Daily Driver in the making

GingaNinja · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 2:12 pm Post subject: Daily Driver in the making

I know, I know, not another build thread!

This is to help me keep track of what I've done and what I still need to do. Also, hopefully, you folks will chime in before I do something stupid. Alternatively, hopefully someone else will find it informative.

I have a 74 super in relatively rust free condition. The previous owner burnt up an engine and lost interest. I happen to have a good running engine so the deal was made.

The good:

She's free of most rust. The pans and heater channels have been replaced recently. The small amount of rust that is there is surface and will get taken care of when I fix the horrible paint job of the PO.

The bad:

The PO seems to have been under the mistaken impression that they were good at wiring.
PO also felt that seats from a 98 bug would be a good idea.

What I've done so far (this will be updated as I go):

Removed 98 seats and hack job mounts.
Removed backseat.
Removed old headliner. It was fragile and had played house for a family of mouse.
Removed stereo. (I kid you not. The stereo wires were black taped together, not even twisted)
Installed known-to-run motor.
Had keys cut as the PO had lost them.
Welded in new seat mounts and mounted original seat

What needs to be done (sadly, this will probably expand as well.):

-Wiring needs to be completely gone over to make reliable
~~-Vampiric bleed on the battery needs to be sorted out~~
-Need to figure out what I'm missing to get the engine to start.
-I think this might be the interlock but I can't find the relay to jump
-~~Need to reconnect the heater hoses.~~
-~~Reconnect/Replace the Fuel line.~~
-Replace all the fuel hoses by the gas tank.
-Sort out why the windshield washer is not spraying.
-~~Weld in correct seat mounts~~.
-~~Figure out why the heck my right front headlight/signal light work but the rear don't~~
-~~Figure out why the heck the rear left taillight/signal light work but the front doesn't.~~
-~~Restore braking ability.~~

Questions for the community:

There is a terminal at the front of the transmission. Currently I don't have anything hooked up to that. What should be there?
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74 Super - Building to Daily Driver
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=634656

ROCKOROD71 · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 2:42 pm Post subject:

when you say terminal, do you mean, like a switch, with push on terminals, or a screw on terminal? There should be a electrical ground strap (braided) on the transmission, and also your reverse light switch, which should have two wires coming from it. Looks sort of like a brake light switch.

Ground strap:

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

reverse light switch:

_________________
1971 STD BEETLE- DD-1st car, 1st love. keepin' it stock! 1600DP, Solex 34-3 Mexi Bosch SVDA Dist NOW w/POINTS
1977 WESTY "KrustyKamper" 2L FI

GingaNinja · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 2:56 pm Post subject:

Grounding strap is there. Looks a lot like the reverse light switch you posted. I didn't see any wires under there that should have been hooked up.

Where do the wires come from? I'll head back under and look for them.
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74 Super - Building to Daily Driver
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=634656

Q-Dog · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 3:21 pm Post subject:

Wiring diagrams for your year here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/wiringt1.php
_________________
Brian

'69 Dune Buggy
'69 Beetle Convertible
'70 Beetle

vamram · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 3:24 pm Post subject:

Do you have any manuals? Like the Bentley for '68 up? You should, you're going to need it and it will identify things like the reverse light switch and how it should be wired.
_________________
"Men are qualified for civil liberty in exact proportion to their disposition
to put moral chains upon their own appetites. -Edmund Burke
“If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.”
Stop Russian-Soviet Aggression!!

'74 Super 9/16 - present, in refurb process.
'73 Super - 6/18 - Present - Daily Driver!
'75 Super Le Grande...languishing since 2022.
Click to view image
Save the Supers!!

GingaNinja · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 3:33 pm Post subject:

Yep, I have the Bentley and the Muir Guide. Just not with me while I'm at work.

Sometimes I forget that I have those resources after I've been sifting through Samba all day. Very Happy

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74 Super - Building to Daily Driver
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=634656

RailBoy · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 4:10 pm Post subject:

On a good note of a Daily Driver Bug, I would do up some disk brakes on the front for better stopping.. It is just a precausion that can help out when braking.. Disk on a bug is a great upgrade and will make if way safer....

FYI, I run disk Front and Rear but I am running a Retro German Looker, but I do know one thing, the disk makes it feel like a newer model car..... So if you have a friend with disk on his bug, go out in it and see... Way cool upgrade.. RB
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[quote="smitty24"]"HELP, I ported my own heads and now have fire coming out my ass" .[/quote]
Shocked

fatdog · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 5:00 pm Post subject:

X2 on the discs in the front. My '73 bug is my daily driver and pretty much only thing not stock is the front disc brakes. First time I've ran them on a bug and would highly recommend it especially for a daily driver car.
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Be carefull not to outsmart your common sense.

GingaNinja · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 8:34 pm Post subject:

Once I have it up to snuff for daily use, front disc's are top of my upgrade list. I definitely welcome recommendations.

On the plus side I got all my lights to work this evening. Now to figure out where all the wires go to on my engine.

