Field find 1954 Canadian custom

[VW_Jimbo]

[sunroof]

A few things to report here... I fixed the push rod tube, cleaned all the fabric out of the engine and began reassembling it to go back into the car. I got to the last exhaust bolt and the nut just sat and spun. Dammit! The exhaust stud was stripped. How did I not notice this before.

I spent a good 4 hours trying to get the stud out without having to take everything back apart. No dice. I welded a big blob on to it and managed to turn it out a couple of turns before it snapped. All was not lost; there was still enough to weld a nut on which I did. I got another turn out of it before the nut snapped off. Three nuts later and I was down to a couple of mm of stud left. Everything comes apart again and off to the machine shop. Two hours and $200 later the job is done and the engine can go back together.

I slid it under the car and took a break to go for a bike ride and clear my head for the reinsertion tonight.

Don
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Better and better mistakes!

[VW_Jimbo]

I feel your pain! Sorry man.

You must have read my tag line. Sometimes I go 3 or 4 times!! Don’t do that!!!
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Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[sunroof]

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ozdJNMu4cEw

Don
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Better and better mistakes!

[tehillah1]

What a sweet tune she's singin'...Makes me look forward to the day I've got the ol 55 back on the road. Great work Don.

[sunroof]

Last night I left the car out and this AM it rained so now I know how the car would look if I clear coated it glossy. I think I'll leave it.

Some friends held a car show today so I entered. This was taken early but I hear the total was around a hundred cars.

Still, I managed to bring home some hardware. Runner up peoples choice award for beetles. The winner was a '58 deluxe sunroof car that was patina like mine but dropped with alloys etc.

Hardware:

BTW I am still sorting this car out. It steers like it has a seized king pin and it drives like it has a vacuum leak. Also the clutch cable is about an inch too short. It is at the very end of its adjustment but still a little too tight. How can this happen? It is the cable that came with the car. These things will be looked at soon.

In 43 years of building old beetles this car holds the record for not wanting to be a car, it is throwing everything at me but I'm gonna win this fight. (I hope)

Don
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[sunroof]

So here's a funny one: When I started driving the car the shifter was canted slightly to the passenger side and it didn't like to shift into first. So odd. Tonight I unbolted the shifter holder, turned it 180 degrees and bolted it back down. Low and behold the shifter now sits straight and shifts easily into first. Who knew that the shifter holder has a direction?

Don
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Better and better mistakes!

[tehillah1]

[VW_Jimbo]

Nice job! I like the shiny look on that old patina and copper weld through.
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Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[sunroof]

So here's a couple of posers. The car is starting to drive like a car and not just a collection of parts. I think it has finally resigned itself to the fact that it is now a car and not just yard art. Anyways, there are 2 issues to resolve: The steering is very stiff, like 1968 Ford custom with standard steering stiff and the clutch cable is an inch too short. The steering? I dunno. I thought it was a seized king pin at first but they are both completely free. Then I thought it was tight tie rod ends so I swapped in the old ones. Nope. Then I thought the steering box was too tight so I loosened the sector hold down screw, nope. Then the worm bearing, again nope. All they did was to make a dead spot in the middle. So that is all I can think of for that.

The short clutch cable? I got nothing. Original cable to the car, too short. WTF.

Other than that it is running and driving very nicely. I have taken it on the highway up to 65 MPH and it has very good manners, a little LOUD but other than that.

Don
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Better and better mistakes!

[VW_Jimbo]

[scotty timmerman]

The clutch arm on the transmission is just clamped on using a bolt. this bolt can be loosened and will allow the arm to rotate. Rotate it to a position that the cable can reach.
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71 ghia coupe: Build thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=511738&highlight=
71 type 3 fastback auto
71 type 3 fastback manual
73 super beetle
57 oval: build thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8616563#8616563
63 beetle reassembly: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7458619#7458619
2332cc engine build: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8608429&highlight=#8608429
84 vanagon westfalia wolfsburg edition

[sunroof]

Driving the old girl daily now, getting used to her. I've had her on the highway a couple of times including today's trip to Oil Mart to buy some Lucas oil for old motors. Oil Mart is on route 90 here in Winnipeg which is where all the semis come into town so I was on the highway with all the big rigs coming into the city. I felt very small but when one is a mouse among elephants...

