New to VW, New to Vintage Mechanics. 1974 Super Beetle

[JCrimson]

Hello, I am Jake. I figured I would create an introductory post to display what I've got and give a little background information on myself.

Myself
I am a graduate of Indiana University with a Bachelors in Graphic Design, as well as a graduate of Ivy Tech University with an Associates in PC Support and Administration. I've loved cars since before I could drive. I've owned a strange few, from my first vehicle being a 1990 Ford Bronco, to a 1995 Nissan 200sx, and currently a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I've learned all that I know through the use of forums, as well as trial and error mechanics, and I've gathered the wisdom from anyone willing to teach me. My uncle has a knack for collecting projects and being a perfectionist, while my father is less of a perfectionist and more of a "let's find out if it works" type of guy.

Here I am, standing next to my uncles '59 Bug Eye Sprite.

The Beetle.
The Beetle I will be buying is a 1974 VW Super Beetle. It was purchased new by my aunts' husband's mother, in 1974. She kept it up until her death in the early 2000's, sometime around 2003. My aunts daughter (my cousin) was willed the Beetle and has owned it ever since. The odometer reads 83,XXX miles, and I believe it to be accurate due to the original owners age. It's been parked since 2008, but it actually spent most of its life outside in the Indiana elements.

As Far As I Know...
The Beetle has had the fenders replaced by the original owner and it was also re-sprayed its original color (I do believe) by Maaco, who are not known for their stupendous paint jobs. When my cousin received the Beetle, she had the entire interior reupholstered, floor pans replaced, new tires installed, and some light mechanical work done to it.

The Predicament
Having been a car lover my entire teenage-adult life, I was never really fond of vintage Beetles. I had loved cars, but they were mostly the stereotypical ones that people usually flock to. The same thing goes for my 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee, my daily driver. I had always hated the look of the vehicle until I had actually sat in the drivers seat and turned the key. My enthusiasm for older cars eventually caught up with me, and I began to become really enthralled by Volvo 240s, BMW 2002s, and any Vintage Import, odd cars in general. Then one day I found myself eyeing the Beetle.

The Agreement
My cousin has been trying to sell the Beetle, un-agressively for the past couple of years. Her times of daily driving it are over and she wants the reliability and comfort of something newer.
While helping her with yard work just the other day, I was putting the mower into the garage and I saw the sad heap of boxes that rested on top of the Beetle, and something came over me to inquire about it. She asked me what I was thinking price-wise, which was lower than I had previously given her while she was considering selling it privately. We worked out a deal on the difference. With half of the money up front, she would release the title to me as long as I agreed to a strict payment plan for the remainder of the money. I would also have to help her fix up her less-used daily driver, and sell it for as much as I could, to make up the difference.

Currently
I am procuring the funding for the Beetle. But as cool as my cousin is, she decided to give me the keys to the Beetle, the manuals that came with, and a key to her garage to freely work on it over the next couple months until it becomes mine. She's excited that it will be staying within the family.

Today, 5/18/2016 I went over to see if I could actually fit inside of the Beetle. I'm about 6'2" with a bulky build at about 260 pounds. Id ridden in the Beetle when I was younger, but it hadn't been driven since 2008. I wanted to clean it off, pull it out into the light, and take as many pictures as possible to get an idea of what all was wrong with it. With the key in the ignition, the seat belt fastened (as I had learned a couple of months back, allows the starter to start the bug), I cranked it over and it eventually roared into life. After multiple attempts to back it out of the garage, the body would move a bit, but the wheels were stuck. I decided to get out, and use my legs to push on each tire lightly, eventually resulting in a slight pop, and the un-seizing of the brakes. I pulled the car out into the light and began to check it out.

I could not manage to get the back of the seat to fold down.

I assume something along the lines of stuffing from the seat, falling out?

Video of it running, sounds a bit rough with the occasional misfire. As the title says, I've never had a vehicle with a carburetor before. I rebuild a few for a 1967 Honda 305 Scrambler I've also working on, but its nowhere near complete. Now i'll be looking into a tune up to get it running a bit more smoothly.
http://vid575.photobucket.com/albums/ss194/j_colee...bau7ob.mp4

While I had it out, I decided to take it for a little spin down the alley and back. Being a decent driver with a manual transmission, I could barely keep the thing running. The clutch felt as though it was only engaging a moment before you were all the way out of it, resulting in me killing it around 10 or 12 times. When I finally managed to get it back to the garage, two older gentlemen were watching me, one waiting to tell me that it needed a tuneup, and the other telling me a story about him and his buddies stationed in Europe and their time driving all over in a Split Window VW.

I look forward to reading and learning a lot. I know that with my Jeep, the forum I am part of has been great and the knowledge I've gained there has helped me in tons of situations.

