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.
I’ve been holding off on buying some necessary parts, as I’ve been planning a trip to the nearest beetle graveyard – a place called The Beetle Barn in Central Ohio. From the highway you can see around 100 or so Beetles and busses as you pass this place, so it’s been on the top of my list to go. Hey, if I can find some parts there, that’ll cut some costs, right?
Well, I got my brother to go along with me, as he has been looking for a VW Thing, and was hoping to maybe find something drivable or a lead on one. We pulled in an immediately saw two restored Beetles 70’s Type 2’s. So I knew I was in the right place. However all of the “Beware of Rottweiler” signs convinced us to head strait into the main building rather than loiter around checking out the rusting museum of parts.
The workshop was an amazing mixture of bug parts, motor oil, and assorted things under wraps. The owner was skeptical at first, which I was warned about by a few friends that he could be a little rough, especially if you are building rail buggies and not actually restoring bugs. I heard tales of his refusal to sell parts to people because they wanted to use them for something other than restoration.
Well, after the ice broke, I had my shopping list; radio antenna, taillight assembly, windshield washer tube, original bumper parts, ‘68 seats, any chrome I could find, and anything for early 60’s model I could find.
I quickly found out that if you were restoring a 70’s model Super Beetle, you would be in heaven. However 60’s parts were hard to find, even here. The majority of wrecks in the yard were Super Beetles, and come to realize, most of what was there were Supers and busses. Cross the antenna, seats, and bumper parts off the list.
After an hour or two of looking through 3-4 buildings, shelves of spare parts, crawling over engine parts, we could only muster one-and-a-half taillights.
There was one item in stock, the windshield washer pressure tube from the spare tire, brand new and in the original German box!
While looking around, I found this behind some things, and couldn’t believe it. A manual for early 60’s bugs. My brother gasped, he was amazed, as he can’t stand the Chilton’s manuals and has always been looking for other things.
This manual was awesome, besides needing a wheelbarrow to carry it, it was complete with hand-drawn illustrations of how to do anything. It was very complete and very detailed. That alone made the trip worthwhile.
This little trip cost me $180, but I did get the manual and the original taillights. I’m wondering if I’ll ever find an original match to the one that I bought, so now I have a quest.
I’m going back to the Sew Fine catalog and starting my shopping list. The antenna is very high on the list, as it is getting boring not having anything to listen to, even if it is AM.
I just got a catalog from Sewfine, which seems to be the industry standard when it comes to custom VW interiors. Just about every magazine or custom VW has had their seat covers or door panels from there.
Leafing through the catalog, they have a great selection of seat covers. Even the “standard” designs look great. But of course, the custom section can make you droool over the possibilities of what you can do with your Beetle’s interior. The color combinations and designs are very nice.
However, I think I may be going with a simple grey and white color combination for the seats and the door panels. I have black carpet now, but it’s in great condition and I hate to pull it up to put down new carpet. However, the headliner is great - until you hit the back of the car, then it sort of falls apart. Not sure if someone got tired while installing it and gave up or what.
So, I think I may go for the off-white headliner as well. I do have to admit that the “flame” two-tone door panels look great - but i think i may go for the simple white/grey with white piping. I’m not sure that I want to bring the turquoise color into the interior, though I could see some cool color effects.
Another nice feature is that they also sell padding for seats - my driver’s seat needs replaced, but structurally it is fine, the cushion is the old “horsehair” style.
But I am tempted to get the ‘68-’69 seats with the headrest support. I love the original style seats, but the headrest just makes life a little easier.
Now that i look a little closer - the 77-79 seats look great! I could see a white and grey with turquoise piping? How could I do this to a ‘64 bug, though?
This is going to take a while . . .
I replaced the air filter in my bug the other day, as it was looking very dirty. Upon inspection, I saw oil in the filter area. Not a good sign, i imagine. I check the new filter afer driving the bug around the ‘hood, and there are “spurts” of oil on the inside of the filter - no wonder the old one was so dirty.
Now I have broken out the repair manual, and I have to say that this is even enjoyable as reading a typical book - How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive
I am now on the oil system section, so I have some reading to do. All the signs are there that my engine is burning oil; The noxious, purplish cloud that comes from starting up the bug, the darkened chrome tips on the exhaust, and the puddle of oil accumilating in my shallow drip-pan. It all points to something - or just many little somethings.
The book is my first defense, but I do have a trip planned to a Beetle yard, about an hour away from my home. It’s one of the central places for VW parts in the mid-west, but they don’t have a website. As soon as I have the contect details, I’ll post it for others who may need it.
The only thing broken on my Bug is the antenna. I knew this when I bought it and figured I could handle a fix on this at any time. However, after driving around in utter silence (as silent as a bug ride can be) I have realized that i need something to listen to - even if it is AM Radio.
I went to the two main sites that i frequent for parts, MidAmerica Motorworks & JC Whitney. A Google search for Beetle antennas was pretty fruitless. Ask.com didn’t offer much either, as all search combinations seem to end up in weird sites with no classic beetle parts.
Unfortunately, JC Whitney doesn’t offer anything that is a “stock” part for antennas. MidAmerica has antennas, but anything for the ‘64, or pre ‘67 is listed as a temporary shortage. I’m not sure what the shortage means - if I should order now or wait? 
Anyone know where to get a stock ‘64 Beetle antenna?
