You don’t need a tachometer, the little red slash marks in the speedo tell you at what speed to shift gears. Back in the era when Volkswagen made cars that lasted, and we’re serviceable by the owner. They are very primitive compared to a modern car, but so much fun to drive.
This beetle has SUCH an amazing sound. It would be a crime to electrify it. I'm happy that in america there is an huge beetle scene, here in Germany it's almost extinct, and the parts are extremely expensive
@davidhollenshead4892 It may have also reminded people of the Kraft Durch Freude propaganda that cost families their savings and unbeknownst to them, financed the German war effort. If it isn't very cheap, I wouldn't be interested in owning a Beetle, or a Citroën 2CV or a Trabant for that matter. They're quirky and interesting from a bygone era, but I don't really care that much for owning one.
There were two indentations on the sun visor. Those took me back to my first two VWs, a 58 and a 59. In those days many of us kept our car's registration in a holder with a transparent front and two stiff spring clamps on the back to attach it to the visor. No gas gauges, when your car started sputtering you reached under the dash to turn the lever on the firewall to reserve. You had about 30-40 miles to find a gas station.
And then I forgot to turn the lever back to normal after filling with gas. So the next time the engine sputtered, the tank and fuel line were empty. A 1.5 gallon fuel can in the frunk and a screwdriver. Open the engine compartment. Loosen the air-filter from the carburettor. Fill the carburettor's fuel bowl from the can and empty the can into the tank. Replace the air-filter. Start. Drive. The underlying problem? The fuel tank in the frunk bottom is lower than the fuel pump and carburettor. That fuel pump, mechanically driven by the engine, dependent on engine RPM, does not have enough oomph to suck up gas into the fuel bowl - its not "self priming". So, a bit of gas in the carburettor's fuel bowl did the trick. Or, wizardry, fit an electric pump and solve the problem "forever".
My Mom's '61 with the lever, she had a manual odometer on the sun visor. She would set the miles on the odometer and when the car hit 200mi, time to fill up soon. 300 mi. Range
I love the concept of this video. Client thinks they have to do a huge conversion and all it takes is someone with expertise to say, no, there is a much better solution when the client didn’t think it would exist.
I did drive my VW's more frequently. But all of them, from several different years and models, had one thing in common. They all started on the first touch of the key. To this day I can't admit a car on my hands that's not like that. First start it as to run. ;-)
That year Beetle was my first car. Got the car and two engines for $300. Had to use one for parts to repair the one in it. I'm still kicking myself for ever parting with it, loved that bug!
My first car was a 1965 Standard model. It did not have any chrome, no fuel gauge (pet cock instead), 6V and 1200CC with 30HP. The passenger seat was screwed to the floor with no adjustability. The passenger door was only lockable from the inside (no key hole). They did not sell these base versions in the USA. It also was upgraded by my uncle, who bought it new, with Porsche 356 rims, which allowed for "enormous" 165 tires. Unfortunately, when I bought it it was already 18 years old and had many rust holes. It survived 4 more years before it made it's last trip to the junk yard.
I worked in a garage that specialized in VWs in the mid 70s. I had a 66 Beetle as my second Beetle, my first was a 71. I loved my 66 the best, it was red like the one in the video. I paid 50 bucks for mine and swapped a 1600 dual port engine into it. I was fortunate I had easy access to parts, I even bought a bunch of parts cars CHEAP to create the motor. A 69 Squareback donated part of its engine.
I knew a guy who could change out the engine, by himself, in one hour. He kept a rebuilt engine oiled and covered in a plastic bag in the corner of his garage. When something went wrong, he'd swap the engine. Over the next month, he'd rebuild the old one in his spare time, oil it up, cover in a plastic bag, and shove it into the corner of the garage. Eventually, he started collecting Porsches and doing the same thing.
My mom bought my brother and I a 66 as our first car so she wouldn't have to drive us to the ski hill anymore. Never let us down. She knew what she was doing.
@@tony_25or6to4 When I worked in the garage, all of us were really quick at changing motors. My record for taking a motor out was 16 minutes. Once, one of our good customers was on her way to a Dr's appointment and drove in with one of the heads almost falling off the block. We got her car in, we swapped the motor out of my car so she could get to her appointment in a half a hour. She returned two days later to a fresh motor and I got mine back. I didn't mind letting her use my motor.... I got to borrow one of the cars we had for sale, a 1972 VW 412 two door 4 speed. I wanted to buy that car so badly, but my parents thought it was "too fast" for me.
I hope you replaced the fuel filter too. Since you had concerted to an electric fuel pump, I certainly hope you had relocated the fuel filter from where it used to be w the mechanical fuel pump. That old location was known to cause engine fires, since it was located right above the ignition distributor. Btw those door panels are not stock. That bug has obviously been restored w them front disc brake conversion and the vintage speed stainless steel exhaust. And that intake didn't tell me that the engine is still the original 1300. Most likely an updated 1600 single port.
Great VW video. Earlier Beetles didn't even have gas gauges. You had a wooden dipstick in the trunk to measure the amount of fuel you had. There was also a fuel control lever on the floor to activate the reserve portion of the tank. Just don't forget to return the lever back after refueling.
We called it the kickover tank lever on our 1960 beetle. One night I was at my girl friend's house when the door bell rang. It was my Dad. I had turned the lever, failed to refuel and he had run out. He was not amused. The first and only time I forgot.
We always called the front trunk (front bonnet), the "frunk" for lack of a better term. Same thing with Corvair's. I loved air-cooled cars then and I still do!!!!!
I only put E0 (ethanol free) gas in my '73 VW Thing. Runs smooth and never had vapor lock issues with it. Also known as recreational fuel depending on what part of the country you're in. Averages around $.50 more per gallon but worth it for any classic car you plan on driving on a semi regular basis
Yeah when I was in Iowa, ethanol free was 87 octane only (at limited stations), here in Wisconsin it's 93 (also at limited stations). Interestingly my small engines like the 93 better, run smoother. (Especially the snowblower, less backfiring, etc)
I use ethanol-free in my Audi TT. It sits significantly more than it is driven. Never gives me a problem starting. I run the E/F in my daily driver too. A little more expensive but never worry about seals and hoses. Gas mileage goes up a bit too. All gas, no syrup.
In UK our standard 95RON fuel is E10 by law and many people are extracting the ethanol out to get pure petrol but then waste a minimum of 10% of what they paid for. Superunleaded is either ethanol free or E5 depending where you live and that works fine. The premium paid for Super is offset by the extra mileage and then there is the smoother running. My 1303S Beetle runs on nothing else and I have had no issues starting. I originally used an old competition electric fuel pump in the Beetle that was not rated for modern fuel and it disintegrated after a few months, changing that to a modern one solved the problem. Also, I have the fuel pump on a hidden switch so that when the thieving b*****ds attempt to drive away they get about 1/2ml down the road before the fuel runs out. Also, the relay for the pump is controlled by the oil pressure light so that in the event of an accident the fuel shuts off. A little bit of cranking gets the oil pressure up and energises the fuel pump.
I second that. I generally try to run my classics at least once a month but that doesn't always happen in the winter. Between Stabile and battery maintainers, I never have starting issues no matter how long they end up sitting. I also use Stabile in the daily drivers and my emergency generator.
@@shawnwest3779 And I did a person 1.5 year experiment on it and it worked like it had fresh fuel in it. I'll take my anecdote to their shit experiment.
@@rustler08 (Ii had a Superbug which spent a year at a time sitting in my mates driveway while I was in China. I drove it when I came back for holidays and it never was a problem starting. I don't know if fuel in Australia has an additive in it or not but I regret selling that car.
Horn emblem was wrong for the year. Carpet, Headliner, and door cards all replaced. Looking at the seats, its hard to tell but I suspect they are later model short back, they don't look right for a 66 (the curve of the back) Just a little detail I noted.
A light blue 1971 VW Fastback introduced me to auto mechanics. The saying "education is expensive" applies here. A lot of great memories and stories came out of it. I still love these old VWs.
We have a 1970’s Chevy grain truck with a 427 gas engine. It came factory with electric fuel pump. It has a prime button in the cab. After sitting for 6 months or a year, you hold that button until you hear the pump slowing down, crank it and it fires right up every time.
@@junkorbust9498 Why do you have to hold the button down if it runs all the time? As soon as you switch the key on, the pump should run...and continue running.. Unless you have an oil pressure sensitive on/off switch for a rollover/crash situation where the pump only runs when the engine runs and has oil pressure? That would make sense of the "primer button".....
@@JohnSmith-yv6eq i went to lay under the truck to get the answer for you. It has an in tank fuel pump in each tank. There’s a block with some check valves where the lines are connected. A switch on the dash switches between pumps and the prime button runs the pump with power direct from the battery to fill the bowls before starting if needed. Farm trucks often sit for months at a time so it’s a handy set up. It came from the factory that way.
@@junkorbust9498 Thanks for your dedication... I have a 1972 XJ6 Jaguar with the twin 12 gallon rear quarter tanks, with two pumps and a selector switch on the dash. The selector switch just selects the pump which works at all times the ignition is on....including in a crash.... Sounds like yours has something like the oil pressure switch...it's a bit safer that way....