As for the future, I don't want to keep it completely stock. With my interest in vehicles with knobby tires, I've read over a few of the Class 11 Look-Alike builds and that kind of seems like something I might want to aim towards.

Thanks for letting me be here.

-Jake

[67rustavenger]

Great story.
Welcome to the samba.
That is a great car as is. Wash it and see what's underneath all that dust.
The interior looks nice as well.
FYI supers don't make good lifted offroad cars. The front suspension is McPherson strut. The shock towers are attached to the body of the car limiting the suspension travel up front. But it's your car so do what you feel is right for your tastes.
Give it a bath and brakes then a tune up and see what you got. I bet you'll get lots of compliments on the condition of the car as is. Hell you have already had a guy regaling you with his over sea's story. Get used to that happens all the time.
make sure to use the search feature here. Many of your questions have already been asked in the past. When you get stuck post a question.
Please upload your pics to the samba galleries that way they are here for future reference.
Have a great week.
_________________
I have learned over the years.
Cheap parts are gonna disappoint you.
Buy Once, Cry Once!

There's never enough time to do it right the first time. But there's always enough time to do it thrice.
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo!

[Tim Donahoe]

The car actually looks pretty good; especially since it spent most of its life outside in Northern Indiana.

I assume the oil needs changing immediately. The carburetor may also need a bit of cleaning, perhaps the fuel tank, too. Definitely replace all the fuel lines.

Killing the engine again and again is not good for the engine. Perhaps the clutch needs adjustment. You should have about 3/4 inch free play at the pedal before encountering resistance. Press the pedal by hand to check.

Google this: VW Resource. Rob and Dave have a lot of good information there.

I also own a 1974 Super Beetle. Once you get yours running well, you'll see why these little cars were so popular back in the day. My bug is the only car I won that I still enjoy whil driving.

Push seat seat back all the way, and tilt the upper part of the seat back, too. You'll fit.

There is also a way to jumper the ignition system so you don't have to have your seat belt fastened to start it. I'm surprised yours is still intact.

Remember, 18 pounds in the front tires, 29 in the rear. Your sticker in the glove box will support this, so don't let anyone tell you differently.

Ask here before working on things. Most of us have made a great many mistakes over the years. You may as well learn from them.

Have fun,

Tim
_________________
Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[JCrimson]

[TX-73]

I hope you give this little bug some new life. Looks like a survivor just waiting for another chance

The stuff from the seats is probably the OEM horsehair padding, it dissolves after these many years. Wolfsburg West sells all the seat pad stuff, some also replace with foam pads.

But that's later on, suggest as you are doing to continue to work the basics on driveline, brakes, suspension. Hopefully the electrical is ok.
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My 1973 Standard Beetle Build SOLD
Click to view image

[sjbartnik]

Looks like a very clean unmolested Super. Clean it up, tune it up, and drive it!

I would suggest you get to know it mechanically before thinking about modifications. It'll take some time of driving it to learn to speak its language.

Here are the things you should do first:

1) Change the oil.
2) Change the brake fluid unless it's been done within the past 2 years.
3) Check/adjust valve clearance
4) Check/adjust points gap to .016"
5) Check/adjust ignition timing (if you adjust the points gap you will have to re-adjust the ignition timing)
6) Check transmission oil level
7) Hit any/all grease fittings in the front end with a grease gun

Note: there should be two red lights in the speedometer that come on when you turn the key on. One of them is the low oil pressure warning light and the other is the alternator/charging system warning light. In your photo I only see one of them on. You need to get both of those working properly before you drive the car.

You may have to adjust the clutch free play, it is adjusted with a wing nut on the clutch cable at the transmission end of the cable. You should have about 3/4" free play at the pedal.

Both of them should go out after engine start. If either of them ever come on while driving STOP IMMEDIATELY and find out why.

In most cars the alternator light is no cause for concern in the sense that your battery is not likely being charged but you'll probably make it home. In the VW, the engine cooling fan is mounted on the same shaft as the alternator. If the belt breaks and the alternator stops spinning, the cooling fan is no longer spinning either. If you keep driving, meltdown is assured. So if that light ever comes on while driving you at least have to stop and make sure the belt is intact. If the belt is good then carry on. If the belt has broken, don't drive until you fix it.
_________________
1965 Volkswagen 1500 Variant S
2000 Kawasaki W650

[gt1953]

The car looks good, clean out the fuel tank/lines for sure. Clean and vacuum out the car. Oh ya keep it like it is stock. The supers are not for the off road crowd, find a Baja for that. Look at the date codes on the tires how old are they? The seventy four like all of the type one VW's have one year only parts on them. You will find out as time goes on.
_________________
Volkswagen: We tune what we drive.
Numbers Matching VW's are getting harder to find. Source out the most Stock vehicle and keep that way. You will be glad you did.

