Gypsie Bug

[Gypsie]

Patience my friend. Pics soon.
I am doing alot of circling and poking and prodding at this point. Still getting home near dark. Readin up on this creature.

Chompin at the bit, though.

This weekend is the blitz: cap, rotor, wires, plugs, fuel, air, timing, valves, lotion... Gonna see what happens with a little lovin'.


Bookwus, I would love o hear of a site to get some of those interior parts you mentioned.

Pretty solid rig by my reckonin'.

Little wobble at 45mph makes me think wheel bearing but could be wheel balance.

Thinkin' I might need a generator cause this one's whining.

also lookin for a cheap bra if'n yall have any idears, bit of a wrinkle in the nose, don't ya know.

TOTALLY 'CITED!

[IFBwax]

Patience my friend. Pics soon.
I am doing alot of circling and poking and prodding at this point. Still getting home near dark. Readin up on this creature.

Chompin at the bit, though.

This weekend is the blitz: cap, rotor, wires, plugs, fuel, air, timing, valves, lotion... Gonna see what happens with a little lovin'.


Bookwus, I would love o hear of a site to get some of those interior parts you mentioned.

Pretty solid rig by my reckonin'.

Little wobble at 45mph makes me think wheel bearing but could be wheel balance.

Thinkin' I might need a generator cause this one's whining.

also lookin for a cheap bra if'n yall have any idears, bit of a wrinkle in the nose, don't ya know.

TOTALLY 'CITED!

So I guess that's a big no?

[Amskeptic]

Little wobble at 45mph makes me think wheel bearing but could be wheel balance.

Super Beetle? Welcome to the Super Beetle MacPherson front suspension where everything must be tight and properly adjusted and balanced and aligned. Did I mention that everything must be tight and properly adjusted and balanced and aligned?
Colin

[Bookwus]

Hiya Gypsy,

Interior parts I mentioned? Refresh my memory (it sure needs it!).

And about that wobble from the front end. A wobble between 35 and 45 is a classic Super-symptom. It is most usually a sign that the steering dampener is shot and needs to be replaced. All in all, when a Super's front end is in good shape it is a wonderful car to drive.

[Amskeptic]

A wobble between 35 and 45 is a classic Super-symptom. It is most usually a sign that the steering dampener is shot and needs to be replaced.

A wobble between 35 and 45 is a classic Super-symptom. It most usually will kill the steering dampener which will also need to be replaced.

[Sluggo]

Little wobble at 45mph makes me think wheel bearing but could be wheel balance.

Super Beetle? Welcome to the Super Beetle MacPherson front suspension where everything must be tight and properly adjusted and balanced and aligned. Did I mention that everything must be tight and properly adjusted and balanced and aligned?
Colin

On my '74 Super:

*New Steering Box
*New Steering Damper
*New Universal Joint
*New Bearings
*New Struts
*New Strut Bearings & Mounts

Still wobbles but it's getting better. Now just between 40 & 50 and not as extreme. I'll be getting an alignment & rotational balance next week. Handles like a freaking dream now except for the wobble.

Just a warning of what you may be in for.

[tristessa]

Ah, the infamous Super Beetle Shimmy. Buddy of mine back in CA had that with his '71. 100lbs of sand in the frunk helped a lot, but what finally cured it once & for all was urethane bushings in the control arms.

Maybe 'cuz they were stiff urethane, maybe 'cuz they were new .. not sure. But the car was shimmy-free from dead-stop to 90MPH. Yeah, he had a built motor...

[ruckman101]

Right on, congrats Gypsie. The body looks solid from the ad, yellow. We had a yellow Super in the family that my sister bought. I didn't ever really work on it, but assisted once in putting a rebuild engine* in it, for my Mother, who had bought it from my sister, I just drove it here and there on occasion.

Let me reminisce.

First off, let me say that I never experienced the Super syndrome with this one. No shimmy, no shake, at any speed. It did have a bog off the line that had to be nurtured, one I fought with Bertha, that was maddening.

My fondest memory was driving it from Salem down I-5 to San Francisco with my brother and mother to visit my uncle who hadn't retired from the military yet, and lived on his sailboat docked at a marina. I think it was like Pearl Cove or somesuch on the western side of south bay. Sister had just bought the car, couldn't make the trip, yet set us up.

The yellow super had it's issues. Early on there was an engine fire. Later the fan ate the wiring harness. *Oh yeah. At some point I helped I guess it would be my stepbrother, install a rebuilt bottom end engine back into it, with a too long post for the fuel pump. We crammed it on there anyway, with the obvious consequence of gasoline mixing with the oil. Of course the shop that had rebuilt the bottom end had a contractual agreement/warranty/guarantee that relieved them of financial responsibility. Legitimate. My stepbrother wasn't a seasoned VW person, neither was I at that point.

I suspect it was a Bigfoot rebuild.

The yellow Super ended up in Tidewater, where because of Jetta issues, I found myself borrowing from mother for the commute to work. 150 miles, about three hours between Portland and Tidewater. Now highway 34 from the Willamette Valley over to the coast is one of my favorites. Light traffic because there are better, smoother roads. But highway 34 is tight, narrow, and lots of lots of tight corners. My kind of road. And all I can say is that the Yellow Super was the biggest joy to run that road with. Beat the Jetta (Joan), beat Bertha, beat the Nissan/Datsun light truck. Maybe not the 280z, but on the tight corners would probably keep up. The front wheels just grabbed tight and kept you in that turn.

Well, it developed a healthy oil leak. Pretty certain it was the main seal. Nothing like stopping at the last major grocery store and looking under the engine to see a steady stream of oil flowing to the ground. Needless to say, emergency oil was part of my grocery purchases.

