New Kansas beige 73 super

[Lingwendil]

Just got this guy home. Needs heater boxes installed, and the brakes are scary until the bottom of the pedal travel, but easy fixes. Typical crescent vent rust, dented rear bumper and rear right fender, but solid everywhere else.

Plan is brakes, exhaust, rust repair, stock engine tin, tires, etc. Not going for a show car, just a safe dependable driver, with a bit more pep.

Can't wait to get it going. It runs great now, just of course needs full exhaust for daily use. I will admit ripping down the road open headers was a surprisingly fun experience! This little guy sounded like a whole gang of motorcycles.

Not that I would ever go more than a test drive like that of course. This thing is getting a real muffler, heater boxes, stock shroud, flaps, distributor, the works. Might even toss on a pair of oil bath air cleaners for the vintage speed look.
_________________
73 super beetle thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=649622 Back on the Road!

Modify your Kadrons for SVDA http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8115884#8115884

Cast iron VJU4BR8 SVDA reference thread- https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

Need replacement filters for original Kadron aircleaners? WIX #42087 is a perfect fit, as is Napa Gold #2087!

[Volks Wagen]

Looking good! Good luck with it.
_________________
1973 1303 with AB-motor - sporadic
reconstruction as time permits, 1986 ex-Bundeswehr Doka - on the road again.

I'm definitely, probably, the worlds greatest lover.

Aithníonn ciaróg ciaróg eile.

[67rustavenger]

Nice looking car. Load does not = horsepower. Make sure to seal up all of the holes in the engine compartment. Better cooling for those hot Oakley summer days. Is that a metal intake manifold equalization line between the carbs? Do your brakes first, then all of the other safety related items before worrying about the cosmetic stuff.
Good Luck.
_________________
I have learned over the years.
Cheap parts are gonna disappoint you.
Buy Once, Cry Once!

There's never enough time to do it right the first time. But there's always enough time to do it thrice.
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo!

[Lingwendil]

Brakes are number one priority before it's on the road, definitely. As soon as it was off the truck I had to hop off to work, so didn't do much else than park it today. I'll try to start cleaning it up in the mornings the next few days, and I'm off Wednesday so that's most likely brakes and exhaust day.

I've already got a stock shroud to put on it stuffed away thankfully, and getting an engine bay seal and proper heaterboxes and hoses is the plan as well. I've got to track down a set of flaps and thermostat as well. Proper tin is always a good fight but it's nice once it's all in and fitting properly. Only a couple bulbs need replaced, and even the fresh air fan works properly. If it's not raining in the morning I'll try to dig in and get some more pictures.
_________________
73 super beetle thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=649622 Back on the Road!

Modify your Kadrons for SVDA http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8115884#8115884

Cast iron VJU4BR8 SVDA reference thread- https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

Need replacement filters for original Kadron aircleaners? WIX #42087 is a perfect fit, as is Napa Gold #2087!

[Lingwendil]

So, I got a chance to get a few more pictures. The car does have an oil sump and remote filter, and it does have the stud to mount the thermostat in the AE case thankfully. I need the oil cooler ducting, hopefully I can pick that up at the VW parts shop in the morning when I go to grab exhaust gaskets, brake parts, and another heater box. It appears that my carbs aren't set up for vacuum advance, but I've modified a set for it before so that's for later. I do have Topline front tapered springs, and new strut cartridges too thankfully. I'll try and get some dash shots next. My brake warning light and fasten seat belts light do not come on currently, but my oil and gen light do. Speedo and map lights are dead. My fresh air fan works on high, but not on low. All fun stuff really.

_________________
73 super beetle thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=649622 Back on the Road!

Modify your Kadrons for SVDA http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8115884#8115884

Cast iron VJU4BR8 SVDA reference thread- https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

Need replacement filters for original Kadron aircleaners? WIX #42087 is a perfect fit, as is Napa Gold #2087!

[Lingwendil]

[Lingwendil]

Bled the brakes, installed the heat exchangers, single muffler exhaust, swapped a pair of Hella H4 conversions in, and got all my lights (sans reverse lights, the wires are melted and need a fuse) working. Car has a ton of power, shifts smooth, etc. Drove it around for a couple of days and had no problems at all.

However, on the way to work today the pertronix died. No big deal, I was only using it because it came with the car (I really hate the things, they always fail on me, so I don't buy them anymore) but thankfully I had a brand new set of points and condenser in my toolbox that lives in the trunk. Installed them, set them real quick and pulled back on the road. Woohoo, more power, better acceleration, etc.

