Scored a local ‘65 Deluxe, The Monster

[richparker]

Hey guys. I’m a big time bus guy, but I just bought a ‘65 deluxe. I was lucky enough to get this vehicle locally here in Southwest Colorado. This vehicle sat for 25 years in a field, it’s a nice car with a killer patina. It has all the trim, knobs, and handles but no motor. The body is pretty clean, but it will need floor pans.

My plan is to have a “sweep the floor” 2109cc built for it, I’ve had plenty of 2L bus engines and have a lot of parts sitting on the shelf. obviously it’ll get switched over to a 12v. It’ll get a new master cylinder, new brake cylinders, shoes, new wheel bearings, new tie rods and shocks. I’ll change the transaxle oil and give this one a shot with the new engine, if it’s bad I’ll either get it rebuilt or have a different one rebuilt and put that in. I’m gonna clean up the patina and run that as is. I’m planning on a full interior, but that will be done last. Mechanics first for me.

I’ll be posting as I go. I’m a long time Samba member and you can click on the links in my signature line to view my ‘71 Westy build and my Adventure thread with that bus.

Thanks for reading,
Rich P

Friday, when I went to look at the car

It was delivered today

Pans, these will be replaced

Gutted it today

Here’s a short YouTube walk around video. I was able to get 90% of the DP tin I needed for the new engine build. I also got OG heat exchangers and a OG Ernst exhaust.

Link

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’71 Westy build
Adventure thread
’65 Deluxe Build
’63 Deluxe Build

[Busstom]

It's a deluxe. Have fun, good save.

[richparker]

[SevenOaks]

Hey Rich, congrats on the bug!
I just got a ‘66 a few weeks ago. They’re so different driving than a bus but are tons of fun. This YouTube channel is getting me up to speed on beetles:
https://youtube.com/c/SladesVWBeetle
And of course there’s a lot more, too.
Looking forward to watching your build!
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David
1974 9-passenger bus
1969 Single cab
1966 Beetle

[matthew henricks]

Nice. Have fun with it.
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1964 Original Owner build Thread. https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=702135&highlight=

Ambulance Fan's. https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=627707&highlight=

Parts i am looking for:
64 bug nice used front/rear Black LHD floor mat.

[sportin-wood]

Looks like a fun project. I'll be following your progress. Congrats!
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Paused 66 project bug
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"Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman. He's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it." --- Jeff Spicoli

[richparker]

Thank guys!

I just got home from the local VW shop. I dropped off all my engine parts, we make a plan and a good size list. He had some stuff in stock and he’s gonna order the rest for me. Going with a new dual circuit master cylinder, soft lines, brake cylinders, shoes, new clutch cable, throttle cable, Bowden tube, throw out bearing, windshield seal, engine seals, fender bead, kyb shocks, steering stabilizer, axle boots and I got a cool T handle short shifter.

The engine will be a 2109cc: AS41 case, CB 76mm crank, CB rods, Engle 110 cam, Mahle 94mm pistons, CB 044 heads, oil pump filter, alternator, all German tin, OG heat exchangers, OG Ernst exhaust and dual Kadrons.

Should be a stout engine that will pull nicely here in the mountains. I gotta get cracking cleaning and painting the tin so they are ready when he’s ready for them.

My local tire shop is unable to get me the 165r15 tires. So it looks like I’ll be ordering them odd eBay and they will install them. Lucky for me they do have the proper cone to balance them.

We’ve made a plan for the floor and that will be repaired while it’s in getting the engine installed.

I gotta use the search function and figure out how to remove the interior door handles.

Looks like I’m building another ACVW, woot woot!!!
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’71 Westy build
Adventure thread
’65 Deluxe Build
’63 Deluxe Build

[Pruneman99]

The interior door handles are held on with a pin near the base. Use a thin drift and hammer to drive it out, the the handle will just pull off.

Nice find. Should make a nice project.

[lhd65bug]

[toxicavenger70]

Nice catch. I talked about going to see this one but I don't have any room for another project. Keep the updates coming.

[richparker]

The engine build has started! The AS41 case has been machined to fit 94mm pistons and clearanced for the 76mm crank. This case came out of my ‘71 Westy when I got it, was a factory rebuild engine. The dog hose fan shroud I got from the yard is pretty beat up and not useable. My builder wants to use a 36hp dog house shroud. I don’t really like the look of those, but it’ll leave more room for the dualing carbs. So I’m gonna go that route. My LTS was unable to get me tires, so I ordered those off eBay yesterday.

We are currently at the Four Corners Folk Festival in Pagosa Springs, Co. When we get home on Monday, I’m sure I’ll get back at the build. I’d like to get it up on jack stands, pull the wheels and pressure wash the whole thing inside and out.

Case still has the factory stamp

Freshly machined case

Current camp site at the festival. My ‘71 Westy, Peryl.

