dune buggies and hotVWs January 2019

The year 2018 will be remembered for its 80th Anniversary of the Beetle’s birth. Another celebration is planned for 2019: the 70th Anniversary of the first Beetle arriving to the United States. In fact, the classic car industry will likely take notice of the VW hobby/community in 2019, boosted by a very special event: On March 7-9, 2019 we will discover Volkswagens at the 24th Annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elégance, thanks to a new class for custom coachwork VWs. The Amelia Island Concours d’Elégance is a premier automotive charitable event, held every year during the second weekend in March at The Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island, in Florida. Businessman and car collector Bill Warner, a photographer and writer for Road & Track magazine over four decades ago, founded the affair in 1996.…

Shifter Rod Bracket Repair Hi Jon, I always look forward to reading your column and articles. Just read your article on shifter rod bracket repair and wanted to pass along a tip that should work for removing the old bracket from inside the tunnel. After loosening one side of the bracket by hammering on the bolt, remove the bolt. Remove the access plate at the front of the tunnel and fish a piece of baling wire up to the bracket and loop it through the threaded hole and twist it over. When the bracket falls into the tunnel, it should be easy to pull the wire and bracket out of the tunnel. In general, before starting a repair, tying a piece of string, wire, etc. to any part that can…

This month, we continue our quest of visiting shows we’ve never been to before. When the weather around here started looking cold and rainy for the last weekend in September, we headed south to Cincinnati, for the annual VW Porsche Audi Reunion. Now in its 27th year, this show combines all the wonderful models of the Volkswagen family into one magnificent show. Sponsored by the Cincinnati Volkswagen Club, the show supports a variety of charities, including the Ronald McDonald House, the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and Caring Bridge. Club President Bob Enderle and Secretary/ Treasurer Lisa French work with dozens of volunteers to ensure all enthusiasts have a great show. Numerous clubs participate each year – besides the host club, we also saw cars from the Audi Clubs of Kentucky and…

In this article we will be talking about how to remove and install swing axle tubes and axles. You IRS (Independent Rear Suspension) guys can skip this one or just read on for the knowledge. I’m going to assume you know how to get the transmission out. Once out, it’s really nice to have an engine stand to work with. You don’t have to, but I’m telling you: it’s worth it. You’ll see why later. Start by mounting your transmission in your stand so that the axles are left to right. Have at least two or three oil drain pans. Drain the oil out of the center section. You will need a 17mm Allen. An oak tree mechanic trick is if you don’t have one, use a 17mm headed bolt…

It was said that you could get a Model T Ford in any color, as long as it was black. For our Buses in the early- to mid-’50s, it seems like you could get a commercial model in any color you wanted, as long as it was Dove Blue. While most early commercials were Dove Blue, there were some other options early on, and even more later. This month, we will discuss some paint, standard colors and special paint on USA-spec Buses. There were more special paint Euro-spec Buses in many more colors, which will be a topic for the future. The sales literature and the internal VW parts literature lists the standard color options, and occasionally mentions some colors which are never seen. There are also many special paint…

I’m writing this month’s column after a truly epic adventure to the legendary SEMA Show in Las Vegas. For those of you that are new to the car world or have been living under a rock, the SEMA Show is quite simply an automotive-related trade show. All the major manufacturers of anything automotive related, from parts to tools to performance and dress up goodies, all set up their displays and court the buyers from shops around the world. Over the many years of its operation, each year it seems to get larger and wilder. Custom car builders and owners spend ungodly amounts of time and money building a vehicle that is worthy of display at SEMA. It is one of the biggest and wildest custom car shows in the world…