The Classic VW Beetle

Joseph and his multicolored 65 VW

I was browsing Flickr for some Beetle restoration pictures and getting some ideas for my interior work that i have planned for this summer.




Joseph and his multicolored 65 VW

Originally uploaded by wvgasguy

My brother gave me this car. Debbie and I painted it. (you can tell, can’t you) This was my first of many cars to drive through the years. Thankfully none of them were as bad as this one.

In browsing around, I was surprised to find that there were not only pictures of people and their old VW’s, but many posted their stories as well.

This may become a regular feature, but I’d also like to hear from the readers. What’s your VW Beetle memory?

Since the last post, I have been frustrated at every turn while dealing with the combined projects of re-wiring and upgrading from the 6 volt to 12 volt system. Examining wiring diagrams from all over the net have been somewhat helpful, but never enough to complete the entire project.

As the second to last ditch effort, I dished out about $35 for the Bug Me Video on VW wiring. Within 30 minutes of watching the video, I was able to spot a number of connections that needed to be re-done, and at the same time, the video did a fantastic job of explaining how things worked together. Within the day, I was able to complete the re-wiring. The only remaining issue was the turn signal relay. The relay was one of the most frustrating issues, as the numbers on the relay did not match any of the diagrams, and the diagram on the relay itself wasn’t helpful. (i don’t read schematics.)

Finally, after using a cheap multimeter to track down the current, i saw that the power was getting to the relay, but not coming out. As i was moving around i tapped the lid, and the connection grounded, which caused the relay to start blinking. Of course! A ground! I dug through the electrical diagrams laying around, and found one on the bottom of the pile that showed a ground connection. The same diagram was laying around my garage, but without the ground info. All i can say is that the multimeter has become my best friend in this entire process.

This last experience was some of the most interesting. Looking for advice online is akin to asking monkeys for directions. As one person put it, “The internet is proof that a million monkeys typing on computers will never reproduce the works of Shakespeare.” How True.

6 volt starter
I got completely befuddled by all of the advice on the starter and keeping the 6v starter vs replacing it with a 12v starter and adding the bushing to make it compatible with the 6v flywheel. The upgrade kit that I received from MidAmerica Motorworks had the bushing, but no parts for upgrading the starter or flywheel. A few calls to the helpful people there, and I realized that i was just reading too much. I just needed to stick with the program and do what I was doing.

The 6 volt starter will work just fine in a 12 volt upgrade in a 1200 air cooled engine. Though the main advice was not to grind the ignition, as the starter will hit the flywheel harder with the 12 volts surging through the line. I saw where some people complained of teeth breaking off the flywheel because the starter was hitting it hard, but some simply replaced the flywheel and didn’t have any more problems.

The alternator came out very easy – really, it’s a matter of locating all of the bolts and keeping a note of where they came from. The shroud was amazingly dirty and oily – i had to wonder when the last time this beetle had thorough maintenance. At points in the project i had to wonder how this thing still ran.

I had to go to Harbor Freight, my new favorite hardware store and get a set of large metric ratchets. The bolt on the old alternator was 36mm, larger than anything I had, and the bolt on the steering wheel was 26mm – time for new ratchets.

Removing the Alternator
Simply by holding the fan and using the monster ratchet I got at the store, everything came off surprisingly easy. I used my miter saw box as a platform for holding the alternator upright, and it worked out OK, as the miter box was bolted into the workbench. The fan got a nice bath and cleaning, and then it was ready to go on the new 12volt alternator.

Oil Filler and Breather
Meanwhile, i was stumped on the alternator stand, as the Oil Filler and Breather was attached to the old stand, and it somehow had to come off and join the new alternator stand. The new stand was threaded, and I could barely budge the filler to twist off. I noticed that the inside of the oil filler was notched, and fortunately at that time, my engineer brother showed up in time to to save the day. Looking over the shop manual, they recommended the VW 170 tool to remove the cap. Right. I’ll run right out and get a VW170 shop tool to remove this thing, which I’ll probably repeat when?

