dune buggies and hotVWs November 2018

Why are you fascinated by/ addicted to Volkswagens? If I ask this question to a hundred people, I will likely get a hundred different answers. Back to these questions: How many Volkswagens have you owned? And how many VWs have you ever let go, gave or sold to someone else? Like I always do, you might wonder how your former rides are doing with their new owners. Are your dreaming about reuniting with these cars or even buying them back? I’m pretty sure each VW folk has different stories to tell… On a personal level, I became a VW nut when I was four years old. My uncle used to live with my parents when I was a kid and he owned a ’73 or ’74 Beetle. When my uncle…

Aftermarket Governor I have built a log splitter with a stock 1600 single port engine, electronic ignition, Bosch 009 distributor, blue coil and a header exhaust. At first, I had it idling at 2500 RPM and it would just bog down under a load. I found an aftermarket governor to apply the throttle when necessary to hold a constant RPM. Now it works great. I have the governor set at 2200 RPM. What RPM would be the best for the best power range? How many HP would I have at that RPM? And about how many HP do I have at 2200RPM where I now have the governor set? The governor holds it at a constant RPM. It runs for hours at a time. Thanks Gary Cate, Knoxville, TN Believe…

Sad news to report. Last week, my Herbie was the victim of a distracted driver. He was rear ended at the Woodward Dream Cruise while we were dead stopped on the road. The driver “claimed” he was “adjusting his shoe”. Yeah, RIGHT! The man was wearing loafers – what’s there to adjust? He also showed absolutely no remorse or empathy – not even an “I’m sorry” came from his lips. And – get this – his name is Herbert! Herbert hit Herbie?? You can’t make this stuff up! Thankfully, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. We’re okay, plus he didn’t hit Herbie full-on, he only clipped the right rear at about 5-10 mph. But it was enough. There’s damage to Herbie’s right rear fender, apron, tail light…

In this article, I’m going to talk about what it takes to convert your car from the old 6-volt system to 12 volts. In last month’s issue, we talked about the coil, choke, and alternator. This month, we are finishing converting from 6 volts to 12 volts. Type 3s can skip this as there is no tin or fan. This tin is different than the 6v tin and, no, your 6v tin won’t work. The way it goes on is the flattest plate goes on first. If it has a hole in the face, that hole goes down. Place it over the two studs of the generator/alternator, then the small ring. Now the rear most plate. Look at it closely and you will see an area on the edge of…

Our Buses rarely have all of their factory original parts. Volkswagen replacement parts have evolved over time. They may be the same or vastly different from original, while functioning just fine. Most people want many of their parts to be stock original looking, but that is not necessarily what VW intended. Volkswagen was building cars to be used and driven, so they would supersede parts with improved versions. A good example is bumpers. In early ‘59 model year, VW replaced the early style “pressed” bumpers with the improved heavier duty later-style bumpers. The company quit making the early models since the new ones would fit onto early Buses. VW even put out technical bulletins A15 and A16 as soon as the new bumpers were available, which showed how to cut…

I just pulled in the driveway after a week away in Monterey, California for the famed “Car Week” of events. For those of you that are not familiar with this absolute overload of automotive excess, I will give you the quick rundown. Way back in 1950, the local sports car folks in the Monterey area decided to set up a race and car show event along the tree lined coast and for the next six years the races continued; but after a fatal crash of a driver in his Ferrari, the races were canceled. T h e P e b b l e Beach Concours d Elegance car show continued however and has developed over the decades into what many consider, the finest classic car show in the world. As…