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Bulli Klinik
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Joined: January 16, 2005
Posts: 2235
Location: Bulli Klinik, Colorado Springs
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 Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2021 3:19 pm Post subject: Re: 1966 Ocressa Beetle |
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Thanks for all the interest in the car! Going back to five lug with the BRM’s is pretty much a done deal, though certainly not irreversible. I already have 4 wheel discs and the front end is pretty much completed. I understand that BRMs may be played out at this point in the vintage VW world, but I like the fact that the original versions were contemporary to the car and I like the aesthetic. Unfortunately, OG BRM’s aren’t in the budget. I do plan on running a vintage style tire on them. I’m not building a Cal Looker, though I dig that too. I’m keeping all the old stuff in case me or the next owner wants to put it back.
I did a bit more work on the car. I pulled the trans and noticed a couple of interesting things. First, the builder was some kind of mechanical masochist. Can you imagine installing the rear wheels with these wonky bolts, ball seat adapters and balancing four, loose wheel spacers?
These are the wheels:
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Bulli Klinik
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Bulli Klinik
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Joined: January 16, 2005
Posts: 2235
Location: Bulli Klinik, Colorado Springs
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| Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2021 3:22 pm Post subject: Re: 1966 Ocressa Beetle |
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A couple more modifications. Dual battery shut offs. I think one was for the independent, 2nd generator.
And a big bundle of mystery wire.
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Bulli Klinik
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Bulli Klinik
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Joined: January 16, 2005
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Location: Bulli Klinik, Colorado Springs
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| Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2021 3:25 pm Post subject: Re: 1966 Ocressa Beetle |
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I also noticed this while disconnecting the coupler.
I’m really not a Bug guy. What’s with this electrical connection ahead of the nose cone?
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Mike K
Bulli Klinik
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Bulli Klinik
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Joined: January 16, 2005
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Location: Bulli Klinik, Colorado Springs
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| Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2021 3:29 pm Post subject: Re: 1966 Ocressa Beetle |
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And a little bit of rust here and there.
The car clearly hasn’t had running boards for a long time. It sure about this schmeg in the rear section of the lower rocker. I’ll have to address this if running boards go back on.
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Mike K
Bulli Klinik
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Bulli Klinik
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Joined: January 16, 2005
Posts: 2235
Location: Bulli Klinik, Colorado Springs
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| Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2021 3:33 pm Post subject: Re: 1966 Ocressa Beetle |
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I also put her up on this little rack so I can wheel her around.
The next step is to do some deep cleaning of the trans and engine bay, get some parts on order to freshen things up and get it back on four wheels.
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Bulli Klinik
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Tom_Kathleen
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Joined: August 26, 2004
Posts: 938
Location: Vernon, CT
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| Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2021 4:25 pm Post subject: Re: 1966 Ocressa Beetle |
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The electrical connection ahead of the nose cone could be a home made back up light switch. Tom
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Iowa Mark
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Joined: May 06, 2004
Posts: 1078
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| Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2021 6:27 pm Post subject: Re: 1966 Ocressa Beetle |
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| That extra battery and all that wire under the seat, power for his camper trailer? I see there was a hitch in the first photos. |
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Big Bill
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Joined: June 21, 2005
Posts: 1814
Location: Fortuna Calif.
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| Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2021 7:25 am Post subject: Re: 1966 Ocressa Beetle |
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| Such a cool car, with all of the electrical "upgrades" I wonder if the original owner was maybe into Ham Radio and/or Civil Defense, that was a thing in the late 60s early 70s do you know what State the car was from when the original owner had it? They sometimes towed a small trailer with a lot of Radio gear to setup a mock Emergency Radio Station. It was a real big thing in the San Franisco Bay area... such a cool time capsule. |
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Bulli Klinik
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Joined: January 16, 2005
Posts: 2235
Location: Bulli Klinik, Colorado Springs
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| Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2021 8:09 am Post subject: Re: 1966 Ocressa Beetle |
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| Tom_Kathleen wrote: |
| The electrical connection ahead of the nose cone could be a home made back up light switch. Tom |
I thought the same thing, though I haven’t fully investigated. I’ll try to get more detailed pictures and trace the wires. I don’t recall ever seeing a backup light, just the rear fog light.
