Restoration Project: '68 VW Beetle (o\ _!_ /o)

[AsadIshaque]

Another view. You can see some of the engine bits in the background.

We have two extra crankshaft pulleys, the one from the car was bent out of shape. The best from the two shall go on our engine.

Ignore the steering box, its a Superbug item.

[reezvaan]

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[AsadIshaque]

No, most definitely the credit goes to you to go find these hard to find bits by taking out some serious time from your busy routine. I am glad that the "painful" cause has called for such discoveries which would benefit the VW community at large.

59 RT deserves all this lot more than any of the bugs we own for being among the true rarities as compared to @murtaza_murti's or Patina.

I am impatient to see the "endless possibilities" with Krud Cutter & Cold Galvanizing Zinc.

Painful??? Not at all!! But then, whoever coined the term 'no pain, no gain' may have gone thru something similar (A)

Yes, all these discoveries mean that a lot of us can go on to tinker with their favorite toys and come up with some outstanding results.

I hope to restart the 59 project this coming month and give it the attention it deserves.

Now.......who do I task for documenting the 'endless possibilities'???? Any ideas?? (A)

[reezvaan]

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[AsadIshaque]

^^

No you are not dreaming! I really really need to pick pace on that project as its indeed the most important rebuild for me, till date.

[Xulfiqar]

^^

Thanks again Xulfiqar, your words add pearls of wisdom to each technical discussion.

I did explore the old city market a bit yesterday. It was a huge undertaking as finding the right places in that maze is an art. I was going around in circles and no one was guiding as the stuff I was asking around for seems like hens teeth to everyone. Literally, for every 50 people (who seemed to be concerned with hardware/chemicals/automotive bits/industrial applications) I spoke to, just ONE understood what I was looking for!

Anyway, that one person guided me to some real nice stash with a smallish shop.

Im sure Vaseline shall be available in bulk in this market, *somewhere*.

Opp lighthouse - aka botal gali - the one parallel to the paper/envelopes market first shop on the right - ask for petroleum jelly - they sell it by the KG.

For the goodie stuff - I go to a tiny shop/office in Musa Market opposite Sindh Madressah - the shop sells Loxeal products. On Marriot Road the only shop that makes sense is Hazari Impex - (Im also on their email list)

[Xulfiqar]

Back to the engine rebuild pics.....

The Crankshaft again. Its temporarily mated to the flywheel for a test fit.

Xulfiqar, I dont really want to 'modify' this crank by enlarging the oil galleries etc. It would be an experiment for me and I dont want to do it at the expense of Murtaza_Murti. Had this been my own engine, I might have experimented.

Do you think its a worthwhile option with a huge benefit??? Already, this particular crank is better than a 1300cc unit as it has larger oil passages so it can support a 1600cc or larger setup easily.

The oiling holes already have dishes in them - you just need to enlarge the dished portion, its standard rebuild practice - sadly not followed in Pakistan. It looks in pretty nice shape.

How do you guys tighten the gland nut on the flywheel - its the same practice for Mazda rotary engines too, I had made a tool that I use for locking the flywheel by the ring gear - and then use blue threadlocker and a HUGE torque limiting ratchet.

[AsadIshaque]

In general, most of the shields coming off this engine were bad. The root cause was probably the fact that everything was painted with the 'ground' not properly made. Result?? Rust had been creeping under all that silver paint and eating up metal. The metal doesnt look too bad in the pics but if you touch and feel, its gone weak at many places.

Above is the rear (remember its the rear of the engine and the car and not the front like many people say) engine shield. The old one had a uneven cuts to one outlet for the heater-box pipes as visible.

The sourced shields do need a few repairs here and there. I plan to test fit everything once the 'long block' is complete and iron out any imperfections while we are at it.

Once we are satisfied with the fit, we shall proceed to totally strip the metal and send off for Powder-Coating.

[Xulfiqar]

Now this is some serious sealing/prep'ing stuff. I am sure there would be lot of pain behind sourcing these in terms of hunting these bits down.

You remember that I am going for a tranny re-build/preserving original paint on Patina, right? So you know what I need, dont you?

