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xraymatt
Samba Member
Joined: March 27, 2008
Posts: 52
Location: La Quinta, Ca
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 Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2023 9:05 am Post subject: Re: 1961 Gulf Blue Ragtop |
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| PastDown wrote: |
Lovely 61 ragtop, I have the exact same but RHD and in original paint.
Do you know what month yours was produced?
Thanks |
I haven't looked into the specific month it was produced yet, but I'd like to do a full birth certificate on it. I've always found that fascinating.
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1956 Reed Green oval window
1961 Gulf Blue Ragtop |
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xraymatt
Samba Member
Joined: March 27, 2008
Posts: 52
Location: La Quinta, Ca
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| Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2024 1:06 pm Post subject: Re: 1961 Gulf Blue Ragtop |
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Got the 61 back on the road! The vibrating clutch cable resulted from the cable being too short. How that happened all of a sudden, beats me. But installing a longer clutch cable did the trick. Shifts with ease now.
Also dialed in the timing with a slight counter-clockwise twist of the distributor. Now that 2332cc motor screams! Great weather this week too. The Dr. George car show in Indian Wells is coming up next month. Can't wait!
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1956 Reed Green oval window
1961 Gulf Blue Ragtop |
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xraymatt
Samba Member
Joined: March 27, 2008
Posts: 52
Location: La Quinta, Ca
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| Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2024 9:33 am Post subject: Re: 1961 Gulf Blue Ragtop |
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Ready to cruise in this beautiful desert winter weather.
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1956 Reed Green oval window
1961 Gulf Blue Ragtop |
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xraymatt
Samba Member
Joined: March 27, 2008
Posts: 52
Location: La Quinta, Ca
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| Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2024 5:06 pm Post subject: Re: 1961 Gulf Blue Ragtop |
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Spent last Sunday morning with the One11Aircooled club at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage. Great times!
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1956 Reed Green oval window
1961 Gulf Blue Ragtop |
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xraymatt
Samba Member
Joined: March 27, 2008
Posts: 52
Location: La Quinta, Ca
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| Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2024 11:56 am Post subject: Re: 1961 Gulf Blue Ragtop |
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We had a great time at the Dr. George car show at the Indian Wells tennis garden in Indian Wells, Ca. The One11aircooled club had almost 30 vehicles in attendance.
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1956 Reed Green oval window
1961 Gulf Blue Ragtop |
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xraymatt
Samba Member
Joined: March 27, 2008
Posts: 52
Location: La Quinta, Ca
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| Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2024 4:30 pm Post subject: Re: 1961 Gulf Blue Ragtop |
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Once a month, the One11Aircooled club out here in the Coachella Valley gets together for breakfast and a cruise. Last Sunday morning I cranked up the 61 and headed to the meet-up spot. As I pulled out of my block, I hit the brake pedal and it went all the way to the floor! After a split second of panic, I reached for the emergency brake, only to be reminded that both E-brake cables are on order and I did not actually have a functional E-brake. Fortunately, I was able to make it back to the house safely.
It turns out there was a major leak on the master cylinder. In recent days it had been raining, so fluid on the driveway didn't catch my attention. Oh well.
I'm going to switch the single circuit master cylinder for a dual circuit. Also, the rear brakes need a complete overhaul. So as of right now, it's up in jacks until I can get that done. Good times.
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1956 Reed Green oval window
1961 Gulf Blue Ragtop |
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xraymatt
Samba Member
Joined: March 27, 2008
Posts: 52
Location: La Quinta, Ca
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| Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2024 5:34 pm Post subject: Re: 1961 Gulf Blue Ragtop |
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So, I've been having some fuel starvation symptoms when accelerating into 3rd and 4th gear. After doing some research and a lot of reading, I discovered that some people have had problems with the Facet fuel pumps as they aged. So I decided to try a rotary fuel pump from CB Performance. I swapped them out and got a solid 3psi on the gauge, so we'll see how it goes.
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1956 Reed Green oval window
1961 Gulf Blue Ragtop |
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mukluk
Samba Member
Joined: October 18, 2012
Posts: 7032
Location: Clyde, TX
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| Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2024 8:53 pm Post subject: Re: 1961 Gulf Blue Ragtop |
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Looks like you might be kinking the fuel hose immediately to the left of the pump, that could well be the source of your issue due to a flow restriction. The supply hose at the inlet on the right also looks to be flattened somewhat, another possible restriction.
