1970 Bug Arrives from California!

[jasonl]

WOW! That's one clean Bug. I had a 1964 Bug mostly restored. I did some repairs to it and it ran like a top.

The most trouble I've had with the car was the brakes and the clutch. Other than that, the car was just unstoppable. You can't kill a VW.

New Let's see that original 1600cc engine in all its original glory.

You probably have a good German exhaust system on it. Those are relatively quiet and have that distinct "chirp" when you accelerate (especially uphill).

Best thing you can do is get a book called "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive" by John Muir. He explains in DETAIL how to work on everything in that little car.

 

[rp2813]

I know I'm dating myself here but I think the most blatant California plate to slip by the screener that I ever saw was over 20 years ago in San Francisco. It read "GRK ACTV" which doesn't even leave room for debate on sexual connotation.

 

[drmitch]

Nice VW, Allen! Finding a 37 year old car in that condition is amazing. Happy motoring!

 

[exploder3211]

I want somthing bear ish on my car tag, after all i am a bear

 

[rp2813]

Good luck Sploder. Most of the bear references I see on plates and frames have been snatched up by female drivers.

That pun fell into place well . . .

 

[hydralique]

rp2813, you are bad!

There used to be a '67 Mustang that wandered around the Oak Lawn area of Dallas with a plate that read "Say Sir" . . . I never got a good look at the driver however.

 

[whirlcool]

Here you go, Jason

I replaced the fuel lines in the engine compartment, if you don't properly maintain the fuel line system these things can catch fire. The fuel lines in the engine compartment weren't in that bad of shape. But we woke up today to the odor of gasoline. The fuel line under the tank in the front of the car had crumbled. It appeared to be the original 1970 rubber fuel line. About 3 gallons of gas dumped out on the garage floor over night.
Fortunately, I was able to roll the car out of the garage and cleaned the floor with Dawn and warm water. No more gas fumes in there. I was happy that I still had plenty of the good German cloth braided hose on hand for the repair. I was just happy that I didn't have my water heater in the garage.
So now with all the fuel lines replaced, I'm good to go for another three years until I have to do it again, just as a safety precaution! As a safety precaution I also moved the fuel filter out from the engine compartment to under the fuel tank and purchased an upgraded steel one, rather than the flimsy
see thru plastic ones.

 

[whirlcool]

When I was up under the car I was very surprised to see that not only does this car have a newly rebuilt transmission, but also new shocks, starter, brake lines. And of course being a California car not one bit of rust anywhere!
So as far as under the car goes, I'm done!

For some reason, the previous owner swapped out the original oil bath air cleaner with this custom one. I called him on it, and he's mailing the original to me.

And those new fuel lines are safety wired to the engine just like they do in aircraft!

 

[hydralique]

Braided fuel line . . .

Please be careful of that braided fuel line! I bought some several years ago to replace the old lines on my '73 Citroen. It came from BAP, and was sold as premium German line suitable for carburetted cars. The line lasted *maybe* two years before it started crumbling under the braiding. Luckily I spotted some damp spots in the braiding at carb number one, because it was just as bad at the other carbs, where the line is hidden under the airbox. It could have very, very easily caused a nasty fire.

I'm not suggesting that all braided line is bad, but rather that some real crap (probably not from Germany at all) was sold at reputable retailers. I certainly looked and felt like quality stuff (very similar to what older Porsches used), but I guess that the rubber compound wasn't intended for long-term exposure to gasoline.

You lucked out in finding a Beetle of arguably the best era: after '68, so it has the proper four-joint rear suspension instead of the poor-handling swing axles, and before the Super Beetle, which may be a better car but is certainly less charming. I have an aquaintance, an older lady, who drives a very late fuel injected Super Beetle as a daily driver. She and her family have a long history of air cooled VWs, including several Type 3 Karmann Ghias. The Super Beetle was rebuilt a few years ago by a high-end shop and really looks nice, but for a collection nothing beats a good original.

 

[58limited]

Beware of the brand of fuel line (not braided, just regular)that O'Reilly carries, it won't last two years. I'm trying Advance's brand now.

The O'Reilly brand started sucking air on my '77 F-250. It looked like Swiss cheese and left me stranded on the way to the airport, it was 18 months old. Also replaced the lines on my '68 Galaxie when this happened - it was also toast after only 2 years. When I bought the Galaxie, it had the original lines on it - I had to replace them because they were hard and the ends broke when I pulled them from the fittings during the engine rebuild. They lasted 30 years, why can't they make rubber last that long anymore?

 

[myhooverco]

I was at a car show in Akron on Father's Day and saw this 1969 VW. It looks like the one in the photos. This one had very low miles something like 30,000 or so. It still smelled new. I thought I would post a photo of it.

--Tom

 

[myhooverco]

Here is another shot...what is the difference between your VW Bug's wheels and this one? They look different to me. These wheels did not seem as "deep" as your car. Oh and this 1969 model had no vents in the rear hood only above it below the window. Was this just a model year change thing or did the vents have a real purpose?

--Tom

 

[scott55405]

My nephew has a 1970 Volkswagen so I just got to ride in one again recently after many years. How fun. His dad works for the LA County Sheriff and I think he gets cars for the kids that have been confiscated or auctioned or whatever.

Enjoy your car Whirlcool! I actually wish CA would go back to the dark colored plates. The ones we have now are fine, but I always thought those were cool and different.

For a while I was going to get the plate "6XE BAK", but Justin of late has been some kinda nutcase, so now I'm glad I didn't, though I was going to do it more because a couple guys nicknamed me that more so than Justin. I may think of something else though as I'd like to get the special plate with the palm trees on it.

