Classic VW Bugs

If I were to choose VW Bug Guru it would be Chris Vallone of Classic VW Bugs. I first came upon Chris’s work on YouTube looking VW type of stuff. He rebuilds classic VW bugs and sells them. He advertises his bugs on Youtube which is how I came upon his work. Here is an example:

From the work he presents they look very well built with a high attention to detail. Also he does post how-to tips on restoring your VW Bug like this:

I think I’ve watched the majority of his videos. His finished product provide inspiration and motivation for working my own VW. His video’s are very well produced and professionally made. He’s very knowledgeable about VW bugs and presents his information in a friendly and easily understandable manner. If you are restoring, looking to buy, or just love VW Bugs it’s worth it to check out his video’s and his website at Classic VW Bugs. Thanks Chris and keep up the great work.

Making the Bug stop

The first goal with our 71 Super Beetle is making it stop. It has absolutely no brakes at this point. I’ve started rebuilding the brake system. I’ll go over the highlights as I through this process.

The previous owner had bought a new master cylinder  so that was at least a start. So the first logical step was to remove the old. The cylinder is located just behind the driver side wheel underneath the car.

Here is the cylinder located in the middle to left of the picture.

Removing the lines and other stuff was pretty straightforward. Though I found an interesting fact when I pulled off the brake line to the rear brakes…

No wonder this had no brakes. Obviously I’ll be reinstalling new brake line.

After disconnecting the cylinder from the pedals the next step is removing the two bolts holding the cylinder in place.

Old versus new cylinder. My plan is to keep the old cylinder, rebuild it and keep for a spare. At this point I had started building my shopping list of parts I needed. So far my list includes:

• Brake switches from WolfsburgWest
• Stainless steel brake line kit from from JC Whitney
• Drum brake hardware kit and wheel cylinders from RockAuto

In my next installment I’ll cover taking off the drums and rebuilding the brakes. Thanks for coming by.

Technorati Tags: beetle,brakes,super,master cylinder,71,1971,vw,volkswagen

Bug scavenging

Yesterday I was able to visit Henry’s Used Auto in Blackstone, Massachusetts They have a pick your own part section. They also have a section of “oldies” to check out. I knew they had some old VW Beetles so I thought I’d check it out and see if they had anything I could use. I’ve been visiting this place off and on over the years and its always interesting see what they come up with.

It was a beautiful spring day in the low 70’s and the place was hopping with activity in the self service yard.  I was mainly in the hunt for VW stuff so I headed down to the oldies section in the way back. Here’s a few snapshots from my visit.

I was a bit disappointed with what was left. These have already been picked through pretty well. Though some good body parts, lights and glass remain. The interiors were pretty much gone through already. I wasn’t looking for anything particular though. Now I have a general idea what’s there so if I need anything I’ll have an idea of what’s there. 

Technorati Tags: vw,volkswagen,beetle,bug,transporter

The Beetle Report

Since the last post the Beetle has come home. It was amazing how much space we gained in the garage. It was late in the day when we got it home. My son Joshua and I spent a couple of hours cleaning it up a bit with a good vacuuming. Over the last week I’ve been going over it bit by bit evaluating it, taking pictures and notes. I’ll hit some highlights and lowlights as I go along.

Rust and this vehicle know each other very well. It seems the more I look on this car the more rust I find. Sometimes I think I bit of more than I can chew but then again a challenge is good. So far I haven’t hit anything that couldn’t be repaired with some money and willpower. In other words most everything I’ve seen so far is repairable in my opinion.

When’s the last time you’ve seen one these on any vehicle.

What is strange about this picture? It’s a full-size spare tire folks. No donut spare here.

For myself this was a a key selling point. A manual transmission.

Yes folks more rust.

Biggest priority I have at the moment is repairing the brake system and tuning it up. This way can move it around a little more. Then I will tackle stuff as time and budget allow. I’ve already begun by removing the master cylinder just today. I’ve already ordered new stainless steel brake lines and drum hardware kits from JCWhitney online. Previous owner had bought a replacement master cylinder so I figure that will give me a good starting point.

The old master cylinder. I may get rebuild kit so I could keep this as a spare part.

When I removed one of the brake lines it came off just like this. Good thing I had already ordered new brake line.

These are the front drums. I’m pretty much going to replace most everything seen here. I’d rather be on the safe side in the brakes department.

So far it’s been fun having something to do in my spare time. My son enjoys it too. He’s even encouraged me to get out  work on it with him. It’s a nice family bonding time too. The hardest part is figuring where to start and what to work on first. It’s been easy to get impatient. Well thats all for now. Thanks for coming by.

Bitten by a bug

Since buying the VW Beetle it would seem as if I’ve been consumed by Beetle-Mania! The biggest problem has been getting it to our house(and in the garage). Because of the the lack of brakes it’s not in immediate drivable condition. For those that don’t my wife and I purchased a 1971 Volkswagen Super Beetle. Keep in mind this is a very used VW and will need quite a bit of work. The engine does run though it could use some tuning. The interior is rough shape and rust is present almost everywhere.

Yesterday I went over to start it up, take inventory, some notes and to take some photo. If any thing it’ll provide us a starting point as we go through the process of repairing and restoring.

Well for starters the paint has seen better days. The seller tells me it’s not the original color and was repainted about ten years ago(give or take a few). The original was red as you may see in some of the pictures later on. It’s peeling and cracking in many areas. It will obviously have to be addressed.

My wife and I are still debating what color we’ll end up with. I’m more of purist and would like it turn back the original red. She wants some thing with flowers on it. I don’t think so. It’s not the highest priority right now.

The all powerful 1.6 liter air-cooled monster of an engine. Between the receipts previous owner gave me and research I did from the engine number this is not the original engine. According to the paper work it was replaced in the early 90’s. It’s the correct engine and type for this VW. From my research I place it as a slightly newer 1972 engine. Not a huge deal in the long run. It does run and start. It could  use some tuning. If it weren’t for the brakes I wouldn’t hesitate to drive it home. You can hear it run here:

Ahh those lovable VW hubcaps. The tires were new back in 2001. They are a bit cracked from dry rot though not severely. They still have plenty of tread on them.

It was last driven regularly back in 2001-2002 as shown on this Maine Inspection sticker. You can see some of the original red where the blue paint is peeling. I’ll have some more information on the Bug in my next installment. Thanks for dropping by.

Technorati Tags: beetle,bug,super,vw,volkswagen,1971,71

1971 Volkswagen Beetle

1971 Volkswagen Beetle
Originally uploaded by Bob Cutlass

This is the 1971 Volkswagen Beetle that I just purchased. I couldn't resist this one for the price. It's in need of a brake job and tune up for starters. It does run but won't stop. It going to need work from top to bottom. I'm really looking forward to starting in on this. Right now I'm working on transporting it to my garage(or other location). It's still work-in-progress. I look forward to blogging more about this in the near future.