baja

[Cubey]

I'm the proud new owner of a 1964 Baja Bug. I feel like it deserves it's own dedicated thread.

I paid all of $3500 for it. It needs the Vermont loophole for a title, so there's gonna be 6% sales tax on the NADA value of around $5700 for 64 Bugs, but my "home" state would have probably charged me 10% sales tax on the purchase price, so it comes out the same. But also they would require a bonded title, so that would have been another $100. I'm several states away right now, and I'm not going back in 30 days, so I can't do it in my home state anyway, needs a VIN verification for that. It needs a quite a list of mostly small time parts/repairs (listed below) but it starts, runs, and drives fine. Seems a bit too smoky like it's running rich, but that's probably not a hard fix. I had the seller sign the paperwork for both Vermont and my home state though, just in case Vermont kicks it back for some reason (salvage status perhaps)

Some details I have gathered from it so far:
- Chassis number shows it was built in March 1964
- April 1965 1200cc engine based on the serial & engine code D. Full replacement engine under the original factory warranty, perhaps?
- Pict-1 carb
- 12V system w/ alternator
- Cheap electric fuel pump, with chrome pump block off plate on engine.

Right away it's gonna need this stuff, at the very least:

Driver's side window
Good excuse to undo the California style single piece mod someone did. The other side is all messed up from rotten out tracks too but does have the glass and kind of closes, but tends to fall back and leaves a gap up top. I put a clear plastic bag over the driver's door, held on with painter's tape. Good enough for a few days until i can secure a trap/cover over it. I'll probably leave it for a while since I need to find a VW boneyard to get the glass, swing out window assembly, and new seals/tracks.

Parking brake
The lever is missing, at the very least. Maybe needs more. I'll have to get some cheap plastic wheel chucks from Walmart in the meantime.

Front seats, I think?
Not sure what they were doing, but they didn't follow through. The seats are just loosely sitting in there. Has some weird custom hinge/bracket setup,
I think. Maybe I can get them bolted down to the hinged flat iron, but I think something is missing.

Wiring
The new LED headlights aren't even connected to anything. No idea about everything else. It needs to be all gone through. Someone did some shade tree wiring under the hood so it's gonna be fun to trace down what's what, until I feel like replacing the harness,

Rear tires
Current rear tires are size 31x10.50R15, with a date code from 2013. The fronts are 2018, so they're good for another year or two.

Exhaust rain cap
I covered it with doubled over heavy duty aluminum foil and gorilla taped in place for now while towing it.

Battery, most likely
Has a weak/maybe bad side terminal OReilly 78EXT they were having to charge/jump to show it starting, running & driving. I removed the battery and it's being hauled in the RV, since it was just sitting unsecured on the luggage shelf. There's too much exposed metal for it to fall over onto to leave it there.

Hood work
It needs to be put on hinges & baja latches replaced. The hood is held on at the windshield side with 2 wing nuts. That's gonna get old FAST having to remove those to access the gas tank (has an odd, non-VW plastic one, so that needs addressing some day)

It has some slightly worrying rust decay on the bottom of the driver's side door hinge area but it seems limited to a small area, hasn't spread to the hinge yet. I'll probably Dremel the bad area out, just to keep it from spreading. Probably wouldn't cost much to have patched. All in all, it seems to be a very solid car for the price.

It might sound like all I can talk about is the bad but it's not really the case. it has pluses like being 12v and having an alternator already. It came with a tow bar with mounting points on the baja tube bumper. It's kind of rigged up like maybe that wasn't the tow bar intended, since it leaves gaps that need to be shimmed with big washers. I need to have it fixed, unless it needs a Super Beetle style tow bar to fit the bumper's tow bar holes. In any case, I can drop off the Standard Beetle one to any Walmart to return since I bought it through their site. That's $162 I can use towards something else.

They have it rigged up with a 4 wire flat connector running to the tail lights, so I can probably return the magnetic LED towing lights to HFT on my way back too. I might do something better with that later, which falls under it needing wiring done. But that's another $32 I can use towards something else.