Then, the car started bucking really bad and losing power. I was almost to San Francisco (for my first shift of the day, I'm a security guy for Google at various locations) so I pulled over, checked everything out, checked my 009 to see if it was timed correctly still, and it was at about 11° static, but loose. I clamped it back down, and limped my way across the bridge and parked it for work. It had started raining reasonably heavy at this point.

So, finish my shift, and hop in the car to head to Alameda, for my second shift (SF was to cover a four hour thing) and it seems to be running fine until it was warmed up and getting back on the bridge. Car started bucking really bad. Flooring it in fourth only put me at about 45mph. I kept to the slow lane, and once off the freeway and making my way through Oakland to get to the tunnel to Alameda the car stalls out at every light. If I nurse the gas pedal it will stay running, but if I don't the engine dies. It starts right back up, but dies if you don't give it gas. It's acting curiously like it's very touchy, you blip the gas pedal and it seems to rev very quickly, enough to make the nose of the car bounce up. I pulled over, adjusted the idle up a bit to keep it from stalling, and made it to work. Popped the hood and find the alternator strap has broken, probably due to the shitty chrome shroud, That I'm replacing with a stock doghouse in the morning.

I'm still at work as I type this, but I am at a loss. I'm honestly sort of stumped at this point. I haven't made any changes to the engine, and it was running great before today.

Specs-

1600 (at least I'm fairly certain its a stock DP 1600 longblock)
Full flow with remote filter
Dual kadron carbs, stock kadron linkage
Bosch german 009, points, static at 10° for now
Blue coil, unmarked

1973 super beetle
stock tranny
Stock wheels, 165/80/15 tires in the rear, 185/65 front

Any ideas?
_________________
73 super beetle thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=649622 Back on the Road!

Modify your Kadrons for SVDA http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8115884#8115884

Cast iron VJU4BR8 SVDA reference thread- https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

Need replacement filters for original Kadron aircleaners? WIX #42087 is a perfect fit, as is Napa Gold #2087!

[RLFD213]

When you get it running again take a spray bottle of water and spray the ignition wires. Maybe they're leaking. You said it happened when it was raining and by the bridge. The humidity and rain can cause the wires to short.

[Rome]

[Lingwendil]

So, I was able to limp it home. Still bucking occasionally, but it behaved itself pretty well enough to make it the 45 miles home.


Tore it apart today to replace the shitty chrome shroud, and get the crumbly tar board out. As I lift the chrome shroud out, all the cooling vanes were clearly not attached, and were just in a pile blocking air from the cylinders. I'm now thinking the bucking and stalling was maybe detonation due to heat? I'm waiting on a parts order from CB performance to arrive tomorrow, so I don't have the alternator strapped down yet to test it out.


We shall see.
_________________
73 super beetle thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=649622 Back on the Road!

Modify your Kadrons for SVDA http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8115884#8115884

Cast iron VJU4BR8 SVDA reference thread- https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

Need replacement filters for original Kadron aircleaners? WIX #42087 is a perfect fit, as is Napa Gold #2087!

[volksnhousin]

Yikes… That would most certainly cause the bug to overheat. No cooling air equals no cooling. I had no idea the cooling vanes actually fell out of those shrouds some time, wow. Such a shame, it never ceases to amaze me how many totally useless garbage parts are out there. You are certainly making the right move by putting the original style shroud on. Hopefully nothing was damaged from overheating it with the broken crappy chrome nightmare shroud.

[Lingwendil]

Well, I did get the engine back together of course. It started raining fairly heavy so I had to wait a couple days before getting it all the way done. Can't find my sync for the carbs so I set it by ear for now.

While pulling my Speedo to replace the bulbs, I saw a fat spark, and my fuel gauge now reads zero So I'm pretty sure the vibrator is toast, I just hope it didn't take the gauge with it. Still need to run new wires to the reverse switch on the tranny for the backup lamps, and figure out why low speed on the fresh air fan doesn't work, but once that's done this cars electrical will be 100% stock and functional! It's got a set of Hella H4 housings for headlights now btw.

I have adjusted and bled my brakes, and I get pressure only at the bottom inch or so of travel... my passenger side rear bled, but the driver side is dry (im assuming the wheel cylinder is seized) and will not bleed. No leaks anywhere, so I ordered a set of rear wheel cylinders, shoes, and hardware to overhaul my rears. I have shoes and hardware for the front, but they adjusted fine and lock up the drums so I will tackle those after the rears are rebuilt.

