Volksback

Squareback build thread @ build threads

2012-02-10T18:53:00.002+01:00

Today I found a cool thread on one of my favorite sites: www. build-threads.com, look:

if you want to learn more about this amazing buid, read this:
http://www.build-threads.com/build-threads/vw-type-3-wagon/

damned chrome plater! (no pic today...)

2012-02-01T20:31:00.000+01:00

Last week I 've been at a local chrome plater for a quote to rechrome my rear bumper. The guy told me around 350 - 400 €uro + tax.
Today I've been there again, to give him the bumper - when I asked again he claimed at least 500- 550 €uro + tax! Fuck him! I was about to shove my bumper up his a....
Anyway, I still don't have a nice rear bumper . If anybody has a clue or a honest chrome plater - let me know!

a little side project...

2012-01-31T19:04:00.000+01:00

today I received a nice package with the first parts of a little side project:

a few pics I took today

2012-01-29T15:57:00.000+01:00

Today I took the Volksback for a spin and shot a few pics. It was the first day in weeks with dry weather and dry streets...

It is really nice to have a good working heater system on board, even it was only around 0°C - inside it was cosy.

Air ride - baby!

2012-01-28T11:19:00.000+01:00

Here is the reveal of yesterdays post:
XY- dampers are: Monroe MaxAir - made for aircooled VW's on the rear IRS axle.
But, as the Type 3 front damper is the same length as a beetle / type 3 rear damper, I just exchanged the lower bushings - and here is the Type 3 front pseudo - "Airride"!
As the Monroe is a standard damper plus the adjustable air cushion - it rides really well and I can have the cool "in the weeds" look whenever necessary and a moderate ride hide also.

I lowered the front another notch, then installed the Monroe's

enough said, look:

"standard" ride height:

"low" stance - on the bump stops:

again, in detail:

"high"

"low"

I am looking for an onboard compressor to "blow-up" the Monroes whenever I need it - Maybe I'll use one of those "mobility kit" type compressors...

By the way...
On an IRS equipped Type 3 the similar thing could be done to the rear as well! On a swing axle I would strongly recommend NOT to "high jack" the rear - the extreme positive camber would look ugly and drive like crap!

wheel adapter - finished!

2012-01-28T11:05:00.000+01:00

Here is the finished wheel adapter, including the freshly wrinkle-finished aluminium bits and a cleaned rubber boot:

... almost factory looking - I like it!

bullit in the brain?

2012-01-27T20:28:00.000+01:00

Here is another project I just started...

...
what the hell is it?

the left part is made of bronze and is a mounting aid...
for:

damper bushings:

left to right: og Koni damper lower eyelet with narrow bushing, XY damper lower eyelet with narrow bushing, XY lower eyelet with og wide bushing...

a few minutes later: all XY dampers have the narrow bushing now...

You may ask: Why? The Koni's are top notch dampers, BUT - look closer to the next pic and you know what it is all about:

stay tuned ... more to come tomorrow!

wheel adapter

2012-01-20T20:26:00.002+01:00

3 years ago I bought a nice wooden steering wheel at the Techno Classica. The wheel - from Mountney, England - is really nice, but the original Mountney boss for old VW's is a real POS... bulky and bad fitment, so I designed an adapter to mount the Mountney wheel to the good old Raid boss, which is quality known since years!

both have 6 bolt pattern, so it was an easy design...
A special thanks to Thomas for his nice work on his lathe!

and here is the steering wheel it was made for.

update: theirs (Mountney og part) vs. mine boss:

I dismanteled the Raid boss, every metal part will be re-painted in wrinkle finish black and the rubber boot will be given a quick makeover...

more pics later!

some more pics from the oily motor... noch ein paar Bilder vom verölten Motor

2012-01-08T18:10:00.001+01:00

Here a few more pics of the oily mess which will be a motor again later on...
Hier noch ein paar Bilder von dem öligen Klumpen der irgendwann wieder ein Motor werden soll:

lots of carbon oil residues everywhere
überall reichlich Ölkohle

luckily no big chunks of whatever in the mesh filter
zum Glück keine groben Teile im Siebfilter

Rosmalen 2012

2012-01-08T14:36:00.002+01:00

Is it just me or do you also see a significant rise of prices in the last 2 years? The price for a German made NOS ERNST exhaust system almost doubles every 2 years and so on. Anyway, I just picked up a few little things for the Fastback this time:

Kommt es nur mir so vor oder steigen die VW Preise unaufhörlich weiter? Vor allem in den letzten 2 Jahren finde ich das schon fast kriminell! Ein NOS Ernst Auspuff verdoppelt zur Zeit ca. alle 2 Jahre seinen Wert... Egal, für den Fastback gab es dieses Jahr nur ein bisschen Kleinkram:

a repro VW badge for the front, a set of motor sheet metal mounting screws, a logo set for the 2 liter center caps, a NOS set of seat rail gliders, 2 rubber breather valves for the original crankcase breather system, a brake pad mounting set to get rid of that annoying squeek during braking (the spring loaded metal clips were missing on my calipers) and the notorious tunnel basket...

Ein Repro-VW Zeichen, eine Tüte Schrauben für die Motorverblechung, Porsche Logo's für die 2 Liter Felgen, einen kompletten NOS-Set Sitzgleitschienen, 2 Gummi's für die Serien-Kurbelgehäuseentlüftung, einen Bremsklotzmontageset - damit das lästige Quietschen beim Bremsen mal ein Ende hat (bei mir haben diese Federbleche gefehlt) und natürlich ein Tunnelkorb...

new year = new challenge: a motor build!

2012-01-01T20:49:00.003+01:00

With the new year I want to start building my own motor, first step is to tear the donor apart, a REALLY dirty one...:

old oil everywhere! The consistency is more like honey - but taste and odor are far from that!

the mustache bar was already loose - I don't need that anyway

oil + dust = yummy!

oil carbon under the breather housing...

According to the serial number it should be an early 1971 crankcase with the preferable "dual relief" oil galleries though...

the only plus with this piece of crap: all nuts and bolts are easy to loosen - soaked in oil for years!

After the complete tear down I will thoroughly clean it and check for cracks...

right the 3rd time...

2011-12-31T11:00:00.001+01:00

I finally found the perfect stance, after re-indexing the rear torsion bars once more, now I like it!

Now it is the perfect balance of ride quality and looks. The positiv camber of the rear axle is gone, now the wheels are almost parallel. The stance is still a little "nose down" - perfect, I like it!

that's the right look!

I also fabbed a new rear tray - not the original material, but at least a very close color match to the old one

photo session part 1

2011-12-10T09:02:00.001+01:00

Here is a couple of nice shots from Yesterdays photo session:

black + white

nice butts

friendly faces

chrome

buckle up it's the law - although not for pre 1970's cars...

2011-11-30T18:04:00.000+01:00

Some enjoy the freedom of driving around without seat belts, for me it is an unsafe feeling.
So I ordered a set of tan colored seat belts - 2 automatic 3-point belts for the front, 2 lap belts for the rear:

If you are looking for e-approved seat belts - even in different colors - you can look here:
http://safety-belt.de

new ears day

2011-11-30T17:45:00.000+01:00

Time for new rear view mirrors, the left one was looking a bit too used, the right one was a Variant's "elephant's-ear". So, I ordered a new set of "pig ears":

Soon to be seen on the Volksback!

The Volksback is back home!

2011-11-23T17:19:00.000+01:00

... after another 1 1/2 weeks in the paint shop (to polish the paint and repair some imperfections) it is finally back home - so shiny!!!- look:

- I have to start selling some left over type 3 stuff - too many doors in my garage!

8 liters !?!

2011-11-09T19:20:00.000+01:00

Finally all 4 corners are equipped with the 2 liter Porsche alloys! Look.

4x2 liter = 8 liter ;-)
More pics to come, the cameras battery died... after 1 pic! Note the center caps, after weeks of waiting they also arrived.

Watch out! - the Volksback, now on the streets!

2011-11-06T12:19:00.000+01:00

Finally:

There is a lot work ahead of me, but it runs fine and now, with the license plates installed, I can use it whenever I want!

The front tyres in 165/65/15 were not available, so I mounted the Ronals up front to get this thing going...
License plate is also not too bad!
Next week the 2 liter Fuchs wheels are on all 4 corners and hopefully the center caps will also find their way to me and then onto the Volksback!

10.000 clicks! Here is something special...

2011-11-02T18:17:00.000+01:00

Wow! 10.000 clicks in 15 month! Thank you for your curiosity and keep comming back.
Against the trend of showing nacked chicks @ every even number of clicks, I will show you something real shocking!!!!
A snap shot of my workshop during the "hot" phase of putting everything together in time, look:

Sometimes I am such a slut when it comes to clean up the work shop! But these pictures will remind me of NEVER again leaving such a mess behind - promised!

stance problems - from too low to too high ...

2011-11-01T13:50:00.000+01:00

This is the current status: minimal positiv camber - a little too high in the rear, so I have fine tune the rear suspension another time. Probably about 3 cm lower, but not today!

here is what I started with:

after a long day... TÜV approval!