It feels a bit surreal to finally own a classic beetle that runs and drives. About 10-11 years ago, I bought a 73 Super Beetle project and never did a thing with it, it was too far gone. I didn't realize how rusted out it was when I bought it. (channels, death foam roat) Sold it to someone wanting it for the chassis for a big go-kart build when I was relocating across the country and was purging almost everything I had. (95% of everything went). I have loved VW Beetles since I was very young, fondly remembering "The Love Bug" films we rented on VHS in the late 1980s.

I'm sure I have more to say but I'm tired and need to eat right now.

[Bock]

Congrats on the "new to you" Baja. Looks cool.

I put those 1 piece windows on a car I used to own and never liked them as much as I thought I would. My current bug has the traditional wings and I'm dreading replacing all the seals that are rotted. Maybe that's why I went with 1 piece on the old car??

[oprn]

If that is truly a 1200 cc engine you are going to get tired of those 31" rear tires real quick. 4th gear is only going to be usable on a down hill. You need to find shorter tires or find a Bus reduction transaxle.
_________________
Our cars get old, we get old but driving an old VW never gets old!

[Cubey]

[oprn]

Stock would be 26” you could possibly go as tall as 28” and still be able to use 4th gear on the flat. It looks like the rear of the car is at stock height but the front is raised. With shorter tires on the rear it will look a bit odd. Raise the rear and/or lowering the front would level it out and look better.
_________________
Our cars get old, we get old but driving an old VW never gets old!

[Cubey]

[71StandardReduction]

Congrats on the new baja!!
_________________
YHWH NISSI
YHWH SHALOM

64 Pan Buggy
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=10355566#10355566
Ruby Red 1966
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=779597&highlight=
66 Baja
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=792544&sid=1cfbb0e31e0ef24f8a1e9379e16fb18f

[Cubey]

And so it begins...

I found a TheSamba member who was right along my route who has tons of good used parts, so I stopped by for a visit and to shop.

The parts I got:
- spare rim, smooth style proper for '64
- L & R wiper arms, later 60s ones I think (hook style) but look the part
- L & R wing windows (just the swing out frames and glass, not the support frame etc)
- parking brake lever assembly, proper long one for '64
- 1 lug bolt

Paid $110 for all that. Not bad, IMO. Since I was physically there, no shipping to drive up the cost. If he's still selling the next time I'm close by, I might get some more stuff. Might even buy some stuff to be shipped, since he does do shipping. Wouldn't cost too much when I'm down in AZ too.

[Cubey]

Regarding 28 inch rear tires...

I'm thinking 275/60R15 since that keeps the wide width, like on the 31x10.5R15, while being 3 inches less tall.

But then again, 235/70R15 might work a bit better, so they don't risk interfering with the fenders.

[oprn]

The wing windows are very nice to have on a hot day. As for fender interference, it depends on the off set of your wheel and adapter combination.
_________________
Our cars get old, we get old but driving an old VW never gets old!

[Cubey]

I had a little time to look a few things over, though I'm not back in UT yet, since I'm taking my time so I can go up the steep grades with the RV in the mornings when it's cooler.

It has NO brakes right now. (I think). The right rear hard line is totally unhooked from the wheel cylinder. The pedal has no resistance, so I'm guessing the fronts are out too. I figured it might need brake work.

Dunno how the seller was driving it. Using the clutch to stop I guess? Might need a clutch soon, if it was driven that way very much.

It needs rear shocks badly (as expected). I noticed that one of the rear tires was sticking out further from the fender than the other. Same size tires and nothing looks bent from a wreck, so I got out my measuring tape. The left rear shock was compressed about 1 inch more than the right rear. Grabbing the bumper and pulling up makes it lift and sorta stay, making the tire look right in relation to the fender. So, that's a simple fix at least.

