Beetlebaum: The 1973 Super pulled from a Junkyard

[EA812]

Did the wheel bearing cap pop off or did you take it off? I had one blow off on a trailer once because I had the bearing too tight. Maybe the problem was in the wheel bearing. In my case though the grease didn't look as good as yours did in that pic.
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[Beetlebaum]

[Beetlebaum]

We finally got the hurricane stuff all cleaned up, so I've gotten back to work on Beetlebaum!

Something had definitely gone wrong with the front end--the grease smelled burnt, and the brake shoes looked funky.

So I replaced the shoes and bearings (and learned how to drive out bearing races for the first time ever!). I also painted the brake drums to try to start making the car look better and stop all the rust.

Anyway, I had to get the front end put back together before some rain came through tonight, so the front bearings and wheels need to be tightened properly. I even had to watch a video on YouTube to make sure that I could figure out how to tighten them down (which should happen tomorrow...if I'm lucky). I'll also adjust the brakes tomorrow.

Also, I may have a lead on a job, so, between getting Beetlebaum fixed up and that, things are looking up!
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[Beetlebaum]

Alright, after talking to my VW mentor (thanks Sean!), I've determined that the brake system needs an overhaul. The front drums are out-of-round, the master cylinder might have a slow leak and may have caused the tunnel rot, the driver's rear brakes are far too tight and can't be adjusted because of frozen adjuster stars, one of the soft lines might need to be replaced, and the entire system needs to be bled. Add to that the annoyance of trying to adjust the brake shoes...and I'm leaning toward switching to discs up front.

I don't want to drive the car with a questionable brake system, for obvious reasons.

I can't afford any new parts for the car until I get my new job, so I hope to get that settled very soon. So, that's it for Beetlebaum for just a bit. He's down for the count but certainly not out.
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[Beetlebaum]

Alrighty, I finally got around to working on the car again--the job search has taken up all of my time for the past few months. My parents didn't want me to spend the money on a disc brake conversion (and, since they're letting me live at home while I get my life together, I see no reason to challenge them on that), so I bought new front drums the other day. It rectified the out-of-roundness, so that's good.

What's left to do:

-bleed the brake system and evaluate whether anything else needs to be replaced on that system
-evaluate adjusting the brake pushrod from the pedal (too much play right now)
-tune the engine
-take three test-drives. I figure that three is a good number for testing the car and its brakes; the first two will be short drives around the block, and the third will be about a mile or so.

After that, it's back to the shop for inspection, provided that I'm satisfied with the braking system. I hope to get Beetlebaum back up and functional before Thanksgiving.

Oh yeah, and I turned on the engine for the first time in weeks today; he fired right up but definitely showed that he needs a tuneup.

And, once I finally get a new job, I plan to buy Beetlebaum some runningboards as a present. I can't stand not having them on anymore; Bugs look vastly better with runningboards in place.

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[Bashr52]

Not sure I agree with that decision, disc brakes are a much better system and will make the car safer overall.

Good luck with getting it on the road!

[Beetlebaum]

[Beetlebaum]

The embarrassment of the VW community (that is, me) is back! My new job is great, but the commute is 22 miles each direction, so that has eaten up almost all of my time since early December. Now that I'm settled, however, I'm making it a point to get off my butt and fix Beetlebaum.

His brakes are mostly finished, but I'm still getting a ton of bubbles at the driver's rear wheel, so that's a good deal frustrating.

So...a quick update of what has been going on in my VW life...

I moved Beetlebaum recently for the first time in a few months and had an awesome time doing it. Here he is, soaking up some sun on a recent nice day.

Jenny, my 2003 New Beetle, continues to serve me well. She makes the 22 mile commute without complaint.

The most exciting thing to happen in 2017 for me: I got to drive this amazing 1972 Super Beetle. This Super is far nicer than mine, so it was a bit surprising to see just how nicely Beetles are supposed to drive, especially in comparison to mine...

And allow me to put in a pitch for the Taco Skate Co., a VW lifestyle brand in Alberta which posts great stuff online and has inspired me a lot over the past few months; I put one of their stickers on my car.

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[Beetlebaum]

I finally had a chance to dive back in on Beetlebaum's brakes. All he needs for them are the rear shoes adjusted and the axle nuts tightened back down properly. (I also intend to double-check the adjustment of the front brakes tomorrow when I adjust the rears.)

Before:

During:

Awaiting adjustment and tightening the axle nut tomorrow:

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[Beetlebaum]

The brake system is finally fully reworked, so I tested them after adjusting them by taking the car around the block today. He worked fantastically.

Here he is out in the neighborhood.

My current favorite picture: the view over the front hood at 35 mph during my stint around the block.

What's next: going through the engine once more, re-welding the tunnel patch, and various other small things.
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[EA812]

On the road again! I like it
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[Stock Steve]

Very cool! Good for you!
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[Buggeee]

When I was a teen I drove an early 70s dark green beetle this same color. I didn't have running boards either (it barely had enough floor left to have somewhere to put your feet!) and I agree it will be a really nice addition to yours when they go on. My green one was a standard rather than Super but when I read your thread it puts me right back in that car. That was the one that would always start for me and get me where I needed to go (sometimes on less than all cylinders but we always got there) so it was my favorite even if it was the most beat up looking. So cool that you plucked this out of a yard and made it a driver. Enjoy the ride.
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[Beetlebaum]

Woo, it has been a long time since I've been on TheSamba!

