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Message |
aeroFlutter
Samba Member
Joined: August 06, 2017
Posts: 53
Location: Washington
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 Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2017 7:54 am Post subject: My '69 Squareback "Build" - 'Maz' |
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Hi everyone! I'm new to the forums and just picked up a solid '69 Squareback from my friend in Portland. It's got a 1905cc stroker with dual 34mm ICT's with about 5k-7k miles on the rebuild. Body is solid with no pan rust and everything is POR15'd. New interior trim panels, new carpet, recovered front seats. It's a great base for doing some more work and making her really shine!
Planning to do some body work at some point but for now she's a good solid daily.
I want to find some bumper overriders, a mesh windscreen visor, and possibly clear turn signals but we'll see. Might do a package tray in the front and some coco mats too. And there's little bits to repair/replace.
Current Issues:
- CV boot ripped
- Sloppy steering coupler
- 12V Coil is tired
- Minor rust around headlights
- Tie rod boot ripped
- Reverse lights not working
- Odometer is intermittent
- Speedo reads 5-10 mph high
- Engine lid insulation needs replacement
- Rear electric defrost is inop (not sure I care though)
- May need shocks replaced at some point soon?
Here are some quick pictures.
Looking forward to digging into her more in the very near future. I'm sure I'll also be asking tons of questions here. This is my first aircooled VW. 
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Dave
'69 Squareback
'16 Volvo V60 Polestar
'05 JCW MINI |
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Boogievan
Samba Member
Joined: October 15, 2007
Posts: 152
Location: Port Orchard, WA.
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| Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2017 12:14 pm Post subject: Re: My '69 Squareback "Build" - 'Maz' |
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I remember seeing that for sale on the ol craiglist (or it might have been here on the samba...) a little while back.
The bright red Rivieras are pretty distinct, hard to miss those!
Looks good, gotcha a nice Square. |
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Bobnotch
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2003
Posts: 23502
Location: Kimball, Mi
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| Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2017 1:44 pm Post subject: Re: My '69 Squareback "Build" - 'Maz' |
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| aeroFlutter wrote: |
Hi everyone! I'm new to the forums and just picked up a solid '69 Squareback from my friend in Portland.
And there's little bits to repair/replace.
Current Issues:
- CV boot ripped
- Sloppy steering coupler
- 12V Coil is tired
- Minor rust around headlights
- Tie rod boot ripped
- Reverse lights not working
- Odometer is intermittent
- Speedo reads 5-10 mph high
- Engine lid insulation needs replacement
- Rear electric defrost is inop (not sure I care though)
- May need shocks replaced at some point soon?
I'm sure I'll also be asking tons of questions here. This is my first aircooled VW.
================================
Dave
'69 Squareback
'16 Volvo V60 Polestar
'05 JCW MINI |
The CV boot is a messy job, but not too hard. You'll need an 8mm XZN socket to remove the CV joint bolts.
Check the coupler over good, as it might not be cloth reinforced. It's 4 bolts (and nuts) to change it. Use a cloth reinforced 1 to replace it. Stay away from the urethane ones.
How do you know the coil is tired?
Rust repair work sucks.
Replace the tie rod completely, as you don't know how much grease has leaked out.
This could be several things. The power wire is off the coil, the wires are off the switch on the trans, the lights need a good ground, the bulbs are burned out, the reverse switch is bad, etc...
This is kind of common. The gear is slipping on the shaft, not recording the miles.
The speedo being off is related to your smaller front tire size.
Do a search on replacing the insulation. Lee did a nice write up as have several others.
The rear defrost is most likely dead, as most of them are by now. You can get a JC Whitney stick on grid to try and get the glass clear again, but it'll eventually fail as well.
Bounce the car on each corner. If it bounces more than 3 times for each push down, then they are worn out.
I hope this helps.
Nice car you have there.
_________________
Bob 65 Notch S with Sunroof
71 Notch ...aka Krunchy; build pics here;
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=249390 -been busy working
64 T-34 Ghia...aka Wolfie, under construction... http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=412120
| Tram wrote: |
| "Friends are God's way of apologizing for relatives." |
| Tram wrote: |
| People keep confusing "restored" and "restroyed". |
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aeroFlutter
Samba Member
Joined: August 06, 2017
Posts: 53
Location: Washington
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| Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 8:33 am Post subject: Re: My '69 Squareback "Build" - 'Maz' |
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| Bobnotch wrote: |
The CV boot is a messy job, but not too hard. You'll need an 8mm XZN socket to remove the CV joint bolts.
