Dobby is a 1968-1972 1600 4-Speed Manual Beetle as far as I can tell. Was "Restored" by the previous owner.
We took her around to some local mechanics and workshops to see if we could fix the issues we found (due to time constraints etc). The short story is that we were ripped off repeatedly and found ourselves pouring money into work that wasn't actually being done.
We've decided to stop paying unscrouplulous mechanics and do it ourselves.
First thing was to replace the clutch. The one fitted by the "Restorer" would vibrate severely under any load. We decided to remove it and replace it with one that was actually intended to work on a beetle. Strange. That fixed the vibration issues.
'Genny Siezed While out on the road. New "Fan Belt" and recon 'Genny fitted.
Then came time to replace the points. F@!# that. Replaced with an electronic ignition system in order to keep things simple and to keep maintainance down. Redid timing with a Timing light and a Burn efficeincy system.
Various Knobs and trim pieces were replaced. just to keep that "Classic" Look.
Various Rubber seals and Boots were replaced in order to stop the shower of oil under the car, still in progress.
Shes's got a nice Blue and white leather interior with suede inlays in the seats. Aftermarket gearknob installed after a Mechanic managed to destroy the original one, same story with the steering wheel. Original pedals. White leather headliner with yellow glue all over thanks to the "Restorer".Original pedals and seats. The seat rails are quite dicey, it makes things interesting.Gallery
Hardcore Camber? Am I doing it right?
Nothing Fancy, Just what she needs. Plenty of Giddy-up The oil bath Air-Filter is a bit of an eyesore.The hoses are worn, but still do what they need to. Not the prettiest girl at the ball
Any one have any idea what engine this actually is?
The Goal with Dobby isn't to turn her into a souped up GTI/V5/S4/911/M3/Cosworth/CooperS Eater (Unfortunatly the budget doesn't stretch that far). It's just to have a pretty, nearly original, well functioning beetle.
We have some strange gearbox issues. She tends to jump out of 4th Gear (She's a 4-Speed) when she's under strain. Not too intense of a strain, around 70-90 KM/H up a slight incline. Makes things interesting but it needs to be fixed. Any ideas?
My mother reversed into her a couple months back. Poor dobby.
You should see the other car!
Sorry for the Pic Dump and for the TL;DR.
Thanks for reading if you did.
