Posted on 22/09/2021 at 21:30

Elvira : Rebuilding the 36hp, episode 10 : Heater Boxes

episode 10 : heater boxes

I've never had any heating in this ride, which kinda limits its usage in winter (yes, even on the French Riviera!).. Even though I've owned it for over 25 years! It's high time I do something about it!

Heater boxes

I initially only had J-Tubes on my engine ; so I started by sourcing a pair of used heater boxes. A bit of rust, a couple of dents and holes, a locked mechanism and a missing lever... But nothing patience, WD40 and a MIG can't fix.

So I start by thoroughly cleaning, followed by sandblasting all the parts. I protect with a bit of masking tape the part of the mechanism that can't be taken apart easily (as its welded in place), to avoid messing with it while sandblasting...

One of the mechanisms is seized by rust (articulated lever) ; WD40 doesn't help, and the bearing finally ripped off as I was trying to free the lever. I finally managed to persuade it to move after clamping it in the vise, so I plug-welded it back on. Done.

On the other side, the mechanism was not seized, but was missing the lever actionnating it. Using a piece of masking tape, I copy the shape of the one present on the other box. Two saw cuts, some filing and drilling two holes, I have a pretty good copy ready to plug weld in place.

All parts finally get a couple of coats of rattle-can Rustoleum hi-temp paint (supposed to handle up to 650°C/1200°F, but I won't hold my breath). All the hardware gets bead blasted, and it's ready for reassembly.

Engine tins

For the whole system to work properly, and for the heated air to be actually forced into the passenger compartment, it requires the under engine tins to be present with their moving flap to redirect the airflow. I did not have those tins on my original engine, and they are getting harder to find (and never built as reproductions). But with some patience, regularly checking online ads, and some bucks, I finally found a pair.
The ones I got were in an ok state, with just a little tab broken on one of the moving flaps. Thorough clean up with naphtha and brake cleaning fluid, then bead blasting to get rid of the flaking paint. And since those are below engine tins,exposed to road gravels, I brush two coats of Hammerite, as it will protect them better than any body paint. Here you can see the left on in its original state, and the right one after full treatment :

I can then focus on fixing the broken tab on the other heater box : only took some MIG persuasion to tackle it.

Bead blasting again it is, and a lick of paint again :

And... Taaadaaaaa!!

While I was at it, I also changed the flaps control cable, the little rubber boots back where the cable gets out of the chassis, and the fittings on the boxes levers ; next I'll put all this back in the car, and make sure the flaps actually move as expected!
But this will have to wait until the next episode!

Posted in : 1959 Beetle

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Posted on 21/11/2022 at 23:19

Elvira : Rebuilding the 36hp, episode 11 : engine installation

episode 11 : engine installation

The engine is finally back on the car after almost 13 years out! I took it out back in 2008 to get it restored...

Engine Bay

As it was inconceivable to put back my beautiful engine in a dirty engine bay, I decided to get rid of the original sound deadening cardboard, as it was pretty banged up - and I much prefer that look, even if it means a louder engine. I also get rid of the little cushions hidden in each side of the body top, as they tend to promote rust.

Then I'm in for a long session of acetone cleaning to remove all traces of glue (they had kind of a heavy hand with glue at VW back then). I then grind off the pointy tabs that used the original cardboard...

I masked everything, protected the workshop around... Which won't be enough in the end, I had underestimated the overspray, the workshop floor will keep some marks...

Then primering, light sanding, and finally painting the engine bay using 2-components polyurethan spray from VerniciSpray - this is not a sponsored message, I quite like their products and service (already used on the engine tins).

The result is pretty neat actually, don't you think? (brand spanking new engine seals too, while I was at it)

Pre-install preparation

Since the engine was out, I took the opportunity to replace the gearbox stands, including the nose one, a specific model for year 1960 (VW reference 111301265C).

I also replaced the gearbox drive shaft seal, split-case specific model (VW reference 111307113C) : it has a sort of lip around it as its housing does not feature any shoulder to hold it. I still have the original 1959 seal in place, which was hard as hell and screaming for a replacement...
Gotta be cautious when installing it, as because of the lack of shoulder to stop the seal, it's rather easy to tap it a bit too much and have it go too far into the gear case. It's then pretty difficult to get it out without damaging it - don't ask me how I know that.

