Chris/Marc's project

[Chris V]

Been thinking about heater booster fans, and not finding anything I liked available I resorted to cleaning up an original Type IV single speed (factory balanced) squirrel fan...It'd been kicking around the garage for I don't know how long, so I just had to open it up and tear it down, inside I found the brushes were like NEW, and after I chucked the commutator shaft up in the drill and polished the journals and commutator I threw some synthetic wheel bearing grease at it and fired it up - works great! I found similar models made by Bosch for late model BMW's, but they're plastic now.

[Chris V]

Had a friend media-blast all the hardware for me since my garage isn't heated, lol. Handwashed, primered, couple coats of Rustoleum and she's one-half step closer...just need to drill/tap a few things and install the parts

[Chris V]

[Chris V]

Finally, a big step toward finishing the car...making more room in the garage! I poured a pad and built a shed over the summer, just got around to running the power and the air out there:

[Chris V]

Well, I still haven't anchored the air compressor down, I finished up the electrical and got back into the garage... Although it was to do the brakes on a friend's car...He bought the old 16" wheels off this project car too - they look better on the Corrado I think...but so do most things

Tonight I got the domelights, rear-view mirror, passenger fender markers, and windshield wipers all sorted...

The domelights are awesome, the two OEM ones fade out - while the two LED ones have a sharp cut-off.
The factory brake warning light button over-rides them (an option on the Dakota Digital PAC-1300)and makes it so Dad doesn't have to go reaching for the ceiling to turn-on/off domelights.

The Subaru squirters deliver four nice even streams and when used with the Cole Hersee switch they're operated by pushing the switch like stock, except it controls a Mexican reservoir/pump in the driver's front fender/trunk.

The Rossi features a park lamp, while the OEM `69 dual filament bases w/`64-67 lenses/covers feature park/turn lamps, and the WCVW sidemarker features one lamp that operates as park/turn...I wired the Rossi as a turn signal too, but chose instead to have it serve park-only duty.

I had to modify the Gentex rearview-mirror harness for the application...The auto-dimming, thermometer, and compass features work with the key ON, or for 20 minutes after the car has been turned-off or when the driver's door (also possible to have passenger) is opened - whichever happens first. There's also a voltage monitoring device that'll over-ride those if the unit thinks the battery won't have enough juice to start the car again. I do still need to glue
the puck to the windshield to mount it.

[Chris V]

Began fiddling with the automatic headlight function on the DD module...it seems pretty neat, it's just a little sensor I fished-down the passenger-side dash vent. I also wired another 12VDC outlet in where a pre-`68 bug has a M/C, I got Dad a Ryobi automotive air compressor for Christmas. Also wired in the BIG Holley fuel-pump. Nearly finished all the wiring in the car (except for gauges), just need to go get some more terminals for the 10 gauge headlight harnesses...I also need to track down another WCVW side-marker's lamp holder - for the back-up lamp.

The new tail-lights Dad bought off eBay years ago had terrible reproduction lamp holders and the reflectors suck...I already painted one of them with Chrome paint, attached a ground (fiberglass fenders) terminal, and installed OEM lamp holders that I media-blasted...still have to do the other.

I have broken both of my cameras (one is my phone) in the last three days, it's been rough...lol.

[Chris V]

Asked around, and made a phone call to HRPWorld (great customer service) and ended up going with this Genesis racing mirror for the car...still have to mount the gauges and switches, and it keeps snowing

[Chris V]

Mounted an extra 1/2" wide bezel around the glovebox to cover some chipped-paint...and mounted a couple of illuminated rocker switches to operate the rear window defrost and the Type IV blower fan under the backseat. I also got the other tail-light painted and fitted with OEM bulb holders - and I have functional 4-ways!

Then I went about finding my fancy painted ashtray to mount the two-speed switch for the dash-fan...and when I couldn't, I just stole the ashtray from our Baja...had to do a little welding , and after drilling/filing to fit...I remembered I had a virgin sheet of carbonfiber w/adhesive on the back, and with a little luck it came out OK.

[Chris V]

Worked on Dad's (hopefully soon) old daily driver `77 as it was too cold & nasty to be outside and it reliably took me to the local VW parts house today in a soupy mess of a road system to gather more parts for the `69:



OK, finally taking on the project of intermittent wipers using stock components on a modular harness Beetle. I was reading another post a couple hours ago from Joel, which reminded me I have an extra "99." relay laying around. I went out and checked the somewhat modified switch in Dad's `77 and it didn't have the extra terminal...so I pulled another from my other `77 (nearly disassebled anyway, and the stalk was cut-down from the Passat wheel), it didn't have it either. So then I went digging through my spare switch tub and luck would have it, I found one - but the spring and pointed plastic cap which select the positions were missing...So I stole the pieces from the cut-down `77 unit. I proceeded to lose these pieces another half-dozen times or so as they went zinging across the livingroom, that little spring packs a punch!

