VW Beetle restorations, 1975 SuperBug.

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VWrestorations.htm

INTRODUCTION

My first few cars, from about 1962 onwards, were 2nd hand VW beetles. These did incredible

service, considering they were run on the smell of an oil rag and repaired largely with 2nd hand parts,

in what might kindly be considered a very "untradesmanlike" manner. This included using 2nd hand

pistons from wrecking yards and replacing and welding body shells after rollovers.

A socket wrench was considered a luxury tool and gaskets were used again and again, until torn !

I remember balancing some second hand pistons by filing off excess metal with a rasp file until an

approximate balance was obtained on a 12 inch steel ruler, pivoting near the middle.(precision work!)

We held competitions on which team ( 2 men) could remove a VW engine the fastest. My best time

was 12 minutes, using two 5 gallon drums, 2 planks as ramps, pushing the car onto the ramps, then

lowering the engine onto the chest of the guy underneath, with the guy above hanging onto the

exhaust pipes. The guy under the engine then wriggled out from under the engine, which was then

ready work on. Once I replaced a clutch in under 1 hour, including removing engine, cycling to Repco

to buy the clutch plate then replacing engine. Necessity and poverty were great incentivators.

Since my early VW days, I have owned various sedans, a Porsche, a BMW, now a 350Z and various

4WD's, motorbikes, road and trail. These have all been factory serviced, mostly under warranty.

Now having been retired for some time, my thoughts often returned to the old Beetles and how much

pleasure (??) it was to work on them. Recently, while driving around Noosa, a beautifully restored

VW beetle parked beside me, I was hooked, just had to get one and do it up.

I purchased a 1975 VW Superbug for $1,800, with a dual port heads, McPherson strut front

suspension, dual universal rear axles (not the old swing arm type) plus curved front screen (wow !!) .

The body and transmission appeared very sound, but the engine and upholstery seemed "average".

The original Superbug, sedan for restoration

The sedan after Sandblasting and donor

The body appeared very sound !!

car for Beach Buggy conversion (green)

The INTENTION was as follows :-

Body

Remove all fenders, guards, glass, lights, handles, trim.

Remove all interior including seats, carpets, trim.

Have the body sand blasted and prime coated at local steelworks.

Have the body professionally painted, since it appeared in excellent condition.

Have the upholstery, seats, carpets, doors professionally renovated.

Renovate all lights, wiring, external trim, rubbers etc., buy 2 chrome wheels $300

Engine

Mick mtrs in Brisbane, can supply a brand new 1600 cc dual port "long" motor for $2,200

These were imported from Mexico, off their assembly line. This compared very well

with best quote from Repco to do crank, bearings, pistons, rings, heads for $3,300.

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Engine

I decided to get the new Mexican motor, and use a new dual throat Weber carby $850

cont'd

and a new extractor exhaust $ 300. I checked and renovated the old air-cooling tinwork,

the starter motor, alternator, coil and distributor and high tension leads.

The motor was tested and adjusted on a test bench, supporting an old gearbox/clutch

housing, to which the motor was bolted. A battery and fuel can was added and the

motor was easily run, tested and carby adjusted. Some horrible and expensive sounding

squeals were heard while the motor was first turned over. This soon ceased as oil

was circulated to the pistons, rings and bearings. I should have squirted some oil into

the piston cavities, via the spark plug holes to avoid this scary noise !!

Old engine removal, still easy after 40 ++ yrs.

New "Mexican" engine, with Weber carby's

A trolley jack and good tools substitute for brawn.

and extractor exhaust. (1600 dual port )

ACTUAL renovation of Superbug, sedan.

After removing engine and stripping interior and exterior for sandblasting, I thought that this was

going to be too easy and quick, so I bought another VW sedan, green, to convert to a beach buggy.

My expectations were brutally shattered after the sedan came back from sandblasting and priming.

The professional painters said that there was so much rust that I would be wasting my time and

money in getting it painted in that state. The advice was that it would take many man months to

cut out all the rust, re-weld missing sections and prepare the body for painting. The only feasible

way was to learn welding, learn body preparation and learn spray painting. To get this done

professionally would cost more than a new sports car. It was also emphasised that to do a good

spray painting job, I would probably need another "clean" shed with plenty of light and clearance.

Grinding welded panels, making dust in body shop.

Welding tutor, Ross the bike, looks easy!!

Practicing spray painting, easy with good gear !

The welding pupil, getting better & better.