72 type 1
72 Squareback
({59 Euro bug, 62, 63, 67, 68, 69, 73 type ones 68 & 69 type two, 68 Ghia all sold})

[ashman40]

Sweet ride! I was just thinking how lucky I would be if I could find a clean '74 just like that!

You need to dig a little deeper and see if there is any major rust in the common places. Give these threads a read:
Super Beetle Buyers Guide (what to look for)
Buying a Beetle (VW Resources)
Late Model FAQ
Buying a used 1974 beetle, what do I look for?

Oh, and welcome to TheSamba.
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AshMan40
---------------------------
'67 Beetle #1 {project car that never made it to the road }
'75 Beetle 1200LS (RHD Japan model) {junked due to frame rot}
'67 Beetle #2 {2019 project car - Wish me luck!}

[JCrimson]

Thanks everyone for the welcome!

I'll definitely be reading over the FAQ section and figuring out what to look for while working on it.

I'll be heading over to her house tomorrow morning, we have plans to go pick up a battery for the van I am helping her sell. I'm going to hopefully have that up and running pretty quickly, and have some of the electrical gremlins ironed out, which will allot me some time to check out the Beetle some more.

I've compiled a list that i'll be taking over with me to ensure that I hit everything that has been covered. I'll be able to get the front hood open now that I know about the lever in the glove box, and see what kind of treasures are in there. (My cousin, aunt, and mother used to own and operate an eBay business.)

I'll also have to pick up some new tools to check things like the valve clearance, and talk to my uncle about possibly helping me check the timing or hand me down some tools that may help. His garage is a chaotic mess of everything under the sun. He's currently working on a 1972 C10, a 1959 Austin Healey Bug Eye Sprite, and a 1976 Triumph TR6. So he may know what I'm referring to.

As for direction, it seems that it will most likely change after reading the FAQ about the Supers vs. Standards. I assume lowering it may prove just as difficult? I'll definitely be driving the Beetle around in its stock form for a great while. I've got a lot on my plate in general, my Jeep i'm constantly trying to improve, I've got a girlfriend who's suspiciously calm that I'm buying a Beetle and not an engagement ring, (not that she really enjoys the Beetle, but maybe she'll come around?) and the relocating that would follow.

I'll fill you guys in on what happens tomorrow! Luckily my cousin's husband does PC Support for a living, and their garage is wired up with WIFI.

-Jake

[Tim Donahoe]

Do those vintage British cars use metric tools, or Thorensen (sic)? I used to own a 1956 Triumph mc and it had English threads and tools. It's been a while, but it seems like the tools were a weird size--not metric.

If you want to lower the car, go to Topline for Super Beetle front end stuff. They have good stuff, and specialize in Supers. I'd be surprised if you didn't have some front end items that need attention.

Tim
_________________
Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[sjbartnik]

[JCrimson]

I spoke with my uncle about him having a stroboscopic timing light. He does have one and is willing to lend me a hand when I perform the tune up and set the timing.

I wasn't able to mess with the Beetle today, sadly. I spent the morning getting the van running, and by the way that it looks for tomorrow, I'll be re-doing/adjusting the rear drums on my girlfriends Jeep. I did manage to pick up a set of feeler gauges though to add to my vintage arsenal.

I've been shopping tune up components for the past couple of days. I've seen many posts on what to do while performing a tune up, and extremely basic recommendations for components. I'm trying to shop in the same place to cut down on shipping costs. I am a member of Amazon Prime, which would make shipping cheap, but some of the components are of ill-review, such as their valve cover gaskets.

I've sourced some parts on rockauto, including the NGK br6hs spark plugs, IAP Copper Core Wireset, and Airtrec/Wells cap, rotor, and points, and lastly a WIX air filter. How finicky are these Beetles with parts? I've still got the valve cover gaskets to source, and the oil change kit.

-Jake
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1974 Super Beetle

[goober]

"How finicky are these Beetles with parts?"

I find my Bugs not to be very finicky at all. They'll run under the most difficult of circumstances with the most horrible of parts.

That being said, it's always best to use the finest quality parts you can find or afford. I usually get the cheapest crap money can buy and take my chances. Many times I use old OEM parts instead of new aftermarket parts. I also often suffer from having to alter and butcher things into operation and having to repeat repairs more frequently.

Then again, I'm an old cheap SOB with nothing better to do....actually, I'm more poor than cheap.

[andk5591]

Welcome and a couple comments:

If the mileage is real, dig through her receipts to see if she ever had work done on the front end. If not you should budget for that. I would suggest getting the car up in the air as soon as you can you fully inspect the ball joints, tie rod ends etc. Topline sells the best front end rebuild kit out there. $400 or so for everything and plan on a full day if its your first one and you will need to have some bushings pressed out.

