Ty's '70 Bug Build

[ty151]

Bought myself this 70 standard bug a few months back from a guy locally. I've always wanted a bug and was looking for a good project, but not a full on restoration. I want something I can work on each week, but also be able to take it out for a drive on the weekends. I also wanted to build something that I liked and it will never be a show car, so don't expect that

Here's how it looked when I picked it up:

And here it is on a drive the day after I bought it:

[ty151]

The PO rebuilt the 1600 motor and slapped new tires on it just before he sold it so that was good. The exterior paint is pretty bad, it looks good from far, but is far from good

It looks to be a mix of rattle can and a bad Maaco job. It appears to have two or three different coats on top, ranging from yellow, brown, red, and the OG which looks to be beige. Body is in fair shape, but rear fenders need to be replaced and it has its fair share of dents and scratches. Only rust I have found on the outside is just in front of the top door hinge on the passenger side. It’s a circle about the size of a baseball and the PO used some rust preventive stuff to try to keep it from spreading.

All emblems and molding were missing and hub caps were in pretty bad shape. Bumpers were included, but were mostly rust.

The interior was in bad shape. Headliner was dirty and ripped is several places. Carpet was ripped out for the most part, with exception of the firewall and heater channels. All window seals were shrunk up and cracked. Seat upholstery is in OK shape, with some wear and tear.

First order of business was to rip out the interior and start assessing rust and any other issues. Will continue to update, as I started this thread a few months into my project!

[joey1320]

I like the looks of it. Seems like a perfect starting point. Any pics of the engine?
_________________
**1971 Super Project
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

[Rome]

Ahh, Point Mugu along PCH north of Malibu. Did you ever slip thru the fence and walk along the remnants of the original roadbed that went around the cliff? Only when it started to collapse was the huge V-shaped notch blasted out of the rock for the current road.

You did well to buy a Beetle that "still runs" and can work on incrementally rather than a basket case that will take a year to assemble. Black color in the SoCal sun will make for hot drives in the summer...

[ty151]

[ty151]

[joey1320]

[Q-Dog]

I have no idea who started this mess about heat causing rust in the heater channels. Heat will dry them out.
_________________
Brian

'69 Dune Buggy
'69 Beetle Convertible
'70 Beetle

[ty151]

Thanks for the info Joey, all this stuff is fairly new to me as you can probably tell.

What’s the best solution to getting everything covered up? Do they sell parts for that?

I will get the coil flipped around and mounted correctly.

And for the oil filler, is it the black container with silver cap?

Oh, and where should the fuel filter be? Sorry for the questions, I’m learning most of this now

Thanks again for the help[/quote]

[ty151]

[Q-Dog]

[joey1320]

[ty151]

[Chris333]

That tin piece bolts on to your engine and the 2 small bolts are behind the crank pulley. The crank pulley has to come off to put it on.

Just letting you know.

[joey1320]

[ty151]

Ok, thank you. And excuse my lack of knowledge, but what does rotating the generator do exactly?

[joey1320]

[ty151]

Sweet! Thanks for you the help, I will take a look at it tonight and post pics once I get it dialed in.

[scdevon]

Nice Bug. The missing engine tin should be job #1. The engine will overheat badly like that. Just remember that sealing out the hot underside air from the top side of these engines is extremely important including the rubber engine bay seals.

These are easy problems to fix. Nice driver. Enjoy!
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1970 Beetle 1600 DP

[Rome]

ty, when you rotate your generator and backing plate 1/4 turn CW, 3 more things to note:
1. the clamp metal strap for the generator has a few formed kinks in it which conform to the generator stand on which the generator is mounted. In the photo below it appears as though the clamp bolt is located directly over to the left at the "9:00" position. If you want to orient the strap correctly, you simply rotate it so that the clamp is approx. at the "3:00" position. Just unscrew the bolt most of the way so that there is some slack in the strap, then rotate it CW. The strap contacts the underside of the generator stand which is what holds the generator down firmly. You don't have to remove the nut from the bolt. The nut and bolt wrench size should be 13mm, a very common size on many bolts on the Beetle (fenders, bumper brackets, engine case perimeter).

2. The 4 screws that hold the generator backing plate to the fan shroud don't need to be gorilla-tight, just tighten until they seat fully and give it another minor twist. The screws are the same general kind as those that hold the rear cooling tin breast plate (with the exposed round cooling holes you need to patch closed) to your engine. Refer to my note below on the screws. To get to the bottom 2 of the backing plate screws you need a long-handle screwdriver.

3. On your generator, you have a semi-round plastic cover on the right upper housing section to the right of the 2 wire connections. That cover needs to be unsnapped and relocated to the exposed slot to the LEFT of the wire connections. Remove the cover before you rotate the generator. Snap it onto the exposed slot (which will be be oriented to the right once the gen is repositioned) after you've rotated the gen.

Note that the left slot gives access to the generator brushes, which are a maintenance item. If your left warning night in the bottom of the speedometer dimly glows red when the engine is running, this could be a source of the problem. There's a 2nd brush diagonally opposite the generator shaft which is not as easy to view and access. But that's a topic which you can search here on theSamba for close-up photos and replacement tips.

When you get ready to install that missing engine cooling tin piece that sits directly behind and under the crank pulley, you need to order the correct screws. The ones shown here, sold by nearly all VW parts vendors, are generically known as "cheese head" because the shape of the head resembles the large wheels of bulk cheese you see in the deli. The screws have a captive washer under the screw head. More importantly, the bottom of the threads have a notch cut in them. The notch serves to clean out the threads of the screw holes/nuts, as well as being able to gently start the screw in the hole if the nut in the adjacent engine tin piece is not fully lined up. As you start to tighten the screw, it tends to self-align with the adjacent piece of the engine tin so that the screw ends up going in straight with easy effort. Never cross-thread these screws! http://www.cbperformance.com/product-p/2156.htm

Also, it appears as though the numbers along the outer edge of your crank pulley have worn off. With no numbers visible, it is not easy to set the ignition timing. Best to replace the pulley with a decent aftermarket version that has the numbers easily visible, such as this one. Better quality pulleys have the timing marks at every degree; cheapos have them at every 2nd degree. Use the original pulley nut and washer which you already have. Then check your fan belt tension. http://www.cbperformance.com/product-p/1895.htm