My tastes lean towards the keep it original side. Good to see the owner hasn't done anything that can't be undone. That said, it's their car and they can do what they want. Have to admit, the electric fuel pump makes sense (along with that alternator).
Back in the early 70’s (I think) my brother bought a ‘63 VW bug. He ran it for about 1.5 years before he started having firing problems. He brought it back from VA where he was stationed in the USAF. My father tore down the engine to find the problem…a cotter pin was in one of the cylinders. It was too big to have come through the fuel system so it was there from the factory. The car had been purchased, originally, in Germany, driven down through Europe then ferried over to Africa where it was driven to South Africa, shipped to Argentina and driven across South America before being shipped to Mexico (again, I think it was Mexico, not sure) before being driven into the US and finally sold to my brother. It had over 100,000 miles on it when he bought it. There was documentation showing the car’s travels that my brother saw, but he let the owner keep. Over 100,000 miles before the engine started to miss. This is why people loved the old Beetle.
Back when you were connected to the car. So connected your "Tach" was your ears and your feelings. You knew how the car felt, if it was stressed or unhealthy. It was actually more convenient, instantaneous and natural.
That beetle is well taken care of & I'm glad it will remain mostly stock. The start up 😲 and muffler noises are simply amazing! These beetles bring back so many childhood memories for me. 😊
Yep, engine behind the rear wheels worked great when the engine is so light that you can pick it up and put it on the workbench all by yourself, or, if it's in a bus. BUT in a sports car with high BP and a big water cooled flat six hanging out there? Nope. Then you drive yourself backwards into a tree. Love the bug though. Had a '74. Great little commuter car. Got me back and forth to college dirt cheap... what was that commercial they had? Oh yeah: 'TWO PENNIES A MILE, TWO PENNIES A MILE!' I don't even think it cost me that much, since I got mine used for $300.
This was a great video, thank you. I had a 73 Super Beetle, pretty much all original, just a great little car, comfortable seats and loads of fun to drive. Drove it many times back and forth from VA to TX, super reliable. Everyone needs to own a Beetle at least once in their lifetime.
Michelin tires are the best bug upgrade followed by koni red shocks. Man I could not live with an ivory interior, I need a dark color to hide the dirt and stains of everyday driving.Paint is awesome on that.Ruby Red perhaps!.
Lovely. That car has been restored although I suspect the inside hasn’t been repainted but the interior is a new reproduction. The front beam, floorpans and heater channels are also new. Beautiful car - enjoy as is, no need for EV!
We have old cars and bikes with the fuel issue. We chose to get ethanol free fuel in drums from the local race gas distributor. We are using Sunoco Optima unleaded no ethanol. Sunoco, Vp, and Stinger race gas are wildly used. The all have lots of octane ratings so you can Taylor it to your cars or bikes compression. It's claimed to stay fresh after opening for a couple years. No ethanol makes a huge difference.
Best advice I ever got for my 61 Volkswagen was from a Volkswagen factory-trained mechanic who owned a custom VW shop: Stock is BEST. Ran the stock single port for over 100,000 miles. With nearly 40 years of ownership, except for an 009 distributor, alternator conversion, dual port heads, roller rockers, and dual baby webers, I have to agree. 320,000 miles and still going!!
This car brings back so many memories, my first car was a 1965 Beetle, 40 HP engine and totally stock, I wish I could find one similar to the one you have here, it’s a keeper.
My Dad's second wife had a 72 Bug that I learned how to drive standard on. The heater wasn't worth a damn in the winter but with snow tires it had excellent traction and did great donuts lol.
Yep, my Dad had a lt blue '71 Bug (or "Superbeetle") as our 2nd family car. He bought it used in '78, passed it on to my older sister in '85/86, then taught us both to drive stick on it, until it rusted out in '88 or so. What a fun little car, amazing to me now it lasted that long!
Thank you for saving this car. I'm all for EVs, but I'm also for keeping whatever we can still running on gasoline. I deal with carburetor issues every spring, when I want to start a new driving season for my Jeepster. But then, when I use it in a weekly basis in the summer, it runs very well. Well, well enough, since I'm the one sorting (not fixing, I guess) the issues.
I absolutely love seeing more of these classics coming in your shop, like you I love them original, I hate when they start modifying them, it ruins the car, I have a 1989 firebird that I restored and brought it back to all original right down to the original cassette stereo
Hi. I ask around to see if someone would be interested in a lil Project of mine. Some people try to be the 180 Degree Opposite of Cancel-Culture and try to help UA-cam become less... well, lets say 'Messy' to use nice words only... Interested to hear a bit more?
Personally i prefer modified cars, original ones are pretty boring. But i still think that mint condition ones should still be kept that way, i would only modify or change a classic car if it was already in un-original or sub par condition.
I had a beetle 1500. It was slightly p later 1970 model. In addition to the rear suspension was a compensator bar as standard equipment which limited the movement of the rear suspension. It was an all torsion bar model and it's performance over unsealed corrugated roads was just amazing.
See the problem is, a big part of the charm of these cars is the sound and the smell of that air cooled engine. If you get rid of that, you’ve taken out the whole heart of what makes a Volkswagen a Volkswagen. I could never do that to a car like this.
You are refreshing Mr. Car Wizard. I have seen your work and the work you approve from your videos and I must say you are fair and decent. If I lived near you, you would definitely be my mechanic. Honesty is rare and you have it. Good things will always come your way. May God Bless you.
I bought new a 1970 Beetle in that color, but with black interior. $1,849 base price. AM radio was a $60 option, as I remember. Had the car for nearly 16 years, and put 160K miles on it. Had to replace the engine with a rebuild at 106K. Got it stuck in a stream while off-roading one time, and discovered how water tight they are... until you open the door. 😂😂😂 Don't the EV conversion batteries add hundreds of pounds to the car's weight? Even when you factor in the removal of the engine, transmission, and gas tank?
Good to see a classic Beetle on the channel. I love my 67 and have it modified in a way that I like. I run Stabil too. You did the electric fuel pump perfectly
The impact switch shows real concern for the owner. Not sure about the 30 GPH fuel pump, though. If the gas mileage falls as speed increases to say 20 MPG, the engine will start to starve as he approaches 600 MPH.
These bugs/beetles, are timeless. My Dad still has my Grandfathers 1960 Convertible that my Dad still drives several times a week. It is mostly original, engine, trans, but interior had to be replaced and the convertible top is not in the best shape. It still runs like a sewing machine. Been in the family since 1963. Just really fun cars. Not very safe. But very fun.
@@VicOrlando the bug that my dad has was my grandfather's and when my grandfather passed my dad kept it it's pretty much original and my dad has it appraised by haggerty and I think he has the insurance up to $50,000 on it he's been offered up to $40,000 just from people around town where he lives and my dad will never sell it it's been in the family for 60 years it's become a heirloom and it still runs with its original engine and transmission to this day 👍
@@eppyz me and my dad just rebuilt my grandfathers 60 rag which was sitting in storage for 40 years, my grandfather bought it off the factory line. I will never sell that even with how much they going for right now.
@@noshot8494 yeah that's really great we will never sell ours either my grandfather didn't buy the vehicle brand new my grandfather was very frugal and didn't want to spend the money on a new car so he bought the 1960 bug convertible he bought it in 1963 and we have the original sales receipt all the paperwork with it we have the original license plates we have everything on the car's original it was repainted the factory color once in the mid 70s and the interior was changed because the original one was just rotted out and the top was changed because it got rotted out but everything else is original to the car and we will never sell it it's just now become a family heirloom 👍
my granddad had a 55' Beetle, it was so early for cars here in Norway(due to post war rationing), he had the next licence plate number after the kings motorpool: B-1
For "bad modern gas", you might want to blame government regulations limiting vapor pressure as much as you blame oil companies seeking extra profit. I haven't been in a bug since my '64 which I got rid of as a complete rust bucket in '78. Seeing the little things like the ribs on the running boards, the knob for the ash tray, and just the curves, really brought back some tactile memories.
Wonderful blog, brought back lots of memories. I've rebuilt several air cooled VWs and owned every variant except a bus, and have made several friends from air cooled VW events all along the west coast. We even had a Cal look '65 bug when that was happening. Thanks!
Grew up in a Beetle. In my family, we always called that storage area behind the back seat "the way back". And while I was still kid sized, it was the spot I'd pick for long trips. (There were four of us kids) I could just sit back in the way back and have all the room I "needed" for my junk and not have the younger kids taking up any of my space. :D This was nice to watch, thanks for showing us around this cool survivor!
If they want to be able to get in, turn the key and go, then they need a newer fuel injected car. Carburators and old ignition system require maintenance, period. Something that would probably help would be to wire a switch for the fuel pump so he can cut the fuel pump and run the engine until the bowl is empty if it's going to be sitting for an extended period.
I am sorry, but shutting the fuel off and letting it run unit it leans out only burns out very little fuel. No more than say 20%. The rest stays in the bowl. You really need to drain the bowl.
Correct. The fuel flows from the bottom of the bowl so it would run out. But with that additive it may not be necessary. Besides these carbs a super easy to get off s clean if needed
I cut my teeth on these cars. Still my first love. I started working on them at 12. What else can you do an engine rebuild on during one weekend? We usually were still burning our hands on the rods and crank when we got to them.