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’71 Westy build
Adventure thread
’65 Deluxe Build
’63 Deluxe Build

[cdollar]

Nice score on the beetle! That thing looks great! Might have to check it out next time I’m in dgo.

I have a nice German DH shroud with venturi ring here on the shelf if you still want to go that route

[richparker]

[Rome]

Ambitious plan to get this rolling shell '65 going again.

I responded to your other thread on carb choices for your 2109. Stock heater boxes and 044 heads are a bad combination, as others mentioned in that thread. Best to either go to stock-valve, worked heads and keep the stock HB, or go to larger-diameter HB with the 044's.

Now that you have a photo of your engine case, make sure that either you or your engine builder installs the press-in nut for the upper left engine bolt, the bolt that is near the clutch release lever. You need that nut when you have a doghouse shroud.

Also realize that your '65's transmission bellhousing will need to be slightly clearanced so that your larger-diameter flywheel fits in. Consider swapping to a later swingaxle trans built on a '67 or '68 basis that already has the larger-diameter bellhousing diameter, along with 4.12 final drive gears. Those will let you cruise easily and comfortably at 75 or 80 mph yet still have plenty of torque for your local mountain roads. Keeping the '65's transmission with its 4.38 final drive will have that 2109 really revving high at 70 mph. If you are a conservative driver and don't plan on doing drag racing, a stock-spec trans rebuild will be sufficient- or possibly add some minor upgrades.

Durango- a fine town. I was there while in CO on vacation in 2000, to board the Durango-Silverton vintage railway; then drove thru town a bit. In 1983 I drove around the USA and came into CO from UT via Hovenweep National Park, went east to Cortez, Mesa Verde, Durango, up to the Loveland Pass; and worked my way back to NY.

"4 Corners Festival"- in Pagosa Springs?! Ironic that the 4 corners (4 states common point) is west of Durango, yet the festival is way east of you. I'm sure you're having a good time there.

[Rome]

[richparker]

Thanks for the tip for removing the interior door handles, Rome.

Today after returning from the festival, I spent a couple of hours on the bug. I removed the interior door handles and door cards. I tried my hardest to save the cards, but 56 year old cards are really brittle. I didn’t murder them and I’m sure I’ll attempt to reuse them until I do the full interior after the winter. The. I worked on getting the windows to roll up and down. I lubed the shit out of the worm and the track with silicone, then things started to move nicely. I also lubed the door latch mechanism, as well as the door hinges. Both are working a lot better too. After that I pulled the rubber floor and did some more vacuuming. The floor is mostly good and the section that isn’t will be fixed when it goes in for the engine install.

My next plan is to get it up on 4 jack stands, pull the rims and pressure wash the wash car. Then I’ll probably get busy cleaning and painting the rims, as my new tires will be here on Wednesday. I’ll probably start working on the cooling tin at the same time too. I would imagine my brake and suspension parts will be showing up some time next week as well. So I’ll get cracking on that stuff next.

I would guess that this car will probably be up and driving in the next 8 weeks or so. It won’t be finished, but it’ll be driving and registered. If not, no biggie I’ll just store it in the back for the winter.

Here’s a pic of the pans

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__________
’71 Westy build
Adventure thread
’65 Deluxe Build
’63 Deluxe Build

[richparker]

Today I got it up on jack stands and spent over an hour pressure washing it. The body was pretty good, but man was there a lot of shit built up on the front end and the transaxle. You can actually see them now. I also pressure washed the rims and all the engine tin. Then I sprayed all the shock bolts down with PB Blaster, hopefully that’ll help when I go to remove those.

I also went to the store and bought a whole bunch of spray paint and some contact cement. In the coming days I’m hoping to get some coats on the rims, drums and engine tin. I’m also gonna try to save the door card vinyl. Between Romes advice and some stuff I already know from my other builds, I think I have a half way decent plan.

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__________
’71 Westy build
Adventure thread
’65 Deluxe Build
’63 Deluxe Build

[richparker]

Good afternoon working on the bug. I’m with some help from the torch and the impact wrench I was able to remove the rear axle nuts and all four shocks. The rear shocks played well, it the fronts did not. The metal bushing is stuck to both the top bolt and the bottom stud. I left them for now, I’ll conquer that when I go to put the new shocks on. Then I drilled out all the rivets from the broken clips on the wheels, wire wheeled all of them and put 2 coats of primer on them. Hoping to have the wheels done tomorrow, so I can get my tires mounted early next week. I was going to get working on the engine tin and the drums, but my drill batteries were both dead. So I’ll start that tomorrow as well.

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__________
’71 Westy build
Adventure thread
’65 Deluxe Build
’63 Deluxe Build

[Sjstretch]

To get my stuck metal shock bushings off of the bottom stud/arm, I used an air impact hammer with a chisle attachment (at an angle) to drive the bushing off the shaft.

You will trash the bushing, but new shocks come with new bushings.

[richparker]