Miscelaneous
The Samba  Poplular site for VW owners.  Forums, Classifieds, & more.

AIRS Dedicated to assisting the intrepid VW traveler (All models!) when facing the occasional breakdown (of either yourself or your trusted VW).

Air-cooled site with lots of great links and a Perfect Looking 67 Beetle

BugOuts.com This is the Official Website for the BugOut VW car show event. The Manassas, Virginia based BugOut is one of the largest VW car show events in the world. It treats east coast VW enthusiasts to a day of drag races, air and water cooled cars, showcases of rare and exotic VWs, swaps, new part vendors, slalom, and the Miss BugOut contest.


Suppliers
Airheads
Chuck's Convertible Parts  In business since 1974 !

House of Ghia 


Technical
A link to Wayne Dean,s article on Winterizing your VW.

How to paint a Beetle VW Trends shows how the pros do it.

How to do an Oil Change

Floor Pan Replacement  From Higgins & Crew

Volkswebbin The original Air-Cooled VW Forum Another great site for free VW technical support


 

Repair & Restoration Shops
Metric Autohaus, Inc.   Repair, Restoration, Fabrication, and Modification of German & European Automobiles Since 1984.

Car Clubs

Karman Ghia Club Of North America


Do you host an Air-Cooled related webite & would be interested in exchanging links ? Email Bill@airsuckers.com

Helping to Prevent Engine Fire   Remember some of these old cars could have original equipment reaching thirty, forty, or more years old !


Its great to have a HOT looking car.....just not literally. If you have not done so already It is highly recommend that you invest in a quality fire extinguisher rated for automobiles. Make sure it is large enough to do the job in the event of an engine fire emergency. Nothing would be more frustrating as having a fire almost put out as the extinguisher runs empty!  It only takes minutes for a fire to engulf an entire car. Think of it as an  extra insurance policy plus a piece of mind knowing you have it. Mount it  securely &  readily available as every second a fire can cause devastating results. I mounted one right under the dash above the floor tunnel. A fire extinguisher is a good idea for any car, but especially these old Air-cooled wagens.. This brings us to our second tip. One of the common causes for Vw engine fires is worn out fuel delivery components. Unfortunately the fuel lines can run rather close to the exhaust in some areas. Brittle rubber fuel lines can crack or come loose from fittings and cause fuel to leak onto a hot exhaust etc. If you car has its original fuel lines they are probably quite rotted by now. These lines will generally have a braided cloth covering and it is recommended to replace them with the same quality braid covered hoses.  A known problem area which has been documented since the 50's is the grommet which protects the fuel hose as it passes though the rear engine tin. This grommet can become worn and fall off over the years exposing the fuel line to wear against the engine tin pass through. A solution would be to replace the grommet or fabricate some type of pass though fitting. I have seem some people use a threaded tube such as brass lamp hardware with a nut on each end to secure the tube to the engine tin. This is a good time to replace the grommet while you are replacing the fuel line. Just be sure to inspect this area on occasion. Other problem areas are the fittings where the fuel lines connection to the carburetor or fuel pump. These fittings are usually a press fitted and years of vibrating can cause them to work loose. Most of the time it would be cause from heavy loose fuel filters flopping around in the engine compartment which eventually work these fittings loose. One simple ideas I have seen is to use a thin wire twisted around the hose clamp and then connected to a screw on top of the carburetor. Same idea could be used for the fuel pump. This would help keep the hose from pulling the fitting out of it's press fit. A simple little ideas like this could save your car. Be sure to secure fuel filters so that this does not happen. Metal fuel filters with glass cylinders are not recommended as they are heavy, can work loose, or the glass can crack.
For this reason it is also recommended to be careful routing your fuel filter above the distributor. Gas and spark works best inside the engine !
Another issue worth mentioning is the Battery terminal connections. If your battery has top mounted posts, make sure they do not come in contact with the rear seat springs. Heavy objects (or people) could cause the bench seat springs to come in contact with terminals. Be sure that the positive terminal post is covered, otherwise you
may discover your car has heated seats !