Check the coupler over good, as it might not be cloth reinforced. It's 4 bolts (and nuts) to change it. Use a cloth reinforced 1 to replace it. Stay away from the urethane ones.
How do you know the coil is tired?
Rust repair work sucks.
Replace the tie rod completely, as you don't know how much grease has leaked out.
This could be several things. The power wire is off the coil, the wires are off the switch on the trans, the lights need a good ground, the bulbs are burned out, the reverse switch is bad, etc...
This is kind of common. The gear is slipping on the shaft, not recording the miles.
The speedo being off is related to your smaller front tire size.
Do a search on replacing the insulation. Lee did a nice write up as have several others.
The rear defrost is most likely dead, as most of them are by now. You can get a JC Whitney stick on grid to try and get the glass clear again, but it'll eventually fail as well.
Bounce the car on each corner. If it bounces more than 3 times for each push down, then they are worn out.
I hope this helps.
Nice car you have there. |
Thanks for the great tips, Bob! A couple questions for you.
1) What's wrong with the urethane couplers? I've seen people warning away from those but I'm not sure why. Most of the time, urethane is seen as an upgrade. Also, I've had trouble finding one of the rag joints. Any source suggestions?
2) Have you had any experience with the MAM Jack Plate? Is it worth picking up? I want to put the car on jack-stands but I don't have a jack that will reach far enough to the center of the rear torsion beam to allow room to put stands under the spring plate. Hoping this jack plate is the answer. I could also get one of these: https://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-low-profilelon...68050.html
3) Just started to do my first oil change last night and ran into issues. The last oil change, someone had apparently glued the paper gasket to the oil drain cover plate. I'm soaking it in mineral spirits to try and loosen it up. Any other thoughts on how to get it off. Also considering going to a billet oil drain cover.
4) For the CV's, I'm considering just grabbing to new whole shaft assemblies and swapping those in versus doing a boot kit. Thoughts?
Thanks for the great help!
================================
Dave
'69 Squareback
'16 Volvo V60 Polestar
'05 JCW MINI |
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OhHerrooo
Samba Member
Joined: September 12, 2010
Posts: 1291
Location: Costa Mesa, CA
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aeroFlutter
Samba Member
Joined: August 06, 2017
Posts: 53
Location: Washington
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| Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 10:23 am Post subject: Re: My '69 Squareback "Build" - 'Maz' |
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| OhHerrooo wrote: |
Nice car! I had a similar motor/carb setup on my 68. Do yourself a favor and throw some bigger carbs on there. The thing will scream  |
Already saving for dual 40mm IDF's from CB Performance. Hoping to have those in sometime over this winter.
_________________
Dave
'59 Single Cab
'69 Squareback
'16 Volvo V60 Polestar
'05 JCW MINI |
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OhHerrooo
Samba Member
Joined: September 12, 2010
Posts: 1291
Location: Costa Mesa, CA
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| Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 10:44 am Post subject: Re: My '69 Squareback "Build" - 'Maz' |
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| aeroFlutter wrote: |
| OhHerrooo wrote: |
| Nice car! I had a similar motor/carb setup on my 68. Do yourself a favor and throw some bigger carbs on there. The thing will scream |
Already saving for dual 40mm IDF's from CB Performance. Hoping to have those in sometime over this winter. |
That's what I ran on mine! The CB Performance under the decklid kit works very well. And the car was super fast 
_________________
'67 Squareback
'69 Squareback
'68 Westfalia
'68 Squareback
OCT3 - Orange County Type 3's
www.evenkeelsurfshapes.com |
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Bobnotch
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2003
Posts: 23502
Location: Kimball, Mi
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| Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 12:18 pm Post subject: Re: My '69 Squareback "Build" - 'Maz' |
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| aeroFlutter wrote: |
| Bobnotch wrote: |
The CV boot is a messy job, but not too hard. You'll need an 8mm XZN socket to remove the CV joint bolts.
Check the coupler over good, as it might not be cloth reinforced. It's 4 bolts (and nuts) to change it. Use a cloth reinforced 1 to replace it. Stay away from the urethane ones.
How do you know the coil is tired?
Rust repair work sucks.
Replace the tie rod completely, as you don't know how much grease has leaked out.
This could be several things. The power wire is off the coil, the wires are off the switch on the trans, the lights need a good ground, the bulbs are burned out, the reverse switch is bad, etc...
This is kind of common. The gear is slipping on the shaft, not recording the miles.