)...

The gearbox gets an oil change, the last time was 25 years ago...

The clutch lever spring on the gearbox was broken (no idea why/how, it broke on its own), so I replaced it too. Warning, it's specific to split cases too, VW reference 111141723A.

I've replaced all the fuel lines, the fuel filter (installed under the tank), and the fuel tap under the tank that always leaked a bit since I had this car. I'm a bit paranoid about fire, I'll probably install a Blazecut too in the near future...

I replaced the spark cables with new Bosch ones, while installing the little rubber cable supports specific to 59-61 models (VW reference 113905451), with a dab of vaseline so they mount easier on the fan shroud. I keep the original distributor, I'll replace it at some point with a 010...

Engine reinstall

Well... I guess time has come now, the engine is now ready to go back in its bay. Which I manage to do alone in 15mn, one of the advantages of small stock engines...

I can then mount the VintageSpeed stainless exhaust I bought 6 years earlier (!). Nice piece! This model is designed for different widths of engines, which is a good thing for me as since I modified the cylinder heads (see "closing the block" post), the engine is 6.4mm narrower...
So for once that was pretty easy, at least something not fighting me!

With a bit of adjustment on the engine tins I fit them under with the heater boxes (see their restoration on my previous post), and finally connect everything to the exhaust.

First start

Finally, April 13th 2021 (yeah, yeah, I know, I'm Hell behind my articles publication schedule!), everything is ready for a first crank... I wasn't feeling so sure I gotta admit.

Setting the ignitor at 7.5° static advance, adjusting the rockers, priming the fuel line and pump with a vacuum pump (one of those used to purge brakes, works great for fuel too)... I also primed the oil circuit by unplugging the ignition coil and cranking the starter until the oil pressure light blinked out (takes 20/30 seconds on a brand new engine). This will prevent the crankshaft from running dry on its bearings...

And then, well... A squirt of Start Pilot, deep breath, and...

Phew, that was one serious step crossed here! Gotta do some small crab adjustment, shoot my stroboscopic lamp to check ignition, plus a couple of small things here and there, and back on the road!

OK, my very first drive out ended up on a tow truck because of a failed fuel pump lever, see my edit from 2021/10/22 on the dedicated post... But since then it drives great!

Second gear cracks a bit more than I'd like when gearing down, but for now I'll keep drivin'!

Posted in : 1959 Beetle

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Posted on 09/02/2024 at 11:44

Head lights, Tail lights, and new Shoes

Elvira :
Head lights, Tail lights,
and new Shoes

Headlights

My headlights were not in great shape: pitted reflectors, damaged rims, difficult adjustment because everything was shaking around... They were long due for some improvement.

I started by taking out all the parts that I had put aside for almost 30 years: I had several bowls, supports, various strappings... There's plenty to organize a set of decent headlights in there No??

Well actually, no. I don't have what it takes to make a complete & coherent pair...

So I ended up falling for a pair of complete "correct period" headlights bought at high price in Hungary, from a specialist who restores them to perfection (akomjathy, see his ads on TheSamba ): supports sandblasted and epoxied, buckets mediablasted and powdercoated to silver, zinc-plated hardware, new seals, re-chromed rims... Beautiful, gorgeous parts, cf. photos from TheSamba ad below:

Well, beautiful parts until the f'ing delivery postman opted to throw the package over my gate. Despite the great packaging by the sender, it didn't withstand a 2 meter fall onto concrete: the result was two broken lenses... It's not as if it hadn't said "FRAGILE" in big red letters on it eh?

I of course opened a claim to La Poste , but I might as well have pissed in the wind. No follow-up, and when I asked for the status of my request, I was told "your complaint is not admissible, the request is closed and you cannot appeal the decision".

I'll allow myself a rant here, you'll excuse me: Dear La Poste, I hope you'll read this: I believe that you are at best a bunch of incompetents, at worst a company with dubious legal methods, whose lack of "customer service" reminds of the interstellar vaccum. I have no doubt that I share this opinion with others (including people who work at La Poste and have confirmed the internal disaster to me). #Fthemallthewaytothemoonandback

Long story short, I had to sell my last kidney to buy 2 replacement lenses... And again, I was lucky that only the lenses were damaged, no impact on the chrome or the reflector.

