Brand new Dell'ortos

I was fantasizing about Megasquirt on my new engine, but then settled to carbs, so I can change the engine from my '67 TL to '65 Notch by only changing the coil and generator. I managed to buy brand new pair of 40mm Dell'orto DLRAs.

Got New Heads This Week.

These CB 044's with 42/37mm valves are for my new 2007cc type3 engine. CB 044 with 40/35,5mm valves flows 137/111 horsepower straight out of box, so it should not be a biggie to get 120-130hp out of these bigger valves with mild head work. I'll be mainly cleaning the ports and making the combustion chamber to follow the cylinder walls. Here's some pic's from the first session.

Overhauling the TL for Ice Track

Changed oil for the transaxle and all plugs opened up very nicely.






While being under the car, I became more convinced that it is in brilliant shape, even thought it has some cosmetic flaws. I also changed new bushing for the gear shifter. Check out the picture inside the chassis tunnel!

Unplugging the Case

I cleaned the case I was planning on using for my new type3 engine. Oh boy it was dirty! At the same time I pulled out the oil gallery plugs, for cleaning and preparation for the Bob Hoover HVX mod.



Here is the oil pressure relief gallery that Hoover says should be drilled bigger (up to 7-8mm) if using the high capacity oil pump to prevent excess oil pressure and cooler circuit not working.

Useful Little Trinket

Yesterday I mounted this neat little glovebox door puller to my ragtop, which brakes I go pumping from time to time during the winter hibernation. I believe most of Beetle drivers have cursed the dead springs on the glove box door sometime.

X'mas came early!

Apparently I've been really good this year! Parts for my new engine arrived today. AA (chinese) internals with some Claude's Buggies goodies. Heads will be Scat pro street with 40/35,5mm valves, but they didn't arrive just yet. But there's plenty of work already prepping and measuring the stuff that arrived.

New pans for the Notchback!

Gerson, the man behind the Klassic Fab, the funky green panels in Bogota Colombia sent me these pan halves for my '65 Notch project, I'd better start welding then! The Quality seems very nice!

Which tail light lenses would you choose?

TL MOT failure!

My new Touring Limousine failed at the MOT! Left side rear brake did not work at all, but the right side had 2kN braking force. So I had to open up the brake, one piston was completely jammed, and the cylinder was leaking on the other end because some corrosion and hardened rubber seals. These original wheel cylinders are 22mm, but the local parts shop is only offering 23,8mm cylinder from 1302 front brakes as a replacement. So I need to replace both sides. Not a bad idea, as I bet they are decades old, if not totally original. I already made new pipes, put in left side hose & pipe and cleaned the internals, as the leak had gotten all wet. Now I just need the new cylinders, they should arrive within a day or two, as they needed to be ordered.

Type3 Variant

Went to see this late sixties model N Variant a month ago. It was pretty solid, (read: welded alot,) but I lost interest as the body was welded completely to chassis.

Working on the TL

Last weekend I finished the polishing of the TL, it did not turn out perfect, but alot better than badly faded paint that it was before.



I set up electric windscreen washer, as original switch was leaking on the floor. I managed to make it all without doing any additional holes. Just tied the motor to the original washer bottle with cable ties, and added pushbutton under the dash to a hole there already was.


I installed steering damper too, which was missing. Talking about loose steering. I got two new dampers for 36,5€ including postage. Not bad, even though they're not german. I had to change tie rods as left side wheel had over one centimeter play!

New Old Shoes

Just had to try on the SprintStars. At rear there's no chance to get the 185/70 tyre to fit. It's rubbing pretty severely... Maybe 165 or 155 would fit inside the fender?

Messing up the perfect patina.

I'm not a big fan of the "Ratlook", so I want to see how will the severely dimmed paint of my Fastback polish out. Yesterday we buffed it with coarse polishing compound by machine. More to follow...