The speedo being off is related to your smaller front tire size.
Do a search on replacing the insulation. Lee did a nice write up as have several others.
The rear defrost is most likely dead, as most of them are by now. You can get a JC Whitney stick on grid to try and get the glass clear again, but it'll eventually fail as well.
Bounce the car on each corner. If it bounces more than 3 times for each push down, then they are worn out.
I hope this helps.
Nice car you have there. |
Thanks for the great tips, Bob! A couple questions for you.
1) What's wrong with the urethane couplers? I've seen people warning away from those but I'm not sure why. Most of the time, urethane is seen as an upgrade. Also, I've had trouble finding one of the rag joints. Any source suggestions?
2) Have you had any experience with the MAM Jack Plate? Is it worth picking up? I want to put the car on jack-stands but I don't have a jack that will reach far enough to the center of the rear torsion beam to allow room to put stands under the spring plate. Hoping this jack plate is the answer. I could also get one of these: https://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-low-profilelon...68050.html
3) Just started to do my first oil change last night and ran into issues. The last oil change, someone had apparently glued the paper gasket to the oil drain cover plate. I'm soaking it in mineral spirits to try and loosen it up. Any other thoughts on how to get it off. Also considering going to a billet oil drain cover.
4) For the CV's, I'm considering just grabbing to new whole shaft assemblies and swapping those in versus doing a boot kit. Thoughts?
Thanks for the great help!
================================
Dave
'69 Squareback
'16 Volvo V60 Polestar
'05 JCW MINI |
The deal with urethane couplers is that they break. They crack, then break, and then they're sheared off, leaving you with NO steering. At least with the cloth reinforced rubber, it'll crack, the break, but the cloth will hold together so you can still drive it until it's replaced.
No experience with the MAM jack plate. I normally put the jack under the spring plate/torsion bar housing and jack the car up, putting my stands under the torsion beam tube.
Wire wheel? 90* sander with a scuff pad on it that they sell at HF?
That'll be fine. If you have a MT, you can use bug axles. If you have AT, then you'll have to replace the boot, clean up the CV joint and regrease it.
_________________
Bob 65 Notch S with Sunroof
71 Notch ...aka Krunchy; build pics here;
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=249390 -been busy working
64 T-34 Ghia...aka Wolfie, under construction... http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=412120
| Tram wrote: |
| "Friends are God's way of apologizing for relatives." |
| Tram wrote: |
| People keep confusing "restored" and "restroyed". |
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Donnie strickland
Samba Member
Joined: December 21, 2009
Posts: 2400
Location: Moody, AL
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| Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 7:33 pm Post subject: Re: My '69 Squareback "Build" - 'Maz' |
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Rockauto has complete new CV shafts for automatics, left and right side, in stock. That's what I've been running in mine for over 25,000 miles now.
_________________
71 Elm Green FI A/T Squareback |
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aeroFlutter
Samba Member
Joined: August 06, 2017
Posts: 53
Location: Washington
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| Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 10:00 pm Post subject: Re: My '69 Squareback "Build" - 'Maz' |
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| Donnie strickland wrote: |
| Rockauto has complete new CV shafts for automatics, left and right side, in stock. That's what I've been running in mine for over 25,000 miles now. |
I've been considering the. Duralast ones from Autozone. I've read a bunch of threads on here and there seem to be really mixed views on what to do when sourcing new CV axles. Some people swear by the Duralast whereas others are preaching to rebuild Lobro's. I don't even know what's in the car now but I can't imagine I'll drive it hard enough to warrant some special axle.
_________________
Dave
'59 Single Cab
'69 Squareback
'16 Volvo V60 Polestar
'05 JCW MINI |
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Donnie strickland
Samba Member
Joined: December 21, 2009
Posts: 2400
Location: Moody, AL
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| Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2017 3:53 am Post subject: Re: My '69 Squareback "Build" - 'Maz' |
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Are the Duralast shafts remanufactured?
The ones I'm using are brand new.
_________________
71 Elm Green FI A/T Squareback |
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aeroFlutter
Samba Member
Joined: August 06, 2017
Posts: 53
Location: Washington
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| Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2017 6:58 am Post subject: Re: My '69 Squareback "Build" - 'Maz' |
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| Donnie strickland wrote: |
Are the Duralast shafts remanufactured?
The ones I'm using are brand new. |
I think they are. Some people here on The Samba were saying that they preferred the reman's due to something about the heat treat process on existing axles that are out in the field versus new ones. Not sure what to think on that. Also, I checked out RockAuto's website but couldn't find the shafts on it for a MT.
