The man who got me back into aircooled VWs - Will Torres.

This is a tribute post for Will Torres - fellow VW enthusiast, past college classmate, fellow industrial designer, and one of my best friends. Will was a huge influence for me getting another aircooled VW. It's very possible that if not for him I'd not have bought my current '67 Beetle. Will and his wife Monica came up for thanksgiving. Will and I hadn't seen each other since 1995 when we graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Currently will has a mid 80's Vanagon (which he drove to Atlanta from the Tampa area) , and a clean red 1972 Super Beetle which is really sweet I must add. Will is very meticulous, thorough, and detail oriented when it comes to working on cars - specifically VWs. SO the day after thanksgiving, Will and I decided that we needed some "garage time" working on something...and that something was my Bug. We didn't have anything in mind so we started looking around the car and Will decided he was going to help me out in the battery compartment area beneath the rear seat. Will did a great job making everything clean and we even made some minor improvements.

Here's will sorting out what's needed to be done here in the battery area...

Here's Will working on the battery area and I'm cleaning up the battery hold down bracket preparing it for fresh paint.

Will and I are hard at work to get the task at hand completed. Here's me laying down some self etch primer on the battery hold down bracket. We noticed it wasn't even being used and just laying on the floor under the seat.

The hard work paid off. Battery wires were cleaned of over spray, terminal connection insulators were added to keep any contact with the seat to the battery. Also note the freshly painted gloss black battery hold down and new clean hardware.

We also noted the dome light not working. After fixing a faulty wire connection and adding a new connector and bulb the dome light worked great.

Hangin' out with my fellow VW buddy Carl at his home shop

Another great thing about being in a car club is that one of them is bound to live nearby and when it's VW guys they're quick to call each other up and find any excuse at all to get together and hang out with their V-dubs. Carl invited me over and helped me out with some adjustments on the Bug. While I was there I got to check out his son's Baja Bug that he was changing the brakes on. That Baja had a lot of trick parts including a bus trans and a one off custom built shifter mount and shift linkage tube mounted in place. Neat! I also got a ride in Carl's sweet 1776 powered Bug complete with DVD player and surround sound. Nice ride! Once it started getting late we finished up playing with the timing on my bug and I headed back to the house a couple miles away. After I get back from my trip to China in a week Carl offered to help me convert my Bug from points over to electronic ignition - Can't wait!

AirCooled Addicts Meet at Fox Pizza - Nov. 19th 2009

I'm a little behind on the updates so here's a few photos from the meet out at Fox's Pizza a couple weeks ago. My bug wasn't quite ready to hit the road for the meet so we took the Mustang and my daughter and I snuck in. Reason for not bringing the Bug is it had a bad coil. But part of what makes this VW club great is the people. Gary Kohl brought me a used coil and sold it to me very cheap and it helped out. Lately I've been able to go out and cruise in the bug again until all my new ignition parts show up. We had fun though checking out all the cool stuff and eating lots of Pizza. Here's a few pics I took as well as some of Gary Kohl's pics.

This is one of Jason's Bugs. Matching luggage and cooler with nice patina!!!

Check out the killer single Cab!!!

Nice black oval window! If I remember right it's a 1958 model year and it's still running 6V too!

Me in the blue shirt on the left, showing my first piece of VW artwork to Carl, Jason, and the guys after we got our fill of Pizza. They approve - Cool!

There's me and Caitlin in the back center eatin' Pizza.

Always cool to see Gary's Herbie Bug.

Nice lineup!

Fastest way to change the belt on your V-Dub???!!

I don't know if I'd try this or not. I might end up with that screwdriver in my head or something biazrre!!! Pretty cool video though.

What's inside that counts!

This is a pretty cool video plus this Bug really flies! Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxlupdInTXY&feature=related

Brown Truck Came Again!

