My 1966 Beetle rebuild

[supercub]

The patching is done. I got up really early and finished it this morning. I prefer to work on the VW before I got to my job because I deal with cars for 8-10 hours there, and the last thing I want to do when I go home is work on cars some more. I primed it after I finished welding. My boss gave me half a can of seam sealer that he didn't need so that was a pretty good score. It's even Eastwood, the fancy stuff. Hopefully the VW won't get spoiled and start expecting the best.

All primed. There's probably 10 little pieces welded into this whole repair. It'll do.

[supercub]

I seam-sealed and painted the repair area last Saturday. Today I finished up reassembling the interior and now the interior smalls strongly of contact cement. One captive nut for a rear bumper bolt was stripped so I just drilled and tapped it a size bigger vs cutting and welding in a new nut. It worked out great. Other than that, reassembly was uneventful. The VW had been having some starter troubles for about 2 weeks. When the starter was winding back down after the engine started, it would make all sorts of rattly clattering noises. I has been thinking about it while doing the rust repairs, and was pretty certain that the starter drive gear was not retracting fully and knocking on the flywheel teeth for a few seconds after startup. Today after I finished the interior, I pulled the starter out and took it apart. After staring at it perplexed and fiddling with the various parts for a bit over an hour, I lubricated the starter drive assembly and the gear started moving in and out much easier. There were some burrs worn into the arm that connects the solenoid to the drive assembly, so I filed and sanded those off. I also blew out all the copper dust out and cleaned the grooves in the commutator. The brushes are nearing the end, but I can't complain. After all it is a 6volt starter that has been running on 12 volts for over 80k. I put the starter back together and the drive moved much smoother and without all the sticky spots in it's travel. I started the car about 15 times and only once did the rattling noise happen and it was very short; only about a second. I think I'll call it good for now, but I don't think there is a ton of life left in this starter. I took the car for a drive in the rain this afternoon and don't see any leaks in the repaired area so I declare it fixed.

The finished repair. I didn't get around to taking any pictures of the outside before reassembling the car.

[cantrell2626]

You make me want to go to the junk yard and get a bug and put some paint on it. dude it looks good keep up the good work

[supercub]

[supercub]

So my starter finally bit the dust about a week ago. The drive gear wouldn't retract fully after the ignition was switched from the start to the run position leading to some awful sounding noises. I took a chance and bought a cheapo $45 ACDelco reman. 6volt starter off RockAuto. It's working good, much less noisy than the old one ever was. I've got pretty low expectations as to it's longevity but we'll see how it lasts. I drove the VW on a roughly 200 mile trip today to go hiking in the Driftless Area west of Lodi, WI. The car did just fine. I didn't take any pictures of the VW but here's a picture from along the trail I walked today.

[supercub]

Drove out to Horicon Marsh and Ledge Park to hike today. The definite high point was when I saw an otter at Horicon Marsh. I've never seen an otter before. I was able to follow it up and down a levee while it swam and dove along. The otter was only about 20 feet away from me the whole time but was too busy catching fish to be bothered with my presence. When I got back to the parking lot, there was a '73 Super Beetle parked next to me. Don't see too many other aircooled VW's around here. Ledge Park is an exposed section of the Niagara Escarpment (the same formation Niagara Falls goes over about 800 miles away). There are a lot of maple trees there that were very colorful. The VW did just fine. All in all it was a great day.

The VW through the maple leaves at the Ledge Park parking lot.

An otter at Horicon Marsh.

Just a small piece of Horicon Marsh. If I remember correctly the marsh is about 15 miles long and around 4-5 miles wide.

Along the trail at Ledge Park.

Looking toward Horicon Marsh from the top of the Niagara Escarpment at Ledge Park.

[Big Bill]

supercub I really enjoy your posts. You really did save your car and use it as it was designed to be, and your photos are interesting to follow. I have had quite a few VWs ove the past 40 or so years, I usually dump a ton of work and money into them and after a short time move them on to someone else weird I know. My lastest is a 67 sedan that I have taken to a point that I really like, it looks good from 10 feet or more run like a top and I dont have to worry at it when I drive around town with it. Thanks

[supercub]

[supercub]

I took the VW out of winter storage in mid-March. As usual, I cranked it over a few times to build oil pressure, pumped the gas pedal a couple times, cranked it over again and it fired right up like it had run yesterday. It's a good car. I drove the VW for a few days and then Fake Spring turned into Second Winter, and it got cold and snowy again. Naturally they salted the crap out of the roads, so the VW went away until a couple days ago. I really hope the snow is behind us now.

