Jay Salser | 1967 VW Beetle - Restoring A Vintage Volkswagen Bug

Joy’s 1967 Volkswagen Beetle Sedan

07.10.2017 11 Comments

Joy owns a wonderful 1967 Beetle Sedan.

Eric and I have been with Joy for the entire drive….. meaning—

When Joy was searching for a ’67 Beetle in early 2014, she sent photographs of several Bugs to us. We would critique the cars and Joy would move on to the next car. The search continued until September, 2014.

She almost bought one Beetle—until the owner finally confessed to some major difficulties with the vehicle (you couldn’t drive the car for more than 15 minutes at a time or the engine would shut off!).

Finally, just when it seemed that all options had been exhausted, Joy decided that she should look at the L 633 Dark Blue Bug in St. Monica, California. Joy’s least favorite color, she told us. But the car had good provenance. It was not rusted. It was not wrecked. And it had had great care from the three previous owners.

The Bug had passable paint but needed some renewal in order to be driven safely.

The Seller allowed Joy to take the car to a shop for evaluation. The car passed scrutiny and Joy became the new owner.

Since purchasing “Monica”—as she now is named—Joy has had the car repainted, staying with the factory color.

The Birth Certificate certifies that Monica was built, February 16 of 1967 and left the factory March 28th destined for the USA. In addition, the Birth Certificate verifies that Monica has her original factory engine!

With the car now having been renewed mechanically and cosmetically, it was time to get Monica into a Volkswagen Show. Monica took First Place in the Kelly Park Vintage VW Car Show in April of 2017.

Joy and a good friend, who owns a later model SuperBeetle Convertible, are ready to participate for a day’s drive in July’s Treffen Border-to-Border Cruise.

Fuel Pump To Carburetor — Am I Safe?

06.28.2017 9 Comments

Great article, Jay. I’d have to agree, lack of care is the # 1 reason so many vintage VW fires happen. With some simple love and care, we can help keep these gems on the road for the next generation to enjoy. Keep an eye on those fuel lines! -ES

I continually receive questions and comments about Fuel Filter Placement. You will find a couple of Articles on 1967beetle.com regarding the subject.

The common warning is: Fuel Filter in the Engine Compartment? You are heading for a Fire!

So Beetle Owners hasten to place their Fuel Filters under the car near the back wheel or just under the Gas Tank.

And…we believe that we now are safe from an Engine Fire. Period!

This misconception is bound, sooner or later, to wreck havoc. Because we Beetle Owners become complacent.

Beetle Engine Fires generally have to do with a Lack of Maintenance. Here’s why:

Possibly the Number One contributor to an Engine Fire is:

Failure of Fuel Hose:

Installation of the incorrect Fuel Hose. The stock metal fittings in our Beetles take a 5mm Inner Diameter Fuel Hose. American fuel hose has a larger than 5mm Inner Diameter. Thus, when a clamp is installed, the American hose can become “puckered”, giving rise to the possibility of leakage.
Installation of correct Fuel Hose. The correct, stock Fuel Hose has an Inner Diameter of 5mm, which accommodates perfectly to the stock metal Fuel Lines of the Beetle. Fuel Hose should be clamped to the metal Fuel Lines, using care not to clamp so tightly that the Fuel Hose is distorted. The Clamp wants only to be firmly fixed so that the Fuel Hose cannot be pulled off the metal tubing and won’t leak.
Regular Inspection of Fuel Hose. Here’s where most of us fall short. We do not regularly inspect the Fuel System of our cars. I hope that you are keeping a Written Maintenance Record of your car. This can be kept on a computer or in a notebook stored in the glove box. No matter the method—keep a meticulous Maintenance Record.

And one of the most important items on your check list should be the Fuel System. Especially Fuel Hose in the Engine compartment and especially Fuel Hose from the Fuel Pump to the Carburetor.

Know when Fuel Hose in the Engine compartment was installed. We forget these things. What may seem to be only a year, quickly turns into 3 years or 5 years. Fuel Hose weakens due to several factors: Age, Heat, Vibration, Chafing and Ethanol.

Fuel Hose that has been in the Engine Compartment for more than a year probably should be removed and new hose installed. This is so easy that most of us can do it in a half hour’s time.

Heat is the enemy of many automotive components—but especially of rubber. The Core of the Fuel Hose is rubber. Heat hardens rubber and causes eventual failure. Vibration contributes to the demise of hardened rubber.

Often, Fuel Hose comes into contact with other parts in the Engine Compartment. Rubbing, or chaffing, can cause even good Fuel Hose to wear prematurely. Mitigate losses by routing Fuel Hose so that there is a minimum of chaffing.

Now, we come to the Hidden Enemy—Ethanol in the Gasoline. Ethanol causes most rubber products in our Beetles’ Fuel Systems to deteriorate. Unfortunately, we cannot find truly Ethanol-resistant rubber products for most of our VW applications. It is up to us to monitor our Fuel Systems in order to avoid this Unseen Predator.

