The Classic VW Beetle

Just when I was about to publish this post, I received a call from my wife. She accidentally skid out in the car and put it in the ditch. Needless to say, i was glad she was alright, but the car was damaged. Strangely enough, the damage was eerily similar to the damage in this ad. The ad about your wife damaging the car. weird.

On that note, Here is a great video of VW Beetle’s meeting both major and minor annoyances:

Built solid, built well, and even floats . . . .

I laughed, I cried. I cried some more.

At least the floorpans were in good shape . . .

One of the reasons why I enjoy working with the VW Beetle is that everyone has a story. It’s what I like to call the “happy car.” The VW Beetle evokes stares of recognition and distant memories. I love it when people come up to me in the parking lot and ask questions about the Beetle; “What year is it?” or “Is that the original paint?,” and even “What kind of mileage are you getting?”

Invariably, they begin to tell me their VW Beetle story. Everything from first dates to college cars to sleeping in the back well behind the rear seat. This car simply brings out happy, memorable moments. The people that see the car and strike up a conversation seem to be positively grateful that they saw the car and remembered something valuable in their lives.

Today’s Washington Post carries an article about a woman’s memories of her 1960 Beetle that she drove during her college years in the 70’s. The fun of the article centers around the unpredictable clutch, which after being replaced, only worked in second gear, providing a thrilling ride in the hills of Virginia.

I love the confidence that the writer, Melony, exudes in her recollections of driving her Beetle:

Frostburg’s streets undulate, and every one has an incline of some degree, many featuring a stop sign about midway to the top. I had mastered the art of balancing the amount of gas I gave the engine while in first gear, and how far I let the clutch out, with the degree of the incline of the hill upon which I was stopped. Thus, after slowing on my approach to a stop sign, I did not brake, but using the clutch I could suspend my VW with exquisite, practiced proficiency on the incline. The other girls envied me. They couldn’t even drive a stick.

Read the rest of this wonderful homage to the VW Beetle at the WaPo site: In VW Beetle’s last clutch moments, it was push or scream

The Tunisian National Automobile Club and a group of old Volkswagen beetle aficionados organized a rally in Tunisia from December 17 to 19, 2009.

Ten vehicles, type ranging from the VW 1200, 1300, 1302 and 1303, registered in Tunisia, crossed some 1,200 miles through the governorates of Tunis, Kairouan, Sfax, Sousse, Gabes, Tozeur , Médenine, Gafsa.

As I mentioned in the earlier post – I was chasing down the electrical gremlins with my hand-dandy multimeter. After viewing the Bug Me Videos, I was able to identity a number of wiring issues that enabled me to the wiring system under control. The video answered many questions and things that I simply overlooked.

Which brings me to the brakes.

The brake lights would still not light. After double checking and re-checking the connections, there was something wrong. I used the multimeter and chased the current down to the master cylinder. The current was going in, but not coming back out. Finally, I was able to pinpoint the problem. I was going off the previous owner’s assessment that he replaced the brakes and brake lines, but on closer examination, there was no brake fluid in the reservoir.

So, I filled up the reservoir and prepared to bleed the brake lines. Within seconds, however, i had a nice pool of brake fluid forming in the floor and in the bottom of the hood compartment. I checked the line, and sure enough it was old, worn and cracked. A simple trip to the local auto parts store solved that issue. i reconnected the line, filled the reservoir, and was met with the same result. more brake fluid on the floor. I disassembled the entire assembly up to the master cylinder and inspected everything.

Of course, I should have done that in the first place, as it was the fluid reservoir that was a problem – a nice crack in the side when someone tightened it down to far, breaking the plastic.

Fast forward another few days as I awaited a new brake fluid reservoir like a kids awaits Christmas. Got it, assembled it, the new hose, added the fluid, and everything held. No leaks!!!

NEXT STEP – Bleed the Brakes
I bought a brake bleeding kit, as finding someone to step on the brakes for 20 minutes would be a little difficult. The kit worked wonderfully for the first two brakes, then i dumped the fluid. After dumping the fluid from the first two bleeds, something got into the reservoir on the kit, and it never worked as good as the first time. In fact, it was pretty much worthless. Looking back – bad investment, iIm sure i could have bought something a little more practical and reliable. I did what i should have done. Find a warm body that can count to six and push the brake pedal. It took a while, but it got done.

Next step – be sure your brake lights are grounded. Otherwise, much cursing and second-guessing will happen. Thank you again Bug Me video, for that reminder.

All in all, this part of the project was a tribute to all of the minor detail that were left unattended, and a testimony to how one problem can lead to another, and another, and another.

By the way, the brakes work great. The new brake lights and the upgraded 12 volt system really make then shine bright. This is so much safer than the tiny teardrop lights combined with the old 6 volt system. I never felt safe with this. Especially when some monster truck is bearing down on you when you want to make a left-hand turn.

I found some great pics today of an original Kubelwagen (or Kuebel-Wagen as the museum writes) at the Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles in Lexington Nebraska.

This Kubelwagen is a Type 82, and was built in November of 1944 for the German Army. It had a 69 cubic inch engine, with a whopping 25hp.

I don’t think it would win any races.

But it is pretty sweet looking. It is slightly different than the more modern Thing, but still has some differences. The biggest difference to see is the front end, the Kubelwagen is much more sloped than the Thing.

I tell you what, looking for a Volkswagen Thing is stinkin’ annoying. I’m sure everyone knows all of this already, but it’s still annoying.

Things were only made in the US for 2 years, 1973 and 1974. So many others have been imported, or if you want to buy one, you have to import it yourself. I’m not sure i want to get into all of that.

Of the Type 181’s available in the US for sale, I would say that about 90% of them are from California, which is quite a ways from most of the country. Even then, I can’t believe the shape that some of these are in, and yet still demanding more money than many other cars. For a Thing to have rust is like another car having some paint chipped, it’s not that rare.

Now I can handle most repairs and work, but I haven’t done, and am pretty sure that I can’t do, any body work. So I kind of need a Thing that has no, or next to no rust. Of course, those are over $10,000.

Even at the Beetle Barn VW Graveyard, there were no Things.

Why do I have such good, expensive taste?

This is awesome. Just another example of how these classic VW’s can be modified, customized and just simply changed in any way you can dream of.

This Volkswagen Bus has been chopped and lowered so that it is only 3 ft 1 inch tall.

Done any modifying of your own? Let us know.

I love the VW Thing, but I admit, it’s not really the ultimate off-road vehicle. It’s got good hight, but not a lot of power, and it’s only two wheel drive. However, these videos are showing a comparison of the VW Type 181 to the Land Rover Discovery, supposedly one of the best off-road vehicles available.

This is in German, and is kind of long, but wait till you get to about 4 1/2 minutes into it, and see the Thing whup up on the Land Rover.

This second part of the video shows the Land Rover beating the Thing up a steep incline, but only by a tiny bit.

Unfortunately, in the end, the Thing has to be pulled out of the mud by the Discovery. However, I think that the fact that a 30 year old, 2 wheel drive, VW Thing could hang with, and even beat in some instances, the brand new 4 wheel drive Land Rover Discovery shows the awesomeness of the Volkswagen Thing.