Anyways:

This happened so I'm going to have to seal that up.

OTOH I have been caught in the rain a couple of times and I must say kudos to Wolfsburg West for making wipers that actually work. I have had a lot of repro wiper blades over the years but this is the first time I've had a set that actually does what they are supposed to. Long ago I could buy wipers from the dealership but those days are gone. I should have bought out their whole stock they were that good.

Also I decided I needed a 12 volt supply in the cockpit. Someone had cut a hole in the dash for a lighter so I took advantage of that. It was a little small for what I wanted to do so I got out one of my chassis punches and made the hole a little bigger.

30 years ago or so I made a little boost regulator using the LM2577-ADJ to make 6 volts into 12.5 for another beetle I had.

If you recall this:

On the bench

I welded up a little bracket for it:

Mounted it to the dash:

And Bob's your uncle:

Don
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Better and better mistakes!

[VW_Jimbo]

I have 2 uncle Bob’s!

Nice job on the 12V supply!
_________________
Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[sunroof]

Further news from the "I don't want to be a car" department.

I noticed fairly early on that the transmission had a bearing noise. I can just hear it in idle with the clutch out. If I step on the clutch the noise goes away. Also it is fairly loud in 4th gear. This suggests to me that it is the input shaft bearing in the nose cone. However I inspected that bearing when I had the nose cone off so who knows. Well I drained the oil out of the trans yesterday and the drain plug was covered in shrapnel. Not as bad as I have seen but bad enough. Including a chunk I can not identify.

Now to drop the engine out for the 4th time and pull the trans and see if I can find the problem.

Don
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[Riff Raff]

Bummer about the transmission issues.
Please post up what you find the problem to be.
I have a similar issue with a tunnel trans that is "noisy" idling in neutral.
The noise stops with the clutch depressed which leads me to think input shaft.
It is "rattly" when driving as well, but of course engine and road noise mask the trans noise.
Thing is, we replaced all the bearings in the trans (it had ~100K mile)s and it made no difference at all. Bearing all looked perfect too.
Really scratching my head over this one.
I have dropped the trans oil out a couple times since then, but no trace of any metal in it.
One obscure post I read in the Performance forum a while ago suggested something about excessive end play on the input shaft, but I have never heard anything about this since.
Maybe something to look into if all your bearings look good.
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The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge
- Daniel Boorstin

[bwaz]

[sunroof]

The steering is slowly starting to loosen up so that is good news.

I adjusted the pedal stop plate for the clutch to get the free play at the top and that has it a little better but it still needs a longer cable.

Today I went to a bearing supply near me and they had the transmission bearings in stock and cheap to buy, amazing.

Also also: I did not have enough witches hats to finish out the frunk so I bought some of this:

It works a treat!

Can anyone show me what is supposed to go behind the radio delete plate?

I'm driving the car daily now and it is getting better and better. All the running issues with the engine seem to be resolved and the reaction it gets everywhere I go is just amazing. So far only one detractor; one of my close friends in the Austin-Healey club says too much patina for him. His cars are very shiny which I appreciate what a careful, beautiful job he does restoring the British stuff. For everyone who is struggling with their beetle, the British stuff is far harder to do a good job of. Those cars really are crap. I wouldn't want a Jag if you gave it to me. Of course I try to be a little more diplomatic with those guys, they really love their cars.

Funny thing... I've been watching Iain Tyrrell on Ytube and something that he talks about is how important the idle circuit setting is to the overall running of the engine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Sett24vQ-w

I ended up stripping the carb down 3 times to try to get the car to idle. It would just die when I lifted off, which makes it a real handful in traffic. Third time lucky and I finally got the idle circuit clear. Well it wasn't running well at all so I took Iain's advice and spent some time setting the idle mixture. I don't have his ear for it but small tweaks got it better and better. Now it idles nicely and pulls properly through all the rev range.

Don
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[Zwitterkafer]

Somewhere on here there is a pic of this.....a rectangular piece of what looks like leftover seat vinyl or door panel material is glued over the opening at the back of the radio blockoff plate. Probably same material VW used to block airflow through the '58 and up speaker grilles, when no speaker fitted.
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"Criticism comes easier than Craftsmanship"
- Zeuxius, 400 BC

[VW_Jimbo]

Here you go!

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Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!