Its a pain only the first time,

If you think thats serious - I think you will consider me mad if you looked at my rebuild cupboard. lol.

[AsadIshaque]

The oiling holes already have dishes in them - you just need to enlarge the dished portion,

I see.....but then how much is enough??? Too much and we compromise the strength of the Crank. Maybe just maybe???? Im being a scaredy cat :'(

[AsadIshaque]

Its a pain only the first time,

If you think thats serious - I think you will consider me mad if you looked at my rebuild cupboard. lol.

Not at all!! We like being mad!! (A) LOL :D, please give us a few pages from your book!

Pl list what else should we source for an engine rebuild, a tranny rebuild and for general jobs around the car. And what to get for a serious body off resto of the metal.

I wish you had a picture or two to share of the stash in your cupboard! Sneak peaks!

[AsadIshaque]

This goes in front of the pulley (remember you are standing at the rear admiring that engine!)

Slightly different in design, we shall see during the test fit if all fit together.

[AsadIshaque]

Trying to upload more pics but the server seems to have gone slow or something......

Shall try again in a while.......

[Xulfiqar]

a good investment is a tap and die set - to clean out every nut, bolt and blind hole - usually mechanics do not have them, It ensures every fastener goes back nice and clean fully torqued correctly.

Another good investment is a blasting cabinet - cheap and cheerful in Pakistan - get one made in Gujranwala, I have these things at my workshop - pricey yes - but its an investment for a lifetime.

Assorted weirdo tools - like a clutch centering tool made from a wooden handle etc.

Torque limiting ratchet - (aka torque wrench) the best tool you will ever buy.

[Xulfiqar]

I see.....but then how much is enough??? Too much and we compromise the strength of the Crank. Maybe just maybe???? Im being a scaredy cat

leave it as is then. But please clean out the crank with nasty killer degreaser - not the mellow petrol/kerosene wash

[AsadIshaque]

^^

Yes the tap and die set is on the cards for me since a very long time. Clean threads are really a treat to work with, be they on studs/bolts or nuts.

 I would love to have a torque wrench!! But the initial (one time though) cost is quite high. I asked about it yesterday......Rs 5500/- for a Chinese one. German/Brit/Yankee stuff shall be more expensive of course if available with anyone.

 Then degreaser it shall be......I tried to locate some but not successful.....details as per Reezvan quoted me in the 65 thread.......

I wish I had the means to set up a blasting cabinet at home..........

[AsadIshaque]

These are the cylinder cooling tins.

I wish I was able to locate something in better shape. But for those who know, finding these in any shape is a big thingy.

the pics dont do justice to these. In fact they are solid unlike the old ones, one of which is seen to be buckling already.

[AsadIshaque]

The pair in the foreground are the shields which go under the cylinders. Our engine came with only one of these and that too was quite rotten.....this pair is solid.


 The bigger item is the front shield, also missing from our jig saw puzzle :$.

All the shields on the aircooled VW motor serve an important function known as 'cooling'

[AsadIshaque]

One of the best parts sourced for this engine......the correct intake manifold. Its not perfect as the heat riser tube has been opened up and welded not so neatly, probably someones attempt at cleaning it. Still I consider myself lucky in having sourced this.

This dual port manifold is correct for the 1300cc DP engine having the smaller flange to accept a 30 or 31 PICT carburetor. The 28 PICT can also be fit if one chooses.

The 1600 DP manifold is the same apart from a bigger flange which accepts the 34 PICT series carb.

The boots seem to be in great shape, hope so as these are hard to find.

This engine can now breathe well. The setup which came off was restricting the inflow and choking it up. Now we can take advantage of those dual port heads!!

[Xulfiqar]

cleaning the heat riser is easy - get a welder to heat up one corner of the heatriser till the pipe glows - then he should cut off the acetylene gas supply and feed pure oxygen to the fire - the red ring will start to move to the other end - be sure to stay clear of the other end as sparks will fly out with ferocity.

Remove boots and other parts as necessary. For a torque wrench visit Awais traders in Plaza - say hi to them from me - and ask for a torque wrench, a good NOS italian piece will be around Rs 7000/- for a 30-149 lb/ft unit