2011-10-31T20:18:00.007+01:00

From 10:00 am until 19:00 pm I was busy to get final TÜV approval for the Volksback:

10:00h: appointment with the TÜV technician

10:35h : start of the checking procedure

11:30h: a list of problems / headaches:
- rear suspension too low (no surprise!)
- nylon lock nuts on the steering box do not work properly - replace with spring rings and standard nuts
- brake hose rear right is twisted
- 5mm track rings per side on the rear wheels do not leave enough space for the wheel @ full travel - remove

12:00h - 14:30h back to the garage: disassemble and redial the rear suspension one spline, replace lock nuts as above, fix the brake hose, remove track rings
14:45h: @ the TÜV again. Front lights have to be re-alligned due to new suspension height - done in a minute. Height measured and accepted. New problem: We need evidence that the speedo works with the tire size - so, back home... -grab a GPS and taking some pics @ 40, 80, 120 km/h :

35 km/h from the GPS @ 40 km/h on the speedo

73 km/h from the GPS @ 80 km/h on the speedo

113 km/h from the GPS @ 120 km/h on the speedo

The speedo is always ahead of the real speed - perfect!

16:30h heading back to the TÜV office - on the way - picking up the polished wheels:

they came out great, especially if you would have seen them before!
If you are looking for top service, look here: http://polier-service-essen.de/

17:30h @ the TÜV again: evidence is accepted, everything looking good
19:00h receiving all the paperwork - here one of the most important:

contemporary ride height modification, contemporary Porsche wheels with 165/65/15 up front and 185/65/15 in the rear. Now the Volksback is a real classic car "Oldtimer"!

Here is the result of todays work:
A (dirty) Volksback with TÜV approval and a nice set of wheels!:

A special thanks to Rui and Olli for lending me their car dealer plates, Mr. Rusch from the TÜV for his work and over hours - and to Ralf for the support and the appointment with the TÜV!

the Volksback is alive - Part II

2011-10-30T21:53:00.004+01:00

After another day of final assembly and a few test runs, I hope tomorrow it will pass the TÜV check, so it will be back on the road! Most of todays pics are made by Ralf, I was too busy and excited - again, Thanks for your help Ralf!
Ein weiterer harter Schraubertag ist vorbei, hoffentlich klappt morgen beim Tüv alles... Da ich heute zu viel zu tun hatte und viel zu aufgeregt war, stammen die meisten Bilder heute von Ralf - wieder mal: Danke für Deine Hilfe!

Some impressions of today:

final assembly of driver door

done!

later in the day...

the carpet will follow as soon as I am confident there are no water leaks!
Der Teppich kommt erst wenn ich mir sicher bin das es keine Undichtheiten gibt!

nice gauges!

oh, we also finished the back rest of the rear seat today:

sorry, no pic from the front, this will follow later...

here is the axis for the arm rest...

instead of the og spring clip we drilled a hole in the axis und used a washer and cotter pin...

It runs great!

I am not 100% satisfied with the stance, but I had no chance to disassemble the rear again and dial everything another notch up...
Mit der Tieferlegung bin ich immer noch nicht ganz zufrieden, heute war aber keine Zeit die gesamte Hinterachse nochmals 1 Raste höherzudrehen...

... and the front could be a little lower, but now it is totally driveable - even with my whole family ,we already tested it!
... und die Front könnte etwas tiefer sein, aber so ist es absolut alltagstauglich, haben wir eben schon zu 3. getestet!

nice bling bling!

power wrenching!

2011-10-29T19:46:00.001+02:00

After a few days in Hamburg I am back in the garage for power wrenching to get everything done in time!
look:
Nach ein paar Urlaubstagen in Hamburg geht es jetzt zum Endspurt wieder in die Garage:

passenger door completed, with protectitive plastic sheet under the door panel, the original screws with the matching brown caps etc.
Beifahrertür ist fertig! Mit Schutzfolie, den Original Besfestigungsschrauben incl. passenden braunen Kappen etc.

driver mirror installed, not 100% perfect, but original

the interieur is finally comming together - The list of thing to be done is getting shorter and shorter...
So langsam wird auch der Innenraum - Die Liste mit Restarbeiten wird immer kürzer...

final steps for the TÜV approval

2011-10-25T19:42:00.001+02:00

o.k., now I have to hurry. Until end of October I must be ready, otherwise it will be more or less impossible to get the wheels and new stance officialized...
This is what I did today:
So, jetzt heisst es Gas geben! Bis Ende Oktober muß das Auto abgenommen sein, da sich sonst solche Sachen wie Felgen und Tieferlegung wohl kaum noch eintragen lassen werden... Das habe ich heute geschafft:

that's better: front end dropped another notch
schon besser: Vorne ging es nochmal eine Raste nach unten

beauty rings installed - now it's a happy face!
Die Scheinwerferringe sind auch 'drauf, jetzt ist es ein freundliches Gesicht!

the left rear suspension is raised - already yesterday...
Die hintere linke Aufhängung ist jetzt auch wieder "stimmig" - diesmal eine Raste höher. Den Job habe ich schon gestern erledigt...

it's always good to have a new set of windshield wipers installed, I used a NOS BOSCH set from the 70's
Es ist immer gut neue Scheibenwischer zu installieren - ich habe ein NOS BOSCH Set aus den 70'ern benutzt

the used original VW chrome frame, window scrapers, vent window installed
Der Chromrahmen, die Schachleisten und das Dreiecksfenster sind auch schon 'drin!

battery contacts are covered and the battery strap is installed - something the TÜV is always keen about...
Eine korrekte Batteriebefestigung und eine korrekte Pol-Abdeckung - das mögen die TÜV-Prüfer!

the Volksback is alive!

2011-10-25T09:36:00.000+02:00

Yesterday the Volksback did his first test "run" of 50 ft (15m) in my driveway!
The left torsion bar in the rear was dialed wrong, so the car limped to the left.
A fuel line on the fuel pump spilled as there was no hose clamp installed... but it moved!
- of course these minor imperfections are already fixed, the seats are installed now, too.

the front suspension has to be dropped by another notch, some trim is missing , also the windows have to be mounted into the doors etc., but I see the light at the end of tunnel now!

bullet holes?

2011-10-23T13:40:00.003+02:00

It was time to drill the rear fenders for the trim. It was quite a step to drill into the brand new painted parts, I started with the right one:
Zeit um die Kotflügel zu durchlöchern...

first thing first: exact measurement of the holes, on an original VW fender (this time a left one)
Damit die Zierleisten auch genau passen - erstmal exakt ausmessen:

allways use a real good drill bit!
Immer gute Bohrer benutzen!

so, let's get started - I'm looking not too confident on this job...
ran' an's Werk... - etwas mulmig ist mir schon - wie man sieht...

drill bit works!
Der Bohrer bohrt!

... just don't slip... - but, hey what could go wrong it is a PROFESSIONAL at work (at least the cordless drill)

... nur nicht abrutschen... - aber - was soll schiefgehen? Immerhin wird es PROFESSIONAL ausgeführt ( - zumindest steht das auf dem Akkuschrauber)

Excalibur!

2011-10-20T19:54:00.001+02:00

Today I finally received a set of some of the most precious and seldom parts of the VW type 3: The aluminum / cardboard composite heater tubes with 28 mm inner diameter- new old stock!

now I can finally set up the correct heating system as in January 1966 when the Volksback was initially assembled! Special Thanks to Thorsten E. for this literally "hot" tip!
Jetzt kann das Heizungssystem endlich originalgetreu wie einst im Januar 1966 wieder zusammengebaut werden! Vielen Dank an Thorsten E. für diesen "heißen" Tipp!

look mum, no gears...

2011-10-16T10:49:00.002+02:00

I recently discovered that it is impossible to shift into reverse and the position of the shifter appeared odd.
Irgendwie war der Rückwärtsgang nicht zu finden und der Schalthebel hat komisch gesessen.

After some research I found out that the counter sunk on a type 3 "hockey stick" is different from the type 1. As I used a type 1 tranny, the shift rod coupler was positioned in a wrong location, making it impossible to find all gears.
Nach kurzer Recherche war klar das das Typ 3 Getriebe einen anderen "Hockey stick" hat als die Typ 1 Getriebe - die Senkung zur Positionierung der Schaltstange liegt in einem anderen Winkel!

What to do now? Pull the motor, pull the tranny, dismantle the tranny, exchange the hockey stick and put everything together? NO WAY!!!
Und jetzt? Motor 'raus, Getriebe 'raus, Getriebe teilzerlegen und alles wieder zusammenbauen? - Bitte nicht!

So I set up a "gauge" with the position of the og type 3 hockey stick's position in relation to the og VW shift rod coupler. Then I used a type 1 hockey stick and an aftermarket shift rod coupler, set it up in the same position with the gauge as a guide and re-drilled and tapped a new thread in the coupler. Now, all gears are present!

Also habe ich mir eine kleine "Lehre" gebaut mit der VW Schaltstangenkupplung und einem original Typ 3 "Hockey stick". Dann habe ich eine Zubehör Schaltstangenkupplung und einen Typ 1 Hockey stick so ausgerichtet wie die Originalteile und eine neue Gewindebohrung für die Madenschraube gesetzt.

The Original: VW shift rod coupler and type 3 hockey stick
Das Original: VW Schaltstangenkupplung mit Typ3 "Hockey stick"

aftermarket coupler with type 1 hockey stick set-up to the new position
Zubehör Schaltstangenkupplung mit Typ1 Hockey stick auf die neue Position ausgerichtet

here you can guess the dis-alignment between the 2 positions: black paint mark on the shift rod coupler is opposite to the original thread- perpendicular to the shift rod.
Paint mark on the hocker stick is the location of the counter sunk, punch mark shows required new hole.