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Bulli Klinik
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Joined: January 16, 2005
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Location: Bulli Klinik, Colorado Springs
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| Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2021 8:11 am Post subject: Re: 1966 Ocressa Beetle |
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| Iowa Mark wrote: |
| That extra battery and all that wire under the seat, power for his camper trailer? I see there was a hitch in the first photos. |
That could be the case, especially with the shut offs. I always imagined this thing towing around an Eriba Puck or something similar.
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Bulli Klinik
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Joined: January 16, 2005
Posts: 2235
Location: Bulli Klinik, Colorado Springs
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| Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2021 8:24 am Post subject: Re: 1966 Ocressa Beetle |
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| Bulli Klinik wrote: |
| Big Bill wrote: |
| Such a cool car, with all of the electrical "upgrades" I wonder if the original owner was maybe into Ham Radio and/or Civil Defense, that was a thing in the late 60s early 70s do you know what State the car was from when the original owner had it? They sometimes towed a small trailer with a lot of Radio gear to setup a mock Emergency Radio Station. It was a real big thing in the San Franisco Bay area... such a cool time capsule. |
That’s an interesting idea and it wouldn’t surprise me. There is a large bracket under the dash which held some kind of radio and speakers scattered throughout the interior. It has a roof mount for a radio antenna, mercilessly installed right through the plastic trim for the sunroof handle. It also had a CB antenna base mounted on the rear bumper.
I’m not sure where the car spent it’s life, but it was bought by Rob in Denver in the early 90s. From what I understand, it was purchased from the OG owner.
Maybe he’d haul ass from Denver to the top of Loveland Pass, set up his gear and chat with his radio friends back in the Fatherland? Hell of a lot cheaper than international long distance back then. |
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67rustavenger
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Joined: February 24, 2015
Posts: 11517
Location: Oregon
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| Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2021 10:55 am Post subject: Re: 1966 Ocressa Beetle |
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| Bulli Klinik wrote: |
I also noticed this while disconnecting the coupler.
I’m really not a Bug guy. What’s with this electrical connection ahead of the nose cone? |
Never seen the connector like that on beetle.
But a guess would be a backup light switch. Some of the older cars had them installed as an after market item.
Have a backup light on the rear bumper?
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Ceckert64
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TomSimon
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Joined: January 13, 2004
Posts: 753
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| Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2021 10:04 am Post subject: Re: 1966 Ocressa Beetle |
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| 67rustavenger wrote: |
But a guess would be a backup light switch. Some of the older cars had them installed as an after market item.
Have a backup light on the rear bumper? |
Backup light switches were available by swapping in a latter nose cone (no one wants to do that), and a cool little rotary switch that is installed in-line with the speedometer cable, I've had those in a couple pre-'67 beetles.
I can't tell from the pic, but if it's a micro-switch with a leaf spring, intended to 'make' when the coupler is rotated into the furthest clockwise position (only reverse rotates that far) then it's for a backup light(s).
If the switch 'makes' at about mid-travel, and opens in the fore and aft locations, he could have made his own neutral safety switch, where contact is made only when the car is in neutral, but the starter disabled when in gear. I've never seen one, but though about making one when I was daily driving VW's, my ex-wife would often start in gear. Come to think of it, she'd drive with the parking brake on, park without setting the parking brake, leave the lights on (second battery?) lock keys in the car... but I digress. LOL!
Adding a second battery makes sense with a heavy electrical load, like SW AM radio, or absent minded forget to turn the light off.
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TomSimon
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| Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2021 10:42 am Post subject: Re: 1966 Ocressa Beetle |
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| 56samba wrote: |
It’s not going to be a Cal Looker. More of a Pikes Peak Hill Climb car of the era.
...I want the whole thing to be cohesive.
