Betty the Oval - Donovan D - ex-MINCE

[Tony Z]

it also makes the car much more prone to rust - VW dipped their cars in primer to protect them, so the primer got into all the nooks and crannys. If you acid dip the car, you loose all this protection that you cant hope to get back with a spray gun

[MINCE]

it also makes the car much more prone to rust - VW dipped their cars in primer to protect them, so the primer got into all the nooks and crannys. If you acid dip the car, you loose all this protection that you cant hope to get back with a spray gun

on their website they said the dip the car, then go through a hot bath to remove the acid residue then goes through another bath which gives it a zinc coat which is apparently for riust protection. Sounded good till the dude said it makes the steel weaker, and the last thing i want to do is weaken 54 year old steel

[MINCE]

Hey okes. I had a lot of fun this weekend. Was the first weekend of working on Betty, and I got all diiiiirty!!!
Took the doors and wings off, then took the body off. Unfortunately, I have to keep the body outside for now because the garage is full of crap that needs to be cleared and sorted. But I do have a car cover. But as soon as the cover was put on, it rained and then hailed! Then it rained again, and again.... and again. I think the cover isn't 100% waterproof, so I will need to get one that is. Job:ASAP!

I will be making trips to Shelley's and Volksie World for some parts hunting, but if you guys could help me out, that would rock too. Look at what we found that needs to be worked on in the pictures below.
Will also need some advise on certain parts, so look through, read my comments and if you have any suggestions or answers, please feel free to learn me


Bit of the chassis that needs welding. Found this when trying to jack the car with the body on. The jack went through the body! But, that only happened because of the rust on that part of the body.


Pedal assembly. As you can see, the accelerator is not present. Need help with this guy. I have the rod that connect the accelerator cable, which is a few pictures below.


Left front tyre. The Tracking rod (amI right in saying that?) is rather crusty indeed, but should be fine after a solid clean and paint. All the rubbers need replacing.


Front right tyre. Same story as the left. All rubbers need replacing and also need a steering damper.


Need the brake switch and Brake fluid tank. Anyone have a period correct brake fluid tank?


The accelerator arm as mentioned before. i need the casing too. Anybody got one for me?


Clutch and accelerator cables by the gearbox. Few parts here missing. Can anyone assist me with letting me know what I need and if you can help with parts? (I really need a technical manual.)
As you can also see, I need a starter motor too. Going to be converting it all to 12V


Rear brake drum. As I opened it. The seal are leaking gearbox fluid. There is no wheel cylinder or shoes. need to replace both sides completely. Drums look skimmed but in very good condition.


View from engine compartment. Needs to be welded closed. Same story on the other side.


Underneath the decklid. Need to repair this otherwise I cannot fit the spring to keep it up.


Another view. Can someone advise on how to do this?


Petrol cap. I need one, this is how big it is.


A bump stop? Cone shaped rubber on the right side of front suspension.


And here it is missing on the left hand side. I need that too.


Close up of the adjuster system on the spare front end. Anyone seen this before? Looks like an old method.


Here is a shot of the bean. It looks like it is a LHD beam, judging by the brackets for the steering box. If anyone wants this, PM me with an offer. I am not going to be using this.
The beam currently on the car is standard, but instead of adjusters, I want dropped spindles. Will do that once the chassis is completed. So no need to do it now.

[fig]

Underneath the decklid. Need to repair this otherwise I cannot fit the spring to keep it up.


Another view. Can someone advise on how to do this?

That's a very common failure point on oval Beetles. Mine has broken in the same way.

I haven't had a look at the differences, but VW must have improved the design on later Beetles. Since the spring is identical to 70s Beetles, I'd say simply cut the relevant bits from a 70s engine cover and weld to the W cover. That's what 'm planning to do for mine.

[MINCE]

Thanks Fig! Good to know!
anyone got a spare decklid for me to butcher?

[Bushpig]

Mince,
Are you going to restore the Oval to original or are you going to upgrade bits e.g. steering damper, wider brake shoes etc.
What is the chassis no. so I can keep a look out for the correct bits e.g steering column and tube etc...
Good luck.

[MINCE]

will get back to you on that with the chassis number. I believe the brakes already have the wider shoes. I got a steering damper to see if it fits. I need a workshop manual with photos to tell these things properly.

[Bushpig]

Mince,
Just for interest sake according to my info, the oval never had a steering damper, and the brake shoes were 30 mm wide and later changed to 40mm (will check when). The drum you have in the photo is for the 30mm and is correct for the car since it does not have the dust prevention grove around the edge. The rear wheel backing plates look correct and should use a 3 spring system. This was also changed to a 2 spring later. The steering shaft should have the 24 splines and this changed to 48 depending on the chassis number as Fig mentioned I know after 131 ....... I am sure I have a pice of lid for the broken bit you are missing if you still need. The rearview mirror in your box of bits comes from after the oval period. The oval one is smaller and rounder and has the plastic visor on the one side.

I will follow the project with interest. I have the manual you want stored electronically (scanned) and will start this weekend moving it across to Eben to post on the forum.
I don't mean to "pi.. on your battery" and mention the things that may be missing, but a lot of people have steered me in the right direction for which I am grateful.
Keep it up and if I can help let me know.

[MINCE]

hey dude, all info I can get is well worth it. I was also checking on the brake shoe size, and will be testing the fit on saturday. there is a bracket for a damper on the front, so I am almost 100% sure that not everything is original on this car, so i will have to just see what happens.

That scan would be a HUGE help as I do need images to work off of. I am still figuring out all the stuff I have and I know some are too new for it, so any input would be super rocking!

[MINCE]

by the way, I would love that piece of lid if you are willing to part with it

[JohnHoffe]

Mince,
Congrats on finding your dream car!!

It does not happen every day that ones' deams become reality. Enjoy the build, it's as much about the journey as the end product.

[Bushpig]

Mince,
Your piece for the taking. If I can't find the piece I have a couple of lids you can hack up - donation for a good cause -. Let me know when and how to get together for hand over. Maybe I can drop it off and check out the project. The book you have is a good one and will tell you what is correct. I have found some wierd things and will ask the guys on the forum for a "please explain" later. I have my eye on one or two duplicates you may have.
Till later.

[Edmond]

You can get that cone shaped bump stop for the front suspension from Pro Auto Rubber in Killarney Gardens, they also stock a wide variety of rubber seals for the Beetle

[Bushpig]

Mince, your number plate lights with the curve at the top are interesting and I can't find when the difference came in. Are you willing to part with one I can give you a 60's one with light lens that can be used till you get the correct lens. I am also interested in one of you speaker grills. I can get you a second hand suspension rubber also.

[MINCE]

Mince,
Your piece for the taking. If I can't find the piece I have a couple of lids you can hack up - donation for a good cause -. Let me know when and how to get together for hand over. Maybe I can drop it off and check out the project. The book you have is a good one and will tell you what is correct. I have found some wierd things and will ask the guys on the forum for a "please explain" later. I have my eye on one or two duplicates you may have.
Till later.

Dude, I would SO DIG IT if you would come through to check it out. Any input would be super awesome. Yeah man, we can have a look at stuff and we can definitely do a swap of parts. I will be on it again probably on thursday and definitely on saturday. I will PM you my number and details. SWEET