Hier ist der Versatz zwischen der alten und neuen Position erkennbar. Die Markierung auf der Kupplung liegt exakt gegenüber der Original Gewindebohrung - rechtwinklig zur Schaltstange, Der Körnerpunkt markiert die neue Bohrung.

here you can see the new thread (left, with set screw) and the old one.
Hier links die neue Bohrung (Mit Madenschraube) und rechts das alte Gewinde (senkrecht zur Schaltstange ausgerichtet)

final check: The new set up is exactly where it is supposed to be - spot on!
Hier zur Kontrolle nach dem Bohren und Gewindeschneiden - passt genau!

It is clearly visible that the new set screw position is off center - no wonder the standard, center position didn't work! All done in roughly 1 hour without dismantling half the car!
Man kann genau erkennen das die Madenschraube jetzt in einem Winkel auf die Schaltstange trifft und nicht mehr senkrecht - Jetzt sind auch alle Gänge schaltbar. Und das alles in gut 1 Stunde, ohne das halbe Auto zu zerlegen...

again... more assembly pics... mehr Bilder...

2011-10-13T21:01:00.000+02:00

the kick panels are installed, as well as the refurbished steering wheel. I added an additional fuse box for all kinds of electrical gadgets which will follow later...
Die Trittbleche sind 'drin, genau wie das überarbeitete Lenkrad. Ein zusätzlicher Sicherungskasten für alle möglichen Spielereien die noch folgen werden ist auch eingebaut ...

driver's kick panel, powder coated... Trittblech Fahrerseite - pulverbeschichtet

passenger kick panel (of course also powder coated, like the rest of the pan, too)
Beifahrer-Trittblech, natürlich auch pulverbeschichtet - genau wie der Rest der Bodengruppe)

the repaired and repainted steering wheel... Das ausgebesserte und neu lackierte Lenkrad

the fuse box - hidden from the usual sight but still accessible
Der Sicherungskasten, normalerweise nicht sichtbar, aber immer noch gut zugänglich...

as winter is slowly comming along, the heater duct bellows are also set up
Der Winter kommt, also sind die Heizungsluftverteiler auch schon eingesetzt:

bench mark

2011-10-13T14:22:00.001+02:00

The upper area of the rear seat frame had some rust from years of water ingressing through the old worn rear window seal. I visited Jens once more for a little blasting session - Thank's again, Jens!
Das Gestell der Rücksitzlehne war ordentlich verrostet, da jahrelang Wasser durch die Heckscheibendichtung, unter die Hutablage und in die Bank gesickert war. Nach einem Blitzbesuch beim lieben Jens Kraft war alles wieder fit! Hier der gestrahlte Bereich, schon mit Zinkchromat behandelt.

assembly pics - what else? Bilder vom Zusammenbau - wie immer...

2011-10-08T16:39:00.000+02:00

The trunk is ready! The brake is bled and working as well as the motor.
Der Kofferraum ist jetzt auch fertig. Der Tank ist montiert und angeschlossen, genauso wie der Bremsflüssigkeitsbehälter. Die Bremse ist entlüftet.
Here are some pics:

more zinc plated hardware...

the brake fluid reservoir - ready to go!

the trunk: fuel tank and spare wheel carrier mounted!

interieur: It's comming together... Innenausstattung: langsam wird's

2011-10-02T15:36:00.000+02:00

This is the latest pic from the inside of my fasty: Sun visors and rear view mirror in place! -looks too nice with the new headliner!
Das neueste Bild vom TL: Sonnenblenden und Innenspiegel sind montiert! Echt fein, zusammen mit dem neuen Innenhimmel!

new baby's! ... neue Baby's... or: 2 liter please!

2011-10-02T15:31:00.000+02:00

finally my "new" set of used VW Porsche Babyfuchs wheels is complete - next week they go to a wheel doctor for "intesive care"! Endlich ist der "neue" Satz gebrauchter VW-Porsche Original Babyfuchsfelgen komplett, nächste Woche gehen die erst mal zum Felgendoktor in die Intesivstation!
A set of repop center caps is already ordered... Ein Satz Repro-Nabenkappen ist auch schon bestellt!

Dorsten Käfertreffen 02.10.2011

2011-10-02T14:31:00.002+02:00

Today my family and I visited the last aircooled meeting for me this year, Dorsten.
Here are some impressions:
Heute war ich mit meiner Familie beim letzten VW-Treffen für dieses Jahr, in Dorsten - hier ein paar Impressionen:

cool registration - and so true! ... cooles Nummerschild - und wirklich zutreffend:

big brakes... fette Bremsen...

big motor ... dicker Motor...

fuel injection system! ...Einpritzanlage!

not really beautiful, but a very rare sight! Nicht schön aber sehr selten - ein Ventura

this one is around for a long time ... den hier gibt es auch schon echt lange...

... with the 3 wiper set-up ... mit dem 3-Wischer System

another classic, Wolfram's low orange ... Wolframs Low Orange - auch ein Klassiker ...

also around for +/- 20 years now, Claudia's beetle ... genau wie Claudias Käfer - den gibt's jetzt auch schon seit +/- 20 Jahren - in verschiedenen Evolutionsstufen!

Magnus' T2 bus with a real nice interieur ... Magnus T2 ist dagegen noch "frisch" - mit extrem cooler Innenausstattung!

always cool - a squareback ... although I missed a special one - where was "Pommes"????
immer gut - ein Variant! - aber einen bestimmten habe ich vermisst, Thorsten und sein "Pommes"!

and a water pumper - but also really nice: ... hier noch ein Wasserkocher - aber ein echt schöner:

the rim's are not everybody's cup of tea - but I like'em ... die Felgen sind nicht Jedermann's Geschmack, aber mir gefallen sie!

and my all time favorite, a type 34:

... again something done!

2011-09-25T21:11:00.000+02:00

We installed the rear window today, as well as the front window once more, now the fit is much better than before! Last but not least Ralf and I analyzed the horn issue and we fixed it - now the horn only works when the button is pushed! I also wired the washer pump and installed the wiper arms. ...- Heute haben wir die Heckscheibe und eingesetzt und die Frontscheibe nochmal aus- und eingebaut, diese sitzt jetzt viel besser als vorher! Außerdem haben Ralf und ich den Fehler an der Hupe gesucht und gefunden - Jetzt hupt es nur noch wenn man auf den Hupenknopf drückt - so soll es sein!
Dann habe ich noch die Waschwasserpumpe angeklemmt und die Scheibenwischerarme montiert...

wipers installed, much better fitment of front glass!

the overall fitment is good, the contour is a little wavey, but the quality of the new ISP West rubber appears much better than the old ones from Brazil!

What a day!

2011-09-24T20:08:00.000+02:00

Today was a perfect day in Bitburg - The weather, the grip, the people - GREAT! look:

blue sky and a real crowded warm-up ...

... and start zone!

The DAS lounge:

outlaw racing:

DAS lineup :

... superb paint job:

... real extraordinary craftmanship:

... a few nice V8's as well:

1200 HP!!!

and some real vintage Wolfsburg stuff:

a super clean Type 25:

... and a super clean squareback:

see you at the DDD#9 in Bitburg!

2011-09-24T09:29:00.000+02:00

today I go to Bitburg to enjoy the drag racing and meeting some friends - see you there!

electrics and Gauges - finished!!!

2011-09-16T21:32:00.000+02:00

I checked why some things didn't work and found it was one wrong loop between fuse box and ignition switch. After that was solved and a minor re-wire on the instrument lights for the turn indicators everything worked!

Nachdem einige elektrische Verbraucher nicht funktioniert hatten, habe ich mich nochmal mit einem Schaltplan an den Sicherungskasten begeben - Es war lediglich ein Fehler in einer "Schleife" vom LiMa-Regler zum Sicherungskasten und dann zum Anlassschalter falsch verbunden, so daß der Sicherungskasten teilweise stromlos war -kein Problem, schnell umgesteckt und fettich! Dann noch die Blinkerkontrollleuchten umverdrahtet (blinkten nicht immer wenn sie sollten) dann war alles perfekt, inkl. Innenraum-; Kofferraum-; Intrumentenbeleuchtung, Scheibenwischer etc.

To avoid any short circuit I equipped (almost) all connectors with an insulator housing ... - um Kurzschlüsse zu vermeiden habe ich alle Kontakte noch mit Isolierhülsen ausgestattet - ein Pfennigsartikel bei Conrad der mir ein abgebranntes Auto ersparen kann!:

Then I wanted to insert the gauges - which made me headaches again... Between 1966 and later models VW changed the length of the retaining tabs by about 10 mm - look:

Dann wollte ich noch fix die Instrumente einsetzen - aber VW hat irgendwann nach 1966 die Länge der Federzungen an den Instrumenten geändert, ca. 10 mm Längendifferenz - siehe Bild:

so a 12V gauge will not retain correct in to the dashboard...!

I removed the "12V tabs" and changed for "6V tabs" from another set of gauges - never heard of that problem before!

Ein 12V Instrument passt also nicht ohne weiteres in ein 6V Armaturenträger - es wird nicht durch die Federzungen fixiert! - also "mal eben" die "12V Federzungen" gegen "6V Federzungen" von einem anderen Instrumentensatz tauschen...

Here is the dashboard now: ... Jetzt sieht das Ganze so aus:

some snapshots from the electric trickery:

Note: the windshield is in, too - but due to the famous brazilian quality it looks far from perfect... once again, thanks Ralf for the helping hands!

