Posted by Jon on 2 May, 2013
I’m a little closer to getting the 1500 single port into my 1961 ragtop Beetle now that I’ve taken the old unit out of the car. The new 1500 isn’t ready to go in, yet, but thats because there are a few parts on the old engine that I need to use on the new …
Posted by Jon on 26 April, 2013
This 1500 project seems to be dragging on some what but there is a tiny flickering light at the end of the tunnel.
I’ve managed to get a few more hours in the garage under my belt and I’m happy to report the 1500 long block is nearly ready.
All that remains is for me to bolt …
Posted by Jon on 14 March, 2013
I thought it was about time I did a little blog update. Truth be told I haven’t been doing too much out in the garage of late but I did manage to spend a couple of days assembling my 1500 long block. There were a few snags and I had to split the block and …
Posted by Jon on 19 December, 2012
It’s been a slightly emotional day for me. I’ve decided to sell my 2007cc engine.
The main reasons for this are threefold: I don’t really want to go fast anymore, I don’t want to spend most of my life tuning twin carbs and I need the money to finish the more important parts of my Beetle …
Posted by Jon on 21 November, 2012
I’m sure many of you can relate to the fact that when you start a car restoration you have a clear vision of what you wanted to create, but somewhere down the line your vision takes a curve and you start to change your ideas. I’m one of these people. The 1961 ragtop was supposed …
Posted by Jon on 19 November, 2012
Remember those con-rods I balanced? Well I’ve just fitted them to the crank that I got from The VW Engine Company.
I had to replace the bearings for these so after measuring the cranks bearing surfaces again I was able to order the correct ones. These bearings come in two halves and are very easy to …
Posted by Jon on 8 October, 2012
I’ve had a bit more time to spend on the 1500 rebuild which meant I could measure the bearing saddles in the case halves and the surfaces on the crank. Knowing these numbers means I can order the correct bearings. My replacement case seemed to have been bored at some point (although it didn’t look …
Posted by Jon on 4 October, 2012
As some of you will know, Jon has decided to rebuild a 1500 engine to go in his ’61 Ragtop
Engines! I’ve always been a bit conflicted with my engine choice for the ’61 Bug. Do I want to go fast? Or maybe I just want to cruise about nice and slow?
When I set out on …
Posted by Jon on 17 September, 2012
We’ve been busy getting our rides ready for the VolksWorld 25th Birthday Party.
There was a lot going on in the garage on Saturday as a few of us rushed to get a few last minute jobs done to our cars, ready for Thursdays birthday bash. Even Richard (our publisher) was there putting some rear seat …
Posted by Jon on 13 September, 2012
This morning I popped down to visit my good friend and tyre fitter, Mark (he actually does a lot more than fit tyres and is awesome at welding). Not many tyre shops will fit tyres for you that you’ve bought elsewhere but RSR in Redhill will, and Mark is a guy you can trust not …
Posted by Jon on 11 September, 2012
I’ve finally gotten around to some more garage time and this time I was going to clean up my tyres. I’m desperate to get the freshly detailed Fuchs on my Beetle and with my handy tyre fitter booked in, I thought I’d best scrub up the rear firestones that were looking very grubby indeed.
Armed with …
Posted by Jon on 3 August, 2012
We decided to get some garage time in today so Steve, James and myself took a day off work and got busy in the barn.
Today I was mostly tinkering. I finished painting my wheel adapters and did a mock fit up of 1 Fuchs to make sure all was good. And everything was. Due to …
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