This is when having an engineer brother comes in real handy. First we tried clamping the stand to a workbench – didn’t work out well, but, since it was an old workbench, we simply screwed the stand to the bench through the existing bolt holes – genius!

After reviewing the notches in the oil filler, we realized that we only had one tool that was wide enough to hit the notches – the crowbar. My brother took the end of the crowbar and put it on the grinder to take off the taper and make as much of a wide edge to grab the notch. It looked to work well, but still tough going.

Funny enough – he asks me for a torch. I looked at him odd, which i think he expected. He tells me this is what “the guys in the shop do.” He heats up the oil cap with the torch, takes the crowbar and easily twists off the cap. Amazing.

So much for the VW 170 tool. Putting the cap back on the new alternator stand was just as easy. Screw it on, heat it up, tighten it, and that thing was on.

As the previous post mentioned, I combined two major projects into one – mainly because i was pulling the engine apart anyway.

1. Replacing the wiring harness
2. Upgrading from a 6 volt system to a 12 volt system

I spent most of the time in the past few days dismantling the engine. I quickly realized that simply removing the hood would make life much easier.

I have two manuals: The original shop manual for the VW Beetle, 1960-1965, and
How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual of Step-By-Step Procedures for the Complete Idiot
. The difference between these two books is shattering. On one hand, the direct no-nonsense German engineering text, on the other: “Dude, like remove the carburetor, but you’ll want to rest first . . .” OK, it’s not that extreme, but it is fascinating.

My biggest complaint on the shop manual is that it isn’t cross-referenced. Step one of removing the alternator/generator is that I had to remove the carburetor. So, i had to flip through all 500 pages to find the carburetor removal instructions. Hardly efficient. The two manuals do make an interesting compliment each other. The Complete Idiot Manual lets me know when something will be especially difficult and where I can expect to skin a knuckle.

On the technical side, I was surprised at the amount that i needed a ratchet extension, though in thinking about it – it made sense. The process went fairly smooth. Removal of fuel line, air line, electrical connectors, carburetor, clutch assembly, and then the alternator. I kept all of the parts in marked plastic bags so that i know where they go later.

The fan shroud came out very easily. remembering to feed the clutch line back through it was important, as I realized. but after so many years – this stuff was dirty!

When I moved into our current house, the owner left behind a couple of galvanized steel tubs. I often wondered what to do with them, and couldn’t bring myself to throw them out, but now they have come in very handy as a safe place to wash down all of these parts with de-greaser.

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.

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.

Show your support for the VW!

VW Bright Logo Tie by Volkswagen This is a fun tie for fun people. Live the VW Lifestyle and show your love of the company that brought us a unique sub-culture of Bugs, Ghia’s, Thing’s, and Kamper vans.

Now, as a computer geek and a VW Beetle fan, this product got my attention.

A USB Memory stick in the form of VW Beetles and Camper van. Not only that, the horn sounds and the headlight blink during the data transfer! A VW Geek’s dream!

For the computer geek, the 256MB memory is pretty week, especially considering the hefty price tag for comparable USB capacities. However – this is the VW Beetle, man!

Check out all of the cool colors and styles of the original VW Beetle and Bus:

* The Memory Stick Cars are a fun way to add some interest to your usual memory stick!
* The Memory Stick Cars are four individual products – please select your preference of either the VW Camper in Red, VW Camper in Green, Beetle in Blue or Beetle in Pink from the drop-down box above
* The Memory Stick Cars can hold up to 256MB each!
* The Memory Stick Cars feature flashing lights and beeping horns when transferring data!
* The Memory Stick Cars plug directly into your computer or via the USB extender cable – your computer will recognise the new drive instantly and it will be available for use without the need for other drives
* The VW Camper Memory Stick Cars measure approximately 4 cm x 3 cm x 2 cm
* The Beetle Memory Stick Cars measure approximately 4 cm x 2.5 cm x 1 cm
* The Memory Stick Cars are suitable for anyone who wants to jazz up their computers!

