MAIDEN VOYAGE

 I got the engine in and discovered it had no compression.  After much research and speaking with a friend who has alot of experience with VW engine's I figured out that the cam timing was off.....so out she came for the third time.

 Sure enough.....the cam timing was not right (off by a couple notches).  I remembered the cam slipping out as I put the engine case together the first time.....it must have slipped out of time.

 After resetting the cam timing I reassembled the case and as I prepared to install the piston heads and cylinders I discovered one of my piston rings had some how broken....ugh!  I ordered a new set and replaced them all as a set.

 While waiting for my new piston rings I focused on getting some of the interior put in....I'm still missing the passenger front seat in this photo but it's ready to install.

 I am ordering a new horn assembly but I went ahead and installed the steering wheel so I could take it for it's first test drive.

The engine back in and ready for its first test drive.....once the cam timing was right it fired right up.  I drove it around our court just to make sure all appeared to be working.....the brakes were a little soft, e-brake needs to be tightened, the engine and carb need fine tuning but it drove!!  Wheew hoo!

More later!!

Jason

Progress...interior, wheels and more

 Here I have put on one of the fenders and am working to adjust the ride height of the front end.  I will probably end up dropping the front end another 2.5 inches before I'm done.  I will most likely be installing drop spindles to accomplish this so my steering, ride comfort and handling are not negatively affected.  I also have purchased new wheels.  They are the stock 15" size but a little wider and the tire I put on are not as tall as the originals.  Once the front end is dropped a little more they will look great and improve the handling.

 Carpet is in along with new pedals.  I'm still working on the wiring so the dash has not been installed.

 Just another view.....obviously I've been walking around inside getting my new carpet a little dusty.

 The three rear windows are in. I re-used the glass but got new seals and restored the glass.

 The engine is all in and once I install the fuel tank and hook up the fuel line it should be ready to test fire.

 Here I have fitted the dash in just to make sure it worked.  I'm still installing the carpet here.  You can see I have installed sound and heat barrier under the carpet.

Wiring: Still a work in progress but coming along.  You can see the heater/blower sitting below waiting to be re-installed.

I'll keep adding more pics soon as I make more progress.

Jason

Progress....Engine and Transaxle

 Here is what the engine looked like after being pulled....not too pretty.

 This will definately need to look pretty before going back into this car!!

 I pulled it apart, replaced all the bearings and moving parts .....here it is lubed up ready to go back together.

 The other side....these VW engine cases actually come apart in two halves which, in a way, makes them easier to work on.

 I also replaced the valves (which bolt on in the VW rather than being bored into the block like on American engines) with new pistons and rings and the heads, which were cracked, were replaced with new ones. 

 Here is the engine with fresh paint....looking prettier already!!

 THE TRANSAXLE

This thing was dirty, dirty, dirty....but nothing a little elbow grease couldn't deal with.....once again she has to be pretty and functional!!

 I pulled the transaxle apart to make sure it was in good working order.  I found it was in good shape but needed new seals and a new pinion bearing....no biggie!

 Another view....I was not able to drain all the gear oil out of it because I didn't have the right size hex....so I just took it apart anyway.....a little more mess but it worked.

 Here she is looking prettier!!

I decided to add a few extra coats of clear to the finish of the body of the car....so when I'm done with that I'll add pics of the final finish.

More later,

Jason

TRANSAXEL'S AND ENGINES

 Caleb decided to grace me with his presence today and help me pull out the Transaxel.

 This is his "this bolt shall die"face....LOL!

 Got the transaxle out.

 Here is the transaxle pulled all apart.  It needs all new seals but looks like it's in pretty good shape otherwise.

 Here it is degreased and ready for paint.

 And painted.....looking better!

 I have also pulled apart the engine.  It looks like it's in really good shape....just need a new set of Piston rings and cleaned up a bit.

More Later!!

Jason

COMING TOGETHER

I've applied three clear coats over the whole car now.  I will finish it out by wet sanding it down to about 2000 grit and the high speed buffing it with a finishing compound to give it that glassy finish.  Even without the last two steps its looking nice and shinny though.

More later!

Jason

COLOR AND CLEAR

I have sprayed and applied the first coat of clear on the main body of the VW.  It's starting to actually look like something!!

 I will be spraying one more clear coat to give it that deep gloss look I love!!  Can't wait to get it out in the sun .....hopefully I wont see too many flaws once I do....LOL!!



MORE LATER!!

NEW SEATS!!

I just finished re-upholstering the seats for the Superbeetle.  I bought new seat padding and tweed two-tone seat upholstery but re-used the old seat frames and springs.  I bought the upholstery from TMI and the padding from JBugs.com.  They are still a little dusty but it's late and I don't want to wake up the house with the vacuum.  I decided to take a brake from the painting and body work to put the seats together.  There is something motivating about seeing something come together and start looking nice! Can't wait to get them in the car when the time comes.

More later!