Finally got my bug back!

[Sideways]

I bought a yellow 1972 VW Bug at the end of last June and had to put it in the shop. After motor work, wiring work and getting the floor pans replaced I finally drove it home on Friday 12 May. Finally!!! I only have one pic thus far because I needed to w@$# it, but I had to take a pic of my geeking it out.

[stagewex]

Aww, that's great. Such a red-headed air-cooled cousin of the Urals & BMW's.
My '73 Super Beetle (goes 2-3 mph faster than a regular bug, ha) needs some major under-belly fabrication that I have put-off. But will have to be done soon. Simple machines to maintain but weren't manufactured structurally to last this long. But they do.


Outside Dinosaur BBQ & the 125th Street Viaduct in Harlem. Stock bug, keep'n it simple

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[chaos2]

First car I bought was a used 63 bug. Many similarities to my 2012 ural, even the rated hp (40)

[Rich Maund]

That is cool. My first car in 1977 was a well-used 69 Bug in that same shade of yellow. A great 70's car! LOL But difficult in the winter when your "defroster" consisted of scraping your frozen breath of the inside of the windshield with a cassette case.
But with some cheap tire chains on the back, it would REALLY climb a snow covered cobble stone street!

[Bar None]

I had a 1957 VW when I was in the Air Force back in 1961. On a relocation trip from Lowry AFB to Orlando AFB in the middle of the night in the Florida panhandle the generator quit charging and the battery started draining. It got so weak that I had to run without lights. Luckily there was one of the old fashion gas stations that has a repair shop and it was open. I stopped there and the guy replaced the generator brushes and charged the 6v battery and I was off again. Made it there the next day in time to check in.
Used that bug there until I was transferred to Hahn AFB in Germany for three years so I sold it before I left.

When I was there I bought a Renault R4L which was great because I could easily take the back seat out and sleep there. I worked 24 hours at a remote missile site and then had three days off plus 30 days leave a year so I could travel all over Europe. Gas at the base was 17 cents a gallon if I remember right plus there was a shop there where you could work on your auto. I had to install front seat belts in the R4L to make it legal to ride on the base.

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On Ebay
GENERATOR BRUSH SET 6 VOLT (PAIR) VW NOS T1 BUG BEETLE 1946-1966 (T2 50-66)

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[Sideways]

Bar None, when I was a teenager I was driving my aunt's classic bug (don't remember the year) that had alternator issues. It was ok as long as the lights were off and I remember driving home at dusk because I knew the alternator was going but it got dark enough that I had to turn on the headlights... drive along until the motor started to sputter then turn the lights off until people started flashing their lights at me to turn mine on. I made it home and made sure that my aunt knew that the alternator needed to be replaced.

[phughes]

Aww, that's great. Such a red-headed air-cooled cousin of the Urals & BMW's.
My '73 Super Beetle (goes 2-3 mph faster than a regular bug, ha) needs some major under-belly fabrication that I have put-off. But will have to be done soon. Simple machines to maintain but weren't manufactured structurally to last this long. But they do.


Outside Dinosaur BBQ & the 125th Street Viaduct in Harlem. Stock bug, keep'n it simple
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Ha! I had a '71 Super Beetle. I wish I still had it.

[cao98]

I bought a yellow 1972 VW Bug at the end of last June and had to put it in the shop. After motor work, wiring work and getting the floor pans replaced I finally drove it home on Friday 12 May. Finally!!! I only have one pic thus far because I needed to w@$# it, but I had to take a pic of my geeking it out.

I'd love to see some more pictures of your newly restored Bug once you have a chance to clean it up.

[RC20]

A girl I was dating after high school had one. She just about got herself killed when she went off the pavement and the suspension sprung in and then when she landed on the gravel over it went. Granted it was a bad drop off and she knew it.

Its still seriously iconic.

[Sideways]

I got some pics of my bug. Not close to perfect but it sure is fun to drive!

[sagerat]

Had a ‘67 and then later a ‘73. Fun cars, although cramped footwells when you’re 6’1”. Drove the ‘67 non-stop between Eugene, OR and Phoenix, AZ. A long 24 hours, to be sure.

[stagewex]

After a year off-the-road (too dangerous to drive) I "finally got my bug back" yesterday.
Extensive cutting/welding/fabrication primarily of the front-clip/front end. It still needs to have an alignment done as all the steering components now attach to basically all new frame components.
I'll drive it around town a little bit today but going away for 2 weeks of meetings and then vacation. I'll have that taken care of as soon as I get back as the tires are pretty much brand-new and don't want to ruin them.

As the 2nd slowest car produced in 1973 (mine is a "Super" Beetle, only the regular Beetle was slower) it's still a pisser to drive around. And I can find the most power using inertia as I find with the Ural as well. Up there with the "smile factor" that the Ural has when folks see it puttering by. Maybe more so because most have memories of Bugs, only fantasy memory's of a sidecar rig:

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23,000 miles, unlikely?
123,000 miles, probably?
223,00 miles, maybe?
Engine is original but I have no documentation that it has been rebuilt though the seller (2nd owner) told me it was. Use's no oil at all, no drips or drabs so good enough for me:

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Was looking up what Brake fluid appropriate for this all drum-brake car (answer was DOT 3 or 4, absolutely NO SYNTHETIC) and came about these Fun Facts of 1973:

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[sagerat]

Had a ‘67 and later a ‘72 Bug. Drove the ‘67 from Oregon to Arizona 24hours non-stop to see my parents. Only did that once. Follies of youth, ya know. Loved the sound of the VW’s engine.

Thanks for sparking the memories. When I sold my ‘72 my dog-eared, oil-stained, and grimy copy of “How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive” went with my Bug.

[VWNate1]

Nice bugs guys ! .

Any 1600CC Bug shouldn't be slow unless it's :

A. worn out

B. (most often) incorrectly tuned .

The emissions B.S. back then forced the tuning to be so bad they ran poorly, ran too hot, used almost 1/2 again the fuel they should have .

Easy-Peasy to correct at home though .

Let's see if I can attach a picture :

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Looks like it took ~ should I begin a thread about my battered old stock 1959 #113 DeLuxe Bug ? .

[jeffsaline]

Looks like it took ~ should I begin a thread about my battered old stock 1959 #113 DeLuxe Bug ? .

Yes