I've read a couple of threads on here where people have documented using their VW as a daily driver, and really enjoyed them. I'm hoping to do the same here, starting with yesterday, and running until I put it away sometime in November. I'm not hardcore enough to drive my VW through winter. I've reluctantly had to use it a couple times in the past and it did well. However, the Beetle has no heat, and the underside has little paint remaining, just surface rust, so it would not fare well with the amount of salt they use around here.

The plan is to document the mileage and cost of operating the VW weekly Sunday through Saturday. I started on Thursday this week though, so it'll be short. I'll also include any noteworthy things that happened and try to take a few pictures throughout the week to post in my Sunday updates.

I drive a roughly 25-mile round trip to work. Half of it is varying speeds from 25mph to 45mph and the other half is 55mph on 2 and 4 lane state highway. There are 5 roundabouts that I go through on the drive each way. Two of them are on the 55mph stretch and have long up-hills leading out of them in both directions. I also do a fair amount of driving just for fun as well as to go places to hike, usually at various state parks and public lands.

Mileage on the odometer when leaving home yesterday was 54739. That's actually 82,597 miles since the rebuild, but I'm just going to use the odometer mileage for this to make it easier.

Here is the VW being spoiled in the garage at my apartment. It is stored inside over the winter in a detached garage at my parents' house but has always spent spring, summer, and fall parked outside. You're not allowed to have leaky cars at the apartment complex, but I just put down a couple layers of cardboard in the garage and make sure to park over it.

My heater is a jacket, hat, and insulated work gloves. I patched over the rotted-out heater channel inlet tubes when I rebuilt the car. I lived in TX, so a heater wasn't really a concern. Little did I know I'd be up here a few years later. I carry spare ignition parts, a fuel pump, carb kit, valve cover gaskets, and a few other odds and ends as well as a tool bag with the needed tools to change all that stuff.

About half-way up the hill after the last roundabout going to work. It doesn't look like it but I'm already going up and that section ahead just gets steeper. Full throttle all the way! There was a strong crosswind yesterday too.

The VW parked at work. That rotten Hyundai behind it shows exactly why the VW goes away for the winter. It was nice and sunny but just above freezing when I got there.

[supercub]

Well late tonight through tomorrow we are supposed to get an inch of snow, so once again the VW is back in hibernation. Hopefully they won't salt this time so I can get it right back out again. Only expense this week was one tank of gas at $28.40. The VW has been pulling to the left slightly when braking so I quick jacked up the front end to check for any play. Nothing seemed loose so I adjusted the right front brake a little tighter. Last week I did do a bit of a hack repair on the engine to body seal. It's starting to dry out after 10 years and a section had cracked off by the rear tin. I had a random strip of rubber lying around so I trimmed off the cracked brittle section and wired the strip onto the remaining decent stuff. It's not kosher but it works for now. I think I'll probably be pulling the engine at the end of this year to take care of a few things and I'll replace the seals then. It'll work for now though.

Beginning odometer 4-14: 54739
Ending odometer 4-17: 54870
Mileage this week: 131
Expenses this week: $28.40

Total mileage: 131
Total expenses: $28.40

Sorry no other pictures from this week.

[John P]

Looking forward to the regular reports, with thanks for sharing.

Given that your heater channels are closed-up, you might consider a restored gas heater in your future. They got me through a lot of Canadian winters! As an alternative, you could look at a new Espar version. My buddy runs one in his 1964 Porsche 904 and it's nice a toasty. You could also look at the "Chinese Diesel Heaters" (available on Amazon) that the Type 2 guys love so much (search threads). Simple, inexpensive and good reviews. You can also direct the outlet to the defroster vents.

While I appreciate that you don't have plans to drive the car in the winter, it's nice to be comfortable during early spring and late fall. In my experience, it's not the cold, it's the dampness that gets to the bones.

My 2 cents.

J

[supercub]

[supercub]

Monday's snow didn't amount to much and they didn't salt, so Tuesday morning I went and broke out the VW again. The car had a busy week at over 500 miles. In addition to the usual work commute, I took a drive out to the Rock River near Fort Atkinson to take some pictures of the pelicans that stop along the river on their spring migration. There was one big group of pelicans along the shore and a few others paddling around in the river catching fish. They're really neat birds and it's always nice to see them.

I had a bit of a minor mishap coming home though, when I ran the VW off the road. This sounds incredibly stupid because it is. While driving down a little backroad that I've driven many times I was looking out the side window watching a crow attack a flying hawk and missed a bend in the road. I was only going like 35 but went down a little hill on the shoulder and nearly into a muddy cornfield before I whipped the steering wheel right, gunned it back up the hill, and swerved back onto the road. Yes, I am an idiot. The car was at a steep enough angle or maybe rocked hard enough re-entering the road that oil sloshed out of the air cleaner onto the left engine tins.

