On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 13:39:05 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:11:04 -0700, Jim wrote:

Vic Smith wrote:
Found in another group.
Looks neat.
But don't even think about it.

http://www.youtube.com/user/VOLKSWAGNUT#p/a

--Vic

The first time is the hardest.

Yep. Once the belt is stretched it must get easier.
Funny thing is, though I rebuilt my '64 engine myself and could get
the thing out in about 10 minutes for a clutch change, I don't
remember anything about the generator.
Can't even remember ever changing the belt.
Forgetting that stuff used to bother me.
Doesn't now though. Forgot how to get bothered.

--Vic

You must have used the generator pulley to turn the engine during
valve adjustments. Spark plug socket on a 3/8" ratchet. Does that
spark a memory?

On Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:14:59 -0700, jps wrote:

On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 13:39:05 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:11:04 -0700, Jim wrote:

Vic Smith wrote:
Found in another group.
Looks neat.
But don't even think about it.

http://www.youtube.com/user/VOLKSWAGNUT#p/a

--Vic

The first time is the hardest.

Yep. Once the belt is stretched it must get easier.
Funny thing is, though I rebuilt my '64 engine myself and could get
the thing out in about 10 minutes for a clutch change, I don't
remember anything about the generator.
Can't even remember ever changing the belt.
Forgetting that stuff used to bother me.
Doesn't now though. Forgot how to get bothered.

--Vic

You must have used the generator pulley to turn the engine during
valve adjustments. Spark plug socket on a 3/8" ratchet. Does that
spark a memory?

Nope. Just makes me remember .006" and .008" for some reason.
That's probably wrong too.
But I really think I would have turned the crank pulley for that
without using the gen pulley. Seem to recall that I could easily turn
it by just grabbing the belt.
You know these engines?
I put a Bosch centrifugal advance distributor on mine straight off
when I bought the car and did the jugs. Think the jug/piston/ring set
was only about 60 bucks. The dist about the same.
Ever hear that high-pitch noise coming from them?
A little white lube on the dist cam follower fixes that right up.
I took care of mine and it never let me down, but those engines
were always going to suffer blow-by after about 60k miles.
Metallurgy more than anything else I think.
They were so simple they were fun to work on.

--Vic

On Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:41:42 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

On Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:14:59 -0700, jps wrote:

On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 13:39:05 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:11:04 -0700, Jim wrote:

Vic Smith wrote:
Found in another group.
Looks neat.
But don't even think about it.

http://www.youtube.com/user/VOLKSWAGNUT#p/a

--Vic

The first time is the hardest.

Yep. Once the belt is stretched it must get easier.
Funny thing is, though I rebuilt my '64 engine myself and could get
the thing out in about 10 minutes for a clutch change, I don't
remember anything about the generator.
Can't even remember ever changing the belt.
Forgetting that stuff used to bother me.
Doesn't now though. Forgot how to get bothered.

--Vic

You must have used the generator pulley to turn the engine during
valve adjustments. Spark plug socket on a 3/8" ratchet. Does that
spark a memory?

Nope. Just makes me remember .006" and .008" for some reason.
That's probably wrong too.
But I really think I would have turned the crank pulley for that
without using the gen pulley. Seem to recall that I could easily turn
it by just grabbing the belt.
You know these engines?
I put a Bosch centrifugal advance distributor on mine straight off
when I bought the car and did the jugs. Think the jug/piston/ring set
was only about 60 bucks. The dist about the same.
Ever hear that high-pitch noise coming from them?
A little white lube on the dist cam follower fixes that right up.
I took care of mine and it never let me down, but those engines
were always going to suffer blow-by after about 60k miles.
Metallurgy more than anything else I think.
They were so simple they were fun to work on.

--Vic

Fond memories of greasing the dist cam.

I recall .004 and .006 but that could be wrong too. My first car was
a '61 VW with a pull-back sunroof and a blown engine ($125). $250 in
parts and the manual and I was in business. Think I rebuilt that
engine a couple of times. It ended up a baja bug. It's sale financed
my move to S. Cal.

I worked on 'em for the next 5 years, earning a living while going to
school. Not an easy living but totally worthwhile. Worked my way up
to a dealership in L.A. that sold VW and Porsche and built a large
inventory of tools.

Lusted after the six cylinder version of that aircooled engine for
years. What a lovely sound they make.

On Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:56:36 -0700, jps wrote:



Fond memories of greasing the dist cam.