While driving the beetle back home, my wife followed me and commented that she couldn’t see the brake lights or the turn lights. Great.
I did a safety check on the car when my brother came over to see it. Of course, everything worked. However, you could notice that the lights were slow to respond and on a sunny day, I could see where the lights may not be visible. I attribute this to the original 6 volt system.
Fortunately, the previous owner had new electric lines to upgrade the electical system to a 12 volt system. I’ll do the upgrade on the electrical system, but not until the winter, I think that’ll be a good winter project to add to the list while it’s in the garage. I’ll have to make a list of all the 12v part i’ll need to upgrade, like the wiper motor. Wiper speed is not the most impressive feature of a 6 volt system.
Other than that, I do get a significant amount of oil dripping from the oilpan. While some is expected, I think I’m getting a little too much. The exhaust also smells a little gas-rich, like not all of the gas is burning. The bug was tuned up last year according to the previous owner, but I may have the look at the mixture and oils seals. There seams to be a light coating of oil on the engine, so it may be leaking in a few places. Replacing the seals may be another winter project . . .
Based on these things, there i nothing critical, but I need to decide what to go for first, interior updates, such as the stearing wheel, shift knob and maybe install a stereo, or go straight to the engine - but I think the engine can wait for the end of the summer.
Happy Day!
I found a great bug on eBay, and even better, it was located only a short drive away. I found an original 64 VW Beetle. The previous owner went through great lengths to keep the integrity of the ‘64 together with original ‘64 parts, seats and even the AM radio. The engine was even replaced with another 64 bug engine. The only thing not entirely original are the teardrop lights in the rear, but hey, who’s that picky?
It could easily enter into a couple shows in the original category, It is very well kept, clean and lots of fun to drive. There are only a few minor issues in the interior, the electrical and the engine, but it is better than just “drivable”. The two-tone paint was the clincher for me. I like the two-tone style, as I think it adds a lot of interest and makes the bug look very classy. The door panels are white on this inside, and I think I would eventually like to make the interior two-tone as well, as it’s fairly dark with all of the black carpet and headliner.
I’m making a list of what needs to be done and what I’d like to work on first. My first decision was to keep it an original 1964 or to customize. I decided to customize and make the interior a little more attractive and comfortable. The exterior will be original for now.
The bane of VW restoration.
I checked out a convertible bug for sale a while ago, not a bad price it had a new engine and floor pans thrown into the deal, as they were there, just not installed yet.
Simply for the price of the new engine I heavily considered this as my first restoration project. The body was a little rough, especially as I saw daylight steaming through the passenger footwell. Underneath was just as disappointing. The running boards were very loose and rust fell as I moved them. And then – the heater channels were covered with rust and full of holes.
Now, this was a ’74 bug, so the cost of a full restoration, especially considering the body panels and heating channels were going to exceed the value of the bug. But then, when doesn’t it? I found a few resources that were very helpful with my questions and offered some guidance.
The first were the fine people at Volkswebbin Forums. Run as a Q&A forum for bug owners/restoration types, there is a wealth of experience available for anyone who has a basic question to specific engine, brake or electrical system questions. They helped me think through the purchase and weigh the problems v. the value.
Another great resource was John Henry’s helpful Beetle restoration site – www.thebugshop.org. Written with a good sense of humor, it offers a helpful look at all of the major things that need to be considered when purchasing, restoring and maintaining a classic beetle. Especially helpful were his “8 Reasons why Heater Channel replacement might not be as easy as you think�?:
8 Reasons Why Heater Channel Replacement May Not be as Easy as You Might Think:
- It takes a very long time. To do it properly, it requires you to drill out literally hundreds of spot welds which connect the channel to the other panels of the car.
- You run the risk of messing up the door opening dimensions and having doors that never close right again, especially if you try to replace the channels while the body is off the pan.
- If the channels are badly rotted, chances are good that some of the panels that attach to the channels are rotted in those locations too (most notably, the lower A-pillars)
- The generally available replacement heater channels are not correct for many of the older model VWs. While the vendor may say they “fit” (and they do) the heater outlet is in the wrong place.
- Eventually, new heater channels will rust out again, especially if the car is driven in harsh conditions. The inside of the replacement channel is usually not coated with anything more than primer and welding them in will make them even more prone to rusting (hot metal burns paint off)
- With every day that passes, there are fewer shops/mechanics/bodymen who can do this and do it right.
- The heater channel is not a simply body “panel”, it is an important structural component that provides longitudinal rigidity to the body and floor pans.
- It is not trivial, in fact is in not even just “difficult”.
Again, it’s not what you know, but who you know (or where to find what to know). There is a wealth of information on the web for Classic VW aficionados and amateur restoration projects like mine.
Thank God.
The first post to this blog has an appropriate beginning - the offer of a free beetle. Always an offer that should be viewed as suspect, my hopes to the potential of this offer were quickly brought down to reality, as I learned that the offered bug has been stored outdoors (in Ohio) and has not been run since sometime in the 80’s.
Knowing that there was going to be rust issues and the potential of spending more in restoration than the actual value of the vehicle. But, I suppose that’s not really the object - is it? Still, despite the vague condition of the beetle I still have a keen interest in taking this on. There is empty space in my garage which is screaming for something to be stored there, despite the condition.
I hope to go see this beetle sometime in the next few days, and then we’ll deal with trailering over it to my place. After the snow melts off it, then we’ll get an accurate look at what needs to be done.