Anywayyyyyyy... This misadventure leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, but now my headlights are great. I fitted them with LED lamps, they shine brightly and now I can drive at night with confidently!

Rear lights

The original rear brake lights are not very visible, I wanted to improve safety... So I converted the lights to LEDs instead.

I bought a pair of LED boards from Chip on TheSamba (see his ad here ). These boards include position lights, brake lights, and turn indicators. The original Elvira only had its semaphores, no flashing indicators, which is unsafe in today's traffic.

The flasher relay is replaced by one that is LED compatible, and in the process I add a motorcycle turn signal indicator ("beep")... Because otherwise I can ride indefinitely with the turn signals flashing!
I'll have to get back to it for the semaphores, which are currently completely disabled. But that will be the occasion for another article!

Since I had my hands in the electricity: when I got this car back in '94 I installed an autoradio in the glove box; ruining in the process the original cardboard glove box... Oh hey, don't judge me, I was young and this car was my daily ride to go to university!

In short, to go back to the origin, I removed the autoradio, as well as the 6-12V converter that I had built at the time (dated 1994! With its homemade plywood case, we're talking real vintage there!). And I replaced the cardboard glove box with one from the same year, in very good condition. Lookin' better!

Tires and Baby Moons

Elvira was riding on Firestone F560 155R15, with portawall inserts. They were still good from a wear point of view, but... I had them installed 19 years ago! The rubber was dry and as soon as the road was slightly wet it became blurry while driving. It was time to sort this out.

I wanted to go for real whitewalls, and after many comparisons of the few options available on the market (European Classics, Autobahn, Firestone, Coker...), I decided to go with Kontio (Finnish brand) "WhitePaw Classic" in 165/80R15, featuring a 64mm white sidewall, a radial structure, and an acceptable price (167€/piece, where some brands exceed 330€...). The European Classics are a bit cheaper, but the specialist I wanted to buy them from strongly advised against them!
Front wheels alignment was done right after tires where intalled : front axle happened to have 1.5° of toe out... Suffice to say that driving is much, much more reassuring now!

Unfortunately the fitter who balanced my tires installed the weights on the outside... My fault, I should have clarified.
As it's visually terrible, so I replace them with equivalent weights glued on the inside, in the same places as those of the fitter...
Incidentally, the edge of the rim suffered from removing the clamped weights, I touch that up with a small paintbrush and glossy black lacquer...

As for the hubcaps, I had smooth baby moons for almost 30 years, but they were starting to show rust, and above all I wanted to return to a more "stock" look. So I bought the official VW reproductions with the stamped logo, pretty expensive sh*t but really nice product: thick sheet metal, stamped in logo and not (stamped out), deep chrome, protective paint on the interior...

I wanted the VW logos painted black like they were originally. I did so using the "spray & swipe" method:

Acetone cleaning
Light sanding inside the VW logo to help the paint stick (I go for 600 grit on my fingertip)
Re-cleaning with acetone
Glossy black spray paint (Motip), in a single fairly thick coat, using cardboard with a cut-out circle to limit overspray...
5-10 minutes later, when the paint has started pulling, I wipe off most of the paint with a cloth soaked in acetone, wrapped around the tip of my finger (you can probably skip that step, I'm not sure it's necessary).
Finally, the magic trick: a cloth lightly soaked in acetone, wrapped tightly on a flat block of plywood (or a sanding block), and passed flat, in straight lines, over the logo to remove the surplus.

The result is clean, with well-defined lines. I considered using stickers (you can find them on TheSamba), but ultimately this method works quite well, it takes 10 minutes per hubcap. I only messed up and had to start again once.

... ...and a nice little accessory.

A very practical little accessory, I added this USB charger hidden in the ashtray.

Installation requires drilling a hole in the ashtray support, and one in the drawer, well aligned so that the power cable can slide when opening/closing.
Good to know: a touch of vaseline on the cable allows it to slide more easily.

This charger allows me to have a Bluetooth speaker on long journeys without worrying about its battery running out...

This charger is produced by a Brazilian company, fits well, but in France its retail price is pretty high for what it is (3D printed support with average finishes...). I broke the CB because I wanted to have it for an upcoming VW outing... But I'm sure there is a way to DIY an equivalent at a lower cost by getting the parts on AliExpress.

*Spoiler Alert*