'66 was a great year for the US Beetle. Friend had one and it was my impression that it was far better built (and running) than the '71, '72 and '75 models in our family.
This walk down made me want a beetle. Good stuff. The owner should now enjoy a reliable beetle . I’m always intrigued the little tricks and quirks people are dealing with on old carbureted vehicles. The analysis you have says it all. Great video
Love the bug !! Looks so cool on the outside especially the stance . Do you know what size tires are on this ? you said smaller in front . Also does this have adjustable beam ? it's lowered perfectly . We just bought our first VW and it's a bug . A 1969 standard as its called . Would love to get this look . If you know the tire and wheel size that would be a great start on ours . We have to have the adjustable beam installed . And great video's your putting out . Thanks
That is a beautiful Beetle. I'm glad the car was kept with a gas engine. It sounds great. Electric cars are not all that. I don't like them myself. I have a '93 Buick Century that sits all winter in storage. I too have problems with my engine. I am gonna start using Stabil too.
I’m thinking if we give it maybe 15 year’s EV will really be a viable option. However, it’ll never replace the feel and smell and sound of a good ol Combustion engine
I bought a used '63 Sun Roof in 1968 and had it for three years. Every day driver. Work, school (100 mile round trips). Although many, many things went wrong it never left me stranded. At family gatherings I tell all these stories...I could go on for hours. It will introduce you to adventure for sure.
Wow! I had one, a green one with ivory interior. It had two options - radio and outside mirror, I paid a staggering $1,850.00 for it Brand New in 1966. Great car. I learned a lot of patience working on that baby. Got the "Volkswagon Book" and learned to follow directions (exactly) because I was no mechanic. Wish I still had the car.
I just spotted it briefly near the transaxle, not far from where the copper pipe leaves the frame. From the factory, the Beetle only had a fuel filter built into the fuel pump. Honestly, I've driven thousands of km in my own Beetle with just that stock filter in the fuel pump, with no issues whatsoever. But if you are going to mount an after-market filter, keep it out of the engine compartment.
-Wow,Best looking Volkswagen i have ever seen. Everything about this VW is complete--well done--100% great and nothing to add to it to make it any better.-Many years ago i had a VW that was fairly close to this one But was orange and had off-white colored seats. A very clean car that looked close to new. The engine ran great and seamed like it could idle forever. It was fun to drive & very easy to park. Damn I wish i had this very same car back. At that time in my life i did not know what i really had.-Thanks for showing that cherry red VW because it brought back tons of memories. Gets me upset that i do not have it today.
Love the classic Beetles. This Beetle came out just as the US Department of Transportation was being founded. Soon there were lighting and safety regulations. Seatbelts were mandated as well as headlights were required to come in one of four standardized systems (dual round 7", quad round 5.75 inches, dual rectangular, or quad rectangular). For that reason, the Beetle lost those beautiful ovoid headlights and it gained the standard US dual round headlights.
i had a 62 with the stock 40hp 1200cc. I used to love showing off to my friends how I can just TAP the key to start and it would fire right up. I could even start it just by shoving off backwards out of the parking spot and pop the clutch in reverse.
I see no point in adding an electric fuel pump! If you have the fuel system properly tuned, the mech. Pump works just fine. Btw, and correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the octane rating on these old engines was probably higher than 87. Which is standard today. If you buy 91 octane, you won’t have any problems with long term storage.
One solution to starting issues on old beetles is: the push rod for the mechanical fuel pump gets varnish on it and when it is hot the rod gets stuck. Clean the varnish off the rod and it should work as designed.
That helps only so much - after sitting long enough that the bowl and lines have evaporated to dryness and you will need to crank the engine for quite a while before fuel gets in the bowl and you will often have a false start or two. I helped fully restore a one-owner 1974 Super Beetle and we went with an electric fuel pump and a tach-based relay for pre-purge and crash cutoff (so the pump wouldn't just keep running with the ignition key on)... it will run for 3 seconds or while there's a tach signal. Also has an electric ignition and rev limiter and dynamic advance. Car starts just like the one in this video. Uses dual carbs, though, which I think was a mistake... I would have preferred fuel injection (the car also has A/C and practically all modern amenities... it's pretty insane).
That fuel stabilizer works great, I used it on my motorcycle. I ran it through the carb and put the battery on a shelf, come spring I pumped the gas a few time to prime the carb and the bike started right up. The bike didn't even need a jump.
I've owned over a dozen vintage VW sedans and buses ... I got to the point I could remove the motor by myself, in my garage, in less that 45 minutes ... same for putting it back in. Love the old VWs.
@@hrcvf7505 Yep, me and my dad were able to carry the engines with just the two of us, no cherrypicker or furniture dolly, all the accessories still bolted on.
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I used to remove them, on the street/back alley, by myself, and I am a small man.
Lovely Beetle that's been tastefully updated. I have a '68 Euro-spec Bug with the 1300cc engine that I've kept pretty much 100% stock. Amazing how many people smile and wave when I drive by. Non-ethanol gas and Sta-Bil work really well for Beetles...I get my fuel at a gas station near a marina that's a few miles away that offers ethanol-free 91 octane.
3:19 Old VW's never came with a tachometer, the three red hash marks on the speedo (first at 15MPH) (second at 33MPH) (and third at 47MPH) are MAX up-shift points for the transmission. Another example of German engineering.
They were and presume, still are, low-revving and slow cars, get from A-B and rarely break down. The 1303s had a 1600 engine which went better I think.
I had several hot rod beetles. My 1960 came with a 36 horsepower motor with the same shift points. With a highly modified 1750 cc twin port motor I could lift the front wheels shifting 1-2. The new shift points with the stock split case transaxle and stock diameter wheels were 35 mph in first , 65 in second, and 115 in third. Top speed was just a little above that as the car got very light and wanted to blow over backwards like an unlimited hydroplane. A side silhouette of the beetle body is like a cross section of an airplane wing: it produces 400 lbs of lift at 100 mph. Beetle drag cars have the body modified to prevent blowing over at speed.
you are a very honest mechanic I wish I can find one here in Montreal. WoW . just for your honesty you should have a trustworthy certificate. I 'll be your client for life of my car. I have a 2008 Honda CRV I don t know anything about repairing, just oil change, changing air filters and changing tires for summer and winter season. I had never had any major issues other then battery issues; had sparking plugs changed, new AC compressor, some cloncking noise in the front left side also had it fixed by a certified mechanic, my only 2 issues now are heat shield protector to be changed next year it's fixed with 2 O rings clamps and transmission will shake at the changing gears if I m not accelerating properly fast.
Ive always loved the look of a beetle with no bumpers, i think it looks sooo clean.. but yea, the pre67 bumpers with over riders are some of the best looking bumpers in the world.
Awesome Bug, love it. The 1300cc sounds flawless. VWs are my jam. I have a 1973 full custom, four wheel disc brakes, wider rear fenders, lower all around, Rancho Pro street trans, dual Webered 1835cc engine, 18" wheels all around.
Oh man, such a nice, CLEAN car! I've always loved those old-school Bugs and would love to own one, one of these days. My dad and mom used to have a white one when I was a child back in the 80s. We used to have so much fun in that car on the weekends. One of our regular weekend outings with the Bug was to 'Holly Ravine Farm' in Cherry Hill, NJ. They used to make ice cream there and we would get cups of ice cream, walk around the barns, visit the cows, then hop back in the Bug and just cruise the country roads with the sliding sunroof open.
Love your vids car wizard, always entertaining and informative in a great way. Something about you and Mrs Wizard is just so wholesome and comforting to watch, you both are awesome and I love the way these videos come out. Keep on rocking!
That interior has been replaced. You can put fuel conditioner or better yet buy ethanol free gasoline. I just last week started a 72 beetle which had not run in 2 years. Fired right up. Plus that's an alternator not a generator. Can't afford 12 bucks for a carb rebuild kit?
My sister had a '66 in the early 80's. Had a factory isolating dash fan the actually worked! But it wasn't enough in the Houston heat. 6 volt electric system. Never quit running! Just keep the oil changed and monitored. And the cooling fan belt changed with high detergent 30 weight. That was the only source for cooling the engine. It would run 60-65 mph all day long. She wishes she still has it. What a classic piece of engineering!
11:31 You never mentioned that those adjusters aren't stock. They are an aftermarket item and do affect the car's handling and bump-steer. Ideally, drop-spindles are a better option if you want a lower front than stock on a daily driver bug.
@@Bondovw You get the same tire-rub issues with adjusters but with added bump-steer. Adjusters are fine and I know plenty of V-dubbers who use them, usually with 135 or 145 tires. I was just pointing out that they have their disadvantages compared to drop-spindles on a stock beam. As someone else pointed out, there's no sway bar in sight either, which is a major oversight on a street car.
Adjusters are fine when used with a drop spindle depending on the location of how they are installed. Adjustable beams are good for about 2 1/2 drop. Vw bugs front ends are pretty stiff. When they are dropped they don't need a sway bar.