NOTE for anyone doing a car swap with the engine staying the same, photo everything ( which I did) and write everything down. (which I didn't do)
_________________
74 Super - Building to Daily Driver
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=634656

vamram · Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 3:36 am Post subject:

Post some of your pics!!! We love pictures!
_________________
"Men are qualified for civil liberty in exact proportion to their disposition
to put moral chains upon their own appetites. -Edmund Burke
“If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.”
Stop Russian-Soviet Aggression!!

'74 Super 9/16 - present, in refurb process.
'73 Super - 6/18 - Present - Daily Driver!
'75 Super Le Grande...languishing since 2022.
Click to view image
Save the Supers!!

GingaNinja · Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 9:03 am Post subject:

Sure, here's the new arrival.

And here is what the Engine bay looked like when she came in.

That's all I have on my phone right now. I'll take some more later.
_________________
74 Super - Building to Daily Driver
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=634656

GingaNinja · Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2015 11:58 am Post subject:

I've removed the seat mounts from the pans I had (for my previous repair.) and they are ready to weld in.

I was looking at the coil wires. (Unfortunately some of my photos are a little ambiguous when it comes to which wire went where.) Am I correct in understanding that the green wire from the distributor goes to the negative side and everything else goes to the positive?
_________________
74 Super - Building to Daily Driver
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=634656

GingaNinja · Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2015 8:43 am Post subject:

Went to wire up my engine last night. It went fairly smoothly, I'm pretty sure that I have everything in the right spot.

Only issue that I had was that there is a white wire with a green stripe coming in with the harness that the PO cut off. I don't see this wire on any of the wiring diagrams.

Where should it be going?
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74 Super - Building to Daily Driver
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=634656

GingaNinja · Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 3:51 pm Post subject:

I could really use some feedback.

As most of you know the wiring on a 74 is, unusual. So I'm having a bit of a time trying to figure out where some of the wires I have should be going.

Since a picture says a thousand words:
The black wire is my switched power for the coil. Can anyone please tell me what the grey-with-green-stripe wire is or where it should be going? The PO cut it way back.

Shouldn't I have more than two relays on the back of the fuse panel?

I have a bunch of loose wires in the cab as well. I think most of them have to do with the seatbelt interlock and from what I've been able to gather through searching Samba, if everything is disconnected/removed for the interlock then it shouldn't cause any problems with starting.

Any help at all would be appreciated.[/img]
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74 Super - Building to Daily Driver
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=634656

mukluk · Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 4:01 pm Post subject:

From looking at the wiring schematic for '73, it appears the white and green wire originally ran from the negative side of the coil to the diagnostic plug.
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1960 Ragtop w/Semaphores "Inga"

GingaNinja · Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 4:19 pm Post subject:

Isn't the diagnostic plug in the engine bay?

This wire (maybe it is white with a green line) is coming into the engine bay with the same wire bundle as the oil pressure switch.
_________________
74 Super - Building to Daily Driver
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=634656

GingaNinja · Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2015 8:30 am Post subject:

Last night I took her for a spin around the block! I got her started by running the starter straight from the battery.

For some reason I don't have brake lights again... And the headlights went out again, until I bumped the windshield wiper then the headlights came back on but I am still down one tail light and both brake lights.

While I can wire up a switch/button to run straight from the battery, I'd rather have the ignition switch working properly. On that note, everything I read about the interlock says that I need to jump C to 50 on the interlock relay socket. Unfortunately I don't appear to have a C anywhere on the relay sockets. Could anyone help me out with that?

Also, I need to add to the first post. The brakes need help.

I mounted a recovered 74 drivers seat. Unfortunately, the seat adjustment mount on the tunnel was removed by the PO. Is it possible to get this anywhere or am I looking at some fab work?
_________________
74 Super - Building to Daily Driver
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=634656

GingaNinja · Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2015 2:00 pm Post subject:

Wow did those brakes ever need adjusting! After doing that, and thank goodness that only one of the star adjuster nuts was even vaguely seized, I wired up a momentary switch from the battery to the starter to by-pass the interlock issue.
I took her for another spin around the block. Still no brake lights, and this time I confirmed, speedo isn't working either. *sigh*

I'm happy that she's running and starts reliably with the makeshift starter button. Not so enthusiastic that I'm constantly taking one step forward and another step back.
Tonight, I have to adjust the handbrake and take another look at the brake lights.
_________________
74 Super - Building to Daily Driver
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=634656

GingaNinja · Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2015 1:45 pm Post subject:

Got the hand brake sorted out. And went through the lighting connectors wire brushing everything and putting a dab of dielectric grease on them. Tada! The lights work.

My hazards shut everything down though. I really don't have an answer to why turning the hazard lights on would cause the other lights to stop working.

I have a couple new issues as well. I started up this morning and all was well. The alternator light came on when I turned the key and went out when the engine started. Then, as often happens in the morning, the engine stalled. It started back up no problem. Unfortunately, when the engine stalled, the alternator light did not come on. Anyone have any ideas?

Also, it started raining here on the wet coast and while I was driving in I discovered that water is getting inside. It appears to be coming in the opening that all the wires run out the back of the left side of the cab. Now I need to find out how it is getting in there.
_________________
74 Super - Building to Daily Driver
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=634656

rubadubug · Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2015 2:29 pm Post subject:

Nice looker. What are those tail lights?


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