And yes I'm pretty sure this was an actual racer, or at least used heavily off road. Thankfully it's already set up for a tow bar, because the normal Beetle one can't be used. It has reinforcement/support bars for the front beam, right where the tow bar would need to go. Something like this but probably more custom made due to how they are mounted.
https://www.mooreparts.com/empi-3842-front-lower-axle-beam-support-tubes-for-vw-baja-bug-pair/

Oh, and the rear is set up for shocks AND air shocks on both sides. One of the old air shocks is still there behind the normal shock.

I decided I best check the gear oil. Should have 2 days ago but oh well. I'm in a cooler climate for the moment so it was a good time. I stopped at a Harbor Freight and got a set of metric hex drivers, just for the 17mm one that the trans needs. It took a small breaker bar to get it loose but it wasn't too bad. It was just shy of 1qt low. But since it was being pulled, not being driven where it would be under much more stress, it's probably fine. It's full now for sure. The tiny bit of oil on the cap didn't look bad. Probably needs changing but it should be good enough for now.

[Cubey]

[Cubey]

Looking into brake parts, I see that normally a 64 has the less safe single circuit master cylinder. It appears that the dual circuit one is directly compatible, so I guess I'll get one of those instead of the single.

But what about the reservoir?

For a later standard bug (I use 74 as a reference point) it has the type for under the hood with hoses, like what my 64 would have but with a single hose. That tank is completely missing, hence no brakes. That and one wheel cylinder being unhooked.

But for both 64 and 74, it also shows one that goes right on top of the MC, for a dual circuit MC, and says "for off road use".

Is it typical for baja builds to have the "off road" one? (pic below).

I looked and didn't see one on the MC it has now, so it probably has the original singe circuit MC.

[Stinky123]

If I remember right....

235/70 is 9.5 and 28-28.5 wide
235/75-15 is 9.5 wide and 29" tall
30x9.50 is actually 2 sizes smaller than your tire (1 narrower and 1 shorter)


25.4 mm to the inch...IOW, 235mm= 9"+10mm (.4") or 9.4". That said, mms never translate exactly.

Those 30" tires are special order.
Both of the 235s are probably on the shelf. The 235/75s....you can get them at Walmart in Goodyear Wranglers, and others. If they fit, guess what I'd get....the 75s, and not the 70s.

[Cubey]

[Cubey]

2022 has just NOT been my year.

Tempting fate with those old tires caught up with me. I thought a bird few into the side of the RV and then it felt weird for some reason. I finally I pulled over into a paved roadside area with a stand where Navajo people sell stuff since I had a nagging feeling something was wrong. Couldn't see crap in the mirrors so it was purely my mind telling me to stop. I need to get a rear view camera, for SURE. It completely lost the tread and was riding on the steel belt. It was still inflated, amazingly.

A random tourist gave me a ride several miles back to fetch what was left of the fender since he said he did see it. It was clear on the other side of the road near the shoulder. The "bird" I saw must have been a piece of tire. It flew a good 30 feet FORWARD. People were going around the fender at least, because big white mysterious debris in the road, so it wasn't totally crushed. Grabbed it up and a couple loose bits I saw nearby. He brought me back, wished me luck, and left.

I couldn't seem to find a tow shop willing to answer the phone or actually have someone local. Decided to drop the car and drive to town with that spare rim I just bought a couple days ago.

I went to tell the folks at the stall selling stuff about the situation and how I'd be dropping the car for a few hours, but the guy said he was about to make the 30 mile drive to a tire shop for himself too. So I got a ride. Gave him $20 for the help. Got a new 225/75R15 on the spare rim because the tire shop guy said he didn't think anything bigger would fit a stock smooth rim. He also couldn't balance the tire due the 5 hole rim's huge center hole.

Got back and put it on, but the other rear looked like it was about to fall apart too. Decided to just drop the car after all and go back the 30 miles in the RV carrying both of the custom rear rims. I put the new spare on one side and the trashed bare rim I got with the car on the other side, since I left the jack in place. That way it had something to land on if the jack slipped. Had the front wheels all chocked properly so it couldn't move, and left a "the club" on the steering wheel.