@@Bondovw They added the front anti-roll bar to the beetle to increase understeer. This was to increase the handling safety of a car that frankly has oversteer "issues" with it's rear weight bias and/or swing axles. It's why it's generally a bad idea to remove the front bar or to add a rear bar that is stiffer than the front. A dropped front is no stiffer on a Beetle than stock; it just sits at a different angle :) I can see this debate could go on ad-infinitum Tim so I'll leave my opinion/input at that.
Wiz, my red ‘65 with a crank open sunroof was one of the most useable cars I’ve ever owned. It was great in the snow although the heat exchanger boxes had rusted out so I didn’t dare flip the heater levers or I’d be dead from Carbon monoxide poisoning. My brother (2nd owner) gave it to me after driving it 40k and not changing the oil. No problem, that’s how I learned, he couldn’t be bothered! Gas pedal cable snapped in the tunnel running from front pedal back to carb linkage in the rear. This was on a very cold January Sunday driving home to Philly suburbs from around Harrisburg, PA. I cut speaker wire from the rear speaker deck and from my Kenwood tape unit. It was on an overpass and maybe 5 degrees with a lower windchill! I wrapped the wire around the throttle linkage and fished it through those vent in the rear engine hood to the drivers window. I could pull on the wire to accelerate the engine speed and at the proper RPM, could roll up the window tight to make a crude “cruise control”. I drove the remaining hundred miles back to Strafford,PA with barely a chilly left hand. One last amazing thing! Still in my ‘65 red beetle. Driving home from work during rush hour in the summer of ‘77? Hit a red light on a busy divided highway, just about one car back. I Ran out of gas!!! I knew I was very low! Damn it!!! Luckily I kept an empty 1 gallon gas can in the front bonnet. I new I only had a minute or two to run to the Mobil station that was at the corner where I was stranded. The cars were bumper to bumper all around me. So the longer I was stranded there the angrier these fellow commuters got!!! So I grabbed the can, ran to the Mobil gas station and quickly pumped a gal. of gas, ran back to my beetle and poured it into the tank, (lick it Ty split) I cranked the key and the little bastard started right up!!!!! From the other commuters all around me, I heard the rousing sound of applause and “bravo, bravo” and that’s when the light turned GREEN!!!
I had a beetle at one point. It’s my favorite car ever. It had one of the auto sticks I learned how it all worked and it was pretty creative. Basically dsg you had to manually shift without the clutch pedal. The stick has a sensor in it when it senses your hand on it which is super minimal pressure it’ll release the clutch so you can shift it.
I love your videos and how everything you do is the correct way and safe way. My uncle was an example of no inertia switch on an electric fuel pump he passed away in a fuel fed fiery crash it was on a toggle switch and relay only he lost control and rolled over I will never forget that day it was a 70 dodge swinger with a 340
I added a copy of the John Muir Publications manual for the air-cooled VWs to my reference collection when we helped clean out a hangar that had been sold by the owner's widow, and their kids had divided his collection of VWs, and left all the service manuals. Good to see the speedo cable remaining connected to the front wheel. That was a great indicator of the drum brakes locking up in the winter, as happened when I pumped the brakes coming down Lost Trail Pass one afternoon. When the speedometer suddenly drops to zero, heading downhill, "Hey, I'm just along for the ride!" and wait for the wheels to start turning...
This is such a big help I have a 78 Volkswagen Type 2 camper and it sits a lot, will definitely use this method to keep fuel fresh from now on thank you so much car wizard.
Cal Look means (besides many other things) that you remove the quarter windows and replace them with a one-piece-window. That's why my '57 oval never went to this, I loved the quarters too much. But then you should decide (which isn't done here): chrome at the windows or not - a Cal Looker is off chrome there, normally. This mixture with chrome at the doors and no chrome at the other windows leaves the car unfinished.
@@bradcollins9647 right…. We could go down the list of the 18+ items, I was generalizing. I think the BRM (99.9% aftermarket) and the raked angle speak to the essence of the Cal-look… glad to know I’m not the only one in the know 👍🏻
@@bradcollins9647 Yea, my grandfather turned his 60 rag into a one piece. Man I wish he was still alive so I can kick him in the ass for that one. I prefer the quarters too but kept the one piece while rebuilding it just for the old man.
Agree on the exhaust note. Would love to hear it run thru the gears, not blasting just running normally… from inside cabin and outside maybe a driveby….btw I learned to drive on a 68… dad pulled up on a hill at a stopsign, said get out, made me sit in drivers seat and I learned how clutch feathering worked real quickly….lol… people stuck behind us werent really happy tho….
Good Morning, and thanks for the informative video, please keep them coming. You mentioned that you met an engineer who explained to you the changes in modern gasoline, I would like to suggest that this would make an interesting video. So if the gentleman is willing, and you and Mrs Wizard are willing, I think the viewers would be very willing to hear his stories and opinions. I have enjoyed the boat videos to lean a new subject. Enjoy the new boat for the rest of the summer.
I owned a completely stock 1966 VW 1300 Beetle that was 100% original, imported from West Germany with the European headlights, kilometer speedometer and still 6 volts!
This model 1966, was my first new car when I lives in Buffalo, N.Y. I moved to Dallas-Fort Worth in 1969. In the hot summer 100F+ I was getting vapor-lock when I went shopping and parked 15-45 Minutes. I cured it by insulating the fuel line in the engine compartment into and out of the stock fuel pump.
My great grandfather had a forrest green beetle, that my grandfather sold when his father passed away. I feel I need to find it and buy it back, it was all original and in great shape. (I was a big Herbie fan at the time).
You don’t need a tachometer, the little red slash marks in the speedo tell you at what speed to shift gears. Back in the era when Volkswagen made cars that lasted, and we’re serviceable by the owner. They are very primitive compared to a modern car, but so much fun to drive.
AhhHaaa! A beetle owner, you are right about the slash marks on the speedo! Could be a trivia question.
@@escapecar my 1979 Scirocco had them
I had a Beetle with no gas gauge. Run out of gas? Flip the lever, on the floor, and drive to a gas station.
@@OG_Jack my 65 had reserve tank also , you just reminded me.
@@escapecar the MK2 Golf had it in the cheaper versions till the end
This beetle has SUCH an amazing sound. It would be a crime to electrify it. I'm happy that in america there is an huge beetle scene, here in Germany it's almost extinct, and the parts are extremely expensive
In Germany the Beetle reminded people of the post war years of poverty...
In Italy there are quite a few actually
They are very common in northern Sweden, plus there are a few of classic VW only car meets
Mexico has a huge surplus of them and I’m sure parts are cheap over there
@davidhollenshead4892 It may have also reminded people of the Kraft Durch Freude propaganda that cost families their savings and unbeknownst to them, financed the German war effort.
If it isn't very cheap, I wouldn't be interested in owning a Beetle, or a Citroën 2CV or a Trabant for that matter. They're quirky and interesting from a bygone era, but I don't really care that much for owning one.
That startup was so satisfying.
There were two indentations on the sun visor. Those took me back to my first two VWs, a 58 and a 59. In those days many of us kept our car's registration in a holder with a transparent front and two stiff spring clamps on the back to attach it to the visor.
No gas gauges, when your car started sputtering you reached under the dash to turn the lever on the firewall to reserve. You had about 30-40 miles to find a gas station.
And then I forgot to turn the lever back to normal after filling with gas. So the next time the engine sputtered, the tank and fuel line were empty. A 1.5 gallon fuel can in the frunk and a screwdriver. Open the engine compartment. Loosen the air-filter from the carburettor. Fill the carburettor's fuel bowl from the can and empty the can into the tank. Replace the air-filter. Start. Drive. The underlying problem? The fuel tank in the frunk bottom is lower than the fuel pump and carburettor. That fuel pump, mechanically driven by the engine, dependent on engine RPM, does not have enough oomph to suck up gas into the fuel bowl - its not "self priming". So, a bit of gas in the carburettor's fuel bowl did the trick. Or, wizardry, fit an electric pump and solve the problem "forever".
My Mom's '61 with the lever, she had a manual odometer on the sun visor. She would set the miles on the odometer and when the car hit 200mi, time to fill up soon. 300 mi. Range
@@jpdj2715 - Somehow I felt like you were telling my story! LOL 😂 😂 I know all that ritual way too well. 🙂
I love the concept of this video. Client thinks they have to do a huge conversion and all it takes is someone with expertise to say, no, there is a much better solution when the client didn’t think it would exist.
many vehicles can benefit from a FI or elecrric fuel pump conversion
@@bikeman1x11 It would be a shame to take such a clean little car and screw it up with weird modifications. Get ANY other little car and electric it.
@@bunsonhoneydew9099 I was only talking about modern fuel pump and fuel injection- NO car should have batteries they are for toys
I did drive my VW's more frequently. But all of them, from several different years and models, had one thing in common.
They all started on the first touch of the key. To this day I can't admit a car on my hands that's not like that. First start it as to run. ;-)
That year Beetle was my first car. Got the car and two engines for $300. Had to use one for parts to repair the one in it. I'm still kicking myself for ever parting with it, loved that bug!
