Tommyboy12

Well somebody has been very efficient and my gift has already arrived! Obviously not to be opened until Xmas

I love a Trabant. Such a cool and quirky car. Definitely on my bucket list

I was out on the piss for the weekend so I'm late chipping in on the dizzy question. Aldon Yellow would be suitable. Alternatively if you're happy to change from a 25D to a 45D then this is a pretty good dizzy. It's electronic which is a good start. I've used it with an SW5 and a 276 camshaft and it's a very reasonable price. https://www.minispares.com/product/classic/C-27H7698.aspx Also the dizzy drive runs in the block without bearings to answer your other question. Lube it up heavily before you insert it. Mostly that's to stop the seal from tearing and you dumping oil out the dizzy shaft.

Have you acquired a dizzy with a suitable set of weights/curves for the camshaft? It's worthwhile considering that.

Another busy year for me. In Chronological order! In - 2000 414i. Technically still in the tree I bought it from Out - 1978 Cavalier. Nice car. I won't miss it but I enjoyed it. In - 1979 Mini. Bought for next to nothing. Needs absolutely everything welding. Haven't touched it since I bought it obviously Out - 1989 Suzuki DR600. I'm currently bike-less 🥲 In - 1991 Mexibug. My current winter classic and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I have treated it to an alternator upgrade recently Also ran - 2001 S80. I flirted with the idea of being given it for free but it was 593 miles from home. It's still there and still being offered to me. Maybe next year. Non-mover - 2004 Mégane RS. Thrashed round the Ring this year. It responded by shitting out it's alternator and throwing an injector fault engine light. Its a love hate relationship. Non-mover - 1989 Mini Turbo. I finally got on top of my recurring cooling issue and it's running like a dream. I nearly bought the yellow 1275 GT in the background this year which has a Vauxhall redtop in it. Non-mover - 1983 Mini. I did an oil pump with the engine in-situ. Never. Again. Non-mover - 2000 MGF. I am currently ignoring this car as I dislike having to change O2 sensors every 5 minutes. Non-mover - 1947 TE20. Not photographed. Its being stored at my Dad's currently

Im aware of the hole in the air box. I wrapped it in electrical tape 😅 The large oil pressure switch did have wiring on it that headed forwards. I found the other end disconnected in the passenger footwell along with more wires. I stripped out that wiring along with a load of other redundant wiring a few weeks ago. Not sure what it was for originally but it's not present now! I suspect the generator was original because the voltage regulator had 'Hecho en México' (made in Mexico) stamped on it. The alternator pedestal also had the VW Audi logo and the word Brazil cast into it which I'm guessing mean it came from the Brazilian Beetle production line. That being said the generator has been off in the past. One of the four bolts for the fan shroud backing plate was missing (the one behind the carb). The supposed power is 60hp but I'm fairly sure it doesn't have that much power. It'll pull 70mph but any more is an actual struggle. I could barely keep up with a 1275 auto Mini but I could outpace a 998 auto Mini. So I'm guessing somewhere around 50hp given the weight penalty.

Those head chambers are standard so the compression ratio should be fine. It'll be somewhere between 9.5:1 and 10:1 most probably. Maybe a bit higher if it's been skimmed a few times. It will be fine on modern fuels if it's set up properly. A good rolling road setup will help loads.

The engine note and driving style of the Beetle is completely different to a Mini and it's entertaining to drive so far. I am enjoying ownership overall. It's very different. Not so much sit up and beg like a Mini, a bit more of a normal driving position. But it has off centre steering wheel like a Mini. Gearbox is nice to operate. Brakes are ok although not fantastic. Could be the car or the setup. It's not quick. I struggled to keep up with a standard 1275 automatic Mini today. If the 1600 twin port is meant to be the fast Beetle engine then there isn't much hope 😅 I think having owned and enjoyed both. I am sticking with Minis being my favourite. Although really I need to get a 2CV for a true comparison of people's cars!

The Beetle had a good run out with a few friends to the new Caffeine and Machine venue near Millbrook proving ground. It's new alternator and properly tensioned auxiliary belt behaved properly and I enjoyed having Bluetooth audio. It's properly cold when it's -1C and you have no heater though.

I have both. A 3T high lift which I used to use on a jumbo Transit and I have a low 1.5T. It's not what I would call low profile but it's low enough for all bar one car I've ever owned. The Beetle lives again! My generator repair/alternator conversion is complete! I removed the external regulator too so did a bit of wiring. The place it used to live. While the carb was off I also stripped off the redundant altitude mixture adjuster (pictures here held on with cable ties). Needed for the heights of Mexico maybe, but not the flats of the Fens. Lastly I went very posh and got a Bluetooth adapter for my tape deck and single speaker. Now I can listen to all my bangin tunez innit. Not much left to fix. I need to look at the handbrake and find a pair of heater ducts. Otherwise the Bug is in pretty fine fettle now. Scored a free screwdriver under the passenger seat too

Time to fix the Bug! I plumped for trying to get the fan nut off first to determine if the engine was coming out. It came off pretty easily so that set the course. Firstly I adjusted the choke mechanism. It's an electric bimetallic heated choke device on a Beetle. When cold the choke is fully applied and as current is applied the spring warms up and loses tension turning the choke butterfly. Whoever fitted this had no idea what they were doing as the choke wasn't hooked into the butterfly properly hence a hesitation in the engine when cold. Loosen the three nuts. Turn the choke mechanism until the spring engages with the butterfly shaft. Tighten. It was a full 180 degrees out. It's notched to tell you roughly where it needs to be but clearly that was missed by whoever fitted it. Then onto the main culprit. A very overheated and melted generator. Stripped out the carb and ancillaries around the generator. Undid the pedestal bolts hidden away under here. After loosening a few more bolts the generator came out with the fan cover pretty easily. Leaving the fan itself in-situ. Somebody has been in here before and left the hardest to reach bolt out. I'm not complaining but it's probably not good form. New part in. The not so eagle eyed may notice it's a different shape because this is an alternator not a generator! Unintentional upgrade! Means I'll have to do some wiring but I've gone from a 30A generator to a 55A alternator! Thankfully the pulleys and pedestal fitted were suitable for a generator or an alternator. Some parts are specific to the generator only so I got lucky there. Fuel pump is another part but this one is ok. As far as I've got so far. Darkness/weather has hindered progress.