Die Frontscheibe ist auch 'drin, aber aufgrund der berühmten brasilianischen Qualität sitzt sie nicht wirklich perfekt - wieder mal Danke an Ralf für Rat und Tat!

Electric Light Orchestra

2011-09-14T21:35:00.001+02:00

today I connected the battery for the first time! I was amazed how much of this electric stuff directly worked!
Heute habe ich mich getraut die Batterie anzuschliessen - Ich war erstaunt was so alles funktioniert!

parking lights ... Standlicht

tail lights & number plate lighting ... Rückleuchten und Nummernschildbeleuchtung

low beam and turn indicator left - Abblendlicht und Blinker links...

and right - up front ... - sowie rechts...

and also in the rear ... natürlich vorne und hinten!

even the parking lights on the fenders left ... - Sogar die Parkleuchten links ...

... and right were working - ... und rechts leuchten (je nach Hebelstellung)

Now I have to take care for high beam relais, Hazard switch and wiper motor - these weren't working so far - as well as the dome light ...

Jetzt muß ich mich noch um Fernlichtrelais, Warnblinklichtschalter und Scheibenwischer kümmern - die haben erstmal nicht gefunzt - ebenso das Innenlicht!

P.S.: The starter is working, too! - Der Anlasser "spielt" auch schon!

some assembly pics... - Bilder vom Zusammenbau

2011-09-03T18:23:00.000+02:00

Here are a few pics from the current state - einige Bilder vom aktuellen Stand der Dinge:

at least one happy face these days with a set of NOS overriders and real good bumper blade... - ein freundliches Gesicht mit neuen Stossstangenhörnern und einem echt guten Stossstangenblatt

all body panels finally alligned - now the windows will have to follow... - Alle Karossereiteile sind jetzt ausgerichtet und befestigt, jetzt sind die Fenster 'dran!

here the complete NOS muffler system... - hier das komplett aus NOS-Teilen bestehende Auspuffsystem:

wheels...

2011-08-23T21:38:00.000+02:00

The RONAL's definately don't fit... Here is another set of wheels which could fit:

here is the donor - on the RONAL's which will fit on IRS equipped Type 3's:

look at these center caps - one of a kind!

seats part II ... Sitze 2. Teil

2011-08-11T21:06:00.000+02:00

today I finished working on the seats ... Heute habe ich die Sitze fertiggestellt:

heating elements in lower and upper seat half :
Heizelemente in Sitzober- und Unterteil:

finshed... fertig:

there are some minor wrinkles, but 100% better then before!
Ein paar Falten gibt es noch, aber 100% besser als vorher!

working on the seats ... Sitz(ende) Tätigkeit

2011-08-10T22:07:00.001+02:00

today I started working on the seats, they were pretty worn out:
Heute waren die Sitze dran, ziemlich abgerockt, schlecht angepinselt und durchgeschlissen:

badly painted and stained

rusted and bad paint
rostig und überall diese aufgepinselte schwarze Farbe

dismantled to the bare metal - or what is left with all the surface rust!
bis auf's blanke Metall zerlegt - wenn man bei dem ganzen Rost noch von Metall sprechen kann!

fresh sand blasted - now we're talking! Once more superb work by Jens Kraft
Nach einem Besuch beim guten Jens http://www.sandstrahltechnik-kraft.de/ sah die Sache schon gleich ganz anders aus! Wieder mal heissen Dank nach Solingen!

spring frames rust protected and painted in black
Federkerne Rostschutzgrundiert und schwarz lackiert

seat bases repainted in anthracite
Untergestelle in Anthrazit lackiert

here I added a layer of sturdy carpet to support the tired padding
Eine Lage stabiler Teppich unterstützt die in den Federkern eingesunkene Gummihaarauflage

seat bases are ready for the new covers - but something is missing!... stay tuned for more seat rework
Sitzunterteile fertig für die neuen Bezüge - aber etwas ganz feines fehlt da noch! - später mehr...

7.500 hits!

2011-08-10T21:51:00.000+02:00

Thank you for visiting my blog, 7.500 hits - not bad!
Stay tuned for more Type 3 action!

some progress pics!

2011-08-08T21:06:00.001+02:00

here are some snapshots from the current status ... hier ein paar aktuelle Schnappschüsse:

rear wheel well looking too cool - but upon closer inspection...
hinteres Radhaus: sieht zu cool aus - satt gefüllt! - aber bei genauerem Hinsehen:

problem: wrong back space - even with the "short" axles - no way to fit those wheels - even skinnier tyres wouldn't help!
falsche Einpresstiefe - trotz der "schmalen" Achse - selbst mit "dünneren" Reifen werden diese Felgen nie passen:

detail:

next issue:
the rear wings were "standard" wings - without the 2nd hole for the side mounting screw - these holes have to be drilled now - into the fresh paint!
nächste Herausforderung:
Die Kotflügel waren "standard" - ohne die seitliche Bohrung für die Chromgehäuse, diese Löcher müssen jetzt in den frischen Lack gebohrt werden...

it is starting to look like a car again...
es wird langsam ...

The dash is completed ... Armaturenbrett komplett:

fitment of doors, wings, etc is not too bad, the lines are all smooth without major steps:
Spaltmaße und Passungen der Blechteile ist schon gar nicht schlecht, keine "Stufen" an den Übergängen:

handle and lock cylinder mounted ... Griff und Schliesszylinder montiert - all NOS stuff :

new headlight and new side indicator fitted ... neuer Scheinwerfer und Blinker sind montiert:

front symbol and front handle mounted ... vorderes Symbol und Haubengriff auch :

the front bumper mounts are waiting to be fitted, too...
die vorderen Stossstangenhalter warten auf die Montage...

some snapshots from my holiday in Bavaria...

2011-08-08T11:50:00.001+02:00

In Fritz B. Busch's Museum:

Porsche race car

Formula Vee Racer:

one of the first VW Golf ever produced for a Pirelli capaign:

wood, wood, wood: Goliath:

Porsche 912:

Porsche 908 longtail (in sad condition):

seen in Legoland, Günzburg:

on a supermarket parking lot: bug eye Baja with H-reg.:

some new cars for my Hot Wheels collection:

2011-07-27T21:44:00.000+02:00

yesterday I found these 3 for my collection:

VW Brasilia

Top chopped Trekker

Volksrod bug

build progress... Baufortschritt!

2011-07-27T21:35:00.000+02:00

the headliner is installed ... der Himmel ist eingebaut:

including handles + hooks and dome light ... incl. ~~Fuß~~ Handschlaufen und Innenlicht...

... as well as the dashboard ... genau wie das Armaturenbrett:

... the doors are adjusted ... und die Türen sind ausgerichtet:

a well hidden electric washer pump ... eine gut versteckte Waschwasserpumpe:

and the first front wing is adjusted, too ... der erste vordere Kotflügel ist ausgerichtet:

body fixed! ... Karosserie befestigt!

2011-07-20T22:28:00.000+02:00

Finally everything back together:

I used new hardware - of course! ... natürlich mit neuen Schrauben!

bling bling - even under the car!

but before that I had to fix a little detail we had overseen during our welding:

the rocker has a little notched area where the jack stand is located ( see black marked area) - after addition of the new inner rocker panel I forgot to cut that off - this wasn't an easy task on the assembled body!

Der Schweller hat eine Ausklinkung, da wo die Wagenheberaufnahme ist. Nach dem Einschweissen des inneren Schwellerblechs habe ich vergessen an dieser Stelle das Material wieder zu entfernen - also musste ich das bei bereits aufgesetzter Karosserie machen - das war nicht einfach!

marriage - the final ... Hochzeit - endlich!

2011-07-10T16:42:00.000+02:00

Friends ans neighbors helped me with the marriage today... Heute haben Freunde und Nachbarn der Hochzeit beigewohnt...:

the "near contact" areas are covered to avoid any scratches

where to hold on to?

test grab

Hau Ruck- off the rack...

air time

slowly but surely...

looking good...

first time back together in years!

looks like a baja buggy - especially in the front ... but not for long!

a little issue where the jack is located

test "drive"

back into the garage
A big THANK YOU for all the helping hands!!!

Käfertreffen Solingen

2011-07-10T08:23:00.000+02:00

Yesterday we visited a small air cooled meeting in Solingen ... Gestern mal kurz das Käfertreffen in Solingen besucht:

1947 body on an IRS pan and...

a big motor!

Porsche 356 brakes!

lots of accessories on this one - note the rare SA rims

more assembly pics - Zusammenbau - weiter geht's...

2011-07-08T16:10:00.001+02:00

here are are some progress pics ...hier ein paar Fortschritts-Bildchen:

still undecided about the script: VW1600TL (common in Germany) or VOLKSWAGEN (rare)?
Welchen Schriftzug soll ich nehmen: VW 1600 TL (Standard in D) oder Volkswagen (selten in D)

- note the NOS chrome bezel and the repop-JOKON reverse lights (the new rubber seal has to be alligned)
- NOS Chromblende und Repro-JOKON Rückfahrscheinwerfer ( Die Gummidichtung muß noch "feinjustiert" werden:

front hood and shift linkage cover mounted

front hood latch

water drainage flaps ...Wasserablaufklappen...