My first car was a 1965 Standard model. It did not have any chrome, no fuel gauge (pet cock instead), 6V and 1200CC with 30HP. The passenger seat was screwed to the floor with no adjustability. The passenger door was only lockable from the inside (no key hole). They did not sell these base versions in the USA. It also was upgraded by my uncle, who bought it new, with Porsche 356 rims, which allowed for "enormous" 165 tires. Unfortunately, when I bought it it was already 18 years old and had many rust holes. It survived 4 more years before it made it's last trip to the junk yard.
I worked in a garage that specialized in VWs in the mid 70s. I had a 66 Beetle as my second Beetle, my first was a 71. I loved my 66 the best, it was red like the one in the video. I paid 50 bucks for mine and swapped a 1600 dual port engine into it. I was fortunate I had easy access to parts, I even bought a bunch of parts cars CHEAP to create the motor. A 69 Squareback donated part of its engine.
I knew a guy who could change out the engine, by himself, in one hour. He kept a rebuilt engine oiled and covered in a plastic bag in the corner of his garage. When something went wrong, he'd swap the engine. Over the next month, he'd rebuild the old one in his spare time, oil it up, cover in a plastic bag, and shove it into the corner of the garage. Eventually, he started collecting Porsches and doing the same thing.
My mom bought my brother and I a 66 as our first car so she wouldn't have to drive us to the ski hill anymore. Never let us down. She knew what she was doing.
@@tony_25or6to4 When I worked in the garage, all of us were really quick at changing motors. My record for taking a motor out was 16 minutes.
Once, one of our good customers was on her way to a Dr's appointment and drove in with one of the heads almost falling off the block. We got her car in, we swapped the motor out of my car so she could get to her appointment in a half a hour. She returned two days later to a fresh motor and I got mine back.
I didn't mind letting her use my motor.... I got to borrow one of the cars we had for sale, a 1972 VW 412 two door 4 speed. I wanted to buy that car so badly, but my parents thought it was "too fast" for me.
I hope you replaced the fuel filter too. Since you had concerted to an electric fuel pump, I certainly hope you had relocated the fuel filter from where it used to be w the mechanical fuel pump. That old location was known to cause engine fires, since it was located right above the ignition distributor.
Btw those door panels are not stock. That bug has obviously been restored w them front disc brake conversion and the vintage speed stainless steel exhaust. And that intake didn't tell me that the engine is still the original 1300. Most likely an updated 1600 single port.
Great VW video. Earlier Beetles didn't even have gas gauges. You had a wooden dipstick in the trunk to measure the amount of fuel you had. There was also a fuel control lever on the floor to activate the reserve portion of the tank. Just don't forget to return the lever back after refueling.
Tripping the lever freed another 1.5 gallons.
We called it the kickover tank lever on our 1960 beetle. One night I was at my girl friend's house when the door bell rang. It was my Dad. I had turned the lever, failed to refuel and he had run out. He was not amused. The first and only time I forgot.
And that sinking feeling when you realised that the lever was in the wrong position
I had a 57 beetle, when i was a teenager. My father paid 300 for it back in the late sixties. Wished I never sold it!
The fuel gauge became standard in 1962
We always called the front trunk (front bonnet), the "frunk" for lack of a better term. Same thing with Corvair's. I loved air-cooled cars then and I still do!!!!!
I only put E0 (ethanol free) gas in my '73 VW Thing. Runs smooth and never had vapor lock issues with it. Also known as recreational fuel depending on what part of the country you're in. Averages around $.50 more per gallon but worth it for any classic car you plan on driving on a semi regular basis
Also good for small engines like mowers and trimmers. Though it can be hard to find sometimes
Yeah when I was in Iowa, ethanol free was 87 octane only (at limited stations), here in Wisconsin it's 93 (also at limited stations). Interestingly my small engines like the 93 better, run smoother. (Especially the snowblower, less backfiring, etc)
I use ethanol-free in my Audi TT. It sits significantly more than it is driven. Never gives me a problem starting. I run the E/F in my daily driver too. A little more expensive but never worry about seals and hoses. Gas mileage goes up a bit too. All gas, no syrup.
Thats just regular petrol in Australia, I've got cars with 3 year old petrol in the tank and they still start and drive just fine.
In UK our standard 95RON fuel is E10 by law and many people are extracting the ethanol out to get pure petrol but then waste a minimum of 10% of what they paid for. Superunleaded is either ethanol free or E5 depending where you live and that works fine. The premium paid for Super is offset by the extra mileage and then there is the smoother running. My 1303S Beetle runs on nothing else and I have had no issues starting.
I originally used an old competition electric fuel pump in the Beetle that was not rated for modern fuel and it disintegrated after a few months, changing that to a modern one solved the problem. Also, I have the fuel pump on a hidden switch so that when the thieving b*****ds attempt to drive away they get about 1/2ml down the road before the fuel runs out. Also, the relay for the pump is controlled by the oil pressure light so that in the event of an accident the fuel shuts off. A little bit of cranking gets the oil pressure up and energises the fuel pump.
1966 was the last year in the U.S. for the six volt electrical system in Volkswagens. That's a later twelve volt radio.
Yes, its been converted to 12volt. The generator he pointed to is actually an alternator. (12volt)
I have used Stabil in all my gas engines for years and never had a fuel problem.
I second that. I generally try to run my classics at least once a month but that doesn't always happen in the winter. Between Stabile and battery maintainers, I never have starting issues no matter how long they end up sitting. I also use Stabile in the daily drivers and my emergency generator.
@@shawnwest3779 I just watched it, that was not scientific.
@@shawnwest3779 And I did a person 1.5 year experiment on it and it worked like it had fresh fuel in it. I'll take my anecdote to their shit experiment.
@@rustler08 (Ii had a Superbug which spent a year at a time sitting in my mates driveway while I was in China. I drove it when I came back for holidays and it never was a problem starting. I don't know if fuel in Australia has an additive in it or not but I regret selling that car.
Used to use stabil in my motorcycle but now I use racing fuel when I store the bike for winter
Horn emblem was wrong for the year. Carpet, Headliner, and door cards all replaced. Looking at the seats, its hard to tell but I suspect they are later model short back, they don't look right for a 66 (the curve of the back) Just a little detail I noted.
A light blue 1971 VW Fastback introduced me to auto mechanics. The saying "education is expensive" applies here. A lot of great memories and stories came out of it. I still love these old VWs.
I love the old VWs also
We have a 1970’s Chevy grain truck with a 427 gas engine. It came factory with electric fuel pump. It has a prime button in the cab. After sitting for 6 months or a year, you hold that button until you hear the pump slowing down, crank it and it fires right up every time.
Do you mean just for priming...did it also have a mechanical pump on the engine?
@@JohnSmith-yv6eq it runs on it also.
@@junkorbust9498
Why do you have to hold the button down if it runs all the time?
As soon as you switch the key on, the pump should run...and continue running..
Unless you have an oil pressure sensitive on/off switch for a rollover/crash situation where the pump only runs when the engine runs and has oil pressure?
That would make sense of the "primer button".....
@@JohnSmith-yv6eq i went to lay under the truck to get the answer for you. It has an in tank fuel pump in each tank. There’s a block with some check valves where the lines are connected. A switch on the dash switches between pumps and the prime button runs the pump with power direct from the battery to fill the bowls before starting if needed. Farm trucks often sit for months at a time so it’s a handy set up. It came from the factory that way.
@@junkorbust9498
Thanks for your dedication...
I have a 1972 XJ6 Jaguar with the twin 12 gallon rear quarter tanks, with two pumps and a selector switch on the dash.
The selector switch just selects the pump which works at all times the ignition is on....including in a crash....
Sounds like yours has something like the oil pressure switch...it's a bit safer that way....
My tastes lean towards the keep it original side. Good to see the owner hasn't done anything that can't be undone. That said, it's their car and they can do what they want.
Have to admit, the electric fuel pump makes sense (along with that alternator).
Alternator And 12v conversion 😜
@@fabbricaitalianaautomobili5859 after '65 they most all were 12Volt, all mine were, the Split Buses, too
@@uliwehner nope, VW Type 1 became 12volt in '67. Even the '67 Beetles have a generator, not an alternator.
@@uliwehner '67 was the first year for 12V Beetles, at least here in the US. 6V Beetles were still sold in Europe for a while after that
@@chrisfreemesser i may be a litlle rusty on the beetles but my split busses were 12 volt from the factory. Even the US Models.
Back in the early 70’s (I think) my brother bought a ‘63 VW bug. He ran it for about 1.5 years before he started having firing problems. He brought it back from VA where he was stationed in the USAF. My father tore down the engine to find the problem…a cotter pin was in one of the cylinders. It was too big to have come through the fuel system so it was there from the factory. The car had been purchased, originally, in Germany, driven down through Europe then ferried over to Africa where it was driven to South Africa, shipped to Argentina and driven across South America before being shipped to Mexico (again, I think it was Mexico, not sure) before being driven into the US and finally sold to my brother. It had over 100,000 miles on it when he bought it. There was documentation showing the car’s travels that my brother saw, but he let the owner keep.
Over 100,000 miles before the engine started to miss. This is why people loved the old Beetle.
Wow, talk about a globetrotter. Wonder what happened to it.
