New To Me '66

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Rudolph65
New Member
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2010 9:32 am
Location: Tampa, Florida

New To Me '66

Post by Rudolph65 »

Good Afternoon,
Stu from Tampa, Florida here. Just picked up my daily driver early last week. Sea Blue with white interior. Had bodywork and paint done at some time. Not the greatest I might add. Also has a '67 1500 with a '67 tranny. Upgraded to 12v with elctronic ignition. Lowered not slammed with Empi exhaust and wheels. Pan, channels, and area under battery are rock solid with no evidence of any welds. New carpet with original seats still fully intact though minor splitting is just starting to show. Headliner needs replacing. The only rust evident is some bubbling at the bottom right corner of each door. Running boards are perfect. Replacements no doubt. Also bumpers need to be re-chromed.

Anyway, just wanted to introduce myself, and it's a pleasure being here. Everybody have a safe and pleasant holiday weekend! :)
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jmartini
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Post by jmartini »

Hey Stu! Welcome to the forum - thanks for joining all of us here!You have a great holiday as well!
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agggilli
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Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2010 7:15 am
Location: Greenville, NC

Post by agggilli »

Welcome Stu, insert some pictures so we can see your new addition. There is a lot of information on this site, so always feel free to ask if you need anything.
Rudolph65
New Member
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2010 9:32 am
Location: Tampa, Florida

Post by Rudolph65 »

Good Morning Gentlemen,
Thanks so much for the warm welcome! :wink: Sometime this week I'll take some pics and upload them to photobucket and post them here.

Thanks again for all the welcomes.

Stu
fatalifeaten
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Post by fatalifeaten »

Welcome :)
Blue Baron
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Location: Tampa, Florida

Post by Blue Baron »

Good to see you Stu. I'm located in Brandon and have three '66 beetles, including a Sea Blue. Were you at any of the recent shows? (Jerk Hut in Tampa, St. Pete Beach?)
Rudolph65
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Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2010 9:32 am
Location: Tampa, Florida

Post by Rudolph65 »

Blue Baron wrote:Good to see you Stu. I'm located in Brandon and have three '66 beetles, including a Sea Blue. Were you at any of the recent shows? (Jerk Hut in Tampa, St. Pete Beach?)
Good Afternoon Fellow Hillsborough County Resident,
Actually, I was at the swap meet/car show at Olsen's VW this past Saturday. Thirty-two cars in all plus BBQ and several vendors.

Three '66's? Must be nice! Unfortunately, my one and only '66 is my bread and butter daily driver. However my daily commute to and from work is just over 10 miles round trip so it's not bad at all.

Just out of curiosity, why three of the same model year?
jimbolia
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Post by jimbolia »

Looks great. How did you lower the rear? Spindles or adjustable beam on front? That is just about how I want mine to look. I want to do the rear myself but not sure, still trying to find a video or pics so I can visualize it before I start. Thanks!
Rudolph65
New Member
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2010 9:32 am
Location: Tampa, Florida

Post by Rudolph65 »

jimbolia wrote:Looks great. How did you lower the rear? Spindles or adjustable beam on front? That is just about how I want mine to look. I want to do the rear myself but not sure, still trying to find a video or pics so I can visualize it before I start. Thanks!
Good Evening Jim,
Well thank you very much. Actually I purchased it as you see it. Never owned a lowered VW, and I'm very unfamiliar on how that's done. Incidently, I want to do just the opposite. I want to bring it back up to factory height and stance with spec wheels and tires. Just take a look at "Blue Baron's" Sea Blue bug. That's exactly the look I'm looking for. :wink:

God Bless,
Stu

Sea Blue Type 1
Daily Driver While Restoring

http://s414.photobucket.com/albums/pp22 ... G_5013.jpg
fatalifeaten
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Location: The 480

Post by fatalifeaten »

Looking at the offsets and the stance, I'm guessing it's just drop spindles. The beam looks to be stock width and with that wheel and tire package you'd be just about right with spindles.

Crawl under the front and look up at the beam. Are there adjusters welded in? if not, then it's likely to just be drop spindles, which are an easy swap. You'll need to have access to a press to replace the ball joints but everything else is hand tools. Most machine shops will press the ball joints for you at a reasonable price.

Back's lowered as well, looks like 2 clicks on the outer. That'll be just an adjustment of the torsions. Again, hand tools to set back to stock. you'll need an angle finder and some way to keep the tension on the spring plates so they don't bust you one. If this is your first time, figure 2 hours per side for the rears and 3-4 per side for the fronts.

The Bentley Shop manual will have the correct specifications for both front and rear end stock tolerances.
Rudolph65
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Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2010 9:32 am
Location: Tampa, Florida

Post by Rudolph65 »

Good Morning "Fatal",
Thanks so much for the info. It's sincerely appreciated!

Stu

Sea Blue Type 1
Daily Driver While Restoring

http://s414.photobucket.com/albums/pp22 ... G_5013.jpg
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