Itinerant Air-Cooled

tristessa wrote:Welcome aboard!

I'm two weeks into Finally Starting To Do Something With My Fastback, which is a green 1970 model that's been hibernating in the driveway for the last 12 years. Started attacking a few suspect spots on the body with a paint/rust remover wheel to see how deep the bondo is, ordered new pop-out seals from ISP West that I can't really afford under the "get them while they're available" theme. I need to strip down the replacement door, hood and fender and get them prepped for paint, then start figuring out what to do about the horribly dented roof that someone went dancing on one night long long ago...

Go to a paintless dent remover professional. A carefully reversed pull may save your car from needing too much intervention. Is the interior white?
Colin

I don't think paintless dent removers will be able to do much, the entire roof was caved in and mostly popped back out over ten years ago.

Interior is white. Drivers and rear seat have been reupholstered, cover for the passenger seat is still in box.

I'm here..... my FI 71 Squareback that, for being in Wisconsin is a nice survivor. We found it at a farm auction where it had been "tucked away" in an old fellow's garage for 20 years. He passed, the home burned and along with it all the paperwork. I talked to the daughters at the auction and learned their dad bought it in San Diego new in 71, drove it there for a few years and brought it to western Wisconsin. He put it away and drove two beetles into the ground. After I replaced wheels, tires and had help freshening up the fuel system, it's been fun. A favorite at the two VW shows we visit, too.

It was fun to have Colin see it for I knew he'd appreciate it's fine condition. Was a little worried when he began caressing the rubber window seals and the big orange directional lenses. Encouraged by my first IAC appointment, I rebuilt the front calipers which led to some fine western WI backroad touring. Thank you Colin for your encouragement in person and here on your site. Enjoy learning from all of you.

Amskeptic wrote:

Amskeptic wrote:
Did I mention that I actually did buy a Squareback . . . a half decade ago?
ColinShouldStopByMoreOften

I do love that car, will have to buy it off you someday.

Sylvester wrote:

Amskeptic wrote:

Amskeptic wrote:
Did I mention that I actually did buy a Squareback . . . a half decade ago?
ColinShouldStopByMoreOften


I do love that car, will have to buy it off you someday.

It may have to be sooner rather than later.

I am a terrible seller.

"I am selling it for $9,000.00"
"Oh, well, haha, uh , we are prepared to offer you $7,500.00, it has a door ding, right there."
"I am selling it for $9,250.00."
"What? I just pointed out a door ding. There's FLAWS and stuff. The seat back cover is cracked you KNOW."
"I am selling it for $9,500.00"
"What is the matter with you?"

busboytom wrote:I'm here..... my FI 71 Squareback is a nice survivor. I rebuilt the front calipers which led to some fine western WI backroad touring. Thank you Colin for your encouragement in person and here on your site. Enjoy learning from all of you.

That was a fun visit. Adjusting the valves and all . . . I need to get my Squareback and drive it. It cannot tolerate this suspended between dimensions storage much longer.
Colin
(what would you sell your Squareback for?)

I miss driving my type 3. Currently up to 4 of them:
1970 square. Bought in 2000. Hasn't been on the road since 1980
1971 fasty. Bought in 2007? Haven't driven it in a couple of years. Need to replace fuel lines and put the carbs back on.
1964 notch. Bought in 2012. In indefinite resto after someone rearended me in 2014
1971 fasty. Bought in 2014 on first date with bf. It's gonna be a diesel someday...
still working on a t34.... for 20 years now.

VWGirl wrote:I miss driving my type 3. Currently up to 4 of them:
1970 square. Bought in 2000. Hasn't been on the road since 1980
1971 fasty. Bought in 2007? Haven't driven it in a couple of years. Need to replace fuel lines and put the carbs back on.
1964 notch. Bought in 2012. In indefinite resto after someone rearended me in 2014
1971 fasty. Bought in 2014 on first date with bf. It's gonna be a diesel someday...
still working on a t34.... for 20 years now.

It is time. Take pictures of your Volkswagen flock and post them.
I am waiting for the weld job on the 1971. . . right here.
Colin

Amskeptic wrote:

VWGirl wrote:I miss driving my type 3. Currently up to 4 of them:
1970 square. Bought in 2000. Hasn't been on the road since 1980
1971 fasty. Bought in 2007? Haven't driven it in a couple of years. Need to replace fuel lines and put the carbs back on.
1964 notch. Bought in 2012. In indefinite resto after someone rearended me in 2014
1971 fasty. Bought in 2014 on first date with bf. It's gonna be a diesel someday...
still working on a t34.... for 20 years now.

It is time. Take pictures of your Volkswagen flock and post them.
I am waiting for the weld job on the 1971. . . right here.
Colin

Well I was going to post some pics of the fleet but it says all my files are too big :/

VWGirl wrote:

Amskeptic wrote:

VWGirl wrote:I miss driving my type 3. Currently up to 4 of them:
1970 square. Bought in 2000. Hasn't been on the road since 1980
1971 fasty. Bought in 2007? Haven't driven it in a couple of years. Need to replace fuel lines and put the carbs back on.
1964 notch. Bought in 2012. In indefinite resto after someone rearended me in 2014
1971 fasty. Bought in 2014 on first date with bf. It's gonna be a diesel someday...
still working on a t34.... for 20 years now.