On Saturday, I went to visit a Buddhist monastery north of Reedsburg, WI which was about a 250-mile round trip. The car did just fine, and I even kept it on the road. I did put the VW on the alignment rack at work. It just seems like it can't always make up it's mind where it wants to go when on the highway. Sometimes it pulls slightly left, sometimes right, and sometimes not at all. Everything seems tight and surprisingly enough the alignment is all in spec. I don't know. There is about 1 1/2" of play in the steering wheel which seems like too much. Steering box? We have been having some wicked windy days lately though with lots of gusting which is probably contributing to the situation.

The expenses this week were two tanks of gas for a total of $60.78 and I bought 6 34mm 40hp intake gaskets from a fellow Samba member for a total of $18. I need one set for when I pull the intake this winter to clear the heat riser and it's always good to have a few spares too.

Beginning odometer 4-19: 54870
Ending odometer 4-24: 55452
Mileage this week: 582
Expenses this week: $78.78

Total mileage: 713
Total expenses: $107.18

Driving out to the Rock River.

Rome Pond. Jefferson County, WI. I stopped here on the way to the Rock River because the sky looked amazing reflecting in the water.

Pelicans on the Rock River. Fort Atkinson, WI.

The VW along the Bark River just before it joins the Rock River. The big tree trunks in front of the VW are dead ash trees killed by Emerald Ash Borers, a non-native beetle that has decimated the ash trees in the region.

The land north of Reedsburg, WI. This is in the Driftless Region, which is a very hilly area in western-central Wisconsin that was not glaciated during the last Ice Age. This is probably what most of Wisconsin looked like before it was ground over by a mile-thick sheet of ice.

[supercub]

The theme of this week was rain. Lots of it. While driving home from work on Saturday the downpour was so intense that the wipers couldn't keep up. There was also a lot of wind, every day. There are few vehicles that keep you in tune with the wind quite like an old underpowered VW. Top speed varied depending on whether I was heading into the gale or riding along with it, and blustery crosswinds kept me sawing at the steering wheel through open areas. But that's springtime in Wisconsin for you.

I took a ride this morning and went walking though some woods and along a large marsh. The wooded area was small but was surprisingly full of native understory plants, which is a real rarity around here. We have several invasive species that have decimated the native plants in most of the woods in the area. I saw a lot of yellow headed blackbirds in the marsh and an otter. There were also tons of ducks of various types but I'm not real good at identifying them. It was a nice walk. I should have brought my camera as well as my binoculars to see the birds better but I'll remember next time.

Expenses this week were two tanks of gas, one on Monday for $31.21 and one this morning for $36.72. I didn't do anything with the car other than check the oil once, and it was full. This coming week should see an oil change and routine maintenance when the odometer rolls 56000.

Beginning odometer 4-25: 55452
Ending odometer 5-1: 55803
Mileage this week: 351
Expenses this week: $67.93

Total mileage: 1064
Total expenses: $175.11

The VW in the rain taken through my apartment window.

[mukluk]

[supercub]

[supercub]

Yesterday the VW was very close to rolling over 56000 on the odometer and today I had off work, so it was a good day to do my 3000-mile maintenance routine. Working on cars at the apartment complex is forbidden, so I left the VW at my parent's house after work yesterday to let it sit overnight for the valve adjustment in the morning.

My 3000-mile maintenance consists of several things. Valve adjustment is first on the list. Today only a few valves needed any adjusting. Naturally the #3 exhaust valve was a little tight and the #1 intake and exhaust valve each had a little more drag on the feeler gauge than I would like. I replaced the 1-2 valve cover gasket because the old one was getting a bit beat. I typically reuse the gaskets a few times.

Next is the distributor. I remove it from the engine because its super easy to do on a VW and makes the following work much simpler. I take out the points, file them flat, put a dab of grease on the rubbing block, and then reinstall and gap them. Then I lightly sand the tip of the rotor and clean the center where the cap contact touches it. Then I take the distributor cap and scrape the crud off the 4 terminals inside. After that I reassemble it and put it back on the engine. Finally, I get out my test light and static time it to 10 degrees BTC.

With all that done, I take the car for a drive of about 10 miles to warm up the engine, come back, and change the oil. I use regular old store brand 10W40. Back when I first built the engine, I had a bottle of zinc additive and I used to add a bit to the oil at each change. I ran out of it after about a year, and I've been running no additives since. Of course I drop the sump plate and wipe it and the screen off too. I also change the oil at 1500 miles as well, but don't drop the sump plate until 3000. So it gets an oil drain and fill at 1500 and a full oil change at 3000. I empty and refill the air filter oil at 3000 too. I remember reading somewhere (maybe the Muir book) that you should change the oil at 1500 miles with hard use. Considering the amount of full throttle this car sees just to try to keep up with traffic and that it has an industrial fan shroud with no flaps or thermostat, I consider my driving hard use. The engine, well at least under the valve covers, still looks very clean inside at almost 84000 miles, so this regimen seems to have served it well.

