Volkswagen Club of Pakistan (VWCOP)

[NaveedRizvi]

@ Storm

Just to confirm the engine pics are spottings. It does not belong to me. Will take a few more pics today. of the body.

[AsadIshaque]

@Asad - Rare spotting indeed!

Offcourse cleaning the Fuel Tank from inside is a vital thing to do, and in expert's opinion it should be cleaned once in a couple of years. As you know better than me, rust settles inside the fuel tank by the time. Specially in the case of Vintage and Classic cars. However I did not have the proper cleaning equipment so therefore I used the basic technique which I found from my research before doing the DIY. I'm sharing for all of you Beetle fan's out there so that it might be helpful.

Take a steel chain, long enough to make a solid pile. Drop it inside the tank. Shake the tank thoroughly, I know it seems tough but if you're a true Car Fan, it shouldn't be a big problem. The rust inside the fuel tank gets off everytime the chain rubs the inside surface of the tank. Shake it enough till you think that no rust will get off now. Now rinse it with water multiple times and get the rust out as much as possible. You can use Acid afterwards but I DO NOT recommend and neither do I appreciate it while doing it yourself. People may seriously harm themselves while working with it. So let some professional do it for you. This is a very basic domestic technique to clean-up the fuel tank.

As far as the paint is concerned, I love spray painting! I used Spray Cans. I know it does not give you the desired results but in a D.I.Y, I had no better choice. I'm used to with Spray Paint Cans therefore I was very comfortable handling it. I sprayed three thick coats, just to make sure the paint settles in well. The result depends on how good your hand is, and it comes with practice as I often do!

I have a plan to paint the car myself, but before that I need to find a suitable place, and a professional Spray Gun set-up. We have one in our college, just hoping that they give me permission to do so. But I'm not getting time to do that currently. Hopefully in a next few months.

Fedd!

 Thanks a lot for the writeup. This is exactly the kind of stuff I hope we would discuss on these pages (and not 'what color should I get the bug painted?'). Next time do start a dedicated DIY thread for these kinda projects. You would get some good advice and tips from me at least, I promise. 


 I am familiar with the steel chain technique and the nuts n bolts one too as added by Storm.


 Acid is a BIG no no :0 even if some 'professional' is handling the job. Acid might eat through the metal and of course it is dangerous too. 


 One can use Kesosene oil ('mitti ka tail') for the cleanup. The tank must be rinsed out several times with an amount of petrol later as quite a bit of crap can dissolve in the petrol filled in later for use.


 I believe the spray can paint would not last too long. It may have been used for small bits, no problem, but for a tank which does see abuse in the form of stuff being thrown over it (after all it forms the front boot floor) it may be too fragile. You can use some proper (layer by layer with primer etc) paint using a gun sometime later but before the surface starts to rust and pit. The surface prepped is already too nice, nicer than what any 'professional' painter would do, so capitalise on it.


Btw, spraying on several *thin* coats is better than a few thick coats.  


You have ambitious plans regarding painting your car. Interesting and very much possible. Im sure you would get a nice result. Just put a fresh thread and document each step of the process.

Best of luck

[AsadIshaque]

@ Asad A lhd 1303 and you didnt trace him to his place let his family go in and ask him the car's history and ask him wether he wanted to sell it

 I really wanted to approach the driver but he was a young sharif looking Moulvi and had a very young Burka clad wife and young kids with him. I was sure he would not appreciate someone violating his privacy. Following him home would have been too much. One never knows how narrow minded some people can be.


He had just bought some goodies from the main United Bakery at Bahadurabad, so maybe he lives nearby. All spies on alert now! :P

[AsadIshaque]

@asad
not at all buddy, i still have to pay you for that ashtray as well (will come in handy soon). let me know where to send the cash and it'll be done ASAP. BTW how much does the guy want for the heater?

 Please pay Romano on my behalf, I shall adjust with him later. How do you want the item sent over??? I also have a front gearbox mount that someone (was it Ali??:S) wanted. Plus a thing or two for KP. Is anyone travelling to Isb in the near future??


The guy wants a neat bundle for the heater. I asked him his demand and he was reluctant to put a figure to it despite my nagging. He just said give me an offer. I am short on cash thanks to the ragtop project and cannot afford such luxuries now.  He had bought the scrap bus for 60k and was only interested in the engine (which has never been rebuilt :o). The engine goes in his superb blue 1970 bus. he would try to recover the 60ks from the sale of all parts extra for him.