Being Prepared For Roadside Emergencies

Besides keeping up with maintenance, there are other things you can do to keep your Air-Cooled Car reliable.
If your Air-Cooled breaks down it usually wont respond to cursing. There are no real complex tools required. Here is a list of Parts I usually keep handy in the car for emergencies. A large muffle bag will hold most items. Take some time to find creative ways to condense your inventory. The trick is finding a balance between packing light as possible while still being prepared for emergency situations.
If you are on a budget check out some local dollar stores for some of these items. You will be surprised what you can find there. I will mark a $sign for items I've picked up at thrift shops.

$Spare Fuses - The spaghetti system may call for them at times.

$Automotive wire with alligator clamps - If you run into an electrical issue this may be helpful for testing or bypassing faulty wiring.

$Electrical Tape- Small roll wouldnt hurt.

$Wire Terminals - Small assortment of various fittings.

$Test light - A must have for old Veedubs.

$Work Gloves & Drop Cloth - These will make life little less miserable in the event you have to crawl under the car.

$Hand cleaner- Even a small amount in a zip lock bag or something.

$Roll Towels & or Shop Towel - An old spare shirt could double as a shop towel & at least you wont ruin everything you wore.

Spare Change - In case your cell phone takes a dive or you cant charge it.

Set of Points- If you are still running with points in the distributor a spare set would be advised.

Spark Plugs-

Spare throttle cable- These cables are known to break from fatigue. Usually right around the carburetor. It is helpful to keep the linkage around the carburetor lubricated to allow the cylinder which the cable passes through to pivot correctly. Cable flexing will eventually cause fatigue of the wire strands and then "snap" . Not something you would
want to happen while making a left hand turn with fast oncoming traffic ! A spare cable only costs a few dollars and could will save you a tow bill. These can be changed in a few minutes by loosening the lock bolt on the carburetor linkage and unhooking the other end from the gas pedal and pulling it though the cable routing tube. Reverse this process to install the new one. I learned the hard way to keep a spare cable when mine broke on a dark road. I Luckily had some string handy which I routed from the carburetor linkage , through the apron
louvers, around the car and into the driver side window. It was however a little bit of a challenge to juggle pulling the string , steering and shifting gears. I did get the car home safely, but would NOT recommend an idea like this!
Flashlight- Dont leave home without it.

Fire Extinguisher- It's a great piece of mind when you see smoke.

$Quart or 2 of Oil- This is the only fluid your Air-Cooled car has to keep from overheating.

Dash mounted navigation systems are coming down in price. If you dont have the cash to spring for one of these gems it may be good to at least keep a phone directory handy. Or at least important sections of the book such as Auto Parts , Towing , Etc. A Gps such as a "Garmin" will usually have search features which list names , numbers
& addresses of places. They can be a real life saver.

Emergency Contact Information- Friends & Family (if Applicable)

First Aid kit & spare water These items are easily acquired and inexpensive. should be no reasons not to have them. Walmart sells a first kit for under $10 bucks and they are packed with all kinds of goodies such as aspirin and Tylenol.

Repair manual. Some initial troubleshooting may solve a simple problem and get
you on your way again.

Spare Belt - Another inexpensive part yet vital part. A broken belt is detected
by the generator light coming on, which means pull over! You will fry your
engine in no time driving without one. Be sure to have the appropriate socket
size or crescent wrench to loosen the pulley nut.
A large screwdriver for preventing the pulley from turning when loosening the
nut is helpful too.

Tools- Take some time to go around and test various repair scenarios to find tools which will may be essential or at least worth considering.
Screwdrivers Long and short Phillips & Flat heads
Swiss Army Knife- Nice to keep handy on a key chain.
Metric Socket set 10 & 13mm will probably be the most used.
Spark plug socket
Open end metric wrenches- for tight spots.
Feeler Gauges
Pliers
Needle Nose Pliers
Lug Nut Wrench & Jack
Vice Grips


Jumper Cables- In case you gotta "mooch" some electric off of a good Samaritan.

Other Miscellaneous items to consider

Engine Valve Seal - An easy fix in case one springs a leak

Carb rebuild kit- They dont cost much.

Spare Bulbs- One may save you a citation from Officer Friendly


(to be continued)


Do you have comments or advice to share with fellow Air-Cooled Car Owners? Drop a line to BILL@AIRSUCKERS.COM Check back frequently as new content is added.