2011-07-03T21:46:00.000+02:00

instead of taking care of the headliner - I am afraid to mess this thing up - I fabbed new water drainage flaps, the old ones were totally gone :
Anstatt den Himmel zu installieren (ich hab' Schiss da Mist zu bauen) habe ich heute neue Wasserablaufklappen hergestellt - die alten waren völlig Schrott!:

rubber pad, top plate, fixation tab and reinforcement - all shot - except the bracket
Gummi, Abdeckklappe, Halter und Verstärkung - alles Schrott - außer dem Halter

new rubber pad, new fixation tab and new reinforcement - made of sheet metal
neues Gummi, neue Halter, neue Verstärkung - aus Karosserieblech

fixation tab old vs. new ... Halter alt und neu

reinforcement new vs. old - I didn't fabbed the dimpled area ... Verstärkung neu und alt (die Verprägung habe ich mir gespart)

template for new top plate and 1st half way through part ... Zuschnitt für die neue Abdeckung und halbfertiges Teil

faded original part and my "copy" - altes Originalteil und "Fälschung"

half way through, excess material has to be cut - halb fertig, die Ränder müssen noch begradigt werden

not too bad ... gar nicht mal schlecht!

...edges reworked ...Ränder fertig bearbeitet

brackets, new fixation tabs, new rubber, new clips ... Halter, Gummi, und neue Clips installiert

mission copleted, everything riveted together - I couldn't resist paint the flaps color coded to the body ... fertig vernietet, in Wagenfarbe lackiert

right side installed and ready for another 40+ years ... rechte Seite eingebaut und bereit für die nächsten 40+ Jahre

left side also finished

assembly - continued...

2011-07-02T20:48:00.001+02:00

here are a few pics of what I've done today ... das habe ich heute geschafft:

striker plates installed - more bling bling ! Schlosshalter montiert - mehr bling bling!

rubber seal for rear ash trays glued in ... Gummikappen zur Aschenbecher-Abdichtung eingeklebt

started the headliner with the C-pillars:

... had to fabricate new padding as the old one got wet and already started to rot away at the bottom:
... der alte Filz war untenrum schon gammelig, also musste ich neue Aufpolsterung anfertigen:

I used the old part (right side in the pcture) as a rough template for installation:
... ein Stück des altem Himmels (rechts im Bild) habe ich als "Schablone" benutzt:

the lamp helped to make out any imperfections: ... die Lampe hilft Falten zu erkennen:

the notorious clamp picture: ... das übliche "Klammern"-Bild:

hood latches and other stuff... Haubenschlösser und anderes Zeug...

2011-06-27T21:22:00.000+02:00

Today I mounted the hood latches front and rear. All the hardware was media blasted and zinc plated + blue passivated. They look too nice:
Heute habe ich die vorderen und hinteren Haubenschlösser eingebaut, diese wurden vorher gestrahlt, verzinkt und blau chromatiert:

also the ash tray housing looks better as new ... das Aschenbechergehäuse ist auch schöner als neu:

bling bling!! - one plastic wheel is missing - but I don't use it anyway! Eine Führungsrolle fehlt, aber ich brauche das Teil sowieso nicht.

some more shots from the wiring job, all new rubber grommets ... und noch ein paar Aufnahmen vom Kabelbaum mit neuen Gummitüllen und Kabelschuhen:

new crimped-on connectors

Airboxes and wiring

2011-06-26T21:09:00.001+02:00

I started assembly with the wiper motor and the air boxes, but when I replaced the upper seal I discovered this:

so, I visited Jens, my personal "master blaster" once more, he took care of them right away:

then I repainted them gloss black and re-sealed the seams with Sikaflex. Sorry, no pic, they are already mounted!
Here are some pics of the installed wiring harness.:

looks a bit messy but I think I know what I do...

my special hazard switch and air vent regulators fitted

wrong voltage regulator - still have to search for the right one...

washer bottle, production tag and brake fluid reservoir already installed!

it's comming home, it's comming home, it's comming, fastback's comming home

2011-06-22T22:21:00.000+02:00

here we go:
the paint is really nice, all the waiting time finally paid off:
Der Lack sieht wirklich top aus, das Warten hat sich gelohnt:

shines like crazy - glänzt wie ein lackiertes Affenei!

the paint is flawless, some minor imperfections which will be taken care of later - I was too excited to take some pics, thanks to Ralf as allways for a helping hand and the pics as well!

beautiful Budel? rainful Budel!

2011-06-19T16:20:00.002+02:00

Today I did a short trip to Budel in the Netherlands for the 28th edition of their VW meeting. It was really rainy throughout the weekend. They already started to tear down the swap meet and spare parts market - which I would also have done after 3 days of more or less rain...
Here are a few impressions under a gray sky:

a nice Streaker with water cooled engine:

early Fastback with cool wheels:

my all time favorite: the 34:

a clean Trekker:

... as seen in Bitburg:

a 1966 Fastback teak model from Norway!:

not an every day sight:

original and fake:

a nice 1302:

a cool bunch of busses:

the relatively small line-up of Type III's:

a classic "Autobahn" police car from the 1970's:

a nice late model notchback:

panscraping at it's best:

another cool set of wheels - also note the camper's wheels!:

a strange kombi(nation):

fuel tank and first thing gone wrong...

2011-06-17T19:48:00.001+02:00

Here are some pics of the painted fuel tank. Jens, my "masterblaster" -click here for info- media blasted the whole tank as I did a lousy job in trying to remove the surface rust by myself...

Hier ein paar Bilder vom Tank, Jens (Kraft) Strahlemann hat den gesamten Tank nochmal abgestrahlt - so gründlich war ich wohl bei der "mechanischen" Entrostung doch nicht:

new mesh and bigger 8mm nozzle... neues Sieb und 8mm Auslass

freshly painted, new sensor, fuel filler cap is media blasted, zinc plated, blue chromated and also got a layer of a special clear coat
frisch lackiert, neuer Tankgeber, der Tankdeckel ist gestrahlt, verzinkt und blau chromatiert sowie mit einem speziellen Klarlack behandelt

... and here the first thing I screwed up with... during the assembly of the lock lever onto quarter window I hit the glass with a hammer:
... und hier mein erster richtiger Bockmist: Beim Zusammenbau des Dreieckfensters habe ich beim Eintreiben des Splints für den Hebel leider die Scheibe getroffen...

So, I have to buy this weekend in Budel a new rubber for the window replacement! - Luckily I have another window "in stock"!
Also muß ich in Budel erstmal ein neues Scheibengummi kaufen! Gut das ich noch eine Scheibe "auf Lager" habe!

See you in Budel!

PAINT!!!! ... first pics of the partly painted shell!

2011-06-07T18:36:00.003+02:00

Today I stopped by the paint shop and - I couldn't believe my own eyes:

inner and under sheet metal areas painted!!!

rear apron and rear trunk

front apron and front trunk

firewall and dash

rear wheel well (with anti-chipping undercoating)

undercarriage and engine compartment

engine compartment

front trunk

A-pillar and front wheel well (with anti-chipping undercoating)

... the outer shell will be painted next week, some imperfections have to be re-done as well ...
But finally I see some progress!
(the color looks a little too yellowish for me... but I have to wait until I can see it in sun light!)

6.000 Clicks -thank you!

2011-06-06T20:53:00.001+02:00

Thank you for visiting and keep coming back - I hope there is a lot more to come!
Here is a pic of me doing a pic for you:

thanks for the pic, Ralf!

Bit Bug 2011

2011-06-05T08:57:00.000+02:00

Here are some pics from BitBug 2011, which I visited yesterday. Hier ein paar Bilder vom Bitbug 2011, wo ich gestern mal hingefahren bin:

but there were also a lot of V8's, like this 2CV8:

and s lot of cool old iron:

real good luck - original parts found! ... Schwein gehabt!

2011-06-03T21:37:00.002+02:00

As you all know I was desperately searching for the rear side interieur parts. The pre-pre-owner contacted me and told me they are still in his garage! I met him today and picked them up. I was really happy to get the original parts! - but upon closer inspection:

Wie Ihr wisst habe ich verzweifelt die Innenverkleidungsteile gesucht. Der Vor-Vorbesitzer hat mich kontaktiert, die Teile lägen noch in seiner Garage. Heute habe ich diese dann abgeholt - nochmal Danke an Willi L.!

both parts as I received them today... So habe ich die Teile bekommen:

dirty and mold infested... dreckig und schimmelig...

mmmh. yummy! .. lecker!

the worst part: left part broken! ...am Schlimmsten: linke Verkleidung gebrochen!

the glued edges became loose over the years .. die umgeleimten Kanten haben sich über die Jahre gelöst.

What to do now? - repair time! Watt nu? Reparieren- was sonst?

So, if it's broken - fix it!

Step 1:
carefully remove the complete lining ... vorsichtig die komplette Bespannung entfernen:

use some original-like material for a new panel:

cut-out along original template ... nach der Vorlage ausschneiden:

cut-out ashtray hole and mark exakt positions of glue .. Aschenbecheröffnung ausschneiden und genaue Position der Klebenähte übertragen:

looking good so far... so weit so gut...

double check the position of the glue line and start in the middle . Nochmal prüfen ob die Linien auch genau sitzen, dann in der Mitte mit dem Verkleben anfangen

apply only 1 line at a time ... Linie für Linie kleben

fix the outer perimeter at last ,take your time, do not glue too much at a time! Den Rand als letzes ankleben, nicht zu viel auf einmal, sonst härtet der Kleber aus bevor die Verkleidung richtig sitzt!

the rear side ... die Rückseite

Ashtrays installed - the finished product ... Aschenbecher montiert, fertig!:

no difference - both look like new, upper (right) part only cleaned and re-glued, lower (left) part renewed:

I didn't glue the front side, I'm not sure how the exact situation with the B-pillar and headliner will be...
Ich habe die Vorderkante nicht geklebt, da ich (ohne Auto) nicht genau weiß wie B-Säule und Himmel hier auf die Verkleidung treffen...