 If you are really interested in the heater let me know and Ill see what he quotes.

[AsadIshaque]

@asad & Fedd the first time i met romano at the workshop i told him a little trick on how to derust the inside of a tank. you empty all petrol from it, add quite a bit of WD-40 and a handfull of nuts and bolts. then you shake the hell out of it. the nuts & bolts will scrap out any loose debris and the WD40 will instantly clean the inner surface. sadly we don't have anything to put INSIDE the tank to protect is after the treatment in PK but it's still better than having loose rust in there. i think that after the experiment i did with the bottle of petrol at home it is safe to say that ALL of our fuel tanks are due for a clean by now due to all the cr@p in the fuel here. as a tip, never fill your tanks from a pump at least 2 hours after the tanker has left otherwise all the deposits of at the bottom will be stirred up and will ent up in your fuel filter.

Btw, the basic ingredient of WD40 is kerosene oil.

I picked up a product locally which is supposed to go inside a fuel tank. Shall post a pic tomorrow. Have not used it yet so have no idea of the results.

I wish POR15 products were available in Pakistan.

Nice tips about the fill up.

[AsadIshaque]

I'd been searching for a while to get "Door Rubber Kits and Seals" for my Beetle. But I guess they are unavailable in local market. Can any other Make/Model's Rubber Kits can be fitted if the original isn't available? If yes, then I would like to know the Make & Model of that car.

Which ones do you need?? Please make a list and let us know. Some rubbers were available in Karachi last tiem I checked. Shall see how we can help. Btw, how many VW shops are there in Lahore???

Many years ago, my elder brother had collected a lot of parts from Lahore, both new (including some NOS goodies) and secondhand from Bilal Gunj .

As far as I know, you cannot fit other cars' rubbers onto a bug.

[AsadIshaque]

@ Naveed

Where did you spot this gorgeous yellow bug?? Looks like a 68-70 to me and is very very nice!! So many rare original parts are on it still! I just love the guage pod slung under the dash, exactly what I alway plan on fabricating locally.

I am guessing the engine belongs to this bug. Would wait for more pics.

[ToofaneBatameezi]

While searching for Porsche Beetle connection on Google led me to this VW Baja Bug Gull-wing door conversion which looks pretty cool to me.

The link to dude's page: http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Show/2346/vw-beetle-with-gullwing-delorean-doors-not-lambo/

[fedd]

@Storm - Rightly said! Sadly, most of the VW owners and mechanics simply refuse to learn anything pretending that they already know or they think they're the best. I joined in only to learn from you guys, and I always end up happy after learning something new everyday! It is a never ending thing...

@AsadIshaque - I'm searching for these in particular;

Weatherstrip, rubber that goes all around the doors;

Quater Window's weatherstips;

Vent Window Seals;

I checked from the VW shops here, but they aren't available. There is only one shop actually that keeps only VW parts and that is Lahore Auto Store in LOS, Ferozpur Road. The rest keep some VW parts like fuel filters, headlamps etc. And Bilal Gunj offcourse for second hand stuff, but such parts are difficult to find there as they wear out by the time and one has to get new ones.

[psyb0rg]

@Naveedrizvi, the yellow bug and that engine are freakin' cool!

@fedd, the doors' rubbers are easily available in KHI. The others are a big no no.

[AsadIshaque]

@Storm - Rightly said! Sadly, most of the VW owners and mechanics simply refuse to learn anything pretending that they already know or they think they're the best. I joined in only to learn from you guys, and I always end up happy after learning something new everyday! It is a never ending thing...

@AsadIshaque - I'm searching for these in particular;

Weatherstrip, rubber that goes all around the doors;

Quater Window's weatherstips;

Vent Window Seals;

I checked from the VW shops here, but they aren't available. There is only one shop actually that keeps only VW parts and that is Lahore Auto Store in LOS, Ferozpur Road. The rest keep some VW parts like fuel filters, headlamps etc. And Bilal Gunj offcourse for second hand stuff, but such parts are difficult to find there as they wear out by the time and one has to get new ones.

Im happy to note that you are learning from these pages. Good. However do note that we are by no means the ultimate authority on any or everything. Do visit the popular VW discussion boards and interact with people there (or just browse and lurk). I assure you would learn much from the wisdom of those freaks there who happen to be at a much higher level than any one of us......

