Buggeee's 1972 Super Beetle

[Buggeee]

1972 Super Beetle rat that came home in a whole lotta pieces. I decided I'm going to put it all together and try to make it run. Then I can refinish one part here and another part there as weekends permit. Can't wait for the spring! Its a California car and I have never had a bug worth dotting on before. When I was a kid I was buggin' in rust buckets. Haven't had one in more than 30 years. Fell off of the wagon here when I saw the pans. One man's trash... another man's treasure.

Here is what I'm starting with:

[wmp100]

Looks like a great start, good luck!

[bbarbulo]

i counted, it all looks to be there

actually, that's a really nice project. look forward to this coming together

[DeathTrap]

Something's missing

[vamram]

Find some old American car orange engine enamel in rattle cans and bring it back to orange. Get an original fan shroud and engine tins, ditch the chrome crap. Just my 2 cents, but this should be a fun build!
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"Men are qualified for civil liberty in exact proportion to their disposition to put moral chains upon their own appetites. -Edmund Burke
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!!

[vernonc]

Just like they say with some kids Christmas presents..........'some assembly required'.

Have fun, enjoy and, please, keep us posted.

mort
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"Those who don't read newspapers are un-informed. Those who do read newspapers are mis-informed." Will Rogers

'69 sedan, low mileage, all original.....currently being 'freshened-up' for road trips and daily driving...just not every day

Freshening-up link http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=617386

[Otan]

looks solid, fun project

[joey1320]

Nice project.
I'm in North Olmsted if you need some help.

Planning a Spring/Summer VW meet. If interested PM me
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1971 Super - Sold
1984 Puma GTC - Sold
1971 Campmobile

[Buggeee]

So here are some pics of the suspension. From browsing pictures in the forums my guess is Topline lowering kit. It has lowering struts, strut tower brace, big anti-sway bar, disk brakes and all the rubber bushings and what not are new and red. Braided stainless brake lines. Oh... and the tie-rods are flipped. Totally cool. The rear has a new big anti-sway bar and red bushings too. The rear is almost on the bump stop on the driver side and definitely on the bump stop on the passenger side. What gives with that! Could it have been dropped an extra spline on that side? would a slight slant in my driveway do that? Anyway... the pics:

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Big Time 1988 Vanagon Westy
Release the Krankenwagen! 1966 Sportsmobile Camper
Dr. Kompressor 72 Super Duper
61 Turkis Pile (adopted out)

[Buggeee]

Put the four fenders on the body with the fender bolt kit I got from Wagen Werks. Dang this thing really is low. Totally impractical. Totally fun.

Put the running boards on with the bolt kit from Wagen Werks

Just set the hood there for a quick pic. Here's how it sits. Gonna need smaller tires.

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Big Time 1988 Vanagon Westy
Release the Krankenwagen! 1966 Sportsmobile Camper
Dr. Kompressor 72 Super Duper
61 Turkis Pile (adopted out)

[Buggeee]

Today we put in some old German popout windows I found on Craigslist last month. I have new seals and hinge covers from Wagen Werks but I'm saving those for when I disassemble for paint and put in a headliner (dream big!). I really dig these.

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Big Time 1988 Vanagon Westy
Release the Krankenwagen! 1966 Sportsmobile Camper
Dr. Kompressor 72 Super Duper
61 Turkis Pile (adopted out)

[Buggeee]

[Buggeee]

Popped in the rear window with some chewed up Cal-look rubber (the new rubber and American chrome strip stay in the box until the window comes back out for paint time). My son and I handled it quickly with the Chris Vallone You Tube trick using a weed wacker string and some Windex. Thank you Chris!

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Big Time 1988 Vanagon Westy
Release the Krankenwagen! 1966 Sportsmobile Camper
Dr. Kompressor 72 Super Duper
61 Turkis Pile (adopted out)

[Buggeee]

Ditched "the chrome crap" as eloquently phrased by Vanram. The firewall dress up kit in this instance had consisted of a louvered aluminum sheet (cool imho for the right era hot rod)... and then there was the plastic bathroom mirror material, a piece of wood paint stirrer and ample foaming glue. I'll have to be in the right place in my mind when I sit down to scrape out that glue. Glad I got back there because there's a fair amount of bare metal too. Looks better already. Fresh tar board in this bug's future I think.