Volkswagen Classic's big mistake! ... VW Classic's großer Fehler!

2011-06-02T21:45:00.002+02:00

During the Techno Cassica Classic Car Show in Essen, Volkswagen's own classic car department gave away free stickers, which basically said: you can't separate good friends - which is so wrong, see the pic as counter-evidence:
Auf der Techno Classica hat Volkswagen Classic einen Aufkleber verteilt der eigentlich total falsch ist, von wegen "kann niemand trennen" - hier der Gegenbeweis...:

first roll-out - with motor (mounted, not running yet)!

2011-06-02T20:52:00.000+02:00

Today Ralf and I mounted his spare motor and we took a few pics of the rolling chassis:

WTB: side panels ... suche dringend 2 Verkleidungsteile!

2011-05-29T12:01:00.000+02:00

Today I went through a pile of interieur parts and I noticed a pair of panels is missing, I need the exakt shown shape and color, used in 1966' notch and fastbacks- see marked area:

Heute habe ich festgestellt, das mir die markierten Verkleidungsteile fehlen, wer kann helfen? Ich brauche exakt diese Teile, in der abgebildeten Farbe, wurden im 1966 Modell (Limo und TL verbaut).

the "classic design" old school Hazard switch

2011-05-27T19:05:00.003+02:00

My '66 wasn't equipped with a Hazard switch factorywise. Some time along the way an aftermarket switch was installed - but it didn't fit to the design of the other (2) switches.
So, some guesswork and lot of tricky machining later, I have a real nice "OEM-looking" switch which never existed:

upper: my own design - lower: original VW Hazard switch

... incl. a red lens which is illuminated like on the original rubber switch! Special thanks to Thomas for the machining!

I can't wait to mount it in the dashboard!

body sealer part 2:

2011-05-25T18:02:00.000+02:00

After my business trips last week I visited the body shop on Monday. I expected a half way painted shell, but the guys blamed me for not applying the sealer in a proper way, so today I had to go back and finish the job...
I think this shell gets never painted :-(

some tlc: interieur rubber brought back to life

2011-05-22T20:12:00.001+02:00

today I spent some time to clean the interieur rubber for the door jambs and for the rear pop-outs:

rear pop out rubber before + after:

detail:

door jamb rubbers before + after:

detail:

It just took some warm water, a mild soap and a little WD 40 for the real hardcore crud - it will make a big difference - hopefully!

It always amazes me that most of the "old" parts can still just be cleaned and re-used - this stuff was made for infinity - try to do this with the interieur of a , say modellyear 2005 GM or Ford - if they still exist ;-)

some work on the body: sealer applied !

2011-05-14T15:40:00.000+02:00

Today Ralf and I completely sealed all the welds and seams on the body - what a boring job! - but necessary!
Heute haben Ralf und ich alle Stoßkanten und Nähte der Karosserie abgedichtet - ein echter Krampf-job, aber notwendig!

speedometer... / der Tacho...

2011-05-08T09:17:00.000+02:00

so, this time I promise, the last pictures of gauges, but I really like the results...
Jetzt aber wirklich die letzten Armaturenbilder, versprochen - aber irgendwie finde ich die Ergebnisse einfach klasse!

gauges .... again....

2011-05-06T12:54:00.001+02:00

today I updated the fuel / multi gauge. The high beam control index is hard to see, especially during daylight. I dismantled the multi gauge once more and removed a small part which makes a big difference:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

the high beam symbol is dimmed by a tiny mask which is located behind the blue "screen":

after the chrome ring, screen, outer bezel and inner bezel is removed (3 screws ) ...

... you can remove the blue screen, then you'll find the mask, remove the mask:
(this is a good time to also remove all other screens and use a dry brush to remove any dust which sometimes accumulates behind the screens...)

... and just reassemble the blue screen - the high beam control is now bright as sun light!

start me up...

2011-05-05T20:16:00.000+02:00

I finally received my new starter, small, yet powerfull: 1kW (=1,36 PS)

maybe I will modify it a little to achieve a better overlap between the starter pinion and the flywheel...
eventuell werde ich noch etwas modifizieren, da die Überdeckung zwischen Starterritzel und Schwungscheibe noch nicht optimal ist...

my Maikäfertreffen swap meet treasures:

2011-05-01T21:22:00.000+02:00

here is some cool stuff I collected today:

special pliers to upholster my seats, a generator clamp, clutch spring, a new horn, switches, light bulbs, coil, battery hold down clamp, new NOS torsion bar covers for the rear fenders, and even a VOLKSWAGEN batch to replace the VW1600TL sign on the rear decklid - another cool find are the 60's aftermarket overrides with rubber patch attached - still in their original boxes:

I am not sure to mount them, but it is sure good to have them ;-)

Maikäfertreffen 2011

2011-05-01T21:11:00.000+02:00

... here are only a few snap shots - what do you want to show with such a big number of cars ( more then 3.000)... the wheather was perfect and the swap meet was huge ...

one of the big parking lots - look at the perfect sky!

a cool combo:

here comes a highlight:

xxl double cab with Formula Vee racer

a strange mix between bug and Renault 4 kombi:

fierce, flamed, fuchsed notchback

... and more strange stuff:

and here are a few shots of the CSP Dragster:

this is a real beauty inside and out - and all serious go - not only show !

DFL Cruise Night 30. April 2011, Hannover, Germany

2011-05-01T20:03:00.002+02:00

The Hannover Weekend started on Saturday afternoon with the "MCM" May Cruise Madness from the German Club DFL http://www.dflvwclub.de/ for the first time in another location, a Burger King in Hannover. The parking lot is much bigger but for me personally it did not have the "flair" of the old location, here are some snap shots:

I still love the Pedrini's!

Mario's "wild safari" project - as seen on this years Volksworld show in the UK. You can buy it if you want to: wild safari

really nice oval with BIG wheels:

17" Fuchs all around with a very narrow front end

nice!

4x130 gas burner repops - they fit real good, especially in this color!

a very rare wheel - with a special "center cap"

the rim is machined to house VW hurn buttons as center caps! - cool idea!

mmmh - I like this color!

yeah! - right - whatever that means...
This is the day when Sweden swapped from RHD (like in the UK) to LHD (like the rest of Europe) - this super rare sticker should not be removed before Sept. 03, 1967 as these front light were already produced for LHD in the factory. In order not to glare the rest of the traffic, these self adhesive covers were attached.
Here is more info about "Dagen H"

a nice straight rocker panel trim

4,5 " Fuchs repops up front

5,5 " Fuchs repops in the rear

multi gauge puzzle / ... Armaturenpuzzle part II

2011-04-29T21:42:00.003+02:00

Today I finished the gauges, I found a better paint for the bezels (with less gold) - now the color of the bezels comes very close to the center caps (sorry - not so easy to catch with my crappy digicam and in this light). I polished the "glasses" which are made of plastic - here is the fuel gauge:

Heute habe ich die Armaturen fertig gemacht, ich habe eine bessere Farbe für die Zierringe gefunden (etwas weniger golden) - Die Ringe kommen den Abdeckungen in der Mitte jetzt schon recht nah (auf den Bildern nicht so gut zu erkennen) Die Chromringe und Plexischeiben sind poliert:

(there is a light reflex in the upper area, the glass looks crystal clear in real life) the chrome ring is exactly the same as on the "before" picture in the last post!
(Im oberen Bereich ist eine Reflexion auf dem Foto - Die Scheibe ist makellos) Der Chromring ist der gleiche wie in meinem letzten Post auf dem "davor" Bild!

I also updated the 12V clock: Die 12V Uhr habe ich auch überholt

chrome ring and "glass" are polished as well, the needles are repainted in white.
Chromring und Plexischeibe poliert, Ring lackiert, die Zeiger sind auch neu lackiert.

Here is a direct comparison of the 2 different colors I used for the bezels: 12V clock on the left ( more silver-ish) 6V clock on the right (more golden)
Hier nochmal der Vergleich der beiden Farben die ich zum Lackieren der Ringe benutzt habe: links die 12V Uhr - etwas mehr silbern und rechts die 6V Uhr - etwas mehr golden:

close up - makes it a little more obvious:

12V vs. 6V

After reassembly I noticed that the clock didn't work, so I removed the rear cap:
Nach dem Zusammenbau musste ich feststellen das die Uhr gar nicht läuft! - Also: Abdeckung abmachen:

after some investigation on the net (thanks to http://www.thesamba.com/vw/) I knew where I had to look for:
Nach einer Recherche auf thesamba.com wusste ich wonach ich suchen musste:

There had been a thermo fuse (basically a glob of low temperature solder) which "corrodes away" during the years
In der Markierung sollte sich eine "Thermo-Sicherung" (ein Lötpunkt Niedrigtemperaturlot) befunden, der über die Jahre aber ganz gerne "ab-korrodiert"

I re-soldered this (with standard solder) and now it works perfect! If it should run too fast or too slow I can re-adjust the "speed" with this dial:
Ich habe die Stelle neu gelötet ( mit normalem Lot) und die Uhr läuft wieder 1A. Sollte die Geschwindigkeit nicht stimmen, kann man an diesem Rädchen etwas feinkalibrieren:

Job done - see you all in Hannover for the DFL Cruise Night and the MKT (MaiKäferTreffen)

multi gauge puzzle / ... Armaturenpuzzle

2011-04-27T22:03:00.006+02:00

Here is a swap meet find from Rosmalen, a fuel gauge with the rare symbols:

parking light (bottom left) and oil pressure (bottom right)

hier ist ein "Schnapper" aus Rosmalen - eine Tankanzeige mit den seltenen Symbolen für Parklicht und Öldruck
for 5 €uro it was quite a bargain - but in very bad shape...
So, I dismantled it and swapped the dials into a later 1970 12V unit...