I learned only recently that this later version of the Beetle has the traditional engine in front, trunk in back configuration. I had no idea.

 

[whirlcool]

The braided fuel line came from a specialty VW parts house that I have dealt with for the past 10 years or so. They carry the "good stuff". But it's always a good idea to every few weeks inspect the fuel line and clamps for tightness and wear. This is just part of the safety routine that comes with driving a VW.
I have heard that about BAP. Some of the parts aren't up to standard. Another problem in the VW world is that so many people are reproducing original parts the quality has gone down hill. I replace my parts with authentic German parts where possible. Since I know the owner of my supply store, I actually saw the reel of gas line that stated "made in Germany" on it.
Lots of parts are coming from Taiwan and China. Needless to say, the parts don't last or most of the time even fit right.

The changes for the 1970 model year (from the 69')

Dash radio grille and glove box door on the 69' were color keyed to the exterior color. On the 1970 they were solid black.

On the 1969 models, the wheels were two tone black and the interior color. In 1970 they went to painted silver wheel.

The 1970 model had reflectors on the side of the tail light assemblies and "pop up" style reflectors on the bumper, which looked cheap and most people took them off. I have the ones for my car that the owner took of in 1971.

On the 1970 model they added louvers to the deck lid to aid engine cooling as they boosted the engine up to 57 horses.

I have two photos for you of the 1969 and 1970 model year VW's.
This is really strange as VW used the same photo for both years for their brochure, and just airbrushed the new parts in! they also forgot to change the colors of the wheels!

1969 VWs

 

[whirlcool]

Here are the 1970 Bugs
Who's a guessed that VW would get caught 37 years later with this trick?

 

[whirlcool]

That's a nice 69'! Just about showroom in condition. Thanks for sending that photo.

Yes, the "New Beetle" doesn't share anything with the original ancestor. It's water cooled, front engined. It's basically a Gold or Rabbit in a stylized Beetle inspired body. It's a nice car, but I think it's overpriced for what you get.

 

[nurdlinger]

Here's something I found useful

Years ago, when I was one of the hundreds of people in this country who bought a Volkswagen Type IV, I got a lot of practical advice out of this book. In the 70's I knew lots of VW drivers, and all considered the book a must-have. The Type IV, also known as the 411, was kind of the ultimate evolution of the air-cooled Volkswagen. It was fully-independently-suspended, fuel injected, had very comfortable seats, and would go 115mph. (on a slight downgrade in Nevada in the pre-oil-embargo, no-speed-limit days.)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200123712464

 

[whirlcool]

Did you like your 411? How long did you have it?

Yes, I have that book, a copy from the original pressing!

For VW Owners, the Bentley manual seems to cover it all. I "Idiot Book" is pretty good for explaining the basic concepts, but some of the stuff "we think" was written while the author was, shall we say "high".

The Squareback I have in the earlier photo is still fuel injected. A very reliable system when left alone.

The Volkswagen Type 4. Man those are super rare. Believe it or not, there are collectors of those. Parts are extremely hard to come by. Usually you have to buy a parts car to support a running car.

One of the restoration shops here in town has a 1974 411 that they restored for an owner. New engine, interior, the works. When they painted it, the paint came out a few shades darker than expected. This infuriated the owner and he just abandoned the car completely.
It's been sitting covered at the restoration shop for about a dozen years.

I think the reason the 411/412 didn't sell well here is that:

1. They were sorta strange looking with those "tacked on" looking tail lights.
2. The German mark during those years was high against the dollar, which made the cars kinda pricey.

They were the final evolution of the air cooled design with an engine that was also used in certain models of the Porsche.

 

[exploder3211]

Nice cars.. Can't understand why people abandon cars
Got my eyes on a 1985 Porsche 944 with 90K miles that has a new clutch and valve cover gasket, owner left it behind cause he could pay cash for a new porsche and go home and told the shop owner to just keep it and sent him the title, it was an $800 bill.. Has sat for 15 years in a heated garage forgotton about.. Its a well known euro shop in asheville and there checkin it over for me So far it needs very little to be erestored.. Sp if it needs less than $2,000 to be restored i will give him the $800 due and its mine.. I didn't get the lincoln..

 

[hydralique]

Bad Parts . . .

BAP burned a few bridges with me when I had to replace that fuel line. I haven't been into one of their stores since then. I ended up using OEM Alfa fuel line intended for the electric pump to injection pump run, which will support 30 psi and should last a good long time with only 6 psi in the Citroen.

I don't know about Taiwanese or Chinese parts, but a lot of real crap comes out of Russia and Poland. I sold my '87 Fiat X1/9 a few years ago because it became impossible to get OEM Fiat parts in this country, and I just couldn't rely on the Polish and Russian parts in my daily driver. After three X1/9s in twenty years, that hurt. At least I can get parts at the dealership for my current daily driver, an '02 VW TDI, although even VW parts aren't what they used to be. I've had premature failures of both the turbocharger (Romanian built) and the timing belt tensioner (Canadian built). The first failure toasted the whole engine, and I was just lucky the second didn't as well.

One real irony of Porsche's use of the Type 4 engine is that the 914, famous for having a VW engine and sold as a "VW-Porsche" in many markets actually had it's own block but the 1976 912E used the VW block and of course no VW badges were allowed near that car. The reason for this is the differing requirements of a mid-engine car vs. a rear engine car, but it always strikes me as funny.