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Big Time 1988 Vanagon Westy
Release the Krankenwagen! 1966 Sportsmobile Camper
Dr. Kompressor 72 Super Duper
61 Turkis Pile (adopted out)

[Ceezer]

I'm digging that stance! I know it's not typical for VW, but those pictures (with the hood & fenders) are just screaming for a hot rod flame lick!
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Semper Fidelis
Compos Mentis

Southern Integrity Aircoolers

[Buggeee]

[joey1320]

That stance is exactly what I would like to do on my '71. Looks great.
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1971 Super - Sold
1984 Puma GTC - Sold
1971 Campmobile

[Buggeee]

Well the warm spell this weekend that allowed us to get some windows in is over. Its freezing out there again. Thanks to the help of a neighborly neighbor the engine stuff is parked in my basement now... where it is warm!

Can't resist setting some stuff in place to see whats here. Uh Oh. Looks like I'll be looking for some OEM tin pieces after all. There is more than is pictured but the neato hand formed aluminum cylinder tins (signed underneath) are not a good mate to the other stuff and don't seem to have the right tabs, etc. They'd probably be great on a rail buggy or something. I want to seal up that compartment though.

...OK. I stared at tin pieces in diagrams and web stores for a while and I think I found all the tin pieces I need to complete this at CIP1.com We'll see when the box arrives.

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Big Time 1988 Vanagon Westy
Release the Krankenwagen! 1966 Sportsmobile Camper
Dr. Kompressor 72 Super Duper
61 Turkis Pile (adopted out)

[Buggeee]

So I pulled the spark plugs out and the rocker arms too. I could turn it over part of the way and back again. But not all the way around. Heard a scraping sound in one spot too. I'm in trouble here. But how bad?

End play. People always talk about that. In fact, just the other week I was showing off pictures on my phone to a guy I know with a bug and he says "hows the end play, have you checked the end play?" Um... not so much yet really.

So I check it, and of course there is some. 0.05 by my digital caliper from the $3.00 bin at Harbor Freight, which is not the correct way. But I get that reading in a few spots. 0.050. Not 0.005. I have 0.050 worth of Harbor Freight end play. I'm feeling a bit sick. I am a John Muir Idiot book guy, not a machinist. I feel my bowels gurgle when I just think about cracking into the case.

So... lets take a head off.

Here we go. I guess I'm going to get to know this motor a bit more intimately than I really wanted to.

So I pull the other head off and one of the jugs is stuck in it, really stuck. Here's my great idea - get out the huge screw driver. Like I said... idiot. Here's a picture of my jug with the first row of fins broke off.

I guess it will be new jugs and stuff rather than a simple honing and rings...

O.K. well at least the sick feeling is gone now. I'm all in. Do not exit until the ride comes to a complete stop!

So I could use a little advice If you have a minute. Here are the heads.

Oh!!! The scraping sound. Don't let me forget that. It wasn't the rusty cylinder. No it wasn't that at all. After I had pulled the jugs it still made the scraping sound. So I got out a flashlight and peered into the chasm of death... here is what I saw:

See that!? Look again. Zoom in if you would. In the first picture the left lobe of the crank for cylinder number whatever is not touching the crankcase. Then I pull on the flywheel to open the end play and now... now the left lobe of the crank for cylinder number whatever IS touching the crankcase. Oh boy. That can't be good. That is the scraping sound. I've read some threads and articles that are basically telling guys like me with end play like this to throw this away because the thrust bearing must be "spun" or smashed into the magnesium case too far or other problems in this parade of horribles. But I don't want to throw this away. Do I have to? This is a bug motor after all. Can't we save them all?

Maybe tomorrow or this weekend I'll crack the case open and see what all is in there anyway.

In the meantime. Do you think I should have removed the flywheel before I got to this point? What can I do to keep the crank from turning without breaking more things while I loosen the nut? Buggin. Now I remember.

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Big Time 1988 Vanagon Westy
Release the Krankenwagen! 1966 Sportsmobile Camper
Dr. Kompressor 72 Super Duper
61 Turkis Pile (adopted out)

[calvinater]

Get a flywheel lock with your cip1 order . An orange bently manual , you should be good to go. No More prying with screw drivers when you split the case!! Many threads on engine tear down go slow. Search is your friend , most of all have fun.
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"Albatross"!