Things have been slow but not dead here. Work has been insane; I spent a long time figuring out how things were going, and that took a lot of time away from my Super.

In June I did something new and painted the banged-up driver's fender; the car looks very different!

A week later, I finally replaced the flaky alternator with a new internally-regulated unit. It's a relief to have the charging system work properly now.

Then, in mid-July I celebrated my ninth anniversary of owning Beetlebaum. It also marked his forty-fourth birthday--he's in better shape now than he has ever been under my ownership. I took a rare picture with him to celebrate.

Then, in August I discovered that Beetlebaum's front suspension was shot and wouldn't pass inspection, so that added an expensive set of repairs to be done...

But of course I had to take him for a test-drive before tearing him apart, so this is the picture from the last time that I drove him:

I also went to the BugOut VW Show on Labor Day weekend, and, though I bought only a new fresh-air fan, I was inspired finally to replace the ancient and failing side window seals. These look vastly better than the old ones.

Finally, in early October, I began the teardown of the front suspension! My brother and I had a heck of a fun time disassembling it. Here are some pictures from that day.

At this point, I've got everything disassembled; I'm getting the various parts media blasted, which is awesome; they'll look great once I get them completely freshened up and painted.

Finally, today, my dad and I worked to get some of the old bushings pressed out; one of the cats decided to take up residence behind the rear seat, which apparently is just right for a comfortable little cat...

Anyway, the good news is that Beetlebaum is slowly moving forward! All that's left: reassemble the suspension, get the engine running properly, and do final checks and adjustments.

I hope to have the suspension ready for reassembly by the middle of next week, as I'm taking a trip to D.C. this weekend and won't have time to work on the car.
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[joey1320]

9 years and counting, awesome!
That cat looks might comfy.

Is that a Suzuki Samurai or Geo Tracker in the background?
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[Beetlebaum]

[Beetlebaum]

While I wait for the ball joints to be pressed in, I decided to tackle a few electrical jobs on the car which I'd ignored for years.

Last night I braved the cold and changed a speedometer bulb which had burned out wayyy back in 2011, when I had had to replace my speedometer cable. Needless to say, the new bulb will make the car far safer and easier to drive at night.

Today I dove into a few other electrical things on the car which I'd either ignored for years or hadn't taken the time to address.

I replaced the seized fresh-air fan with one which works--which meant that I got a face full of dust and debris when the ducts and vents got air going through them for the first time in probably 25 years. I also changed the wiring on my trunk light's rocker switch; I'd installed it using entirely black wires and finally color-coded it today. Then I installed a power source from which to charge my phone, which was exciting, especially since I didn't own a cell phone when I first got the car nine years ago and hadn't really driven the car since I got a smartphone (because the car hasn't been working). Then I ran a new ground wire for the rear defroster relay, which I'd disconnected when I replaced the floorpans seven years ago. I doubt that the window works, but whatever.

Now, for the first time ever, every single light, switch, and knob works on the dashboard, with the exception of the long-defunct seatbelt warning light and buzzer.

It was a cold but productive Beetlebaum day.
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[Beetlebaum]

Got the front suspension on and aligned well enough to drive the car around. The tie rods are out of adjustment, so the steering wheel isn't straight, but I'll let the alignment shop take care of that.

Nosebleed status on the front end!

So, then, I changed the transmission fluid for the first time ever--it was disgusting, and I spilled a ton when the funnel below the transmission got clogged and overflowed. Whoops. I imagine that the fluid hadn't been changed in at least 30 years.

After that, I took the car on a test drive around the block; the engine isn't running right, but it liked having a run and is now doing better. (Don't mind my horrific neckbeard; I'm doing no-shave November but wanted the first new picture since 2011 of me driving the car!)

Since I was on the topic of the transmission and shifter, I elected to replace the shifter bushings. That was annoying. But it was also insanely worth it: after changing the coupler bushings earlier today, the shift pattern is so different from what it used to be that I keep second-guessing whether my car is actually in the proper gear. Definitely worth putting in that work though: now the car feels much more driveable!

Also, the previous owner had put styrofoam in the tunnel around the shifter coupler. Odd.

I dropped the front shifter bushing several times and kept having to take pictures from the rear of the tunnel to figure out where the bushing went, so I got a chance to see the condition of the interior of the tunnel.

And finally: tonight I adjusted the shifter. I learned that I have an incorrect reverse lockout plate on the car, but it seems to work fine for now. The shift pattern is absurdly small and precise compared to what it was before I started replacing these parts.

Anyway...my goal is to try to get the car legal by December 18th. The big question is whether I can get the engine to cooperate, so I'm going to go through it methodologically to figure out why it's working poorly. The car is definitely far safer and more roadworthy than it ever has been under my ownership, and that makes me feel good about it.
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[EA812]

Wow things are happening! Good work man. The neck beard though, that's too far😀
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[Buggeee]

The inside of the tunnel looks remarkably clean and dry. This bone-yard bug has really good bones!
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