Back when you were connected to the car. So connected your "Tach" was your ears and your feelings.
You knew how the car felt, if it was stressed or unhealthy. It was actually more convenient, instantaneous and natural.
the butt dyno works with these cars..you can just feel it thru your ass
That beetle is well taken care of & I'm glad it will remain mostly stock. The start up 😲 and muffler noises are simply amazing! These beetles bring back so many childhood memories for me. 😊
I my days of owning Beetles (4) we called those bumper replacements “nerf bars”
Yep, engine behind the rear wheels worked great when the engine is so light that you can pick it up and put it on the workbench all by yourself, or, if it's in a bus. BUT in a sports car with high BP and a big water cooled flat six hanging out there? Nope. Then you drive yourself backwards into a tree.
Love the bug though. Had a '74. Great little commuter car. Got me back and forth to college dirt cheap... what was that commercial they had? Oh yeah: 'TWO PENNIES A MILE, TWO PENNIES A MILE!' I don't even think it cost me that much, since I got mine used for $300.
This was a great video, thank you. I had a 73 Super Beetle, pretty much all original, just a great little car, comfortable seats and loads of fun to drive. Drove it many times back and forth from VA to TX, super reliable. Everyone needs to own a Beetle at least once in their lifetime.
Michelin tires are the best bug upgrade followed by koni red shocks. Man I could not live with an ivory interior, I need a dark color to hide the dirt and stains of everyday driving.Paint is awesome on that.Ruby Red perhaps!.
Lovely. That car has been restored although I suspect the inside hasn’t been repainted but the interior is a new reproduction. The front beam, floorpans and heater channels are also new. Beautiful car - enjoy as is, no need for EV!
Yep. Very doubtful those are the original miles.
No AC fuck that
Not much heat either unless you had a gas heater in the trunk@@gabrielochoa5829
We have old cars and bikes with the fuel issue. We chose to get ethanol free fuel in drums from the local race gas distributor. We are using Sunoco Optima unleaded no ethanol. Sunoco, Vp, and Stinger race gas are wildly used. The all have lots of octane ratings so you can Taylor it to your cars or bikes compression. It's claimed to stay fresh after opening for a couple years. No ethanol makes a huge difference.
Best advice I ever got for my 61 Volkswagen was from a Volkswagen factory-trained mechanic who owned a custom VW shop: Stock is BEST. Ran the stock single port for over 100,000 miles. With nearly 40 years of ownership, except for an 009 distributor, alternator conversion, dual port heads, roller rockers, and dual baby webers, I have to agree. 320,000 miles and still going!!
Freeway Flyer Transmission? It will help any air cooled do better on the open road.
Nice work car wizard. Very professional. A perfect example of not over thinking it.
This car brings back so many memories, my first car was a 1965 Beetle, 40 HP engine and totally stock, I wish I could find one similar to the one you have here, it’s a keeper.
Wizard, I play your videos when going to sleep. You're not boring by any stretch.. But the sound of you talking is just so soothing!
My Dad's second wife had a 72 Bug that I learned how to drive standard on. The heater wasn't worth a damn in the winter but with snow tires it had excellent traction and did great donuts lol.
Yep, my Dad had a lt blue '71 Bug (or "Superbeetle") as our 2nd family car. He bought it used in '78, passed it on to my older sister in '85/86, then taught us both to drive stick on it, until it rusted out in '88 or so. What a fun little car, amazing to me now it lasted that long!
@@laurat1129 hers was faded yellow and all 4 fenders were dented. That was 1975.
Thank you for saving this car. I'm all for EVs, but I'm also for keeping whatever we can still running on gasoline. I deal with carburetor issues every spring, when I want to start a new driving season for my Jeepster. But then, when I use it in a weekly basis in the summer, it runs very well. Well, well enough, since I'm the one sorting (not fixing, I guess) the issues.
I absolutely love seeing more of these classics coming in your shop, like you I love them original, I hate when they start modifying them, it ruins the car, I have a 1989 firebird that I restored and brought it back to all original right down to the original cassette stereo
Hi.
I ask around to see if someone would
be interested in a lil Project of mine.
Some people try to be the 180 Degree Opposite
of Cancel-Culture and try to help UA-cam
become less... well, lets say 'Messy' to use nice words only...
Interested to hear a bit more?
Personally i prefer modified cars, original ones are pretty boring. But i still think that mint condition ones should still be kept that way, i would only modify or change a classic car if it was already in un-original or sub par condition.
I had a beetle 1500. It was slightly p later 1970 model. In addition to the rear suspension was a compensator bar as standard equipment which limited the movement of the rear suspension. It was an all torsion bar model and it's performance over unsealed corrugated roads was just amazing.
Really like the upgrades on the Beetle. The entire car is now a beauty and starts like a champ. Thanks for the video Mr. & Mrs. Wizard.
See the problem is, a big part of the charm of these cars is the sound and the smell of that air cooled engine. If you get rid of that, you’ve taken out the whole heart of what makes a Volkswagen a Volkswagen. I could never do that to a car like this.
You are refreshing Mr. Car Wizard. I have seen your work and the work you approve from your videos and I must say you are fair and decent. If I lived near you, you would definitely be my mechanic. Honesty is rare and you have it. Good things will always come your way. May God Bless you.
I bought new a 1970 Beetle in that color, but with black interior. $1,849 base price. AM radio was a $60 option, as I remember.
Had the car for nearly 16 years, and put 160K miles on it. Had to replace the engine with a rebuild at 106K. Got it stuck in a stream while off-roading one time, and discovered how water tight they are... until you open the door. 😂😂😂
Don't the EV conversion batteries add hundreds of pounds to the car's weight? Even when you factor in the removal of the engine, transmission, and gas tank?
Good to see a classic Beetle on the channel. I love my 67 and have it modified in a way that I like. I run Stabil too. You did the electric fuel pump perfectly
The impact switch shows real concern for the owner. Not sure about the 30 GPH fuel pump, though. If the gas mileage falls as speed increases to say 20 MPG, the engine will start to starve as he approaches 600 MPH.
By the way, those screws on the front end to adjust ride height are aftermarket. There was no adjustment from the factory.
These bugs/beetles, are timeless. My Dad still has my Grandfathers 1960 Convertible that my Dad still drives several times a week. It is mostly original, engine, trans, but interior had to be replaced and the convertible top is not in the best shape. It still runs like a sewing machine. Been in the family since 1963. Just really fun cars. Not very safe. But very fun.
Selling mine. They're worth 30k+
@@VicOrlando the bug that my dad has was my grandfather's and when my grandfather passed my dad kept it it's pretty much original and my dad has it appraised by haggerty and I think he has the insurance up to $50,000 on it he's been offered up to $40,000 just from people around town where he lives and my dad will never sell it it's been in the family for 60 years it's become a heirloom and it still runs with its original engine and transmission to this day 👍
@@eppyz me and my dad just rebuilt my grandfathers 60 rag which was sitting in storage for 40 years, my grandfather bought it off the factory line. I will never sell that even with how much they going for right now.
@@noshot8494 yeah that's really great we will never sell ours either my grandfather didn't buy the vehicle brand new my grandfather was very frugal and didn't want to spend the money on a new car so he bought the 1960 bug convertible he bought it in 1963 and we have the original sales receipt all the paperwork with it we have the original license plates we have everything on the car's original it was repainted the factory color once in the mid 70s and the interior was changed because the original one was just rotted out and the top was changed because it got rotted out but everything else is original to the car and we will never sell it it's just now become a family heirloom 👍
Nice tour. Thanks!
My Dad had a 1960s Beetle 10 years ago, and he often had the gas station staff run out to him when filling up, I think he enjoyed it tbh
my granddad had a 55' Beetle, it was so early for cars here in Norway(due to post war rationing), he had the next licence plate number after the kings motorpool: B-1
For "bad modern gas", you might want to blame government regulations limiting vapor pressure as much as you blame oil companies seeking extra profit.
I haven't been in a bug since my '64 which I got rid of as a complete rust bucket in '78. Seeing the little things like the ribs on the running boards, the knob for the ash tray, and just the curves, really brought back some tactile memories.
Wonderful blog, brought back lots of memories. I've rebuilt several air cooled VWs and owned every variant except a bus, and have made several friends from air cooled VW events all along the west coast. We even had a Cal look '65 bug when that was happening. Thanks!
Man, everything on that car looks brand new. Beautiful.
Grew up in a Beetle.
In my family, we always called that storage area behind the back seat "the way back". And while I was still kid sized, it was the spot I'd pick for long trips. (There were four of us kids) I could just sit back in the way back and have all the room I "needed" for my junk and not have the younger kids taking up any of my space. :D
This was nice to watch, thanks for showing us around this cool survivor!
I’m so glad this car is staying mostly stock.
Loving those beetles !!
Yep.
The only decent car vw ever made.
It's got that Cal Look. Ditch the 1309 and Spend the money on a built stroker motor to complete the car.
If they want to be able to get in, turn the key and go, then they need a newer fuel injected car. Carburators and old ignition system require maintenance, period. Something that would probably help would be to wire a switch for the fuel pump so he can cut the fuel pump and run the engine until the bowl is empty if it's going to be sitting for an extended period.