It is time. Take pictures of your Volkswagen flock and post them.
I am waiting for the weld job on the 1971 . . . right here.
Colin

Well I was going to post some pics of the fleet but it says all my files are too big :/

I hate our stupid gallery. Can you reduce your pictures? I use Photobucket which automatically resizes for forum use.
ColinRainySeasonComingSealYourWestyAndProtectYourFlock

Amskeptic wrote:
I hate our stupid gallery. Can you reduce your pictures? I use Photobucket which automatically resizes for forum use.
ColinRainySeasonComingSealYourWestyAndProtectYourFlock

I can, it's just not an instant thing. I have to make time to do it. So I'll do that soon.

I did refer a good friend of mine here so maybe I'll keep coming back more often.

Was driving back from "winter storage" and having a wonderful, uneventful trip when 160 miles hence and 5 miles from home sweet home, BAM! "That doesn't sound or feel right.... ". Blowout on right front tire!!!! Fewer than 5,000 miles on them. Huh? They are 8 years old but c'mon, man, seriously? Lesson learned, inspect those things before it's too late. Jack works like a champ and my honey saw her Super Hero on action! " Yup, I can fix it, watch this.....". Pictures to follow.

busboytom wrote:Was driving back from "winter storage" and having a wonderful, uneventful trip when 160 miles hence and 5 miles from home sweet home, BAM! "That doesn't sound or feel right.... ". Blowout on right front tire!!!! Fewer than 5,000 miles on them. Huh? They are 8 years old but c'mon, man, seriously? Lesson learned, inspect those things before it's too late. Jack works like a champ and my honey saw her Super Hero on action! " Yup, I can fix it, watch this.....". Pictures to follow.

What was the brand of tire, Mr. Super Hero?
Colin

busboytom wrote:Was driving back from "winter storage" and having a wonderful, uneventful trip when 160 miles hence and 5 miles from home sweet home, BAM! "That doesn't sound or feel right.... ". Blowout on right front tire!!!! Fewer than 5,000 miles on them. Huh? They are 8 years old but c'mon, man, seriously? Lesson learned, inspect those things before it's too late. Jack works like a champ and my honey saw her Super Hero on action! " Yup, I can fix it, watch this.....". Pictures to follow.

Ok, I'll share a similar, "kinda" humorous story. So, my GF's 23 YO daughter notices her 2000 Pontiac Grand am is SUDDENLY shaking/vibrating on her drive home from work. The next morning, instead of calling me or her Mom for an opinion, she drives it ON THE FREEWAY to a place to put air in the tire thinking "they might be low". Did she use an air gauge? Oh, hell no. She just pumped a bunch of ADDITIONAL air into the front tires.

So, the GF and I are cruising over to Bug-o-rama on a beautiful Sunday morning. The GF's phone rings and it's this daughter who tells her Mom what's going on. I can hear the conversation as the GF has her phone on speaker. I tell the GF "sounds like a separating tire". We ask where she is and she says she's on the freeway heading home. Not a second later, we hear the most horrific screaming we'd ever heard followed by silence. The GF and I look at each other, panic filling us both. Finally, after a minute, the daughter tells her Mom that the tire blew. She was crying pretty hysterically but she managed to pull off the freeway w/out incident.

The overinflated tire exploded with such force that it did about $4 grand worth of body damage to her car that is worth about $3 grand. It blew off pieces of her front plastic bumper cover. Her LF headlight assembly and it's plastic mounting bracket. All the inner fender lining plastic. The LF fender was bent beyond repair. Her lower body molding was broken in half. I priced out what just the parts would cost new and told the GF that her insurance would total the car, plus she has a $1k deductible.

We had it towed to a tire shop and they changed her tires that had easily 60% of the rubber remaining. The tires were only 5 years old but were a economy, no name brand. She then nursed it to my place and after about 18 hours of my free labor and $400 dollars in used parts from a salvage yard and $100 dollars in paint and materials, she was back on the road again.

Oh, she was also rewarded with a 15 minute conversation on how the whole thing could of been prevented had she simply pulled over or not drove the car again after she noticed the sudden vibration. I also educated her about tire gauges, why cars suddenly start shaking, tire balance, tire seperations, etc..



Speaking of seperating tires. I got in this 67 bug a year ago, pulled out of the garage and immediately felt a wobbly. I pulled right back into the garage. Looking the tires over, I saw this tire.. The age of the tire? The tires were 19 years old! I didn't realize they were that old..

When to replace tires based on calendar year age is such a hot button topic. My other bug's tires are probably 13 years old with a whopping 5k miles on them. They've always been inside the garage and show no visible signs of cracking. It's only a nice weekend driver for errands. I'm going to keep running them. My bus tires are 10 years old and are showing signs of cracking. I'm going to replace them even though they have 80% remaining..

Having collector/hobby cars is expensive when you don't drive them enough and the tires have to be changed based on calendar dates...

Said tires was a package deal of pretty new rims with premounted Cooper Metric 165/R15's. Going back to original size of 165/80R/15's.