Cruised he classifieds today, and for $40I ordered a set of flaps today, and waiting for the other guy to get back to me about the thermostat and bracket for $55 shipped.

This car is a little floaty in the rear which leads me to think the rear shocks need replaced. They look pretty old. Felt pretty floaty in the back the couple times I've driven the car.

Hopefully will get the brakes done tomorrow. I'll try to get some new pics up as well!
_________________
73 super beetle thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=649622 Back on the Road!

Modify your Kadrons for SVDA http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8115884#8115884

Cast iron VJU4BR8 SVDA reference thread- https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

Need replacement filters for original Kadron aircleaners? WIX #42087 is a perfect fit, as is Napa Gold #2087!

[FeelthySanchez]

[Lingwendil]

My 71 super (never should have sold that car, ugh) was the classic "one thing after another" car. It was reliable but there was always something you know? I pulled a new harness, built up a correct 71 dual port (with correct distributor and functioning preheat, flaps, etc) rebuilt the front end, New brakes and brake lines (soft and hardlines) New master and wheel cylinders, glass, white scat rally seats and matching interior. It got me to work on time everyday but boy did I have black hands and stains on my shirt sometimes. I swapped out my clutch in a home depot (my work at the time) parking lot once. That was fun.


Once you get to that certain point though, you just drive and maintain without worry. That's my goal for this car first is safety and reliability. Although I'm of course getting adjustable struts to put in when I tear apart the front end to replace all the bushings soon.
_________________
73 super beetle thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=649622 Back on the Road!

Modify your Kadrons for SVDA http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8115884#8115884

Cast iron VJU4BR8 SVDA reference thread- https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

Need replacement filters for original Kadron aircleaners? WIX #42087 is a perfect fit, as is Napa Gold #2087!

[Lingwendil]

So, i try to get my rear drivers side drum off to replace the seized/dead wheel cylinder, and get all new shoes installed, and that sucker is seized on something terrible. couldnt do it. figured i would wait on that and moved on to the next project,replaced my master cylinder due to the rear circuit not working or pushing any fluid at all.

put the new one in, and this mofo will not bleed to save my life. No matter what i do I can not get any fluid to move at all in the rear circuit. i bench bled the master per the instructions, but all i get is no resistance at all. Im ready to strangle somebody. When i disconnected the drivers rear wheel brakeline there was plenty of clean fluid coming through, so i know its not clogged, and i was able to bleed the passenger rear wheel with the old master cylinder just fine, i just couldnt get any function out of that wheel cylinder either. so im ready to take this thing in somewhere with all my parts and see what they can do.

with the old MC i at least had reasonable enough brakes to limp it to a mechanic, but ugh. im not sure what else to do. i havent tried to bleed the front wheels yet, but im afraid to even try, i dont feel like throwing more time at this if its not going anywhere.

moved on to replacing my heat control cables, and of course the passenger side is blocked about 3" from the end at the heat exchanger. short of cutting the tube i have no idea what to do, i cant seem to push whatever the obstruction is out. i might try drilling a tiny hole in and attempting to knock or pry out whatever is stuck inside.


I never take my cars in anywhere, so this is very frustrating. i build my own engines, wire cars from scratch, but brakes are not my territory.


on the bright side my fuel gauge still works, just had a wonky connection.
_________________
73 super beetle thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=649622 Back on the Road!

Modify your Kadrons for SVDA http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8115884#8115884

Cast iron VJU4BR8 SVDA reference thread- https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

Need replacement filters for original Kadron aircleaners? WIX #42087 is a perfect fit, as is Napa Gold #2087!

[Lingwendil]

Well, got the rear drums off with the help of a friend and a couple 4# sledge hammers, yanking and tapping as we went. Got the drivers side done and back together. The wheel cylinder on that side was shredded internally and full of rusty crud. One of the adjusters was seized. New wheel cylinder and parking brake cable installed.

So, we got it back together , adjusted for heavy drag, and on the ground. Going to wait to do final torque on the axle nut once we get the parking brake back together. Moved on to the next side, and this happened...

So, waiting for the rain to die down a bit. Both adjuster stars are seized into the housing, so I'm going to try the torch to get them out later.
_________________
73 super beetle thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=649622 Back on the Road!