The 1967 Beetle Community — Always Growing

06.10.2017 14 Comments

This makes me so happy to read. Thanks, Jay for meeting and helping another ’67 owner! Congrats, Jessica and Charlie. -ES.

Friday, Neva fielded a telephone call from a lady saying that she needed a speedometer for her 1967 Beetle. She left a note on my desk so that I could call when I came into the office
Jessica informed me that she and Charlie had acquired a 1967 Beetle which needed a few things, including the aforementioned speedometer.

Then, Jessica said something really funny! She said…..”She’s suffering an identity crisis!” I began to laugh—it was hilarious. After I calmed, Jessica told me that “she” is “Gertrude” her newly purchased ’67 Bug. We talked a bit about naming Beetles—which thing is what my Neva is good about doing. And—laughed some more!

Well…the “identity” problem stemmed from something which the seller had told Jessica at the time of sale. The seller gave the impression that the car might be a ‘70s Model. After doing some research about VINs, Jessica looked at the aluminum VIN Plate behind the spare tire. It read 117….. “But,” reasoned Jessica…”might this not be a ’70s VIN?”

In order to get to the bottom of the matter, we discussed the other Factory VIN, beneath the rear bench seat. I told Jessica that both Auto VINs should agree and that they certainly should match the Title VIN.

When Charlie and Jessica visited this morning, the first thing which Charlie and I did was to remove the rear seat and clean and chalk the Chassis VIN. Sure enough, it agreed with the Aluminum Tag VIN behind the spare tire. Both gave proof that the car is, indeed, a 1967 Beetle Sedan.

Overnight, after our Friday conversation by phone, Jessica also had done some study of VINs on thesamba.com and had an idea of the Manufacture Date of the vehicle, assuming that it was a ’67 Bug. In fact, Jessica continued to amaze me with facts which she had been learning during her study about her Gertrude!

FOR SALE — David Brown’s ’67 Standard-Standard Beetle

06.05.2017 21 Comments

Hey, Jay and David! This gem baffles me, and just proves there’s such a deep history with the ’67 Beetle. Let’s see what our readers have to say. Please join in the conversation below. -ES

Readers continue to amaze us as they send photos and specifications for their 1967 Beetles from around the World. The Deluxe Model came almost exclusively to USA Dealerships. We in America are most familiar with these cars.

But there are right-hand drive ‘67s, with variations, in other countries. These could have the 1500, the 1300 and even the 1200cc engines plus many variations of fenders, interiors and so forth. Not only so, but left-hand drive ’67s for some countries could have 1500, 1300 or 1200cc engines with many variations of interiors and exteriors. Perhaps Australian ‘67s have the most bizarre combinations of early and later traits.

Then, there is David Brown’s 1967 Beetle. David calls his Beetle a Standard-Standard. The term “standard” is reserved for the non-Deluxe Beetle. Meaning that engines and interiors, as well as exteriors, would be less refined.

The 1967 Beetle Community; Yet Another Chapter

05.18.2017 23 Comments

Great article, Jay. It makes me so happy to see how the ’67 Beetle connects and is loved by so many people around the world. -ES

I received a phone call–the Caller ID listed it as “Private Caller”
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It rang once–then twice and I answered it. This was the pattern for robot calls.
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I said: “Hello!” Nothing.
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I usually give these calls two opportunities to respond, so, I again said: “Hello!”
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A voice said: “Jay”
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“Yes–who is this?” I replied.
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“This is David Brown.”
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I said–“David Brown from Pennsylvania?”
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“Yes–I’m in Garland.” The bombshell.
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“Are you kidding?”
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“No–I’m here at Jackson and Market Place. How close am I to your place?”

It was, indeed, David and Melody Brown. They’d driven from Pennsylvania and were here.

But, let’s back up a bit. Readers of 1967beetle.com often see a reference to David Brown in my Articles. That’s because I have depended heavily upon David, a VWoA trained Parts Manager who worked for various VW Dealerships in the Pennsylvania area. Later, David opened his own VW repair shop and worked on VWs for 30 years.

David possesses VW Parts Catalogs which have furnished vital information for several Articles. Not only so, but David’s extensive knowledge of Volkswagens across the spectrum is awesome. He has supplied critical information relevant to 1967 Beetle operation and maintenance.

It came as a shock a couple of years ago when David told me that he and Melody would be leaving the Old Home Site, retiring from the VW repair business. What??? What was David going to do with his time. What would happen to his tons of vintage and NOS parts. And his VWs? And his tools and machinery? This became a hot topic between us.

As time passed, David told me that he’d like for me to have his Sun Distributor Testing Station. We talked and laughed about it. 1500 miles lies between us. But, we could dream. David called the machine “your machine” when we talked. And, we dreamed. And we laughed.

Now…here they were—in our neighborhood. I told David to stay put—that I’d be there in a jiffy. I jumped into our car. As I sped along, I made plans for their stay with us and what we’d do the next day and the next. I pulled into the parking area and we met. I’d never even seen anything more than a very distant, blurred photo of David. We shook hands—we embraced. This was a momentous occasion.