Für 5 €uro ein Schnäppchen aber in einem miesen Zustand, also habe ich das Teil zerlegt und die Symbole in ein 1970er 12V Gehäuse eingesetzt:

before...

after...

tomorrow I will polish the glass and reassemble everything. Morgen wird die Scheibe poliert und alles wieder zusammengesetzt...

When I checked my already refurbished 1966 model year unit, I discovered that the center cap from the 1967 and the 1970 models are the same, but on the 1966 part the center cap had no dimple, just a flat surface:
Beim Vergleich mit dem 1966 Modell fiel mir auf das die Abdeckung in der Mitte unterschiedlich ist, beim 67er und 70er gibt es in der Mitte einen "Dom", das 66er Modell ist einfach glatt in der Mitte:

... also note that there are no symbols but ribbed caps on all the control lights! ... man beachte auch die fehlenden Symbole und gerippten Gläser für die Kontrollleuchten!

new starter / ... neuer Anlasser

2011-04-27T19:56:00.000+02:00

Today I received my new starter. Although it was advertised for VW Beetle and Transporter, it didn't fit! The pilot diameter and the hole distance were wrong! Too bad, as it was redicously cheap @ under 50 €uros! Luckily I got some info which other starter might work, too... more later!

Heute ist mein neuer Anlasser angekommen - leider passt er nicht, obwohl er u.a. für Käfer und Transporter (...aber auch für Skoda Octavia etc.) angeboten wurde... Weder der Zentrierdurchmesser noch der Lochabstand waren korrekt. Zu blöd, denn das Ding kostete unter 50 €uro! - Ich habe aber noch einen heißen Tipp bekommen - bei Gelegenheit mehr dazu...

success! TÜV approval!

2011-04-26T17:43:00.002+02:00

look:

... but only for my bike ;-)

... the ugly plastic piece on the tail is only to please the TÜV expert - it went off 1 minute after this picture was taken!

... as always I stopped by at the workshop I trust in for more then 20 years now, when it comes to things I don't want to do or I can't do as well as when it comes to wheels and tyres:
http://www.sks-muelheim.de/
I also purchased a little more transmission oil there to completely fill up the gearbox:

... and on the chassis I finally got the body seal completed:

...now I am waiting for the body!

the cable guy... / a rolling chassis...

2011-04-25T22:16:00.005+02:00

Today I wanted to clean up the mess in my garage - when I came across the old wiring harness which had to be re-done... Heute wollte ich eigentlich die Garage aufräumen, da fiel mir der alte, brüchige Kabelbaum in die Hände...
A few hours later my driveway looked like this... etwas später sah meine Einfahrt so aus:

but this afternoon my new main harness was ready! ...aber heute Nachmittag war der Hauptkabelbaum fertig!

the next thing I have to care about is the front loom ... was what I was thinking when my buddy Ralf stopped by and he helped me connecting the front to the rear - a rolling chassis! ( minus the front wheels) - thanks again for the helping hands!
Als nächstes ist der vordere Kabelbaum dran dachte ich als... gerade mein Buddy Ralf vorbeischneite - genau richtig um mir bei der Montage des Fahrschemels an das Chassis zu helfen - Jetzt ist es ein "rolling Chassis" - Nochmal Danke von hier aus!

the garage REALLY has to be cleaned up by now... jetzt muß ich aber WIRKLICH mal aufräumen...
clutch cable connected... Kupplungsseil eingebaut...

brake lines connected, e-brake cables connected... quite something done today...
Bremsleitungen und Handbremsseile montiert ... ganz schön was geschafft heute!

... mal was in eigener Sache...

2011-04-25T10:31:00.000+02:00

Legt jemand noch Wert auf die Deutschen Texte? - Bitte einen Kommentar abgeben!
Gruß,
Markus

build myself a nice Wheelbarrow!

2011-04-24T20:59:00.000+02:00

rear axle completed! Spend a busy afternoon in the garage, completely assembled the axle shafts, with all new spares, reassembled the rear brakes, mounted the tranny with new rubber mounts onto the rear end...

filled in gear box oil and checked for possible leaks - luckily it seemed to be an oil tight installation...

re-used the axle boots I just installed on the 6V rear axle - these parts were new and have never seen daylight.

Installed the rear KONI dampers etc.

Here are some close-ups of the throw-out bearing guide I also installed today:

input shaft seal removed...

here is the new sleeve, made by Beetle Factory in Wuppertal ( I know it can also be purchased through some other companies) - but how to install it correct without mis-alignment???

here is a special made bushing that a friend of mine machined, to give the new sleeve a good guidance during installation

another bushing, this time to make sure the installation with a hammer will not harm the sleeve and to carefully spread the mounting forces ( both bushings are made of a special plastic material)

inner bushing, guiding sleeve, outer bushing

I applied a little locktite extra strong on the knurled area before I carefully hammered the sleeve into the housing

- done! - with the 2 bushings it was an easy task, without them - it would have been impossible to really align the sleeve properly!

throw-out bearing installed

Now I finally got a narrow swing axle with the internals of a A0 drivetrain and a guided throw-out bearing !

Only awaiting the motor... (and a new starter)

spare parts from VW arrived, now time for completing the gearbox

2011-04-24T14:15:00.001+02:00

After a week of vacation on the (not always so) sunny Island of Mallorca, I am happy to found some spares in the mail.

2 brand new shims for the installation of the driveshafts. They were available in different thicknesses, after some careful measurement it turned out that I needed some quite thick ones (4.2mm) which were only available from VW Classic Parts Center.
Now I can proceed with the completing of the gear box and maybe we will see a rolling chassis anytime soon...
I'm heading into the garage now!

some good news from the paint shop + new headliner!

2011-04-13T18:43:00.000+02:00

today I visited the paint shop: the body and most of the other parts are already in filler. I will (most probably) get the body back until end of this month! The doors and hoods will follow later, which suits me just fine. So I can put the new wiring harness etc in, before the other parts arrive!

I also received my new headliner today.

Looks great, original material! I can only suggest to buy your next headliner here: http://www.himmelservice.de/

new gearbox and a little progress...

2011-04-12T19:30:00.000+02:00

After the last drawbacks it was hard to motivate myself, but finally I got something done:

a "A0" Gearbox! - the secret to mileage - or speed ;-) - I spent a complete day with cleaning / degreasing the housing and gave it a "rattle can" paint job in gloss black. Thank you Magnus for finding this gearbox!

There are some parts which have to be updated / changed and modified. I will mount a special adaptor from company "Beetle factory" to change from "non-guided" to "guided" throw-out bearing!
The starter bushing and fulcrum plates will be exchanged for new parts as well as the plastic-"daysies"

Currently I am changing the axle tubes from "wide" to narrow", as I want to hide the 5,5" rims under the rear wheel wells without any modifications.

The body/chassis seal found its way onto the chassis, glued on with Sikaflex:

the seal was fixed with some tape during the curing time of the Sikaflex
Tomorrow I will visit the paint shop to check on any progress... I will keep you updated...

one month to the deadline and only bad news...

2011-04-01T21:57:00.001+02:00

This week I got 2 major drawbacks:
1. the wiring loom is so corroded that is is not usable any more, so I have to create a new one by myself
2. the paintshop isn't working on my body
My goal to drive to Hannover in my own fresh restored VW is not possible any more.
I have to step back and relax, take my time and continue until everything is o.k. - definitely this year, but definitely not this month!

Diese Woche habe ich 2 herbe Rückschläge erlebt:
1. der Kabelbaum ist so oxidiert, das ich ihn nicht mehr benutzen kann. Ich werde einen neuen anfertigen!
2. Die Lackiererei arbeitet nicht an meiner Karosserie.
Mein Ziel: Zum 1. Mai im eigenen Auto nach Hannover zu fahren ist nicht mehr zu halten. Ich werde also 'dran bleiben und so lange weitermachen bis alles fertig ist, bestimmt noch dieses Jahr, bestimmt nicht mehr diesen Monat!

gynecologist at work...

2011-03-26T21:04:00.000+01:00

sorry for not posting for so long, but I got a relapse and was sick again. Now I hope it will be better...
Today I felt like a gynecologist! I installed a 8mm fuel line into the pan... Not a simple job, but now it is completed I can be sure my bigger motor will never run too lean due to lack of fuel!
I zip-tied the fuel line in place. I chose a poly-coated 8mm copper line which is also used for LPG-conversions:

the holes in the rubber grommets had to be enlarged to accomodate the bigger fuel line

new vs. old fuel line

inside the tunnel ( on the right is a LED torch to shed some light...)

this is the front access opening, just big enough to put my hand in...

@ the body & paint shop

2011-03-14T20:34:00.001+01:00

after a week of illness today I visited the body shop to look what's going on so far:
Nachdem ich eine Woche krank war, habe ich heute mal den Lackierer besucht um zu sehen wie weit er ist:

the roof had severe warpage which had to be beaten back into shape, followed by a thin layer of bondo, as well as the rear apron... I hate bondo, but sometimes you have to use it - in small amounts it should be o.k. though...