My heat exchangers have seen better days, I think that a flap on one of them is stuck or rusted closed so it was time for replacements. I also ordered new cables and hardware for the heat exchangers. While I had the heat exchangers and exhaust off, I decided I wanted to replace the exhaust system as well. I hate bolting up old rusty parts back on especially if they bolt onto the new parts I just installed! So I also ordered an Empi GT twin pipe exhaust system with the polished coating. Not only does the polished coating look cool it helps the car to run a little cooler too! I'll be away for a week but hope to be installing this stuff when I get back. Winter's around the corner so I need to get my heat in proper working order soon!

Fuel System Overhaul - Part 5 - FINISHED!

I finished up the fuel system last Sunday afternoon, and got her fired up. Obviously from the previous post you can see that I got the Bug runnin' and already out drivin'. I put the finishing touches to the tank this evening, and took the finished photo. I replaced the tire pressure specifications sticker on the fuel tank next to the filler neck and put in the soft gasket that goes around the bottom of the fuel tank flange to keep the

flange from rubbing on the trunk floor. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and it's all operating nicely. All in all not a bad job that you can do yourself.

Cruisin' the Church Parkin' Lot...

Gary shot out an email to the Air Cooled Addicts informing everyone that there was going to be a local car show at Lanier Church of God in Buford. He and Herbie were heading over to check it out. Since it was literally only a couple miles from my house and the weather was absolutely beautiful - I thought this was as good an excuse as any to bust out my '67 Bug and head over to meet up with Gary and anyone else that might drop in.

After meeting up with Gary and some of the gang from AirCooled Addicts up at Fox Pizza Den in Lawrenceville, Gary gave me a used set of points for me to swap in place of the worn out ones giving my Bug some driveability issues. Today was a good day for a test run and the points I swapped in made a difference.

This is Harold's 1974 Super Beetle Convertible. This Bug was really clean. I think Harold has had the car less than a year so far and is out in it havin' fun with the top down.

And here's Herbie!!! Gary came in with Harold shortly after I arrived. Herbie attracted a lot of attention not only from the kids but the kids-at-heart! Gary's done a great job personalizing his Herbie with a low front drop, and satin L87 pearl white paint.

2009 Sugar Hill, GA Fall Fest VW & Classic Car Show

Although I couldn't get the Beetle ready in time we still went and checked out the 2009 Fall Festival and VW & Classic Car Show. It was about 48 degrees and rainy but still a lot of fun to go and check out the aircooled V-dubs. Click on the link below to see the slideshow.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43100116@N03/sets/72157622620266876/show/

Fuel System Overhaul - Part 4

I haven't posted up here in a few days because the Bug has been soaking up a lot of time. I missed my goal of having it ready for the local Fall Festival VW and Classic Car show this past Saturday. I should have listened to my instincts and used the laquer acrylic based paint from the beginning! I tried the Rustoleum enamel and had problems with the paint lifting especially when I applied the clear - YIKES. So I had to strip the top of the tank down to bare metal again. The bottom painted up nice, didn't spend as much time on making it as smooth and perfect since you won't see it anyways. So to recap the project, to this point here's what I've replaced and restored in the fuel system.

- Restored the fuel tank. Sims Radiator cleaned and coated the inside.

- Stripped the fuel tank exterior down to the metal, etch primed and painted gloss black.

- All the fuel hoses were replaced with the correct replacement braided fuel hose purchased from Wolfsburg West.

- Ran compressed air through the metal fuel fuel line in the chassis and cleaned the metal real fuel line behind the doghouse. Flow was perfect, no clogs or rust in the lines.

- Replaced the old clear fuel filter and upgraded to an inline metal filter.

- Relocated the new fuel filter near the transmission, for increased safety against possible fire hazzards.

- Replaced the fuel pump.

- Screen filter in the fuel tank was initially missing so I purchased and installed a screen and O-ring inside the tank.

- Bought all new stainless hose clamps. I installed these at the ends of each fuel hose. Overkill maybe, but again, increased safety.

I did finally get everything just about buttoned up yesterday. After blowing a little compressed air in the fuel tank at the filler neck, I was able to force the fuel up and into the fuel pump to get the Bug started. After about a minute the Bug smoothed out and was running better than ever! I will take the last few photos tonite showing what I did including some of the improvements I made relocating the filter and the fuel hose clamps.

