The Classic VW Beetle

Aircooled - heh, it’s 90 degrees. I’ve considered placing the window air conditioner in the garage while we work on this project. The work lights alone put off an immense amount of heat while working under the hood. Blech!

Two projects are in play:
1. Replace the wiring harness
2. Upgrade the bug from 6 volt to 12 volt

and yes, i should have done this in the winter . . .

Someone asked me why I am wasting my time with the harness, as it is a tough job. well, i got the answer as I was pulling the wires under the hood. there are more splices than wires, some of the insulation broke off in my hands, and some of the insulation was just melted to other wires. Not a lot of stuff to keep you confident. No wonder i got stranded a couple of times when the bug wouldn’t start.

Now that the wires are cleaned out - it looks much better. I also ordered a wire cover for when this is all done.

Yeah - the original cardboard glove box. I think this is getting replaced, as it is kind of moldy on the inside.

The hard part is removing the steering wheel. I need to buy another wrench, as my set stops at 20mm. Crud.

I saw this catalog on The Samba today. It’s the 1974 VWOA Accessories Catalog, subtitled “84 Interesting Things You Can Do to a Volkswagen.” What a great title.

I haven’t seen these catalogs anywhere in stores or VW “graveyards”, but they look like something every Bug (or other VW) owner should have.

As I was searching for a VW Thing in good condition, I came across a great site for people like me who (although I would love too) just don’t have the time to fully restore a Beetle or Thing. West Coast Classic Restoration restores and sells VW’s.

There are some beautiful cars on this site, and, of course, Things. Including one Kubelwagen built in 1942 and delivered and used in Africa during WWII. They also have a 1944 Schwimmwagen. Just perfect.

The one really great feature about West Coast is that they put pictures up during the restoration of a car. So we can follow along, and see what they did once they are finished. For example, here is a page about Jim’s (I don’t know Jim) 1949 Beetle restoration.

So if you have a Volkswagen that needs some love, and you just aren’t that mechanically inclined, check out West Coast VW Restoration, or anyplace around you that can do the work for you.

If you have no VW, then sorry. But you could, because West Coast sells Beetles, Things, and Ghia’s.

Just a beautiful job of driving in this drift video.

Nice to see a Classic Beetle showing the kids how it’s done . . .

Team-BHP is a car restoration forum in India, and one of the members posted his story about this amazing restoration, which was done in 18 months. The end result was the owner forming the Bangalor Beetle Club.

Found via Team-BHP.com

MidAmerica Motorworks has announced that custom leather interiors for the Volkswagon Beetle are now available as part of their product catalog. The custom leather seats available for all 1958-79 Standard and Super Beetles.

You can view examples of both custom and OEM options available for the Beetle at the MidAmerica Motorworks website: Custom VW Beetle Leather interiors.

I read this the other day and couldn’t believe it.

Apparently, dryer lint is fantastic for cleaning up those oil spills in the garage. So, I dutifully tested the claim.

. . . and yes, it works!

It worked so well, that it even picked up the oil film that tends to be left with other cleaners. Now, I am asking my wife to save all of the dryer lint and to do the laundry more often.

Because as everyone knows, Beetle’s don’t leak oil, they just mark their spot.

I saw these online, and just had to post them here. Trust me -this will not turn into a joke blog or anything like that - but some of these just make so much sense, probably because they have all happened more than once - makes you wonder . . . .

Law of Mechanical Repair: After your hands become coated with grease your nose will begin to itch or you’ll have to pee.

Law of the Workshop: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

Law of probability: The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.

Variation Law: If you change traffic lanes, the one you were in will start to move faster than the one you are in now.

Law of the Result: When you try to prove to someone that a machine won’t work, it will.

Law of Biomechanics: The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.

Law of Logical Argument: Anything is possible if you don’t know what you are talking about.

Brown’s Law: If the shoe fits, it’s really ugly.

Wilson’s Law: As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it, or change it for the worse.

See? Are these really universal laws? The one about the tool rolling to the most inaccessible corner of the garage has to be some cosmic truth.

This has to be one of the funniest views of restoring an old vehicle, at Swap Meet Dave. I sent this to one of my friends who restored a Jeep Scout. In the condition he got it, it required much more in restoration costs than the vehicle was actually worth. In fact, after something like four years, he can now drive it.

This is the friend who is advising me not to get a project car. His advice is to spend more, get more and play around with accessories instead of body work. “At least you can drive it after you buy it,” he says. Good advice, except for the limited budget my wife has allowed, and it seems to be dwindling smaller every month, as other expenses come up.

This is the account of someone who restored an old Dodge M37 and the “creative accounting” he had to perform to keep his wife happy. Unfortunately, his hernia operation from lifting and fitting the winch by himself had to be included in the overall expenses.