Having looked into it I'm borderline engine out vs. in-situ. I definitely have the ability to whip it out and it doesn't look that complicated. I might give the fan nut a go first off and see if it will come off. If it doesn't then I know what I'm doing!

You mean it shouldnt sound like a racket of valve rockers and be dumping oil on the floor?

Im hopeful I can get it out without removing the engine. I am certainly persistent enough to not want to take it out!

Last night I had fun... I think it's self inflicted. Generator seems to be seized and the bearing collapsed. I fitted a new fan belt but I think I might have fitted the wrong one and it was too small so it was tugging on the bearings and it overheated and seized. It looks like both 905mm and 912mm belts were fitted and I went with 905 as I couldnt tell off the old belt as it was stretched. I ordered a new generator and the correct belt on the roadside while I waited 😅 £70 for a new one so not the most painful mistake

£50 a seat is a bit much. I paid £25 a seat last year for an unleaded conversion on a 998 head. 12G938 isnt anything particularly special beyond a 940 head but it should have double springs. Given the cam youve got I would consider getting a double spring even if theyre just standard doubles. It will be fine without as has been said but you might suffer valve float before the camshaft is done giving all its got, particularly with something like a 731. Minispares hold double valve spring sets for standard setups for fairly cheap. Id probably also be considering them for a lot of other parts too!

The problem with a car like that in ten years is the battery. I imagine a big homebrew market will exist for replacing them but it somewhat limits the life of the car. I know it's a lot better than it was but it's still a problem

I think being able to enjoy it has a lot to do with it. I am not enjoying the MGF and it puts me off using it when it is done. It's only the sentiment that drives me forward with it but it's not going to be the same as something I truly want at the right time. The Bug happened along at the right time and I'm enjoying it so far but it'll also go way before any of my Minis. I also do have a bit of a thing for picking up a bit of a snotter and getting it to a better place than it was

The Beetle continues to be fettled. I fitted luxuries such as a throttle pedal and new brake pads. New pads means I've been able to adjust the brake pedal so there's the mandated 5mm of travel before the brake master engages rather than the previous 50mm. It was like doing a masonic dance trying to operate the brakes before. Now with a throttle pedal rather than the previous knub I actually feel comfortable driving it! See said knub below... I also wired in my radio and have it blaring through the only functioning speaker. All very mod cons! I may buy a new pair of speakers, I may not. Who knows! Once I had my radio going I wasted well over an hour removing all this redundant wiring from the engine bay! I haven't even got to the front yet! Also found a dizzy cap and an empty tin of hard boil sweets. So disappointing... I also got the engine cover light working. Very posh.

Im in. Hopefully I am not at the receiving end of getting useless car parts dumped on me again!

Agreed. Im definitely more of a Mini man. But a Bug has been on the bucket list for a while.

Lastly I decided to do some wiring on one of my Minis. I've been meaning to fit these MK2 tail lights for a long time. They look so much better on this car than the MK4 lights. I've gone for a kind of 70s look on this car so it really suits it

Weather was good today so did various jobs on the fleet. First off my girlfriend's car needed a CV joint. I forgot the boot and couldn't get it apart again so ordered one of those split boots. I am going to get one of those CV splitting tools for any future joints. I am sometimes reminded how much easier working on modern cars is. I had this driveshaft out in about 10 minutes and back in in even less time. Also tried to get the MGF running properly. Fitted a new lambda sensor and a new catalytic converter. It was easier to take the exhaust manifold off to change the lambda sensor as it's tucked between the block and the manifold. A really stupid place. Catalytic converter that came off is one of the budget ones. I fitted another budget one 😅 Also it still runs like shit despite my effort. I'm *this* close to torching the damn thing. The scanning tool seems to imply it's not running as rich as it was but the new lambda isn't giving any voltage variations and it's still throwing sensor faults. I cheaped out on this lambda so I've bought a Bosch unit and will try again... I made myself feel better by doing some wiring on the Beetle. I now have working headlights and a working telltale for full beam (bad earths again). I also replaced the fog light that didn't exist. I now have a full compliment of working lights on the Beetle! Fitted a new fan belt. It doesn't squeal anymore. Tweaked the dizzy a little more. It's running really nicely now I think. Pulls really well. Also fitted a new speedo cable and now have a working speedo! Straightened up the steering wheel that had been bolted on off centre. A pet peeve of mine. Found out why the heater doesn't work too... For those that don't know I'm missing the ducting from the heat exchangers to the heater channels.

Potentially from the conversion. The speedo wiring is all black wires with butt connectors which is more likely the conversion. A lot of the wiring with labels seems to be 'aftermarket' like the radio and multiple keys and buttons that have been options to start the car in the past. I need to sort the main beam and fog lights really. Beyond that I am only tidying the wiring of redundant wires, sorting bad earths and soldering butt connectors. I really dont want to strip the loom out. I have enough major projects without adding anothe to my list!

Agreed. Bodged wiring is a pet peeve of mine