Modify your Kadrons for SVDA http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8115884#8115884

Cast iron VJU4BR8 SVDA reference thread- https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

Need replacement filters for original Kadron aircleaners? WIX #42087 is a perfect fit, as is Napa Gold #2087!

[Lingwendil]

Other side done. Bled the fronts, but the rears aren't getting any fluid through at all. I'm letting the rears open to gravity bleed for the next few hours, and will see what happens. I fear the line to the rear is blocked, or I need new soft lines.
_________________
73 super beetle thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=649622 Back on the Road!

Modify your Kadrons for SVDA http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8115884#8115884

Cast iron VJU4BR8 SVDA reference thread- https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

Need replacement filters for original Kadron aircleaners? WIX #42087 is a perfect fit, as is Napa Gold #2087!

[Lingwendil]

No new pics yet, but made some progress. Rear brakes will not bleed, but I'm thinking it's due to the line to the back being clogged, the tee, or collapsed rear hoses. Ordered hoses (it still has the originals!) And will be swapping those while I'm opening up the connections to the tee on Thursday.

But, I decided to put in new NGK plugs, 8mm Taylor Spiro-pro wires, and a spare compufire module. replaced the existing fuel hose to the carbs with hardline bent up and cinched down to the linkage bracket. Much safer and cleaner having just a few inches of hose at each carb, rather than a few feet draped over everything.

After all that, the thing idles super smooth, revs quickly! Still need to find my snail and sync them for real, but right now it idles like a fat Harley. not sure what cam I have but it doesn't seem to be exactly stock. Maybe I'll measure lift next time the rocker covers are off. Found that my breather on the passenger side air cleaner is welded shut inside the aircleaner, and to compensate the tube has holes drilled into it underneath near the bend. Awesome. I think I'm going to cut it off and bend up a new tube, and put a matching one on the other side for a breather box arrangement, having both cleaners tee into the box. Tube to each valve cover, and one to the box from the stock oil filler. Should be nice and clean looking.

Also planning to go junkyard diving for some ford TFI parts, but that's a later episode of our show, kids.

Once I get these brakes all together it's ready to go!
_________________
73 super beetle thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=649622 Back on the Road!

Modify your Kadrons for SVDA http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8115884#8115884

Cast iron VJU4BR8 SVDA reference thread- https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

Need replacement filters for original Kadron aircleaners? WIX #42087 is a perfect fit, as is Napa Gold #2087!

[Lingwendil]

Well, not that anyone seems to be interested, but...


Got the softlines in the rear replaced, and bled the system.

I've got brakes now!

My 61 Baja that I totalled several months ago had a set of disc brakes from CB on it, and man do I need to get used to drums again. I think a disc brake kit is in my future, especially considering this will be my daily driver in SF bay area traffic, often getting driven 90~200 miles a day, 5~6 days a week.

Car is running great, brakes are good, and all my electrical (other than my reverse lights, still need to run the wiring to the switch) is working properly, so I'm going to take it to work, leaving an hour or so early to take my time, and stop a few times to check everything out along the 77 miles to Mountain view.

I've got a bit of an oil leak, but I can't really tell where it's coming from with the sump in the way, I plan to drop the engine and replace the transaxle mounts (they seem really squishy, and the engine doesn't sit perfectly level as is) soon anyway, so I'll have a gasket set on hand to take care of anything I see while it's out.
_________________
73 super beetle thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=649622 Back on the Road!

Modify your Kadrons for SVDA http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8115884#8115884

Cast iron VJU4BR8 SVDA reference thread- https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

Need replacement filters for original Kadron aircleaners? WIX #42087 is a perfect fit, as is Napa Gold #2087!

[Lingwendil]

After driving it around without issue yesterday, the girl and I hop in to go get a haircut before work. Less than a block from home it stalls out about ten seconds after sitting at a stop sign, and turns over just fine, but fails to start or even catch.

I bust out my DMM, and find that my compufire module is working fine, but my negative terminal on the coil is giving me 7.5 Ohms to ground, even with no wires connected at all, so it appears that it is shorting out to the case internally... not getting spark at all currently, but ran excellent yesterday.

Ugh. Ordered a basic coil to swap in, and I'll deal with it tomorrow.
_________________
73 super beetle thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=649622 Back on the Road!

Modify your Kadrons for SVDA http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8115884#8115884

Cast iron VJU4BR8 SVDA reference thread- https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

Need replacement filters for original Kadron aircleaners? WIX #42087 is a perfect fit, as is Napa Gold #2087!