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Getting the ‘57 beetle back on the road in 2024
- Thread starter bosco659
- Start date
Found 00 on Amazon. Thickness is .0005". For a VW motor, close enough. 
Crankcase cleaning this afternoon. I had cleaned most of the gunk from the inside of the crankcase halves do I power washed the innards. Blew them out with compressed and let them dry under a heater. Right away I noticed the head studs no longer had any plating and they were rusting right away. I decided to paint them and hopefully they don’t get scratched up too badly upon reassembly. Another pita I wasn’t planning on.
Smear some grease on 'em when you go together. The heat will bake that on and protect 'em.
Thanks for the tip Jim - will do. I guess once all the cooling tin is on it will be harder to see them anyway. I thought about not doing anything to them but it would bother knowing they were rusting underneath. I contemplated removing the studs snd plating them but my wife said why bother if they’re partially hidden a plus I don’t expect to keep the car forever. The grease trick seems perfect.
VW light box installed. The Yamaha box has been replaced (too bright at the “H”). They all look better in real life. The pics don’t come out well.
Protecting the painted studs when assembling the jugs. I can’t believe how hard it was to find plastic straws! Lol.
Plastic straws have been outlawed up here for about a year or more. I don’t think it’s a crime to sell drinks with them but it’s not the “green” thing to do. There’s one restaurant chain that still has plastic so I went for lunch today to grad a few for my project.
And I stand corrected!
Never have I ever seen a VW stud have anything more than surface rust on it, and I built mostly 40 hp motors in the 80's when they were already 20-25 years old. Don't worry, be happy.
K thanks. That’s just me. I’m very picky. I know I’ll never see them again (hopefully once assembled) but I’ll know there’s rust under the cooling tins. Ironic though because the rest of the car is rusty on the surface. Lol.
Honing the jugs today. With a bit of self motivation I might assemble the case halves soon. Then the top end can go on.
Tip. Before you assemble the case halves, set the 1 piece bearings on the case half on the dowel pin. Then take a scribe and mark along the bearing outside surface where the case mating surface is. It will make assembly easier and prevent crushing the bearings as you will be able to tell if the bearing has moved. Don't forget to pull the bellows out on the pushrod tubes before assembly and make sure the welded side goes up. And one last thing I used to do, glue the valve cover gasket to the valve covers with 3M weather strip adhesive and install them with the bales. Let them sit over night and remove them. Then put a light coat of oil on the head where the v/c mates to it. Take some RTV and put it on the valve cover gasket and pop the cover back on. Let it sit overnight, remove and take an Exact-o knife and remove any excess so it won't break off and find it's way into the oil system (ask me how I know) You won't have any leaks and you'll never buy another gasket if done right.
Thanks for the tips. I need some clarification on your recommendations though.
- I’m not following your suggestion to scribe the cases. Can you elaborate?
- I have stretched the tubes already but how much longer than the installed height should they be?
- with your valve cover tip, after I apply the RTV, do I put it on the head with the bail installed or just press it onto the head.
Thanks!
Set the one piece bearing on the dowel and seat it. Then you scribe the outside of the bearing along where the case half meets with it. When you install the crank, install it on the side with the dowel pin. Scribing the bearing will allow you to know for sure that the bearing is all the way on the dowel pin. You don't need to stretch the tubes much, just enough so they can compress. Put the valve covers on with the bales. Also, check the valve cover flange for straightness as the tend to get bent outward over time. A small piece of 1X2 and a very small hammer will do the trick.
Ok thanks, will do.
After honing I needed to give the jugs a good bath in warm water with Dawn dishwashing soap. It took many, many washes to rid the bores of the black metal particles that were a byproduct of the honing process. I think I got them clean so I dried them and let them bask in the sun until I could
wrap them up for later installation.
wrap them up for later installation.
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A trip to a local VW beetle meet motivated me to get the rusty old bumpers out of the storage shed. The chrome on them is in quite poor, but the condition matches the patina of the rest of the car. Here’s a few pics of the bumpers and what the front looks like now. The back side of the bumpers need attention. I think I’ll wire wheel them, then give them a coat of POR15 and rattle can them semigloss black. For the chrome I’m thinking rattle can clear coat to keep the rust under control.
For clear coat I was looking at Spray Max 2K. Expensive but appears to be a good product. I’m thinking gloss for the chrome (bumpers and hub caps) and maybe satin / matte to spray the bald spots on the paint to help keep rust away. Anyone here have experience using this product?
For clear coat I was looking at Spray Max 2K. Expensive but appears to be a good product. I’m thinking gloss for the chrome (bumpers and hub caps) and maybe satin / matte to spray the bald spots on the paint to help keep rust away. Anyone here have experience using this product?
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