Meanbugs.com

Meanbugs focuses on Volkswagens from 1967 and earlier, with the “right” and cool low look to them. A perfect paint job or shiny chrome isn't necessary or even preferred. Meanbugs loves cars with a rusty paint job that shows age on the car. That with a lowered suspension and shiny polished wheels is what they feel really sets their aircooled rides off! Why have a shiny car like everyone else, when you can have a car with an unique patina-look by mother nature? Dare to be different, that's what MeanBugs is all about!

Meanbugs website has a free forum you can sign up for, news updates, and even a store selling unique aircooled lifestyle apparel and even skateboards! Not only do these guys have a website but they got a shop too. If you're in Sweden and wanna check these guys out stop by. OK, so enough talkin, start clickin' and check these guys out.

http://www.meanbugs.com/

Parts came from Wolfsburg West

Just received the gas tank screen, screen O-ring, fuel filters, and braided fuel line. Just waiting on 2 parts from Cip1 which should be here day after tomorrow.

Fuel System Overhaul - Part 3

I picked up my gas tank for the Bug from Sim’s Radiator Service in Lawrenceville today. From what I can see inside the tank it looks coated pretty well. They also took the bottom fuel line fitting out before coating and then put it back on for me so it didn’t get lost. For the most part they did an OK job. I could see down the fuel neck, and there seems to be a piece of grass or debris that got into the coating on the inside? I’ll try to pick it out. They also painted the outside of the tank (I was on the fence whether I should have opted out and told them not to and that I could do that part) which I was less than impressed with. Not only did they use a brush to apply the Rustoleum paint but there were very thick runs in the paint! I also found more pieces of debris and grass stuck to the outside paint. I just didn’t feel right in putting that back in the Bug like that even though the carpeting covers the tank.

For the bottom, there didn’t seem to be as thick a paint job on the bottom so I just sanded it with the orbital sander, and then used a soft sanding block and sponge with some sand paper by hand. I’ll prime and sand it a couple times to get it to look pretty clean and then just paint it.

For the top of the tank though I decided to strip the paint down to the metal. The runs and paint were really thick and I really wanted this to look extra clean and smooth. Plus there was still painted over gasket material around the sending unit opening that I wanted to remove. I used industrial strength aircraft paint stripped. This is the easiest way but man that stuff is nasty to work with. Use caution and gloves with this stuff – and do it outside.

I ran out of time and had to head out later in the evening but managed to get the bulk of the paint removal and sanding done. With a little more time, some primer, and a bit more sanding the tank will be ready for final paint. My fuel screen, fuel lines, and sending unit gasket/hardware should be here today from Wolfsburg West. My steering damper will be here Wednesday and I have to install it before I mount the tank back in. So hopefully Wednesday night the steering damper, tank, sending unit, and fuel tank to fuel line should be installed. First though I will need to clean out the fuel line running through the chassis tunnel.

Fuel System Overhaul - Part 2

OK, well I found out why no more fuel was finding it's way to the fuel pump, through the filter, and into the carburetor. The brand new fuel pump failed. The metal pin that the fulcrum pivots on "fell out"? I've never seen that one before LOL! Noticed the pin laying on top of the crankcase as I was pulling the pump off the engine. My first reaction was to laugh but at least now I know there's no clog in the fuel lines. I was getting rust and debris in the fuel filter so I'm glad that I'm going through the fuel system and restoring it to like new shape. I dropped the fuel tank off at Sim's yesterday to be dipped in that vat, and sealed. Should have it back in a few days good as new. In the meantime I'm getting my shopping list together of all the new parts I'll need to order. Should have my fuel pump replacement by Monday.

