Ramblings of life long Ford man

[superj]

For sure

 

[RCC]

I luvd flat four VDubs. Rebuilt girlfriend 66 Campmobile. Put 1500 big bore kit, large oil cooler, 2brl carb, and 4 into 1 headers on it. Drove beetle bus everywhere and it never let us down.
Only problem was freezing our butts off in winter time...

 

[superj]

if google would have been around back then, a large oil cooler would have helped me tons.

and vapor lock was a huge issue so it took me a while to fix that once i got back to south texas. never had a problem with it in georgia but it was constant for a while when i got back to corpus christi

 

[mikkelstuff]

Ramblings > My Dad - radiator repairman, mechanic, and self-taught machinist - ran his own shop in rural small town Nebraska. I swear he could rebuild or fix anything back in the 50's and early 60's when labor was cheap and parts expensive. A complete engine rebuild ran about $350.

Many times I watched him bore out engine block cylinders to water, machine used tractor cylinder sleeves, press them into place, and finish boring those cylinders.

Times and prices have certainly changed.

 

[RCC]

Like to have met your father mikkelstuff.
A master mechanic extroidinaire...

 

[19Walt93]

I luvd flat four VDubs. Rebuilt girlfriend 66 Campmobile. Put 1500 big bore kit, large oil cooler, 2brl carb, and 4 into 1 headers on it. Drove beetle bus everywhere and it never let us down.
Only problem was freezing our butts off in winter time...

I've owned 9 different air cooled VWs, including one glass bodied dune buggy and rebuilt over 80 of the engines. Love is not a word I'd use. I worked at a service station from April 1972 until October 1975 and was building so many of them that I bought the tool to replace valve guides. While working at a service station- not a VW dealer. I'm glad you like them so I don't have to.

 

[RCC]

Reminded of my grandpa. Retired shipyard machinist/mechanic could fix everything on farm. If didn't have part or tool he fabricate one. Five year old grandson drove him nuts playing with all the stuff in workshop.

 

[RCC]

Old VDub air cooled 4 bangers were easy to work on and tuff as two bit steak. Hardest part was breaking and retorquing big flywheel nut.
You're just burnt out from doing so many 19walt93...

 

[19Walt93]

Old VDub air cooled 4 bangers were easy to work on and tuff as two bit steak. Hardest part was breaking and retorquing big flywheel nut.
You're just burnt out from doing so many 19walt93...

I saw so many that dropped the #3 exhaust vale into the cole and demoed the engine that I'd hardly call them "tuff". They ate camshafts as bad as small Chevys and you have to split the case to replace it. Take a Ford inline 6 or a Lima 2.3 apart sometime, VWs are not easy to work on, you just have to do it so often that you're on cruise control so time flies by.

 

[RCC]

Said tuff, not bulletproof. Run piss outta them, never change oil or do routine maintenance and something will break.
Rebuilt lots of old British motorcycles so I'm used to splitting cases...

 

[superj]

those old air cooled vw engines always seemed easy to me to work on. but i was at the autocraft shop at fort benning using their tools and stuff so i never was missing anything.

 

[RCC]

That brought back a lotta memories superj. Dad was retired Army so I got to use air force base auto hobby shop in HS. It had full service machine shop and competent machinist too.
Ahh, those were the days....

 

[RCC]

HS gear head buddy was retired military brat too. We spent more time at Charleston AFB auto hobby shop messing with cars than studying school subjects. Amazed we graduated...

 

[mikkelstuff]

In his last year, I asked my Dad (95th Division, Patton's Army) if his Army buddy LLoyd taught him how to repair radiators? He said "No, LLoyd was terrible at it." So he taught himself as the need was so great - repairing bullet holes.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

those old air cooled vw engines always seemed easy to me to work on. but i was at the autocraft shop at fort benning using their tools and stuff so i never was missing anything.

My brother had a 68 in high school, seemed pretty easy to work on to me.

A little wire clip thing broke in the clutch, I think it was for the throw out bearing. It was like half an hour to drop the engine the first time. Stupid thing ran on air and was like driving a gocart.

However... you had to accept the fact that you will have no heat and no defrost.