HELP! I'm new and scared of waterless engines!

[DUG]

Greetings all!

I'm very new to this whole air cooled VW thing here so bear with me....I'm going to ask some dumb questions I'm sure.

My woman just bought a cute little '72 Baja bug and I don't know a thing about them other then that they run gas and don't use water. I'm not to worried about it though I work as amechanic and do a damn good job of faking competence. I've tinkered with mechanical things a bunch, I played with muscle cars and imports alittle, I'm a huge Jeep nut and I have decent fabrication, welding and "make it up as you go" skills. I also had a late 70's bus and it seemed simple enough....except for that whole cracked head no warm start thing.

Anyway...I just wanted to let everyone know who I was and that I mean no harm. I'll try to answear stuff I know, I hate to take w/o giving.

OK, now for the questions.....

First, I have to go cross country and flat tow this thing home. I've never flat towed a VW before so what should I do? I know leave the wheel un locked so it can turn and I'm guessing nuetral is the best bet right?

Seconed, what should I look for on this thing? It looks rust free in the oictures but you know how that goes....where should I scope it out for rust? I'm not to worried about the engine stuff, that is where I excele but what are some key things to look at? How about on the trans or suspension?

Third...she is going to want it taller and faster and cuter and.....you know the story, so what are good mads to start with after I get it safe and sound?

TIA!

[JordanK]

Hiya,

well, the first places you want to check for rust are under the back seat by the battery, and the heatchannels. those are the two rocker-panel type things at the bottom of the door opening on each side. poke them w/ a screwdriver or something-if it goes through, that's bad. also look under the front end just back of where the beam bolts to the car-the frame head area. Check for sloppily done bondo in the rear quarter panel areas-a common sight. if it seems relatively solid, you're in luck. if not, well, you get to make use of those fabrication skills, then.

as far as towing it-make darn sure it's well attached-a tow bar is best, but i'd still use a safety of some sort. check out my pics in the T3 forum to see what happens when you don't have a safety...also make sure the e-brake is off, and the car is out of gear. Good luck. nice to see another "rust belt vw fan"-i'm about an hour from chicago.

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Jordan
1963 Beetle, 5 spokes, 1776, dropped spindles, etc...
1973 AutoStick Beetle, stock.

[SuperBeetle71]

Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of VW's. The aircooled engine is pretty simple so you should learn fast.

If I had to offer any advice:

1. You must adjust the valves far more frequently than a watercooled car. The higher operating temperatures of the air cooled engine require larger gaps in valve lash, .006", and if you let a valve get too tight for not too long, it will burn. Adjust your valves regularly, as well as change the oil regularly (which actually provides a large amount of engine cooling) and you will get many years of fun beetling.

2. Be prepared to have many conversations with random people who will want to tell you their VW stories, and ask questions about yours.

3. Don't expect to break any speed records. VW's provide the other sometimes forgotten aspect of fun driving: relaxing unique crusing. No other car on the road is like your VW.

[This message has been edited by SuperBeetle71 (edited 03-19-2001).]

[stevestromberg]

Allway adjust the valves after the car has set overnight it must be Cold as the pushrods "grow" when they get hot. You found the Right Place to have any Question ansered ther must be over 1000 years of V-Dubin knowledge here just for the asking. Good luck and welcome aboard. Steve 66 bug,69 Bug,71 Sq.back,70 T-II panel, 71 Hi-top westy,74 westy,80 westy, 13 914's

[frwent]

Hi DUG, no need to fear the farvergnugen, they are really pretty easy to get along with. I have a 1966 that I am restoring and used to have a 71 Super I sold a few years back and have kicked myself aroung the block 10 times over. The above suggestions are good, and I want to recommend another site that seems to be pretty active, it is called Volkswebben' (http://www.oroad.com/volkswebbin/) and you might check in over there. There are a lot of VDub heads there and a lot of very good and experienced guys (and gals) who will be happy to help you out. Good luck with the bug and maybe we will see each other on the road. Fred W.

[vwnate1]

Before you tow it , get a bolt with a 17M.M. head , pull the tranny fill plug on the left side and fill to the bottom of the hole , use regular gear oil 90W , 85W-90 etc. be sure to unlock the steering head . have fun .
-Nate

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-Nate
Filth & Greed Imports
(the LAST honest VWshop)

[tarnx]

I have been driving a daily driver for about 3 years now and it only died once when the #3 syncro jammed the gears and locked up the transmission. One thing I have learned is they are very picky about how you do work on them. Get a Bently manual. They have to be maintained regularly. The brakes have to be adjusted, the points, and the valves also the oil must be changed regularly. Also castrol GTX oil is the best for them. I noticed a definite improvement when using this oil and it doesn't break down at the higher temperatures air cooled engines run at.
One thing you will find is that alot of people have worked on the bug before you and they have done all kinds of strange things especially to the wiring. If in doubt use the manual. If you can use, factory parts as they are usually better, but not always better than aftermarket.
Another problem is, when was that ball joint or other part replaced or were they all replaced together. Did they do just a front brake job or did they do front and rear. I have seen pretty cars sold at preminum prices and they needed about $1000 worth of parts to make them safe to drive. If nothing elseworks make sure the brakes are good! If I had to do it again I would sit down and check out all the running gear top to bottom and replace all the worn parts before I started to drive the car.
One thing I do like about the Beetle is that it usually warns you before it breaks, mostly with strange noises. I don't always listen.
Another particularly devastating place for rust is under the rear window. If the window has leaked the whole package shelf could be gone like on my 70 project bug. Major headache. Almost all the bugs I have looked at have rust or are eaten away on the floor pans. The tar boards are just covering up the rust. I was working on my 74 today doing some floor board painting and I pulled up the tar boards under the rear seat. The floor came with them. Luckily replacement floor pans are available and fairly easly to install.
Welcome to the world of the Bug. It seems to get in your blood after a while.