_________________
Dave
'59 Single Cab
'69 Squareback
'16 Volvo V60 Polestar
'05 JCW MINI |
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Donnie strickland
Samba Member
Joined: December 21, 2009
Posts: 2400
Location: Moody, AL
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aeroFlutter
Samba Member
Joined: August 06, 2017
Posts: 53
Location: Washington
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| Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2017 8:46 am Post subject: Re: My '69 Squareback "Build" - 'Maz' |
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Did my first oil change this week. Used the FelPro gasket kit from O'Reilly Auto with some Valvoline 10W-30 fill synthetic. Oil screen was nice and clean and no leaks after the oil change! Also picked up a Fast-Fab billet aluminum oil drain plate for the next oil change. Just a little dress up for engine.
_________________
Dave
'59 Single Cab
'69 Squareback
'16 Volvo V60 Polestar
'05 JCW MINI |
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aeroFlutter
Samba Member
Joined: August 06, 2017
Posts: 53
Location: Washington
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| Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2018 6:34 pm Post subject: Re: My '69 Squareback "Build" - 'Maz' |
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Ordered a bunch of parts for Maz last night. Been so busy driving her that I haven't had time to work on her. Now that it's winter in the PNW, I'm going to put a couple weekends in getting her spiffed up for 2018!
Also, anyone have any idea if these will fit with the EMPI eyelids installed?
Type 3 Mesh Headlight Grill
_________________
Dave
'59 Single Cab
'69 Squareback
'16 Volvo V60 Polestar
'05 JCW MINI |
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aeroFlutter
Samba Member
Joined: August 06, 2017
Posts: 53
Location: Washington
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aeroFlutter
Samba Member
Joined: August 06, 2017
Posts: 53
Location: Washington
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| Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2018 11:36 pm Post subject: Re: My '69 Squareback "Build" - 'Maz' |
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So my doors and rocker panels aren't drilled for chrome trim. Anyone ever try mounting that trim using VHB tape? Id prefer to not drill into the doors or rockers but I'd like to put the trim on.
_________________
Dave
'59 Single Cab
'69 Squareback
'16 Volvo V60 Polestar
'05 JCW MINI |
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ataraxia
Samba Member
Joined: March 19, 2010
Posts: 4511
Location: Illinois
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| Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2018 11:11 am Post subject: Re: My '69 Squareback "Build" - 'Maz' |
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| Did you check the back side of the front fenders to confirm? There was a period where people were filling the holes with bondo to eliminate the trim. You can usually find the bondo worm that's attached to the back side. |
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aeroFlutter
Samba Member
Joined: August 06, 2017
Posts: 53
Location: Washington
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| Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2018 11:12 pm Post subject: Re: My '69 Squareback "Build" - 'Maz' |
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| ataraxia wrote: |
| Did you check the back side of the front fenders to confirm? There was a period where people were filling the holes with bondo to eliminate the trim. You can usually find the bondo worm that's attached to the back side. |
Interesting! Ill have a look and see if thats the case. Thanks!
Edit: Looked closer and it's exactly what ataraxia mentioned. Holes were filled at some point. I'll deal with that when I finally decide to paint her.
_________________
Dave
'59 Single Cab
'69 Squareback
'16 Volvo V60 Polestar
'05 JCW MINI |
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aeroFlutter
Samba Member
Joined: August 06, 2017
Posts: 53
Location: Washington
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| Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2018 9:34 am Post subject: Re: My '69 Squareback "Build" - 'Maz' |
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Latest news!!!
I ordered engine parts from CB Performance last night. Should be a nice upgrade.
CB Panchito 044 Heads
CB 1.25:1 Ratio Racing Rocker Arm Kit
CB Racing Pushrod Tubes and Seals
CB 40mm IDF Carb Kit
Compu-Fire 009 Distributor Upgrade
Hoping they will be here in 2-3 weeks and then I can get to work installing the upgrades. I'll definitely be asking questions along the way I'm sure.
Also getting ready to order some Coco Mats from CocoMats.com and one of the Black Mamba shifters from Vintage Speed.
I replaced the leaking axle seal and the tie rod. The steering coupler turned out to be fine. Got new CV axles ready to install after the engine work. The goal is to have her back together and on the road by middle of May.
_________________
Dave
'59 Single Cab
'69 Squareback
'16 Volvo V60 Polestar
'05 JCW MINI |
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