The Black Sheep Beetle

My vote: BAJA BUG

1.Get it running/working

2.Big wheels/tires, used

3.bush guard/light bar in front

4.Crutchfield stereo

5.cheap seat covers

6.bob fenders engine cover as desired

7.used header/exhaust

Done!(only a suggestion)

In reply to Burrito:

I will be sure to do this, cheap and easy

Dab a little dialectric grease on any electrical connections when you put them back together, including those fuses. Its cheap, it doesn't take much grease to keep the connection right, and it will make your life much easier in the future. I agree with whoever said to clean up any and all body grounds you can find, but start with the battery and then the fuse panel.

The start / no start sounds like a classic case of bad connection somewhere from a loose clamp or a corroded connection. Don't forget to pull the battery clamps off, clean the post and the clamps with one of the wire terminal brush thingys, apply a coat of the dialectric grease to the posts, and then tighten the clamps down well. Also, if the battery cables have the replacement clamps that clamp down to the wire, make sure to take that clamp apart, clean it ans the cable up, and grease that too. I've had them get an invisible layer of oxidation between the clamp and the wire and give me all kinds of trouble hunting it down. If it keeps giving you start issues have Autozone or someone run a test on the battery to make sure it's good as well. Probably is, but that's an easy, free way to eliminate the possibility.

Got her running great over the weekend. Cranks up every time now. Now on the hunt for seat covers. The exterior is rough at best, gave it a wash yesterday and realized that the paint is god awful. The back left fender shows tinges of red and all around the car the paint is bubbling with rust underneath. Gonna have to sand down those sections and rust proof them first. In the short(er) term, I'm now on the hunt for some seat covers.

I'm gonna take some good pics of the beast sometime this week.

Does anyone know cheap-ish ways to lower a super? The McStrut front suspension seems very close the to mk1 rabbit setup; are there any parts that would carry over and give a slight drop? I know empi makes adjustable strut housings, but would a set of coilovers be better?

NoPermitNeeded wrote: Does anyone know cheap-ish ways to lower a super? The McStrut front suspension seems very close the to mk1 rabbit setup; are there any parts that would carry over and give a slight drop? I know empi makes adjustable strut housings, but would a set of coilovers be better?

Adjustable coil spring perches whether they are sleeves slid over the stock strut housings or if they are integrated into the struts themselves, accomplish the same thing.

The major issue is to use good quality springs and to not go too high on the spring rate without struts that can control the spring properly or you'll have a miserable riding and handling car.

You might find some takeoff springs from a Rabbit/924/944 that could work, but I don't know if that would work.

So my next step on this is to work on the body. There are a few rust spots that show through the paint and are pretty gross. I plan on wet sanding down those areas and using some rust proofer in preparation for the eventual paint job. What grit sandpaper should I start with?

Body work like this is soul crushing, but it needs to get done.

Man, I would have loved to have a Super Beetle in highschool. I would have learned a lot more about working on old cars, that's for sure

I'm excited to see what you do with it! Sounds like you're being smart, prioritizing, and tackling the little stuff one step at a time. That'll help you avoid getting discouraged and burnt out. There's a Porsche 924 that's been on jackstands in my parents' garage for 4 years because I tried to do too much too soon, got stuck, and then haven't had the motivation/time to get back to it.

alfadriver wrote:

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ wrote: POR 15 is expensive, Tractor Supply or Rustoleum enamel would be my choice. For seats, are those solid enough to put covers over? If not then maybe just adapt whatever you can get at your local junkyard that is around the same dimensions.

POR is overrated. Rustoleum is underrated. Stuff works really well, and is easy to get. Rusty metal primer for the win.

Especially the brush on (or load it on a spray gun) stuff, the rattle can rusty metal primer doesn't seem to work as well. For a car floor I'd brush on primer, then brush on black, thin the primer something like 10% with mineral spirits so it soaks into seams and stuff better.

Went to crank her last night, wouldn't turn over. Get out there this morning, cranks up perfectly...

Heat related? Maybe a bad solder joint in the relay or ignition switch.

In reply to Dusterbd13:

That's possible. At this point it's gone beyond my knowledge. My mom's boyfriend comes into town and he knows cars and such, we're gonna see if our combined power can solve this.

In reply to NoPermitNeeded:

Good time to start reading some books to figure it out.

Randomly not cranking is likely going to be a starter or wiring.

In reply to alfadriver:

Facts, I've already started making my way through John Muir's How to Keep You Volkswagen Alive. It is possibly my favorite piece of literature of all time

In reply to NoPermitNeeded:

Just keep in mind that book isn't perfect. The big one that pops in my head is the best ACVW cooling system is usually a 100% intact stock one, dogsleds, thermostat, flaps, those little deflector plates in the fins, etc. should all be there and working. Not the "toss everything but the fan shroud and upper cylinder tins" tactic that was once popular.

Today marked the start of operation rust removal. I'm starting by taking all the rough surface rust on the paint, sanding it down, and coating it with sealer primer.

I started by finding a smaller rust spot so I could practice a little. The only other time I've sanded a car was repainting some scratches on my grandads ridgeline.

It's really amazing how many different layers of stuff was on this thing. I was told to get it down to bare metal and then to spray it with rust stabilizer. So bare metal I found. At some point a dent was filled in, sadly I found that dent and bondo. I'll have to go back through and fill it in again, the bondo had started to crack the paint around the dent which is what sparked my interest in sanding it down.

On a pleasent note, I just took the trusty steed on a late-night froyo run. She was perfect, the only issue is the headlights are SUPER dim. At some points it was almost like driving with no lights, which is a bit of a gamble where I live; lots of hills and a lack of street lights. However, this is the perfect opprotunity for some big ole rally lamps...

Sittin' purdy

Fix the wiring and H4 conversion time.

In reply to BrokenYugo:

H4 conversion is next up on the safety / must do list

Or you could go with GE LEDs.

I just assumed the black sheep beetle would be on engine number nine.

Looks like an awesome first car. What I say next could sound like I am against the car; I am not.

If you're prone to inattention and youthful exuberance in your driving, read Ralph Nader's Small On Safety. I'm not trying to talk you out of the car; on the contrary, I want you to know it's not a 2017 Volvo, and I want you to know by how much.

Woody wrote: Buy this book today: $14.68 at Barnes and Noble

Yes, definitely. I'm currently looking for the Rabbit iteration of this. Be sure and read the section on how to buy a used Beetle, it's great!

From my experience, have you had a passenger in the back seat yet? I would pull the bench part of the seat and make sure your positive battery terminal has a cover on it.

The stock headlights on mine were not very good. I drove around with my brights on- never once was flashed to turn them off. But fixing them properly would be the prudent thing to do.

Great car!

NoPermitNeeded wrote: Went to crank her last night, wouldn't turn over. Get out there this morning, cranks up perfectly...

Could be as simple as loose connections at the battery. Check there first.

Wiring degrades over time and the starter wiring loops all the way thru the ignition switch. Relay bypass shortens the loop and 12V goes from battery directly to the starter. I've done the hard start relay on every ACVW I've owned. Easy.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=421220

Should get to finish phase one of operation rust prevention this week, couldn't get any work done this weekend; at my dad's place.