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ACTUAL RENOVATIONS cont'd

I readily accepted the idea of a new shed or Paint Shop. For anyone doing car renovations, any

extra roofed space is invaluable as you need to store great quantities of parts while renovating.

Also, trying to spray inside a dusty shed (from grinding dust) spells disaster. Therefore, having

borrowed a MIG welder from Ross the Bike ( an experienced bike racer mechanic) and purchased

a good compressor and spray guns, I decided to build a new paint shop. This was in addition to

the existing engine shop and existing body repair / welding shop.

Preparing founds for P-shop

Framework for Paint shop

Finished P-S, plenty of light.

Dimen's 6m by 4m by 2.2 ht.

Has "engine" lifting capacity.

Roof and walls were transparent.

Now that all the preliminaries have been completed, the next move is to prepare the body for painting.

This is the most time consuming and least interesting part of any restoration job.

Now came the task of cutting out rusted areas, replacing with sound metal, then filling with bog,

sanding down, and repeating the process until a good body shell was ready for undercoat and

final painting. Our painting expert advisors emphasised that this was the most critical part of any

paint job, and any short cuts here would only be magnified with finish coats.

Many long hours were spent thus ! Apply bog,

Don’t shirk on this work, the final coat is

rub down, undercoat, apply bog, rub down, etc.

only as good as the surface preparation.

Starting final coats, at last ! Using a 2-pack

Starting to see some good results. Now it

type paint, which can be rubbed for corrections.

becomes hard to stop re-sprays !

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Getting close to final coats.

Every time I put on a "final" coat, small blemishes

Starting to look serious. Now for final

appear, and you are tempted to rub-down and

rubdown with 2000 grit, then polish with

paint again. Have to leave some work for the

disc sander and cutting paste.

sander/polisher machine, with cutting paste.

Mechanical Restorations

Front discs only needed cleanup and new

Rear drums needed new all new insides,

rubber hoses and bleed valves.

plus new handbrake cable + hoses.

Engine

The 1600 cc "Mexican" engine which was previously in the Beach Buggy, will be installed

in the Sedan. (the Beach Buggy got a powerful Subaru motor, 132 hp)

The VW 1600 engine had dual throat Weber Carby's and extractor exhausts.

This was bench tested and tuned to eliminate the low speed idle problems, experienced

when installed in the Buggy.

Engine install still easy, after 46 year break.

Trolley jack makes removal/installation a

Now, good tools and smarts substitute for

breeze. Still, had to remove air cleaner and

youthful brute strength !

muffler to install engine.

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Wiring up temporary electrics to start

First drive, after bleeding and adjusting

engine. Note the milk box seat, with cushion.

brakes. Will now go to electrician, then

AM mtrs from Noosaville, ph=5455 5269

Noosa Marine Up-holstery, ph=5474 2266

will do an excellent re-wire + instruments.

Both provide excellent quality and service.

Gearbox, rear axles.

The gearbox and rear axles with 4 CV joints, were checked and repaired as

necessary, by George from BB Oz. It was felt worthwhile doing this, while the engine was out and

all the above parts were readily accessible.

Starter motor, alternator.

These were sent to an auto electrician for checking and repair,

as necessary. All bushes, brushes and worn parts were replaced.

New dash, made from fibreglass panels.

Car being sent to auto electrician and

Lifts in and out easily, with "snap" fit wiring.

up-holsterer. Wasn't game to drive it there.

Dashboard

The old dashboard had disintegrated. Replacements were only available in

Left hand drive, from USA. Therefore, I built a new one using fibreglass panels, glued together with

cut-outs for extra instruments and glovebox. This would be covered in vinyl when finished.

Look at the new dash and front seats, wow !

Up-holstery was better than new, good stuff.

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The car came back from electrician, 1/2 done, and upholstery complete. Noosa Marine upholstery

did a quality job, and under their budget estimate: highly recommended. Now I had to do some

minor finishing :- Fit bumper bars, mirrors, glass, windscreen wipers and suchlike, and send it back to

auto electrician to complete the wiring and have the rego checks carried out. Getting warm !!

Windows went in easy, as did bumper bars ,

Looking real cute, can't wait to do final cut

wipers, seat belts and suchlike. Now for

and polish and put on all trim & chromework.

final electrics and rego !

At VW Dubs by the Pub, display.

All that work was worthwhile ? Now for a bit

Should have entered the competition !!

of swanning in Hastings Street ?

Now got the right hat and overalls, for next

Great helmet, bit hot and heavy in Qld.

club meeting !'

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End