I used one of these with the bottle jack under the center frame near the transmission. I have it for the RV but it works well for the bug too.
https://bottlejackbuddy.net/the-big-one-1

That looked to be most secure lifting point for the jack and it's "Buddy".

So... I went and got new 235/75R15 A/T tires on the rear custom rims. They said yes, the other tire's tread was about to come off too. So, at least I finally made the wiser choice, not to drag it another 30 miles in 95 degree heat through the mountains.

My memory is so bad, now front & back match in size. I might just keep it that way, it looks fine. But now I'm stuck with an odd smaller spare tire. At least it was only about $90 with tax and all, being a cheapo all season tire. And maybe I'll use that size for the front since it's a bit smaller. Dunno. A new, too small, odd sized spare is better than no spare at all.

New tires are these, ~$150 each from Big O. $400 with mount/balance, disposal & tax. The custom rims were able to be balanced since they have a smaller center bore. They had some for $133/each but these looked a bit more aggressive, a better match for a baja. So I blew the extra money because at this point why the hell not. I already gave the guy $20 to fetch the first tire, then blew about $37 in fuel to go an extra 60 miles more round trip in the RV.

And here's what's left of the fender, with one of the new AT tires. I have a couple other small bits, but some big chunks are long gone. That's gonna be fun to find a single used fender to match the style of the other. At least for the time being, I think I'm just gonna try to rebuild it as best I can with fiberglass resin and cloth that I already have on hand, which I bought for patching up my fiberglass cargo trailer. I can get more at Walmart later. It'll be ugly as sin, but at least it'll have a fender on that side, until I can replace it.

I'm PRETTY sure the front tires are ok but now I'm doubting them too. They're only 4 years old and don't look dry rotted, the others were 9 years old and were begging to be replaced. I was being dumb, pure and simple. And it's gonna cost me. But at least it was only a fender. It pulled out the nut things in the body of the car in several places when the tread ripped off the fender, so I'll have to see if I can carefully flatten the square holes back with a small sledgehammer. Dunno what to do about the holes since they are probably too big for the body nuts now. I guess I'll just put a washer inside the body with a nut and bolt instead.

[oprn]

Ouch!!!
_________________
Our cars get old, we get old but driving an old VW never gets old!

[Cubey]

I made the rookie mistake about gear oil. (Not trying to argue for/against GL5 here. I know that's horse corpse abuse)

At least the O'Reilly quart I used might be ok, since it says MT-1. But too, the car was just in neutral being towed, not driven and shifted, so it's probably fine short term.

The only auto parts store nearby here is Napa, so I guess I'll get a gallon of this and change the trans oil, after I get the brakes and shifter bushings replaced and get used to using a clutch pedal, driving around the RV park's gravel driveways here (all loops around). A few of weeks of 33% GL5 is probably fine. And who knows what the other 67% it had was, could be GL5 too, or 30 year old GL4.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/SL_SL24239

[dustymojave]

That oil is fine. I've always been pleased with performance of the Sta-Lube brand.

They (at least used) offer a pump unit for that jug. Makes id FAR easier to put the oil in the trans.

I suspect your rear suspension has sagged and the torsions needs to be re-indexed. Probably a little different on each side to get the car level.

Whether that brake reservoir will work out (YES - it WILL fit on a dual circuit master cylinder) depends on the gas tank, it might be very difficult to get brake fluid into it without removing the gas tank. Certainly with a stock 62-67 gas tank, or a 68+ side fill tank the reservoir can't be filled otherwise. A 1968+ reservoir that mounts up by the left hood hinge with a pair of tubes going down beside the tank as was done in the later model Bugs might be a better choice. You would probably have to drill a pair of holes by the back corner of the tank with grommets, while the later Bugs have a little separation of the gas tank platform panel from the inner fender panel to pass the tubes.
_________________
Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet.

[Cubey]