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1960 Ragtop w/Semaphores "Inga" |
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richparker
Samba Member
Joined: November 24, 2011
Posts: 6989
Location: Durango, CO
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| Posted: Sun Apr 07, 2024 6:03 am Post subject: Re: 1961 Gulf Blue Ragtop |
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Car looks good! One time the family and I were on a 6 hr trip to Denver for VWs on the Green at Columbine HS in Denver in my ‘68 Tin Top Westy. We were just cruising along and Bam, the 76mm CB crank broke. That sucked! AAA towed the bus and my in laws brought us my wife’s car and we continued on to the show. It wasn’t as fun being a spectator as opposed to a participant. So I feel your pain with the MC situation.
I just picked up a ‘63 Gulf Blue Deluxe. Once it stops snowing I’ll get deep into the build. It will never be as pretty as yours, but it is a solid car.
Thanks for the update and the pics, this is one of my favorite cars in the forum!
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’71 Westy build
Adventure thread
’65 Deluxe Build
’63 Deluxe Build |
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xraymatt
Samba Member
Joined: March 27, 2008
Posts: 52
Location: La Quinta, Ca
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| Posted: Sun Apr 07, 2024 7:39 am Post subject: Re: 1961 Gulf Blue Ragtop |
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| mukluk wrote: |
Looks like you might be kinking the fuel hose immediately to the left of the pump, that could well be the source of your issue due to a flow restriction. The supply hose at the inlet on the right also looks to be flattened somewhat, another possible restriction. |
Good eye. Thanks for pointing that out. I'll get under there and take a look and make sure there aren't any kinks in the new setup. Appreciate it.
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1956 Reed Green oval window
1961 Gulf Blue Ragtop |
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xraymatt
Samba Member
Joined: March 27, 2008
Posts: 52
Location: La Quinta, Ca
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| Posted: Sun Apr 07, 2024 7:47 am Post subject: Re: 1961 Gulf Blue Ragtop |
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| richparker wrote: |
Car looks good! One time the family and I were on a 6 hr trip to Denver for VWs on the Green at Columbine HS in Denver in my ‘68 Tin Top Westy. We were just cruising along and Bam, the 76mm CB crank broke. That sucked! AAA towed the bus and my in laws brought us my wife’s car and we continued on to the show. It wasn’t as fun being a spectator as opposed to a participant. So I feel your pain with the MC situation.
I just picked up a ‘63 Gulf Blue Deluxe. Once it stops snowing I’ll get deep into the build. It will never be as pretty as yours, but it is a solid car.
Thanks for the update and the pics, this is one of my favorite cars in the forum! |
Thanks man! That's nice of you to say. Thankfully the MC situation was relatively easy to resolve. It stops a lot better now!
Make sure you post about your new 63 build because I love learning new things from watching people's builds. I tore apart my 56 this past year and got rid of all the surface rust on the pan. The project is still moving along, with the new wiring harness going in now. It's definitely a journey. Looking forward to seeing yours.
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1956 Reed Green oval window
1961 Gulf Blue Ragtop |
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xraymatt
Samba Member
Joined: March 27, 2008
Posts: 52
Location: La Quinta, Ca
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| Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2024 4:38 pm Post subject: Re: 1961 Gulf Blue Ragtop |
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Fuel pump "upgrade" update:
Soooo, I managed to get the rotary fuel pump installed. Afterwards, I took it out for some test runs. I noticed some hesitation when accelerating, especially in 2nd and 3rd gear. After a few test runs, I decided to swap back to the Facet pump to see if it was a fuel pump issue or something else like a clogged fuel line. So, a couple evenings ago I re-installed the Facet fuel pump. The results had me scratching my head......it ran perfectly. I made sure that there were no kinks in the fuel line, but time will tell if the hesitation issue comes back.
Also this week I had a new set of tires installed on the stock rims. I love the sleeper look with the 2332cc in the back. so, as of today everything is good to go.
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1956 Reed Green oval window
1961 Gulf Blue Ragtop |
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xraymatt
Samba Member
Joined: March 27, 2008
Posts: 52
Location: La Quinta, Ca
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| Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2024 12:29 pm Post subject: Re: 1961 Gulf Blue Ragtop |
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So, I finally started digging into the 61's original engine it came with when I bought it. You'll remember previously that metal shards were found in the oil strainer after a roadside breakdown. I had the suspicions that one of the teeth on the camshaft had broken loose. Weeellll, boy was I surprised when I removed the case half and found several teeth completely sheered off. At least it was an obvious problem. Next, I think I'll pull out the crank shaft and have our local guru inspect it. I'll also rinse out the case and clean it up. There's still several small metal shavings scattered throughout the case.
Considering this is the first time I've ever disassembled an engine and attempted a rebuild, Its been pretty rewarding. I'm not even remotely considered a pro by any means, but you've got to start somewhere.
Good times.
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1956 Reed Green oval window
1961 Gulf Blue Ragtop |
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