Any thoughts? |
If it were me, I'd try to keep as much of the early mods as possible. I'd crack open the engine asap, and come up with a plan around those Okrasa heads, hopefully it just needs a freshen up, valve job, rings, seal it up w/new seals and gaskets. I'd leave the dual oil system, maybe add a couple ball valves to the secondary hot weather oil cooling system.
As someone who daily commuted 100mi in traffic with these things in the early 1980's, I can tell you he went with 4 lug wheels because he (likely) got tired of adjusting his drum brakes and wanted hard stopping discs. Other than super rare Maico front 5 on 205mm discs, your only option was to use OE Ghia front discs. Having said that, I'm not a fan of the 4 lug wheels.
| 56samba wrote: |
| ... I wouldn't be surprised if you discover domed forged pistons and a full circle roller bearing crank inside the engine. |
Believe it or not, stoking these engines with a roller crank was reasonably cheap, compared to a welded or forged stroker plain bearing crank. You bought a crank and matching special machined set of main bearings, and you built from there. Quick revving roller cranks made sense unless you were drag or sand racing, where the violent shock would twist the multi-piece segments out of phase, turning it into a doorstop (same thing happens to 2-stroke jet ski engines when they get full of water, hydro lock twists the crank).
So far as I know, their were no rebuild parts available, so if a bunch of trash circulated through your engine, the internal rod bearing surfaces, rod pins and rollers got chewed up. The last time I talked to Ron at ProFOrmance, he still had a couple in his stash.
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Chickensoup
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Joined: January 06, 2018
Posts: 5395
Location: Good Hope, GA
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| Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2021 11:25 am Post subject: Re: 1966 Ocressa Beetle |
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If theres a roller crank in that beast... and if its not bent...   That would be soooo cool. And if theres a roller crank, then it most likely has porsche rods, and if it has porsche rods, then it probably has porsche pistons, and... you get the point |
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Rome
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Location: Pearl River, NY
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| Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2021 3:43 pm Post subject: Re: 1966 Ocressa Beetle |
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| Not necessarily Porsche rods... I realize that the 356's 1500 S engine in the mid 1950's had a Hirth roller crank which had "Porsche" rods. 74 mm stroke. VW aftermarket had SPG cranks with most likely their own rod design. Here's a shot of an SPG crank (Mango Juice gallery)- |
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Chickensoup
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Posts: 5395
Location: Good Hope, GA
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| Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2021 4:11 pm Post subject: Re: 1966 Ocressa Beetle |
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hey, i learned something new 
your right. the 36hp based porsche crank wont fit in his 40hp. |
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TomSimon
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Joined: January 13, 2004
Posts: 753
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| Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2021 3:25 am Post subject: Re: 1966 Ocressa Beetle |
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| chickensoup pt 2 wrote: |
| If there's a roller crank in that beast... and if its not bent... That would be soooo cool. And if there's a roller crank, then it most likely has Porsche rods... |
If I recall correctly, most T1 roller bearing cranks came with (1mm shorter than VW) Porsche length rods and 22mm pins.
Given all the other Okrasa parts, it could have an Okrasa T1 (plain bearing, counterweighted) crank in it, which in my opinion would be an even better score
We'll have to wait and see
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Bulli Klinik
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Joined: January 16, 2005
Posts: 2235
Location: Bulli Klinik, Colorado Springs
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| Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2021 8:06 am Post subject: Re: 1966 Ocressa Beetle |
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| 67rustavenger wrote: |
| Bulli Klinik wrote: |
I also noticed this while disconnecting the coupler.
I’m really not a Bug guy. What’s with this electrical connection ahead of the nose cone? |
Never seen the connector like that on beetle.
But a guess would be a backup light switch. Some of the older cars had them installed as an after market item.
Have a backup light on the rear bumper? |
There was never a back up light on the bumper since I’ve known the car. I just remembered that it does have a Jokon, accessory lens on the license plate light. I think those are used as a reverse light? I’ll need to trace some wiring.
Like this:
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Bulli Klinik
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