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.

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.

Well - it happened, and just in time for summer driving.

I found a new antenna for my Type 1 VW Beetle. This had to be one of the easiest things to install on the bug.
It was so easy, I almost felt guilty for waiting so long.



Every time I open the front hood, I cringe at the spaghetti-like mess of wires.

Yes, I have the plans to upgrade the electrical. While I was at the Mid America Motorworks Funfest this summer, I bought the 6 volt to 12 volt upgrade kit. I also have new wires and a new harness sitting on the shelf. That will be the project this winter.

Anyhow, back to the issue at hand - the new antenna.

Getting to the antenna bolt was the main issue - the air hose had to be disconnected in order to have easy access.

After that, it was as simple as unscrewing the nut, pulling off the old broken antenna. Pop the new antenna on the outside, and then screw the nut onto the new bolt. Easy stuff.

Now I can enjoy the full experience of driving to single speaker AM Radio bliss.

And yes, for you VW aficionados, that is an original 1964 AM radio. Not to brag, but how cool is that?

My Beetle driving has been much more than last year. The weather has been awesome and I have been taking the bug on many errands and appointments. It’s just a blast to drive, and the kids love riding along.

Well, one trip to the store can change all of that, especially when the engine decides not to start. The bug has been starting up fine. Even after a week in the garage, but when it gets to the store, it decides that the battery doesn’t have enough juice. Fortunately, I wasn’t that far from home and someone brought the battery booster and we were able to get moving again. I think that will be a permanent part of the toolkit from now on until I get this figured out. A few hours after getting home, I started the beetle with no problems at all.

This is getting weird. The battery was recently charged, but these “ghosts in the machine” are hard to track down. I think I may have to move up my plans to upgrade the electrical system to a 12 volt system. It’s hard, as this car has all original ‘64 parts and systems, but I think I would feel a lot safer.

Plus, the brake lights will be a little brighter . . .

Getting the beetle out of winter hibernation is always fun.

Amazingly, everything started up fine and the spring has been very nice for getting out and making short trips. Memorial Day was a beautiful day for a drive.

I settled into the seat to take a nice leisurely drive. It was warm, not a cloud in the sky, and perfect for a nice country drive. The engine turned over, turned over again, and again, and . . . nothing. The engine usually catches very quickly, usually within a few seconds. Even after sitting for a few weeks, it never turns over more than this.

The problem wasn’t electrical - I had plenty of juice. I’d even had it out for a drive the week prior. It was fuel - had to be. So, I checked the engine, and sure enough, there was very little fuel in the line and the fuel filter had some crud in it.

Luckily enough, the new MidAmerica Motorworks catalog arrived, so I went through it last night. There are a few options, both of which i like, so now those options have turned into deliberation. They offer a 10-pak of fuel filters, similar to the one in the picture. However, they also offer a stainless steel one with a washable filter. The lines are also a braided stainless steel. Hmmm, pure functionality v. attractive functionality.

I’m putting together an order from MidAmerica this week, so I’ll have to figure out which option soon - especially if I want to drive a little more before the end of the summer.