Die Cast memory stick VW beetle Trade in your boring old memory stick for a superior model! These dinky die cast cars cleverly conceal an impressive 256MB of flash drive memory. Insert your stick and hear the car rev its engine and flash its lights. Solve your data transportation needs in style! Each car also comes with a USB extender cable, so that your classic car can remain on your desk whilst still plugged in to your computer. Red or green VW camper vans £19.95 pink or blue VW beetle £24.95.

The old seatbelts were scary – that’s what my wife said.

Granted, they were the old canvas belts, but they were still semi-operational. In the front, it was only a lap belt. In the rear, they were cross-chest belts, without the lap belt. To make matters worse, one of the belts in the back was not adjustable. well – it was at one point, but really stuck. I explained that it was a safety feature – it’s not going anywhere.

Well, if I wanted to let the kids ride in the bug, the seatbelts needed replaced. I got a full set of belts manufactured by Beam’s Industries. They distribute through Mid America Motorworks, and I picked them up during my shopping spree at the Air-Cooled VW Funfest.

I picked up the non-retractable belts. I bought grey, because i figured that would match the colors of the bug, especially because I plan to change the interior to white, light blue, and grey (right now it’s all black; seats, carpets and headliner). I got three-point harnesses for the front, and lap belts for the rear.

The first thing that i noticed was that the directions were very general, not specific to the VW or the Type 1. I had to find places to install this, and they weren’t the anchor points in the directions.

I followed the existing belts and found that the left side was anchored to the seat itself. The right side was anchored to the frame. I got out my trusty air-driver and unscrewed the nut – only to find an even bigger nut came out with it – check out the view of the ground through the frame!

Yes, there is a plug-nut in the frame that the belt screw fits. I found this on both sides and removed them. Unfortunately, the plug nuts in the floorpan held onto the anchor screw a little to tightly, and needed a hefty dose of WD40. I figured out that i could screw the plug bolt in using the air hammer. That broke the corrosion and i was able to remove both screws.

The next issue was finding an anchor point for the shoulder strap. I checked out a few forums, as I was also looking for the anchor points in the rear seats as well. One thread on TheSamba was very helpful by showing the rear anchor points.

What I found were more bolt plugs. Fantastic – this was going to be easier than I thought. (yeah, right)

I found the anchor points on the door frames for the shoulder harness point.

I thought they would be located a bit higher, but they were literally over my shoulder. Good thing I’m a little on the short side. The bolt plug hole was right below the window. But here’s what I found: There were no bolt plugs in the shoulder-point, only plastic “filler” plugs. So, in order to get the front belts installed, I had to steal the bolt plugs from the rear in order to have the three-point harness installed correctly. My next parts order included four extra bolt plugs.

The finished product looked nice. it took a lot of adjustments to get it comfortable, and the belts adjust nicely. The main issue was getting it comfortable and to fit correctly over my left shoulder. If it was too loose, it slid off my shoulder to the side of the seat. However, because every strap is adjustable, I found the sweet spot for optimal safety and comfort.

Overall – it was a fairly easy installation. I found that the floor plugs may not tighten completely because of the screw inside of them. That seems a little disconcerting, but it may be the way they are supposed to be – it certainly doesn’t move. It really enhances the interior and looks much better than the old canvas belts. I don’t get those strange looks from people when they ride in the beetle for the first time. Old canvas belts are a little intimidating.

Yes, Lego plans to release a builder’s kit for the Type 1 VW Beetle.

Apparently, some of the VW experts went to the idea room at Billund (Lego’s headquarters in Denmark). They toiled over the bricks until they built an original VW Beetle. One of the Lego designers was so impressed that they added the car into the new production line, and the kit will be released in the summer of 2008.