We bought a 1969 Beetle for the kids to learn to drive...... but its been in the wars and the clutch was gone as well.......we pulled the motor in November and over the last few weeks/months we have made some progress. Its hard for the Xbox/Playstation generation to not have instant results but some things take time. 'Scope Creep" took hold and now its had new bearings, rings, guide inserts valve job ( courtesy Max) and a rattle can make over. [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] I'm sure there are ( were) lots of former Beetle and Kombi owners on this forum.
I know nuffing about Beatles or Kombis All I could see was the Darmah under a blankie in those pics and I shed a wee tear for her
Pulled of the Clutch master Cylinder last night and its 13 mm. I think to increase the rod travel I need a larger master cylinder....??? I put blankets over them to keep them clean .....not so as I don't get reminded of them......
Measure the travel needed to fully engage the clutch, given the freeplay required when not engaged at it's minimum. Then check the bore length of the slave cyl from piston fully back to extended still with the piston rubber sealing. If the stroke of the slave is less than the required travel needed for the actuator rod to engage the clutch and return for freeplay tollerance then the slave is not right. If it is correct in stroke length to work the clutch (given that the end rod is long enough to seat on the actuator arm and rest on the slave piston still with required freeplay of actuator arm)) then check the master cyl stroke is enough to actuate the slave through it's full travel needed to act on the clutch arm. If the bar lever does not push the master through it's full acceptable limit of travel, and that limit of travel equates to the slave travel, then the lever actuator on the master may need to be built up. If all else fails put it on TM with the cable clutch back in place and buy a Guzzi. I will be listing the Cali in a week, with the change from the Drama after buying my Guzzi you can get the long suffering missus a bunch of flowers and still have 4K to blow on the Norton
Double post, sorry
Yes, yes, I seem to recall... Had this painted on the side which used to get people scratching their heads. In them days the subversive Monty Python's Flying Circus used to air at 11pm on Sunday night. Good thing my brother had just come back from the UK or I might have missed it. Also a good thing my other brother had nicked a warrant of fitness book. As you can see, it was pretty marginal even under the relatively lax standards of the early 70s. Sorry, thread hijack over.
I thought it was " not a moment Tolouse"....? Early one ...pre 61. Probably worth about $7000 in that state now....
I will be listing the Cali in a week, with the change from the Drama after buying my Guzzi you can get the long suffering missus a bunch of flowers and still have 4K to blow on the Norton I'd sooner buy a Harley....My kids will have to arrange for Darmah sale when I'm gone, looks like you'll never own a bevel Dodgy...
If I'd kept it until now, it would have looked like this
VW's make great wedding cars too I love them so much thought of V W as initials for first son Had to call the cat "Beetle" Do i want another Beetle not the modern crappy ones either!! Signed Mrs JMK
I seriously,seriously abused my VW's...it was criminal.I started with a '54,and towing it out of the bog it was in with my '38 Chev Coupe,one side of the rear bumper ripped out,sending the bumper up into the guard and mangling it.Brush painted it with black Sampson high gloss...and then it rained.Painted airsea rescue stripes over the front,and bloodshot eyeballs on the engine cover....we called it the Bleary Eyeball.We found out about the crazy handling,where it went sideways in a big way...and tried to roll it many times but never succeeded.To stop the rear wheel jack up,I knocked the hubcap tangs off the wheels and fitted them on backwards....now it was real wide,and the wheels vertical.It handled so well like that I took the torsion bars out of the rear and lowered it. It had a bit of missing tinware in the engine compartment,this recycled the hot air from the exhaust and boiled the fuel....but it was ok on gravel roads for some reason.So we towed it down to Wangamata for New Year behind my International pickup truck,got there and was looking out the lounge window eating baked beans when it caught on fire....the battery was shorted out by the seat springs..On New Years Eve I came back to where we were staying and found the arse end sticking out of a hole they had dug for a septic tank....towed it out with the truck.One time the brakes failed when towing it behind the International - no problem,my mate just ran it into the back of the truck slowing down for corners.I abused the gearbox so much with clutchless shifts,and side stepping the clutch in reverse....that it ended up with no reverse.No worry,just be careful where you park. Now I entered a phase of learning how to drive,and starting a couple of themes that have been with me all the way - this getting sideways was serious fun,and going really,really hard out in something totally gutless was also a whole lot of fun.I still like getting my arse out,and punting a low powered bike still gives me more satisfaction than a high powered machine.I took to driving around the city streets,tossing this thing sideways on every corner,wet or dry.I was doing 180's everywhere,and a few 360's as well - going down a wet road backwards in 2nd gear with the throttle flat,slowing down and then going forwards....never backing off the throttle.Man,I was one totally loose unit.Then I started on loose metal roads,and the VW was the best thing here,so easy to get sideways,then holding it there with the throttle hard down.I drove really hard on the loose metal,the thing was sideways everywhere,I never backed off,slamming into banks,slipping down the otherside,through ditches.And all with no reverse,I only had to get pushed out once.I learnt a hell of a lot driving like this...a lot more about control on loose surfaces than some equally stupid kid would these days in a WRX. I went through a few engines.One night we were on the piss with too many people in the VW,next day a mate and I were looking for something down Rosebank Rd,at the end I did a handbrake turn - and the back of the seat broke,damaged in the fun the nigth before.I went down the road flat on my back...and parked perfectly against the curb on the otherside of the road.Trying to start it,it just spun over fast and never caught - a familiar problem these days,a broken cambelt.What had happened was that it had sheared the rivets on the cam gear.I used to build engines out of the best bits in my collection. The end finally came - one day I was following an HQ Holden down the Pakuranga highway,I knew they were traffic cops,but they didn't normally go 2 in one car...and when I saw another cop going the other way with sirens on to an accident I figured if they were cops they would have got the call first.So I passed them,in the wet,and of course took the Panmure roundabout sideways,onto the otherside of the road.They weren't impressed - the car was gutted inside,only the drivers seat,the drivers door had to be held up because the door pillar was rusted out,and of course no WoF or rego.As well as the ticket for dangerous driving and woF and rego,they told me to take it off the road.Of course I drove it the next day....and they were waiting at the end of the road for me. That was my first VW,I had a couple more.I think I've talked a little too much about my previous life....
Good Story Motu....I like the olden days of no seatbelts, meaningless WOF, swapped plates....
It didn't even have an engine cover - a hinge broke one wet day on Blackridge Rd in Riverhead forest,I pulled the number plate off and threw the bleary eyeball ''bootlid'' into the bushes.Then I mounted a motorcycle tailight below the rear window...small back window.If they could take the abuse I dished out to mine,imagine how long they would last with care and attention.
I had a 54, with the oval window, found an article in a Classic Car mag on the WW2 4wd one ( eat your heart out Audi)....looked cool with the 16" landy tyres....so we had a go. Fitted 54 Kombi suspension to the front with the steering arms cut and moved to the top, reamed out the trailing arms all fitted. Reduction box rear end , swapped the crown and pinion around, found some 16" Kombi rims and whoo hoo as WW2 4WD beetle look alike. Painted it up in camo, put bull bars on it and a roof rack with spotlights. the 36 hp died and I got a 1300 that turned out to be a 1700...with the Kombi gearing it was damn quick.....up to 50mph. took it up 90 mile beach, no probs with 12" ground clearance anywhere. Then I bought a SL125 and my car days were over.......
The day I got the ticket that lost my license,I bought my Triton,so I didn't really care that the car was off the road.Not that I'd ever given up bikes,but the VW was a good interlude.