I do the same thing with motorbikes, shut the fuel cock and let them run out.
I’m not sure that’s the best practice. I’d say it would be better to bleed the fuel rather than let it lean out. Can’t do TOO much harm though.
@@edlingja1 - It's not a problem @ idle, under load if it leans out too badly you could actually melt pistons.
I am sorry, but shutting the fuel off and letting it run unit it leans out only burns out very little fuel. No more than say 20%. The rest stays in the bowl. You really need to drain the bowl.
Correct. The fuel flows from the bottom of the bowl so it would run out. But with that additive it may not be necessary. Besides these carbs a super easy to get off s clean if needed
Love the bug, had many friends in high school with them! Great memories! Thanks Wizard!
I cut my teeth on these cars. Still my first love. I started working on them at 12. What else can you do an engine rebuild on during one weekend? We usually were still burning our hands on the rods and crank when we got to them.
'66 was a great year for the US Beetle. Friend had one and it was my impression that it was far better built (and running) than the '71, '72 and '75 models in our family.
Imo 67 bug 1500 73 thing 1600 loved both of them
This walk down made me want a beetle. Good stuff. The owner should now enjoy a reliable beetle . I’m always intrigued the little tricks and quirks people are dealing with on old carbureted vehicles. The analysis you have says it all.
Great video
Wizard, that is a great idea and a clean installation of the fuel pump relay and the shut-off switch!
Love the bug !! Looks so cool on the outside especially the stance . Do you know what size tires are on this ? you said smaller in front . Also does this have adjustable beam ? it's lowered perfectly . We just bought our first VW and it's a bug . A 1969 standard as its called . Would love to get this look . If you know the tire and wheel size that would be a great start on ours . We have to have the adjustable beam installed . And great video's your putting out . Thanks
That is a beautiful Beetle. I'm glad the car was kept with a gas engine. It sounds great. Electric cars are not all that. I don't like them myself. I have a '93 Buick Century that sits all winter in storage. I too have problems with my engine. I am gonna start using Stabil too.
I’m thinking if we give it maybe 15 year’s EV will really be a viable option. However, it’ll never replace the feel and smell and sound of a good ol Combustion engine
The Volkswagen beetle is arguably the most important innovation in automotive history
Im glad that stayed original. I knew it was something you could solve wizzy. hope you and crazy D and Mrs wizzy n fam are doing well.
I bought a used '63 Sun Roof in 1968 and had it for three years. Every day driver. Work, school (100 mile round trips). Although many, many things went wrong it never left me stranded. At family gatherings I tell all these stories...I could go on for hours. It will introduce you to adventure for sure.
I love the fuel pump update on this! Great idea!
Wow! I had one, a green one with ivory interior. It had two options - radio and outside mirror, I paid a staggering $1,850.00 for it Brand New in 1966. Great car. I learned a lot of patience working on that baby. Got the "Volkswagon Book" and learned to follow directions (exactly) because I was no mechanic. Wish I still had the car.
Glad to see that after-market fuel filter outside of the engine compartment. The fewer chances of a fuel leak developing in there, the better.
I missed that, where did you see it? In that model the fuel filter was probably near the transmission under the car, not in the engine compartment.
I just spotted it briefly near the transaxle, not far from where the copper pipe leaves the frame. From the factory, the Beetle only had a fuel filter built into the fuel pump. Honestly, I've driven thousands of km in my own Beetle with just that stock filter in the fuel pump, with no issues whatsoever. But if you are going to mount an after-market filter, keep it out of the engine compartment.
The fuel filter should be between the tank and the pump.
-Wow,Best looking Volkswagen i have ever seen. Everything about this VW is complete--well done--100% great and nothing to add to it to make it any better.-Many years ago i had a VW that was fairly close to this one But was orange and had off-white colored seats. A very clean car that looked close to new. The engine ran great and seamed like it could idle forever. It was fun to drive & very easy to park. Damn I wish i had this very same car back. At that time in my life i did not know what i really had.-Thanks for showing that cherry red VW because it brought back tons of memories. Gets me upset that i do not have it today.
Love the classic Beetles. This Beetle came out just as the US Department of Transportation was being founded. Soon there were lighting and safety regulations. Seatbelts were mandated as well as headlights were required to come in one of four standardized systems (dual round 7", quad round 5.75 inches, dual rectangular, or quad rectangular). For that reason, the Beetle lost those beautiful ovoid headlights and it gained the standard US dual round headlights.
And it still was a death trap. I watched one flip over just going down the expressway years ago. Piles of crap.
I thought the headlights looked strange...
@@rolandthethompsongunner64 most old cars are death traps
@@James-oo1yq They look the same when the cars upside down in the middle of the highway though.
@@takemebacktothen True. Some more than others.
i had a 62 with the stock 40hp 1200cc. I used to love showing off to my friends how I can just TAP the key to start and it would fire right up. I could even start it just by shoving off backwards out of the parking spot and pop the clutch in reverse.
Ah yes the torsion bar suspension. Good enough for a Beetle and also good enough for a King Tiger II.
Torsion bars is good enough for most tanks including the M1. Why: hint : available space inside.
I see no point in adding an electric fuel pump! If you have the fuel system properly tuned, the mech. Pump works just fine. Btw, and correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the octane rating on these old engines was probably higher than 87. Which is standard today. If you buy 91 octane, you won’t have any problems with long term storage.
One solution to starting issues on old beetles is: the push rod for the mechanical fuel pump gets varnish on it and when it is hot the rod gets stuck. Clean the varnish off the rod and it should work as designed.
Also the plastic/Bakelite housing that the rod runs in can expand and pinch the rod. This can be helped by sanding down the exterior.
this problem has been permanently remedied.
That helps only so much - after sitting long enough that the bowl and lines have evaporated to dryness and you will need to crank the engine for quite a while before fuel gets in the bowl and you will often have a false start or two.
I helped fully restore a one-owner 1974 Super Beetle and we went with an electric fuel pump and a tach-based relay for pre-purge and crash cutoff (so the pump wouldn't just keep running with the ignition key on)... it will run for 3 seconds or while there's a tach signal. Also has an electric ignition and rev limiter and dynamic advance. Car starts just like the one in this video.
Uses dual carbs, though, which I think was a mistake... I would have preferred fuel injection (the car also has A/C and practically all modern amenities... it's pretty insane).
That fuel stabilizer works great, I used it on my motorcycle. I ran it through the carb and put the battery on a shelf, come spring I pumped the gas a few time to prime the carb and the bike started right up. The bike didn't even need a jump.
"We gotta remove the engine" As if that's a difficult task on a Beetle 🤣
I've owned over a dozen vintage VW sedans and buses ... I got to the point I could remove the motor by myself, in my garage, in less that 45 minutes ... same for putting it back in. Love the old VWs.
@@hrcvf7505 haha yep ,I was gonna say 45mins-1hr and it should be on the ground.
I was thinking the same thing. Lol
@@hrcvf7505 Yep, me and my dad were able to carry the engines with just the two of us, no cherrypicker or furniture dolly, all the accessories still bolted on.
I used to remove them, on the street/back alley, by myself, and I am a small man.
Lovely Beetle that's been tastefully updated. I have a '68 Euro-spec Bug with the 1300cc engine that I've kept pretty much 100% stock. Amazing how many people smile and wave when I drive by.
Non-ethanol gas and Sta-Bil work really well for Beetles...I get my fuel at a gas station near a marina that's a few miles away that offers ethanol-free 91 octane.
3:19 Old VW's never came with a tachometer, the three red hash marks on the speedo (first at 15MPH) (second at 33MPH) (and third at 47MPH) are MAX up-shift points for the transmission. Another example of German engineering.
They were and presume, still are, low-revving and slow cars, get from A-B and rarely break down. The 1303s had a 1600 engine which went better I think.
Dang I posted the same thing after she said that. Love them old beetles.
I had several hot rod beetles. My 1960 came with a 36 horsepower motor with the same shift points. With a highly modified 1750 cc twin port motor I could lift the front wheels shifting 1-2. The new shift points with the stock split case transaxle and stock diameter wheels were 35 mph in first , 65 in second, and 115 in third. Top speed was just a little above that as the car got very light and wanted to blow over backwards like an unlimited hydroplane. A side silhouette of the beetle body is like a cross section of an airplane wing: it produces 400 lbs of lift at 100 mph. Beetle drag cars have the body modified to prevent blowing over at speed.
you are a very honest mechanic I wish I can find one here in Montreal. WoW . just for your honesty you should have a trustworthy certificate. I 'll be your client for life of my car. I have a 2008 Honda CRV I don t know anything about repairing, just oil change, changing air filters and changing tires for summer and winter season. I had never had any major issues other then battery issues; had sparking plugs changed, new AC compressor, some cloncking noise in the front left side also had it fixed by a certified mechanic, my only 2 issues now are heat shield protector to be changed next year it's fixed with 2 O rings clamps and transmission will shake at the changing gears if I m not accelerating properly fast.
4:50 This Beetle looks perfect and surely is a collector's item. Only one thing, these beautiful chrome Beetle bumpers are missing.