And do share with us whatever you learn from other sources!

Psyborg has already answered your querry regarding the seals. He is right, the door periphery weather strip used to be easily available in Karachi till the last time I checked. Cannot gurantee you its on the shelf now as temporary shortages are sometimes seen. Can check if you like but youd hafta give me time. Or maybe I should pass on Cheap Autos phone number to you? Btw the ones available are Brazilian.

One thing more.....the pic you posted shows the weatherstrip being pasted on by silicone or something similar. I personally do not like that as the rubber sits snugly in the door channel itself and does not require any sort of glue. Local Mechs are somehow fond of 'Samad Bond' here but I loathe that approach. No pasting allows you to remove the seal at will in case you decide to go for a good cleanup or maybe a respray.

The second item you posted.....a bit confused......is it the popout quarter window rubber or the fixed window rubber. I think your car has popouts if my creaky gears above turn well......

Popout quarters and vent window seals have never been available locally at least from the time I have been poking my nose around the VW shops. An option is to import these personally. Send VWCOP a pmail as they might be able to offer you a set from a small stash recently imported in.....hurry till stocks last!

PS: Do note that the third pic posted is a seal correct for the pre 64 type of vents. Post 65 (69 inlcusive) are a bit different in shape following the profile of the newer shaped windows. Make sure you order the correct part!

Good luck.

[AsadIshaque]

@ all

  My presence in postings on PW may get limited in the coming days as I am bracing to join a new workplace tomorrow.

 I shall try my best to update the ragtop thread regularly as and when time allows..........

[fedd]

@psyb0rg - Thank you for updating me one this one buddy. I will recheck it from local market tommorow, if the door rubbers are available by now. Otherwise I might contact someone from Karachi to send it through courier.

@AsadIshaque - I show my gratitude for your comprehensive reply as always. Yes I do learn from these pages like rest of us. And offcourse, I have a habit of confirming the information I get, therefore I always browse through the pages for related topics. When I joined PakWheels a few years ago, I hardly knew anything about Beetles, although I had an intense passion for it but never got a chance to go in such details. I did learn alot through this forum and other valuable sources on internet, and offcourse I learned alot by experiences of my own like D.I.Ys etc. And surprisingly there is SO MUCH knowlegde out there that we cannot obtain in a single life-time. We have a long way to go, I'm just here to learn at my best and to help others with whatever little I have learned. And in this case, I appreciate people like you, Storm, Romano and a few other intellectual and honourable members who put an effort in order to keep our sweet possessions running. Thumb up!

The pictures posted were to just give you an idea, I'm thankful to Romano who just E-mailed me the priceslist. I'm hopeful to get them before the stock sells out.

As for the Door Wheatherstrip, I agree that no glue or such thing should be used, it makes no sense as the rubber itslelf sits firmly and steadily and I will definately keep this in mind because you never know I might have to remove them for a D.I.Y or so...

Please do send me the contact numbers of VW part supplier and stores in Karachi, because I might have to co-ordinate with them in future as I plan to restore the Bug in a next few months. Currently in doesn't seem to be in a good shape (cosmetically!).

[Storm]

@asad
will pay romano as soon as i see him (for the ashtray) as for sending it over, no rush, whenever the rest of the stuff comes over is fine.

@fedd
some of the parts you need are here with us in ISB. send me your email address and i'll send you a price/inventory list of the stuff which has arrived from canada.

[Storm]

@all
check out the following goodies:

http://www.pertronix.com/prod/new/details.aspx?ID=122

http://www.pertronix.com/prod/ig/flame/coils/40000_volt.aspx

http://www.pertronix.com/prod/ig/ignitor2/default.aspx

worth taking a look at if you intend on building some performance into your VW. (real world results on a 1600 dual port will be available on my 1303 as soon as i can get a 34PICT carb)

[fadee]

Real Goodies mate !

[mhawan79]

guys can any 1 tell me that is it possible to swap the air cooled engine with the water cooled in rear engine setup and install an ac plus cng on a beetle?

[psyb0rg]

NO!

[psyb0rg]

Buy some Japanese crap box instead...

[fedd]

@
mhawan79
- If advise you to don't put yourself into so much headache, if you're not a Beetle fan, buy some other ride for your project as as you've discussed in your other topic.