Tail Pipe Chrome Exhaust

Clang! That's the noise I heard. I knew something was wrong, but did not know exactly what the problem could be. It wasn't until I looked in the rear view mirror and saw a tail pipe tumbling end over end and cars were swerving out of the way, that I understood what was happening. A second later, the perfectly humming engine began it's throaty roar. Not a bad sound actually.

I'd never thrown a tail pipe before, so I started searching the internet and asked experts like my father. Yep, I'd thrown a tailpipe and yes, it's supposed to be loud like that. However, it's just noise and won't hurt the engine. An no, I don't need a new exhaust, just a new tailpipe.

I ordered my tailpipe from www.westcoastmetric.com and it arrived in a few days. I actually ordered two so that I could have a brand new shiny set. However, I only ordered one set of clamps and had to reuse one of the older sets.

The job was easy, just loosen the old clamps, slide the tailpipe into the muffler, tighten the new clamps and your off.

Be sure to insert the tailpipe as far as it will go. Also, install the clamp so that it covers the tailpipe and muffler  lips. If not, the tailpipe won't stay on.

image courtesy of http://www.clubvw.org.au/oldart016

Good looking dash area-Bamboo shelf for 69 VW Beetle

I just received the bamboo shelf from Jbugs.com I ordered recently. It got here in no time and looks really nice and I can’t wait to use it. I set it up just above my drink holder as well. I can’t wait to actually be able to keep the bug clean on the inside by the storage space concealed under the dash board. It looks really good too.

Beetle parts never come with instructions, so you have to search them out. This bamboo shelf came with four shelf brackets and 8 screws. I was planning to drill and screw, but a thought occurred to me; why not see if it fits.

It did fit and looks great. The best news is I didn’t have to use the hardware. For some reason the shelf fits so snug (I believe it is the thick carpet) that it is in for good. I’ll test it on the road and make sure it doesn’t vibrate loose. But for now, it looks solid.

I’ll be moving speakers and radio to different locations so the bamboo shelf can be better featured.

Heater hoses

I have been working on the trunk area and am almost finished. My current project is completing the installation of all hoses to the fresh air box. Some of these hoses are for fresh air and the others, for defrost.

Before, vacuum cleaner hoses, rust, taped up hoses, broken fresh air box. 
Time to get to work.

The hoses leading to the heat tunnels are important, and the most difficult to replace. These are to the left and right of the trunk on the passenger and driver side. Basically, they run between trunk and the door, down the length of the door where the door hinges are. They are hard to get to and made of paper. Chances are, yours might be just as shredded as mine were and need replacing.
The important thing is to ensure you don’t throw away the old ones until the replacements arrive. I’ve purchased mine from both Jbugs.com and westcoastmetric.com.
Here’s how they should be set up:When installing, clean out all disintegrated hose material down and around the heat channel. These run up behind the trunk and along the left and right sides of the floor boards. There is a viewing port about an inch in diameter on the post just above the bottom door hinges and toward the wall between the seats and trunk (you’ll have to pull back the carpet to find them). Use a screw driver, knife or something sharp to scrape away the old paper hose and glue. Use a shop vacuum to suck away the many years of junk that may have fallen into it. I found old pencils, bolts and waded up old papers.

This is from Samba.com. The diagram is for a 72-73 beetle, 
but it provides a plan for my '69

Next cut the hoses to the proper lenght. They always come too long, so be prepared to cut them to the right size. The hose leading from the plastic hose junction piece to the bottom should be about a foot and a half long. Measure and install those hoses first as they are the most difficult to install. The ones I bought were not wide enough to fit over the channel or the plastic piece. I had to improvise tape the hose to the plastic piece. At the heater channel, I taped a smaller diameter piece to taper it into the hole. It wasn’t an easy fix, but it’s functioning. 

Hoses are cut and installed. Not pretty, but functional.                                                                                 The tape is there because I crushed the hose with the trunk hinge.

 Then hook up the other hoses. Be sure to slowly close the hood once installed. If any of the hoses are in the way, the trunk will crush them.

The trunk is now complete.

The Trunk

Newly painted area. Rug is pulled back to reveal fuel tank

I painted the entire trunk with Miracle Paint. It did the job of sealing the trunk's rust holes and improving the overall appearance. So far, so good.



Trunk before painting

I will have to buy new carpeting to cover some of the aesthetics of mismatched wires and random cables but it should look great once complete.

I ordered fresh air box and defrost hoses. I'm waiting for the defrost hoses that run to the heater channels and once they come in, can assemble the entire deal. The cleaning process is described in another post.

I ordered a new seal for the fresh air box. I’m hoping this will prevent the water from covering in that caused all the rust in the first place. This seal fits between the trunk and the box, making it water tight.

Old Box

Once the seal arrived, I tried to install it. That’s when I discovered the box was broken around the seal. The owner had silicon glued the seal in place, but it didn’t fit correctly and allowed water to drain in.

New Box

Fortunately I was able to find a decent used one (couldn’t find any in the obvious online stores, but a friend of a friend had one). The only thing is I forgot how to put the fresh air box back in. Everything works, but I just have to install it correctly. 

Seals and Turn Signals

I was trying to install new seals for the front and rear turn signals. Unfortunately, I had three problems:

1. The fender was a different color under the old seals and the new seals didn’t cover the paint. I had a horrible experience with matching spray paint. The paint didn't perform well and sprayed beyond the 
2. The wires were so brittle some of the female ends broke off. This left the wires too short requiring new splicing and the ends reconnected
3. The original signal light metal assembly had a broken bolt. I had to drill it out and do my best to put in a replacement bolt

All repairs taxed my novice skill level. I did my best, but it’s not too pretty. Hopefully this will be something nice once all said and done.

Fixing Rust

Huge gaping rusting holes. That’s all I can say about this project. Actually, this is only in the one area, right under the rear cargo storage area. I pulled back the carpeting and insulation to discover the rotting mess.

After some online research I found a wonderful product called Miracle Paint. A few thin coats of that on the fiber glass mesh and viola, instant metal, or a close proximity. The repair was successful and I don’t have the burnt oil and exhaust fumes leaking in any more.

Here’s how you get to it:

Remove the back seat and back rest.

For the bench, just pull up on the front and pull out. The seat just slides out.

For the back rest, you’ll need to remove two bolts at either end. Then pull off the carpet and insulation. Chances are that these will be glued down and you’ll replace them. I spent about $200 on mine from www.westcoastmetric.com (includes carpet for entire interior and the insulation).

Grind down the metal a bit. You can leave some rust and apply rust restoration spray from the  auto parts store.

A shop vac comes in handy to clean up the 50 years of dirt, dust, food and whatever is hanging around under the seats.

Then apply the miracle paint onto the mesh. Be sure to pre-cut the mesh to fit the repair area.