1967 VW Variant.

Just to mention too, that while were doing all this the heater was putting ferocious heat into the car.

So its another indication of how good this car really is. It was the hottest VW I have ever sat in.

Plan for tomorrow is,
Fit a brand new needle valve into the R/H carb.
New manifold/carb gaskets.
Run the car for longer to dislodge any muck from the engine oilways.
Do an oil filter clean, and new oil change.

Now thats it on the button, have to look into driving it around the house for starters,
in order to check the clutch and gearbox. Then maybe renew all the brake components.

alfa beta wrote: »

'Volkswagen Leasing' is listed in the logbook prior to my Dad's name. They owned it for one year in 1967 I think. No other owners then apart from the ould fella (!!) and now Kadman himself :-)

So its gone from one ould fella, to another ould fella.:)

I will look after it as well as the first ould fella,;) trust me

alfa beta wrote: »

I didn't doubt you .... but you got there much quicker than I expected ... I would have thought you'd have had to buy/order/install a raft of new bits and pieces so it's amazing to see it running so soon. This certainly bodes well for the other engines that have been sitting idle in that shed :-)


I'm away at the moment but I can't wait to get back and show these videos to my mum - she'll be amazed

I would have no doubt that any of the engines in that shed could be got going with the same effort,
In the right hands of course:P:P:P

So if you need homes for anymore, let me know:D

I'm sure the sound of the variant alone will resonate happy memories with your mum:)

There were no raft of pieces to buy for this engine. I had new plugs, needle valve , gaskets anyway. And we knew the starting process would be tough on an old starter, thats why I opted for a new one, and it paid for itself in minutes.

The day I checked for compression, and got some, I knew that we were on a winner. If there is compression it tells a lot about condition of the parts. Either in an aircooled or water cooled engine. Once you get that, you only have to add fuel and a source of ignition, the rest is physics.

So when you want a donation for the next non runner, let me know:D

In the end it was an easy fix, if you know these engines, tougher if you dont.
But i did see some evidence on the car of previous attempts in the right direction. So I suspect your dad was engine savvy too. But the ignition aircraft switches are class, and I am leaving them in..
Tell your mum this journey is well worth it.

tc20 wrote: »

Just to add my admiration to kadman & his brothers work on the Variants revival.
I've owned a couple of old & young timers, and have an understanding of how an ICE works but I kneel before ye lads, your knowledge & passion. Keep her lit!
Alfa Beta's original thread has been a joy to follow - the sequel is every bit enthralling.

Ah sure you couldn't let this ould girl in the shed for another 50 years:)

Sure we wouldn't be around to fix it:P

And i decided to replace the needle inlet valve on the right hand carburetor.

On close inspection I noticed some corrosion at the seating on the inside of the carburetor cover,
where the needle valve is fitted. This corrosion prevents the valve crush washer from correctly seating,
so this can allow the fuel to squeeze by the valve under pressure. And this was clearly happening when the
engine was under increased acceleration.,,



So the solution was to clean the seat for the valve, and refit a new valve.



You can see the valves in the picture. New one on the left, and old one on the right.

I also inspected the electro magnetic jet more closely. It is a piston operated valve
with 3 equally spaced holes at the end. Petrol flows through the valve holes, and out the
end jet. Problem was the jet was over tightened, which is a regular occurrence on old
vw engines. Apart from damaging the valve, it can damage the seat in the carb. If this
happens the carb is then scrap. Luckily the damage is to the jet, as the holes have been forced oval
but not fully closed. So I fitted a non electric jet here

Here you can see the damaged jet.

John.G wrote: »

I wished they had that strainer centre drain plug in my last 77 beetle as it did/does make for a far easier drain, it probably encouraged just draining the oil without cleaning the strainer, it would also be interesting to compare the fine filtering properties of these strainers to the now universal full flow paper elements. I think the key to all those air cooled engines longevity or otherwise was to change the oil regularly as it ran very hot despite the oil cooler, friend of mine had a 67, 1300 beetle (Pict 1 carburettor, i think) for 16 years and I could almost swear that the engine was as new after ~ 170k miles but he changed the oil every 1200/1500 miles.

I think you are right, frequent oil changes is the key, and the proper oil of course. The change in the centre oil plug was a killer right enough.

Any engine we had that did not have one, we stripped the plate of an old engine and switched it. Centre plug was easier and less messy.

I spent 30 minutes on the car today.

I removed the left hand carb and fitted a new inlet needle valve
on the fuel inlet. I fitted a new gasket to the inlet manifold that connects to the carb.

Checked all the jets to make sure they were the correct type, which they were.

Refitted the carb and started the engine. I then adjusted the distributor ignition timing
with the engine running, and to adjust by ear of the engine note.

I took a chance with this car that based on its condition when I saw it, that I could get this
engine running.

Its turned out that it appears to be a brilliant engine. Starting great, and running well, very responsive to the
accelerator pedal. Its a brilliant result.

And now this is what I have




I now intend to get the brake sorted on the rear wheel, and drive it out of the
shed:):)

Update.
I managed to get the car driving out of the shed. And I wanted it moving, to check all gears, which you can see me trying in the vid.

Its all good, gearstick selector plate needs a small bit of adjusting thats all..

So we are getting nearer to liftoff.:)

I had a problem with the video sound, so I will have to make a better, longer vid:)

Gadgetman496 wrote: »

I remember nearly 40 years ago my elderly mechanic who was almost deaf used to adjust\tune my engine by feel. He would leave his hand on the rocker cover as he adjusted & could tell when he had it right. He could even tell if the tappets needed adjusting by leaving his hand on the running engine.

I sure miss the passion & friendliness of that man. God Bless him.

Kadman, you have that passion too. I'd dearly love to have you as my mechanic for sure.

They might not make cars like they used to, but, they certainly don't make craftsmen like you anymore either.

My current wagon was recalled a couple of weeks ago, something to do with a relay module & fuses that were in a sealed box, on some cars moisture was getting into the unit & causing a fire. When the work was done I asked the mechanic (Technician I think they call them now) what role the part change played in the car, what did it actually do or control, he just looked at me and said, I have no idea, we are just trained to change the parts I have no idea what it actually does!!!

Different times…

Yep typical answer. But its not their fault.
They pinpoint the fault with the laptop....if they can.

Then fek out everything they think it could be. Throw in lots of new tech you dont need, but will have to pay for.

I call them laptop mechanics, not real ones..;)