New To bugs

Are you sure it is a superbeetle? The 1200 don't have the vents on rear side windows. If it is a super it should be a 1300 or a 1600. You can check by the size of the carb 31-pict3 1300 or 34pict-3 1600 or by the letters on the engine number. The engine number is on the base of the generator. AB - 1300 AD - 1600

Joao

Someone here suggested this to me and it worked really well:

Get a heavy chain and drop it into the tank. Shake the tank around for a while and the rust and sediment will come right out.

The following is kind of a funny story: To aid in the shaking - one rainy late night when no one was looking - I went to a coin operated laundy and tried to get my sealed tank with chain inside into one of those large industrial dryers. To make sure it didn't get banged up too much, it was also wrapped in a moving blanket secured with duct tape. Unfortunately, the tank would not fit. :( Just shaking worked too, though.

Remco

You might have gotten a real BANG out of it if it had fit. Gas fumes and heaters don't mix well at all!!

I had already cleaned it by running water through the tank several times with water. The gas was gone - it didn't even smell any more like gas.

on the carb it says 34pic, but the engine number starts with AH. what could this mean?

AH engines were built for '72 thru '74 models (primarily late '74) and were 1600cc with a 34PICT carb.

You will want to get a copy of the Bentley Official Manual for '70 thru '79 models.

For future reference:

Whatever you put in the tank, choose material that doesn't spark when it hits the tank wall or other particles, when you shake the tank like mad.

Use rocks, brass, gravel, etc... anything that has abrasive qualities and you can fit several of inside, and only stuff that WILL NOT CAUSE SPARKS.

The reason should be obvious.

Jan

Do not trust this!!!

I always do the same when WELDING gas tanks, yet EVERY TIME I burn a hole through, a tiny blue flame erupts and keeps burning for a loooong time. And the tank is FULL of water when I do this, it's the ONLY way I will ever weld a gas tank. There's only a tiny little pocket of air in there, right where the area Im welding on is. Still, after numerous "rinses" with water, there's always enough fumes to feed a flame. There's ALWAYS tiny little amounts of gasoline in there, trapped in the seams, and embedded in the rust and other crap. Fumes will start forming the second water is no longer covering the surface. It's amazing.

Jan

I wouldn't weld on a gas tank unless I had a large supply of non flammable gas (argon, CO2, something else?)

fill the tank with water first. make sure there are no air bubbles in it period.

hook the gas source up to the tank, and fill the tank with gas (you have to provide some sort of way for the water to exit as you fill with gas)

this ensures there is no oxygen in the tank.

heres a story from the paper a few years ago:

fire department was using an old gas-tanker truck for water truck. large tank on the back of a semi tractor.

they used the tank for 20 + years, filling it with water and fighting fires with the water from the tank.

the tank developed rust. a welder was called in to fix the leak. They emptied the water from the tank. He got in the tank and started to weld.

he blew the tank to smithereeeens, including himself.

there was enough gasoline left in the tank after 20 years of being flushed with water to explode.

gas tanks: don't weld on them unless you know what you are doing.

Rich

That is amazing - I did not know that!

Figured that, after it had been washed, dried and sitting around for a week or so, whatever minute amount was left of the gas had outgassed.

I waited about a week to shake it around with a chain in it, but that was because I didn't find time to do it - clearly not because I had any sense :) While shaking, after my arms got tired, I thought of the industrial clothes dryer idea..

Good thing it didn't fit -- I'd be another Darwin File or something they test on MythBusters..

To the original poster, don't do what I attempted. Remco

Hey Remco

How you doin ! Reminds me of when me and my Dad made a log burner out of a gas cylindar. I think you call it natural gas in the us. we call it calor.

Any how, we cut the valve off, it is brass so doesnt spark ! Then we fillied it completely with water, and emptied it again. It 'stank' (smelled lots) of gas still, so we filled it with water again before cutting the door out.

No sparks or anything bad. but very scary (and funny in a nervous way) all the same !

How you gettin on with your body off resto ?

Rich

My eyebrows and body hair is all growing back very nicely, thank you, after the aforementioned tank-in-dryer experiment :)

Doing quite well: The body is off so found that one rear cross member has to be replaced as well. The front firewall has some body rot that needs to go. I will probably replace the channels with the crossmembers and the complete firewall, all while it is sitting on the pan. It'll make a ring of sorts. Then I'll lower the body back on so it can all re-allign correctly (then my body lift will truly shine :) I am doing the frame at the moment, mostly cleaning it. A friend of mine can cart the whole thing into a media blaster room so might take him up on that.

How about you? How's the houseboat coming? A week or so ago, someone here mentioned making a bug body into a houseboat top and was waiting for you to reply to that one. :)

Remco

Thank you, really appreciate it Nick

thanks guys, i think whenever i have a question on my bug i know where to go now. good story tellers too =)

I saw that thread too ! I have often looked at my busses thinking they are just the right size for our canal system ! The locks are 7' max wide.

As for my 1303 super - its going well too. The biggest slowdown is undoing the PO's years of 'repairs'. My front firewall needs rebuilding, I need to get some more sheet metal 1st. Apart from that, the 'major' stuff is done. Got to hang the doors back on before I weld the heater chanels. I found to keep the body raised, with the front frame head (super) bolted loosely to the front mounting points (the front of the front wheel arch). I can then jack the pan up at the back, to meet the body. Only takes a few seconds, then mark of where I need to 'ajust' things and let it back down. Works pretty well.

Be interesting to here how you get on with your way !

Rich

yes I have a 1972 VW Baja and the wiring is so messed up. It was given to me as a gift, and it is a challenge to have. I owned a1981 chev luv truck and their is no comparison to this bug. My problem is that I just had the battery recharged and I can't get it to turn over. I do have the battery cables on right because the red cable is negative and the black cable is positive. There is a short in the electrical system and its been hard finding. Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated. Thank you