Cal look T bars
ℹ shudder to see those worthless bars there , as i recall the incredible number of brain-dead other drivers who seem drawn to pulling in to your VW
Ive always loved the look of a beetle with no bumpers, i think it looks sooo clean.. but yea, the pre67 bumpers with over riders are some of the best looking bumpers in the world.
Early 60s Beetle bumpers are so gorgeous looking
Running boards are gone too.
Awesome Bug, love it. The 1300cc sounds flawless. VWs are my jam. I have a 1973 full custom, four wheel disc brakes, wider rear fenders, lower all around, Rancho Pro street trans, dual Webered 1835cc engine, 18" wheels all around.
I'd like to see how happy the customer is about this. I'll bet they're super excited.
They'll be pumped.
Oh man, such a nice, CLEAN car! I've always loved those old-school Bugs and would love to own one, one of these days. My dad and mom used to have a white one when I was a child back in the 80s. We used to have so much fun in that car on the weekends. One of our regular weekend outings with the Bug was to 'Holly Ravine Farm' in Cherry Hill, NJ. They used to make ice cream there and we would get cups of ice cream, walk around the barns, visit the cows, then hop back in the Bug and just cruise the country roads with the sliding sunroof open.
Love your vids car wizard, always entertaining and informative in a great way. Something about you and Mrs Wizard is just so wholesome and comforting to watch, you both are awesome and I love the way these videos come out. Keep on rocking!
That interior has been replaced. You can put fuel conditioner or better yet buy ethanol free gasoline. I just last week started a 72 beetle which had not run in 2 years. Fired right up. Plus that's an alternator not a generator. Can't afford 12 bucks for a carb rebuild kit?
A gallon of gas and he rides a good while. Plus, everyone loves them. Well, mostly everyone. Cool old sled.
My sister had a '66 in the early 80's. Had a factory isolating dash fan the actually worked! But it wasn't enough in the Houston heat. 6 volt electric system. Never quit running! Just keep the oil changed and monitored. And the cooling fan belt changed with high detergent 30 weight. That was the only source for cooling the engine. It would run 60-65 mph all day long. She wishes she still has it. What a classic piece of engineering!
11:31 You never mentioned that those adjusters aren't stock. They are an aftermarket item and do affect the car's handling and bump-steer. Ideally, drop-spindles are a better option if you want a lower front than stock on a daily driver bug.
Yep. And there's no front sway bar either. EMPI makes 2 inch shorter sway bars now.
If he puts drop spindles on it his tires will rub the fenders. Then he will have to install a narrow beam.
@@Bondovw You get the same tire-rub issues with adjusters but with added bump-steer. Adjusters are fine and I know plenty of V-dubbers who use them, usually with 135 or 145 tires. I was just pointing out that they have their disadvantages compared to drop-spindles on a stock beam.
As someone else pointed out, there's no sway bar in sight either, which is a major oversight on a street car.
Adjusters are fine when used with a drop spindle depending on the location of how they are installed. Adjustable beams are good for about 2 1/2 drop. Vw bugs front ends are pretty stiff. When they are dropped they don't need a sway bar.
@@Bondovw They added the front anti-roll bar to the beetle to increase understeer. This was to increase the handling safety of a car that frankly has oversteer "issues" with it's rear weight bias and/or swing axles. It's why it's generally a bad idea to remove the front bar or to add a rear bar that is stiffer than the front. A dropped front is no stiffer on a Beetle than stock; it just sits at a different angle :)
I can see this debate could go on ad-infinitum Tim so I'll leave my opinion/input at that.
Wiz, my red ‘65 with a crank open sunroof was one of the most useable cars I’ve ever owned. It was great in the snow although the heat exchanger boxes had rusted out so I didn’t dare flip the heater levers or I’d be dead from Carbon monoxide poisoning. My brother (2nd owner) gave it to me after driving it 40k and not changing the oil. No problem, that’s how I learned, he couldn’t be bothered!
Gas pedal cable snapped in the tunnel running from front pedal back to carb linkage in the rear. This was on a very cold January Sunday driving home to Philly suburbs from around Harrisburg, PA. I cut speaker wire from the rear speaker deck and from my Kenwood tape unit. It was on an overpass and maybe 5 degrees with a lower windchill! I wrapped the wire around the throttle linkage and fished it through those vent in the rear engine hood to the drivers window. I could pull on the wire to accelerate the engine speed and at the proper RPM, could roll up the window tight to make a crude “cruise control”. I drove the remaining hundred miles back to Strafford,PA with barely a chilly left hand.
One last amazing thing! Still in my ‘65 red beetle. Driving home from work during rush hour in the summer of ‘77? Hit a red light on a busy divided highway, just about one car back. I Ran out of gas!!! I knew I was very low! Damn it!!! Luckily I kept an empty 1 gallon gas can in the front bonnet. I new I only had a minute or two to run to the Mobil station that was at the corner where I was stranded. The cars were bumper to bumper all around me. So the longer I was stranded there the angrier these fellow commuters got!!! So I grabbed the can, ran to the Mobil gas station and quickly pumped a gal. of gas, ran back to my beetle and poured it into the tank, (lick it Ty split)
I cranked the key and the little bastard started right up!!!!!
From the other commuters all around me, I heard the rousing sound of applause and “bravo, bravo” and that’s when the light turned GREEN!!!
Dude was going to wreck this car by turning it into an EV. Should be considered a crime. Maybe Newsome should sign that bill.
I had a beetle at one point. It’s my favorite car ever. It had one of the auto sticks I learned how it all worked and it was pretty creative. Basically dsg you had to manually shift without the clutch pedal. The stick has a sensor in it when it senses your hand on it which is super minimal pressure it’ll release the clutch so you can shift it.
Wow that's the cleanest and rust-free Beetle I've seen 😲
I love your videos and how everything you do is the correct way and safe way. My uncle was an example of no inertia switch on an electric fuel pump he passed away in a fuel fed fiery crash it was on a toggle switch and relay only he lost control and rolled over I will never forget that day it was a 70 dodge swinger with a 340
Man, Car Wizard offers a master class in car maintenance!
I added a copy of the John Muir Publications manual for the air-cooled VWs to my reference collection when we helped clean out a hangar that had been sold by the owner's widow, and their kids had divided his collection of VWs, and left all the service manuals. Good to see the speedo cable remaining connected to the front wheel. That was a great indicator of the drum brakes locking up in the winter, as happened when I pumped the brakes coming down Lost Trail Pass one afternoon. When the speedometer suddenly drops to zero, heading downhill, "Hey, I'm just along for the ride!" and wait for the wheels to start turning...
Built like a little tank, no wonder so many of them are 'steel' around
I see what you did there... Fred
This is such a big help I have a 78 Volkswagen Type 2 camper and it sits a lot, will definitely use this method to keep fuel fresh from now on thank you so much car wizard.
This style of “hot rod look” is called Cal Look from the way the Cali guys used to set them up back in the day.
Cal Look means (besides many other things) that you remove the quarter windows and replace them with a one-piece-window. That's why my '57 oval never went to this, I loved the quarters too much. But then you should decide (which isn't done here): chrome at the windows or not - a Cal Looker is off chrome there, normally. This mixture with chrome at the doors and no chrome at the other windows leaves the car unfinished.
I always thought true cal look had white window rubbers
all the JC whitney bug accessories from the 80's catalogs!
@@bradcollins9647 right…. We could go down the list of the 18+ items, I was generalizing.
I think the BRM (99.9% aftermarket) and the raked angle speak to the essence of the Cal-look… glad to know I’m not the only one in the know 👍🏻
@@bradcollins9647 Yea, my grandfather turned his 60 rag into a one piece. Man I wish he was still alive so I can kick him in the ass for that one. I prefer the quarters too but kept the one piece while rebuilding it just for the old man.
Agree on the exhaust note. Would love to hear it run thru the gears, not blasting just running normally… from inside cabin and outside maybe a driveby….btw I learned to drive on a 68… dad pulled up on a hill at a stopsign, said get out, made me sit in drivers seat and I learned how clutch feathering worked real quickly….lol… people stuck behind us werent really happy tho….
BAD place to lift on a air cooled VW with the post lift. the body is pretty flimsy and should lift at stronger location up front.
Good Morning, and thanks for the informative video, please keep them coming. You mentioned that you met an engineer who explained to you the changes in modern gasoline, I would like to suggest that this would make an interesting video. So if the gentleman is willing, and you and Mrs Wizard are willing, I think the viewers would be very willing to hear his stories and opinions. I have enjoyed the boat videos to lean a new subject. Enjoy the new boat for the rest of the summer.
I owned a completely stock 1966 VW 1300 Beetle that was 100% original, imported from West Germany with the European headlights, kilometer speedometer and still 6 volts!
This model 1966, was my first new car when I lives in Buffalo, N.Y. I moved to Dallas-Fort Worth in 1969. In the hot summer 100F+ I was getting vapor-lock when I went shopping and parked 15-45 Minutes. I cured it by insulating the fuel line in the engine compartment into and out of the stock fuel pump.
My great grandfather had a forrest green beetle, that my grandfather sold when his father passed away.
I feel I need to find it and buy it back, it was all original and in great shape. (I was a big Herbie fan at the time).