I found I had to file down the ramp from the off-to-intermittent position, years of use as a three-position switch made it quite unwilling to go to a new position...so now the intermittent ramp has ~20 years of simulated wear I also have an extra Mexi-Beetle reservoir/pump to replace the Golf one mounted in there now.

I'm more willing to go this route now that I've found a steering wheel I like (early 944) that has proper clearance to the stalk, something to keep in mind though, it won't clear all combinations and the stalk can be uncomfortably close on others.

Photos:

6-PIN (rather than 4 or 5):

Integral pull-to-wash contacts as well as the intermittent:

Ground on the bottom:

[Chris V]

Added a couple wires to the `77 harness today, hopefully there will be a dry day upon us soon to mess around with the relay terminations:



On the `69 I swapped-out the 2-prong brake lamp switches for Euromax 3-prong units - hoping they won't give me too much grief - far from my first choice.

[Chris V]

Well, as luck would have it for this project, the O/S upgrade my G/F made on her Mac went terribly south and I escaped out to the garage and knocked off the build-up of ice under the `77 and wired in the two new relays into the factory fusebox. I still need to change the steering wheel and the actual switch itself...right now there are two intermittent positions, a slow, and a high - it rains a lot here, but not that often

[Chris V]

Today started off easy enough...tossed the 'new' mystery switch in and found it & the junkyard relay worked flawlessly. Then I moved onto taking out the Golf reservoir/pump and installing the Mexican Beetle unit, then I cleaned the hole trunk with a rag and paint thinner...Changed out a poor looking fuel breather hose from the filler spout. Then I installed a new trunk liner. Cleaned the spare tire, jack, and lug wrench bar (ground down the OD to fit in the alloy wheels). Then packed away the gas can, wrenches, socket set, jumper cables, emergency kit, fanbelt, gloves, bottles of water, jump-start box, and spare wiper fluid. I cleaned and lubricated the hood mechanism, added 1/2 quart of oil to the 1915 (wicked blow-by), then cleaned out the plastic glovebox and made a partition to separate the spare fuses/pens/sunglasses/Leatherman/matches/etc.

While I was at it I decided to take a look at a pesky problem I think about fixing everytime I borrow Dad's car...Awhile back I added a new WCVW 12VDC outlet in the glovebox and there's a Bell splitter plugged into it that's always losing power and must constantly be wiggled it seems like. So I took off the cap from the male-end of the cord from the splitter and found the fuse wasn't long enough to extend the contact out reliably... so having recently messed with the turn signal & wiper switches I remembered having a tiny spring laying around. As luck would have it, it was perfect to place under the fuse and correct the problem!

[Chris V]

Not the cleanest thing ever, but the modular Std Beetle is a PITA to work on IMO...

I already had an accessory relay fitted in the second space, so I just plopped the wiper relays on either side:




With that behind me, the focus is again on the `69 - need to install the speedo/tach/CHT/oil temp gauges.

[Chris V]

Nearly completed the wiring of the rear window defrost/heater blower fan switches and the gauges - decided to take apart the speedometer to change a couple color cards...Green for park lights, red for defrost, green for blower fan, and blue for high beam. While I was at it, I masked off the speedometer can and the bezel and painted them with chrome paint - thought about retro-fitting LED ribbon, but this seems more reliable and easier to work with - the ribbon is supposed to be unforgiving of mishandling, breaking and rendering it useless.

I shot myself in the foot so-to-speak - I was planning on having the two switches only illuminate with the dash lights, but they're LED and won't work in my 'backwards' installation. I bought a couple spare Hella switches like this and went so far as to take one apart and see about reversing the polarity - Boy that's not gonna' happen, I was afraid of the LED ribbon, I don't stand a chance at pulling it off. Oh well, these switches were the only ones I found that were rockers with a bezel and a large nut securing them. I was able to get the disassembled switch back together, so luckily no insult to injury.

Also finished a project I started last night, rebuilt a `70/`71 wiper motor/trans that I'll probably swap for the un-rebuilt one in the `69 now...still need to install some grommets for the pivots too.

The new Genesis driver's side-view mirror came today, it looks excellent - now I've just got to collect some hardware for mounting and make some holes, with any luck there'll be enough adjustment for it to work in a position that allows the vent-wing to open

[Chris V]

Went and got some M5x0.8 hardware for the mirror, and the 17" 996 alloy spare came too! Unexpectedly it also came with a drawstring bag with an alumimum scissor jack & handle, a poncho, some gloves, a trash bag, and a the kicker...a nice tire cover with a velcro pocket - sweet. It arrived deflated, so I pumped it upto 58lbs and will see if it holds, it's nearly the same diameter as the 255's on back too.

Also went to TAP Plastics and got some resin and woven matte to reshape the two-speed fan equipped Super Beetle fresh air box around the modular fuse panel.