I recall .004 and .006 but that could be wrong too. My first car was
a '61 VW with a pull-back sunroof and a blown engine ($125). $250 in
parts and the manual and I was in business. Think I rebuilt that
engine a couple of times. It ended up a baja bug. It's sale financed
my move to S. Cal.

When mine rusted beyond drivability in '74 - seat sinking, rocker
panels gone - a guy wanted to buy it just for the frame for a beach
buggy.
This was in Chicago. It was news to me. Didn't work because I had
lost the title, so I had a boneyard pick it up.
Had a '67 Squareback later, but it was just trouble.
Good memories with the bug though.
First car I got into working on, thanks in large part to that book -
can't remember the title - but it was probably the first real "for
dummies" book.
Went a little beyond that though - ground my valves with compound,
stem chucked into a reversing drill.
Worked fine. Who needs all them angles, eh?

--Vic

On Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:15:07 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

On Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:56:36 -0700, jps wrote:



Fond memories of greasing the dist cam.

I recall .004 and .006 but that could be wrong too. My first car was
a '61 VW with a pull-back sunroof and a blown engine ($125). $250 in
parts and the manual and I was in business. Think I rebuilt that
engine a couple of times. It ended up a baja bug. It's sale financed
my move to S. Cal.

When mine rusted beyond drivability in '74 - seat sinking, rocker
panels gone - a guy wanted to buy it just for the frame for a beach
buggy.
This was in Chicago. It was news to me. Didn't work because I had
lost the title, so I had a boneyard pick it up.
Had a '67 Squareback later, but it was just trouble.
Good memories with the bug though.
First car I got into working on, thanks in large part to that book -
can't remember the title - but it was probably the first real "for
dummies" book.
Went a little beyond that though - ground my valves with compound,
stem chucked into a reversing drill.
Worked fine. Who needs all them angles, eh?

--Vic

It was HOW TO KEEP YOUR VW ALIVE, aka IDIOT GUIDE.

That was the book I used on the first rebuild too. Great
introduction. In the five years forward, I'm sure I touched every
part of every version of that car. Squareback, Ghia, Bus.

The squareback was a bitch. Remember knashing my knuckes on the sheet
metal while pulling plugs on tuneups. Good thing it was S. Cal
because doing that in cold weather can make tools fly and customers
run for cover.

Snap on guy was always happy to see me, nearly as happy as the roach
coach folks on payday.

On Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:00:23 -0700, jps wrote:



Snap on guy was always happy to see me, nearly as happy as the roach
coach folks on payday.

Heh. One of my kids is a mech and just yesterday bent my ear for half
an hour about the Snap-on, Mack, and Matco guys. The stories.
Right now the Matco guy is his favorite, but that guy won't last.
He's too easy.

--Vic

On Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:11:30 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

On Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:00:23 -0700, jps wrote:



Snap on guy was always happy to see me, nearly as happy as the roach
coach folks on payday.

Heh. One of my kids is a mech and just yesterday bent my ear for half
an hour about the Snap-on, Mack, and Matco guys. The stories.
Right now the Matco guy is his favorite, but that guy won't last.
He's too easy.

--Vic

The calendars are nice but I was always more attacted to the tools.
There was nothing like turning bolt or nut with a Snap on wrench or
yanking a tool out of the lower drawer that made a big $ job a 20
minute turnaround. Those tools paid for themselves in little time.

When I was ready to move on to my next career, the service manager
looked at me and said "you vill alvays yearn to have a leetle greeze
under your fingernails. When you can't take it anymore, you come back
and see me." He was right but I was never tempted to turn wrenches
again for a living. It's way more fun to do it for joy.

I'm sad that I can't do it in an engine room right now but I can still
screw around with cars. I did end up with an aircooled six and it's a
gas to work on.

On Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:56:36 -0700, jps wrote:

Lusted after the six cylinder version of that aircooled engine for
years. What a lovely sound they make.

I had the 4 carb Corvair. If you ran it flat out you needed 100 octane
avgas or it would melt. The turbo was also easy to melt.

Casady

On Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:17:17 GMT, (Richard
Casady) wrote:

On Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:56:36 -0700, jps wrote:

Lusted after the six cylinder version of that aircooled engine for
years. What a lovely sound they make.

I had the 4 carb Corvair. If you ran it flat out you needed 100 octane
avgas or it would melt. The turbo was also easy to melt.

Casady

In high school some older kids made one of them go a little too fast
and it went airborne. One of them didn't survive the flight.