Fuel System Overhaul

How do you know when it's time to to start thinking about pulling your fuel tank, cleaning it, replacing fuel lines, and pumps? Well if you bought a car that's sat not moving for years that could be one clue. How about if you start noticing rust and trash showing up in your fuel filter? That could be another sign. How about, after noticing the trash in the filter except now there's just the trash and no fuel in the filter and the car doesn't wanna run anymore? Time to overhaul the fuel system. I had a fuel pump installed about a week before the car stopped drinking fuel so I know the pump is good, just need to check the screen and make sure it's not clogged or dirty.
Pulling your tank is a pretty straight forward deal..especially on a 1967 Bug like mine. First I disconnected the battery, think the wife would be hostile if I caught the house on fire. Then remove the sending unit cover and remove the 5 screws. Pull out the sending unit and gasket. Next I disconnected the braided hose at the filler neck. At this point if you have a lot of fuel in the tank you should siphon it out. Once I had that all out of the way I removed the 4 bolts and brackets holding the fuel tank down. Luckily I had enough slack in the fuel line to lift the tank up to clamp the lower fuel line before removing the fuel tank. While I have the tank out, now would also be a good time to inspect your front suspension, steering components, and anything else you might have a hard time getting at with the tank in place. I noticed that my steering damper was leaking and in need of replacement. Good time to put it in - heck the part only costs $29.

These cars are so simple, I love it!

Here's the fuel tank out of the car and empty. Overall the tank looks pretty good on the outside. No dents, no pinholes, no leaks and just a couple tiny surface rust spots from scratches. Definately worth getting cleaned and resealed.

Here's the bottom of the tank, again - nice shape.

Here's where things get interesting. Doesn't look so clean inside! Looks like a bit of rust on the inside of the tank. Don't really see any sludge or buildup though.

Here's a shot through the filler neck...more rust. I don't think the tank is real rough and can be restored no problem. Hey, the car is 42 years old!

I'm taking the fuel tank to a radiator shop friday and dropping it off. Should have it back no later than monday since they may not be open on the weekends. I'll post pics of the restored tank when i get it back. In the meantime, I'll need to replace those old braided fuel lines, and clean out the metal fuel lines.

Airmighty.com

Here's another great site with the usual features such as a forum, gallery, movies, links, etc. The gallery has TONS of great photos from vintage stockers to customs. The news section covers projects, builds, and also shows, and events. Lot of eye candy on this site which is great for getting ideas on your own ride. Sign up and check it out!

http://www.airmighty.com/

Roadside Bonding with the Beetle

Well it looks like I won't be driving the Beetle to the Bugs at the Branch show this weekend. After picking up my daughter from after school care, the Bug didn't want to run anymore. I've only had the car about 3 weeks or so now and really haven't had time to thoroughly go through it but I know enough about it to know that I developed a clog in the fuel system somewhere. The fuel filter now has maybe a drop of fuel in the very bottom...not flowin' - at all now! I knew i had a fuel flow issue but hoped I could drive it for a few more days until i was ready to pull the fuel tank. Well I guess now is the time to pull the fuel tank. I'd been noticing some rust particles or trash in the fuel filter and really it was just a matter of time. Fortunately the car broke down on a side street only about a mile from my house. Once we got the Bug flat beddedback to the house we let it off and into the garage. Looks like I'll be posting pics of my fuel tank restoration and fuel line replacement! The fuel pump was just replaced so we'll inspect it and make sure it's clean of any debris before puttin' her all back together. I'm pretty sure that this fuel issue was also causing my bug to run out a little lean causing the engine to run a little hotter than normal causing the oil to thin out. When I would come to a stop from a long drive or off the highway, at idle the oil pressure light might flicker on a little. If I gave the gas pedal even the slightest nudge it would immediately go out. So I'm confident I'll be eliminating 2 minor drive ability issues once the fuel tank has been restored and replace the fuel lines.

All Around Restos - Part 2

Thought I'd post a few more pics from the meet. Lot of cool cars, food, and even a few parts vendors. I'm looking forward to the Bugs at the Branch show next weekend. Have to make sure we got the Bug ready to go! lots more cars, people, and just cool stuff to look at!