So it got parked next to Bertha, on the road next to the creek. Derelict. Not running. For a spell. Long enough for the brakepads to rust to the drums. Wadda ya expect when you drive it through a creek and set the emergency brake?

So it got sold, to my co-worker/boss. It took us awhile to break the drums free of the brakepads. And it fell off the jack, slipping down the slope to the creek. But we managed. You can grab the fender, squat and thrust enough to yank the jack out for a fresh approach.

We set out with quarts of oil. We used them on the 30 mile run into Waldport. Stopping frequently. At Waldport, we were out of oil so bought a gallon of generic cheap stuff at the grocery store, for the next ten miles.

It was the main seal, he got a deal, and runs it today.



neal

[vdubyah73]

it's the control arm bushings. They take the damper with 'em, A bad damper is a symptom.

[Gypsie]

Hiya VWB,

.......Aren't the rear air vents something that came with this particular model as well, that wasn't on earlier cars?

Are we talking the "ears" behind the rear side windows?

If so, those made their first appearance with the 1971 model year. VW did away with the rear window defroster (electrical type) at the end of 1970 production year in favor of "flow-thru" ventilation. But these vents now hold special problems for the restorer. The metal body parts under those ears are often quite rusty. It's a good idea to pull the ears off and check that out. And the plastic vent outlets inside the car have often deteriorated into a crumbly mess. Worse, it's almost impossible to find suitable new vents. I have a source for brand new ones (repops) should you need them.

This is what I was referring to. The inlets are shot on this one.

It's fun looking for parts for a new rig.

Lookin' to be a sunny Saturday full of DubLuv.

Sure you can drive it Wayne. I plan on taking it on one of the summer camps. We'll tear a$$ on the old logging roads and scare the stuffing out of the quad riders.....Bwaaaa HaaaaaaHaaaaaa!

[Bookwus]

Hiya Gypsy,

.....Are we talking the "ears" behind the rear side windows?......

Ah yes, my memory returns.

The plastic outer vents (the ears) are available at any number of places. I think DIP carries them on the shelf here locally. In what kind of shape is the metalbehind those vents? That's the big question.

.....And the plastic vent outlets inside the car have often deteriorated into a crumbly mess. Worse, it's almost impossible to find suitable new vents. I have a source for brand new ones (repops) should you need them.

If I recall correctly, the 1302 has two interior rear window vents. That was later changed to three. The two-hole vents have not been repopped so 1302 owners have been outta luck. But I know of a person who has had these made up in fibreglass. Supposed to be very nice but will require painting. Spendy too at over $100 - it's a limited run. But if yours are shot, whattyagonnado? Let me know if you're interested and I'll link ya up.

I'd like to see the little yellow critter.

[Gypsie]

Well finally had a chance to take some pix and here they are:

Started out by replacing all basic electrical-plugs, wires, cap, rotor. Forgot points and condenser so I cleaned up the old ones and gapped. Adjusted valves, cleaned up some weak electrical connections, Hambone brought me a clean coil and a nice book fer just this particular year he just had kicking around (he's an odd one that Hambone ). New fuel filter and a few lines. Changed air cooling hoses and installed a preheater hose.

She has a whine that at first I thought was generator bearings but is now seeming like a pretty major vacuum leak at the carb mount. The PO had overcome the symptoms by tightening the throttle cable.

She stranded me the other morning cause of icing up. No thermostat so the preheater that is now connected, was not delivering any warm air. Got a new gasket for the mount and plan on installing it but I am waiting for a carb rebuild kit to see if I can help the carb.


Any way, Pix:

Decent body.




Some Cute details:

The seats and carpet has been done in the past few years. No major rust problems in all the common places. Niiiiice!


A few minor interior details to work out:


There will be some body work to sink my teeth into:

I may just cover this and the couple of fender dimples with a bra after rust abatement and paint).

Some things will need closer attention







Any tips on the hinge area is appreciated.

the bay and under carriage tell me there was recent work (within 10k-20k). Feels like solid compression, clutch and brakes.


Missing a coupla tiny tin pieces (heat riser escutcheons both sides)

Anyone got any?
Did a coupla Gypsie fixits:

Stripped carb mounting bolt. Filed a bit of the carb to make room for the nut. Probably the culprit for the howling.

I zip tied the preheater valve open. I haven't driven much since doing so but I kind of think it should be okay til I can find a thermostat. Any thoughts? I await chastisement



All in all I think 14 bones were well spent. Knockwood

Question: There is a hose coming in through the engine bay (from the charcoal canister) that is just sitting open in front of the fan housing. Is it supposed to be connected to something?

Also can't find a defroster switch for the rear window, though it is hooked up at the window. gonna try to get it working.

Any thoughts about hooking up an electric wiperwasher pump? I'm thinking about a upullit special. Don't have a spare yet and don't like being tapped into my spare for the washer.

I'll keep you posted on progress.

[Amskeptic]

There is a hose coming in through the engine bay (from the charcoal canister) that is just sitting open in front of the fan housing. Is it supposed to be connected to something?

Also can't find a defroster switch for the rear window, though it is hooked up at the window. gonna try to get it working.

Goes to the air filter.

Defroster switch may be a riculously little rectangular deal sitting under the dash board.
Colin

[Gypsie]

Goes to the air filter.

No port. Ill matched air filter? Not too keen on the oil bath thingy, mess wise. I need to get the Bentley..... . Already had a couple of ooze out sessions.

Colin,

Thoughts about my 'wired open preheater'?

[Sluggo]

Nice Beetle! Good luck with it. I love a good find!