About once a year I pull the spark plugs and re-gap them if they don't look too bad and replace them if they do. While doing the maintenance this time, I noticed a funny looking spot on the belt which turned out to be a crack starting, so it was replaced.

I lifted the front of the car and removed the left wheel to check the steering coupler for deterioration as mukluk suggested in a previous post. It was fine. However, the rubber fuel hose that connects the tank to the chassis line looked damp and grungy. I pushed on it and a stream of fuel started leaking out. Fortunately when I let go it stopped leaking. Time for new fuel line! When I removed the old piece it was dated 2014 but had all sorts of little cracks and pinholes. Yikes. I also replaced the fuel filter while I was at it. I'm really glad I poked around under there looking at the steering stuff because that hose could have gone at any time and bye-bye gas.

Cover removed for valve adjustment. It's still pretty clean in there after almost 84000 miles.

Distributor apart for cleaning/adjusting.

Setting the timing.

Oil change with 10W40.

Leaking rubber fuel line from the tank.

Replacing fuel lines and filter.

[supercub]

Other than the oil change, routine maintenance, and unanticipated fuel line replacement detailed in the previous post, this was an uneventful week VW-wise. Yesterday we had a really nice weather and I drove home from work with the windows down and pop-outs open for only the second time this year. Spring has really been taking its time. I filled it up on gas once for $35.78. I bought 3 quarts of 10W40 oil at $3.49/qt, a sump plate gasket set for $3.99, and a new generator belt for $18.99. The new valve cover gasket was in my spare parts stash, and I don't remember what it cost, but it wasn't much so I didn't include it.

Beginning odometer 5-2: 55803
Ending odometer 5-8: 56195
Mileage this week: 392
Expenses this week: $69.32

Total mileage: 1,456
Total expenses: $244.34

[supercub]

Earlier this week, for some reason that I don't remember, I felt compelled to check the resistance of the spark plug wires on the VW. They were the original new wires I installed when I rebuilt the engine a bit over 10 years ago. The coil wire and 3 out of 4 plug wires tested fine; coil with no resistance and plug wires a touch over 1000 ohms each. Except for the wire for #3. It measured too high of a resistance for my multimeter, which read it as an open circuit. I tested it several times, and each time it was the same. Weird. The car was running on all cylinders and disconnecting the #3 wire definitely had an effect on how the engine ran so it wasn't open, just tons of resistance and probably a really weak spark. I had an extra set of new wires in my spare parts stash, so I replaced them all. That really made a difference. The car idles smoother and holds cruising speeds with less pedal than before. Gas mileage has seemed to improve quite a bit as well. I'll get an actual mpg number tomorrow when I fill it up. Late last week I ordered new tailpipes, a shift boot to replace the one in the car which has been shredded for a couple of years now, and a carb rebuild kit to have around just in case. I had removed the baffles from the old tailpipes when one came loose and started rattling fiercely 7 or 8 years ago. After installing the new tailpipes, I am amazed at how much quieter the car is. It's been so long I forgot how much those little baffles really do. It was really hot this week with a couple of days pushing 90 and high humidity as well. In a span of 3 days, we went from 50's and rain to mid-July weather. The coming week is supposed to cool off with highs in the low 70's. Perfect VW weather. Expenses this week were one tank of gas for $32.79 and the previously mentioned order of tailpipes, shift boot, and carb kit which totaled $59.27. I have had the new spark plug wire set for years and I don't remember what they cost so I didn't include them. Sorry no pictures this week.

Beginning odometer 5-9: 56195
Ending odometer 5-15: 56473
Mileage this week: 278
Expenses this week: $92.06

Total mileage: 1,734
Total expenses: $336.40

[supercub]

Took the VW on a 240-mile drive to go walking at Gibraltar Rock and Parfrey's Glen in south-central WI. It was a perfect day and the VW did great. It's been two years since I've been out to either of those places. I enjoyed it a lot. I checked my gas mileage and it was a bit under 31mpg for the last two tanks. That is a 3mpg improvement after swapping out the old spark plug wires, which is good since gas jumped 20 cents overnight to $4.49 for regular.

The VW with Gibraltar Rock in the background.

The view from on top of Gibraltar Rock.

A meadow the trail passes through on the way back down.

Stream that flows out of Parfrey's Glen.

Parfrey's Glen.

Driving back home with a tailwind all the way. Nice.