If you need to replace the clutch, its not a huge deal and would be a good experience - a quality clutch kit will set you back maybe $150 (get Sachs). You do need to drop the engine and that tends to lead to other things that need done (like transaxle mount replacements etc)

Parts suppliers - Have not found Rock Auto to be all that great IMHO. My local Carquest can get some of the stuff, but I tend to stick mostly with dedicated vintage VW suppliers. CIP1 and Wolfsburg West are my 2 primary suppliers.

Book you should have - John Muir "How to keep your VW Alive" You may already have it. Its a great introduction to the cars and covers most normal repairs using normal hand tools.

Final note - These cars attract attention. I can pull in to get gas and there could be a Challenger Hellcat next to me. People come over to see the bug.

Final final note - take your time, get to know the car and just get it running right. They are pretty easy to work on and you have already been given a lot of good advice.
_________________
D-Dubya Manx clone - 63 Short pan,1914.
Rosie 65 bug - My mostly stock daily driver.
Woodie 69 VW woodie (Hot VWs 7/12).
"John's car" 64 VW woodie - The first ever
Maxine 61 Cal-look bug - Cindy's daily driver.
Max - 73 standard Beetle hearse project - For sale
66 bug project - Real patina & Suby conversion
There's more, but not keeping them...

[FeelthySanchez]

Welcome aboard.
Wow - pretty clean, barn-fresh & w/ orig owner's manual.
It's your call, but can not see any reason to hack this beauty into a CL 11 clone or whatever.

Suggest finding one that's already been modified for any OR duties.
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[JCrimson]

[sjbartnik]

[Chochobeef]

Get her cleaned up and take some pictures.



*edit* removed most of post

[SBD]

OP mentioned that the car had a Maaco respray several years back. To the OP, Looks like a pretty nice car!
_________________
"Just $99 down and $64 a month for 36 months buys you a brand new Volkswagen Beetle!"

[JCrimson]

These images are not in the gallery, due to having lent my iPhone cable out.

Well, I got some things done today before it really heated up outside. I managed to get the front trunk open again, and I greased it with white lithium grease to hopefully prevent a stuck trunk. Before that though, I drug out the 100ft hose beside my cousins home, and rinsed the Beetle off hoping to get the dust off of it. It looks great when it's wet, but almost immediately after it dried, it went back to its dull finish. I was recently gifted an orbital buffer, so I'm going to give that a whirl eventually. I forgot to mention that before my trip to her house, an auto parts store is roughly two blocks away. I stopped in to look into containers for draining the gas into. I managed to pick up a decent sized one for the fuel and another nicer enclosed drain pan for the oil. Eventually i'll get the front end on jack stands and drain the fuel from the tank.

Per my cousin: "Little did you know, that when you wrote that in the dust, you were adding to your future to-do list."

I managed to get more pictures of some of the "problematic" spots on the body. First up is the drivers side door hinge area. Followed up by some shots of where the fenders bolt to the body.

This next picture, I remember being MUCH younger. I saw a running board, so I stepped on it when getting into the vehicle. The bend in it was definitely my fault.

Decided to snap a picture of the radio so that I could look into the specific model. Found it in the database on here. Sadly, it's only AM. I did manage to get it tuned to a station, and found out that the only speaker that works (even though there is one in each door) is the one set into the dash.

After letting it dry, I set into engine work.

"Made in Germany" on the cap.

Had some problems with getting my 5/8 spark plug socket onto the plugs. Decided to take a picture of it to get a better view since the fenders are in the way. Had to run to the store to pick up a 21mm one.

Whoever has done work previously to this Beetle, put in the same plugs that I swapped them out with. The plugs definitely smelled like fuel. I also read that .024 (carbed) and .028 (injection) are the specifications respectfully. With the manual that I have, it does not give a specified gap I assume because it covers a variety of models?

After getting the spark plugs installed, which surprisingly wasn't bad with my enormous hands and the use of universal joints, and the routing of the spark plug wires, I attempted to take off the wire to the ignition coil. While doing this, I accidentally broke the insulator on the coil. A new one has been ordered.

This piece of fuel line and filter was replaced previously, when my cousin asked if I could get it running for her to sell it, 6 months or so, ago. Another old hose decided to split in half, coming from the breather area on the distributor, leading to the carburetor. I assume I can replace this, and any others that break with fuel line hose?

After breaking the coil, I decided to call it quits for the day. With a call to my brother, I managed to get the Beetle turned around in the garage. This way, i'll be able to work on the engine while in the shade for the remainder of the tune up. More of the parts should be arriving over the next couple of days.
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1974 Super Beetle