Das Dach war ziemlich beulig und dellig und musste erstmal ausgebeult werden, danach etwas gespachtelt.
Ebenso das Heckabschlußblech - Ich hasse Spachtel, aber in kleinen Mengen ist es wohl o.k. ...

there were some uneven areas everywhere - now they will be smooth as silk!
Unebenheiten gab es überall, jetzt soll die Karosserie so glatt wie der sprichwörtliche Babypopo sein ...

even the NOS rear decklid had to be reworked quite a bit!
Sogar der NOS Heckdeckel musste reichlich überarbeitet werden!

the front hood looks almost like winter cammo! Die Fronthaube sieht aus wie in Winter-Flecktarn!

the (used) driver door had an old repair under the paint - I still have to decide if I am going to use it...
Die gebrauchte Fahrertür verbarg einen alten Unfallschaden unterm Lack - ich weiß noch nicht ob ich die wirklich benutze...

the NOS passenger door was one of the few real good body parts! Die NOS Beifahrertür ist eine der wenigen wirklich guten Karosserieteile!

.. next step: filler! ...nächster Schritt: Füllern!

rear axle - it's comming together ... - Hinterachsmontage - es geht weiter...

2011-03-04T21:38:00.001+01:00

Progress on the rear axle - as always some (special fine threaded) bolts are missing... Otherwise everything would be finished...
Fortschritt bei der Hinterachse - wieder mal fehlen ein paar Schrauben, sonst wäre alles fertig...

yummy - powder coated stuff - always a nice sight! ... pulverbeschichtete Teile - immer eine Augenweide!

all the good stuff finally in its designated location ... der ganze feine Kram endlich da wo er hingehört

the only ugly part of the car will be the gearbox - but it will hopefully be replaced soon by another one!
Der einzige Schandfleck am Auto wird das Getriebe sein, hoffentlich wird es bald durch ein anderes ersetzt!

Hannover Meeting 2011 - a perfect choice for the picture

2011-02-28T20:47:00.000+01:00

this is more or lesss my car! - o.k., I don't have Fuchs wheels, nor a sliding roof - and it is a 67 modell, but it is close enough to what will be the finished product in my garage in a few month! They really made a good choice on that one - although it even isn't a beetle - remember it is a called beetle meeting - the 50th anniversary of our fellow type 3 let them change their minds and they chose this nice example - well done!

parts, parts, parts...

2011-02-23T20:14:00.000+01:00

Everytime I work on the chassis something else is missing... So, this time I ordered some stuff at a company called Käferservice https://sslsites.de/www.vw-teile-vertrieb.com/shopde/start.php
With the gas prices going through the roof these days, it is far cheaper to order this stuff by mail as to pick up the parts at the shop.
This time again some more rubber caps and collars, a carburator cable, connectors for the headlights and a new dome light...

Jedes mal wenn ich am Chassis arbeite fehlt etwas anderes, diesmal habe ich beim Käferservice bestellt. Bei den Benzinpreisen ist es immer billiger die Teile schicken zu lassen, bevor man irgendwo hinfährt und die Teile selbst abholt... wieder mal diverse Dichtungen, ein Gaszug, Stecker für die Frontscheinwerfer und eine neue Innenbeleuchtung...

I brake together ;-)

2011-02-21T20:56:00.002+01:00

here a quick pic of what I also did today, my shiny new rear brakes:
Hier noch ein paar Bilder von dem was ich heute noch so geschafft habe:

new wheel cylinders, new brake shoes, new hardware, new adjusters, freshly painted bearing housings with new seals, zinc plated levers, all moving parts slightly treated with ceramic lubricant - too bad they are hidden under the rear drums...
neue Radbremszylinder, neue Beläge, neue Einsteller, frisch lackierte Lagergehäuse mit neuen Dichtungen, verzinkte Hebelei, alle beweglichen Teile leicht mit Keramikpaste versehen, eine Schande das sich das alles hinter der Trommel versteckt...

welding, this time definitely the last time ! ... schweissen, das allerletzte Mal...

2011-02-21T20:46:00.003+01:00

I grabbed the last fender to haul it to the body shop when I noticed this:
Beim Verladen des letzten Kotflügels musste ich das hier entdecken:

the mounting tab on the left front fender was too far gone, so it had to be replaced (along marked line):
Die Befestigungslasche vom vorderen linken Kotflügel war nicht mehr wirklich zu gebrauchen, also weg damit, entlang der Markierung :

cut away the rusted stuff, inserted a new bit...
den Gammel abgeschnitten, ein neues Stück eingefügt...

tag welded it on and carefully grinded everything down again...
... angepunktet und anschliessend vorsichtig wieder abgeschliffen...

... sprayed a fine mist of rust protection on...
... einen Hauch Rostschutz aufgesprüht...

... as good as new!
... wie neu!

..down the copper line...

2011-02-19T21:17:00.001+01:00

today I finished the brake lines! On all areas where there was a chance of rattling or chafing - as well as on all the clamps - I added pieces of slotted rubber tube to avoid that. I used the KuNiFer stuff which will never rust again.
Heute habe ich die restlichen Bremsleitungen verlegt. Überall dort, wo die Leitungen schaben oder rappeln könnten, genau wie an den Klammerstellen, habe ich ein Stück längsgeschlitzen Gummischlauch über die Bremsleitung geschoben. Die Leitungen sind aus KuNiFer, einmal einbauen, für Ewigkeiten Ruhe!

The missing rubber collars to protect the brake lines through the tunnel will be supplied in a few days from Mario's shop...

I also finished the steering stuff including a safe ground contact to make sure the horn will work.
the metal flake which you can spot everywhere is the result of modifying my 6V gearbox to accept a 12V flywheel. When this is finished - I guess by tomorrow - I will post some pics as well.
Im Bereich der Lenkung ist auch alles soweit zusammen, incl. einer guten Masseverbindung, damit die Hupe hinterher auch zuverlässig funktioniert!
Der Metallstaub ist übrigens vom Ausschleifen der Getriebeglocke damit das 6V Getriebe eine 12V Schwungscheibe aufnehmen kann. Details dazu wahrscheinlich Morgen.

...more (Custom&Speed) parts

2011-02-17T19:37:00.002+01:00

Today I received a HUGE package from CSP, at the bottom I found the few parts I ordered...
They were damn fast, too. Now I can continue with the brakes, test fit the gearbox and update my 009 dizzy with an ignitor breaker points eleminating conversion, as well as Type 3 specific cap and rotor.

detailing - again...

2011-02-14T20:26:00.002+01:00

Just a minor job but it sure will be noticable - the ID tag which was riveted to the front apron was totally dull and dirty, even some paint from a former "anti-rust repair" action was present . A 10 minute polish job with "Autosol" and "NEVR DULL" later and it looks so much better:

actually looks like chrome - maybe a little "over the top" but until it will find its way back onto the car it will have lost some of its gleaming anyway...

more spares to arive! mehr und mehr Teile kommen zusammen!

2011-02-13T11:13:00.000+01:00

I received a package from Mario's new shop http://www.type3headquarter.de/ He delivered everything I was searching for in a superfast time! Thanks for that kind of service! I can't wait to mount all that stuff onto the painted body (hopefully anytime soon!)

Hier ist eine Kiste mit Dichtungen aus Mario's neuem Shop eingetroffen. Er hatte alle gesuchten Teile lieferbar und hat superschnell versendet. Danke für so einen Service! Ich kann es kaum erwarten diese ganze Dichtungen dann (hoffentlich bald) an die fertige Karosserie zu montieren!

rear axle mock up and preparation ... - Hinterachsemontage und Vorbereitung

2011-02-06T17:05:00.000+01:00

During the first mock up of rear axle assembly I discovered that I had to use on my swing axle type III on all 4 positions the IRS inner 1 7/8" knobby bushings! Something else which I found out that the axle body and the covers both had chamfers in the area where the knobs will be situated. So the bushings had to be grounded down to make them fit snuggly!

Beim Probe-Zusammenbau der Hinterachse musste ich feststellen, das der Typ III mit Pendelachse an allen 4 Lagerpunkten die "eckigen" Typ 1 Lagerbuchsen für die Schräglenkervariante - Innenseite benötigt.
Dann fiel mir noch auf, das die Lager nicht korrekt montiert werden können, da sowohl die Aufnahmen am Achskörper, als auch in den Deckeln jeweils mit Fasen versehen sind. Die Polyurethanlager haben diese Fasen aber nicht, also habe ich die Lagerbuchsen noch mit Fasen versehen.

the powder coated cover and the 4 same bushings

chamfers in the rear axle housing

chamfers in the covers

chamfered bushings

be prepared for the future... - für die Zukunft gerüstet...

2011-02-04T21:43:00.000+01:00

Today I received the bigger fuel tank nozzle, 8mm instead of 6mm in diameter. When the 2 liter motor will be ready - hopefully later this year - the Weber carbs will have a good thurst which has to be quenched - this elbow will help, along with 8mm fuel line which has to be installed, too.

Heute habe ich den 8mm Tankanschluss bekommen. Wenn der 2 liter Motor fertig ist - hoffentlich noch dieses Jahr! - werden die 2 Weber's ordentlichen Durst haben, den es zu stillen gilt. Dieser Anschluß und eine 8mm Spritleitung - die noch verlegt werden muss - werden da helfen...