VW Super Beetle

36mm. You really should have a 3/4" drive ratchet to get this off, because they start at 220 lb-ft and get tighter as you drive. I've broken five flex-head breaker bars over the years removing this one nut.

The timing is too retarded. It runs okay when you're in the gas, right? When you step on the gas in a car, the timing advances. When you let off, it retards again. There's a range of timing the car will run in, and when you get out of the gas the car falls out of that range. Result: stall, just like you described. All you really need is a tune-up. Also, be sure and keep up on the valve adjustment as the Beetles are real sensitive to timing if not kept up on. It makes a big difference sometimes. Good call on the valves...every three months, every Bug owner needs to take a Saturday morning and set the valves and timing, clean the plugs (although I never do that--Bosch Super plugs are inexpensive enough that I just replace them), set the idle, set the dwell on the points, and change the oil. (Oil change interval on a Bug without an oil filter retrofit is 1500. So it's oil change - full Saturday morning service - oil change...) If you don't want to do the dwell adjustment, which is a grade-A pain, change to a Pertronix Ignitor points eliminator.

under the rear seat behind the top of the battery you will see a hplder for the jack.

If you have a dwell tach, the proper dwell is 50 degrees plus or minus two at 1500rpm. If you're too cheap to buy a dwell tach, set it at 0.016" and call it good. On my car, 50 degrees of dwell equals .009" gap. Dwell is the length of time, in degrees of crankshaft rotation, the points are open. Too little dwell and you're not getting spark long enough to properly burn the fuel. Too much dwell and you're just screwing up your plugs for no reason.

Unfortunately, at this point the only place you will be able to find the factory OEM type of spring is from the dealer (maybe), or from an auto salvage yard.

When removing the old springs it is usually easier and cheaper to take the whole hinge and spring as an assembly.

HOWEVER...

If you aren't fixated on having the original type springs on your hood hinge (ie; restoration) you can do as I did and use gas struts.

These are available at most auto stores as replacement items for later model vehicles.

The trick is finding the correct length and strength

The length is easy, as all you need to do is measure from the eye hole on each end of the spring.

You would rather the length be 1/4" too long, than 3/4" too short, but not more than 1/4" or the preload will be too great, and bend the hood as you try to close it.

Which brings you to the second tricky part.

Most of the time the strut will be set for the heavier hood or hatchback weight. Bear this in mind when searching for the replacement. Usually this will not be a problem, but you need to be aware of it. I did find a set that was too strong and had to get another of the same length that was "loaded" for a lighter weight.

I can't tell which to use for you application because of the different manufacturers and I was replacing them on a '66 bug, which I was (am) customizing, and I am using a fiberglass hood.

When installing the new struts you will merely have to drill and remove the upper rivet/pin and unclip the lower pin.

Use quality hardware and it's a straight forward installation.

It looks pretty sharp too..

J C Wwitney has manuals

Unless you have all the tools you need to fix it (you don't; a lot of the tools you need for a transmission repair are specific to that task), do not attempt to open a transmission. You can remove it from the car and clean it, but go no further.

This is kinda long, but if I was going to rebuild a Bug engine, here's what I'd do: First, pull the engine out of the car and strip off the intake, exhaust, and sheetmetal. Drain the gas out of the carburetor. Next, make three areas in your workspace, which you've cleaned well. Call them the "clean," "rebuild" and "replace" piles. Anything in the "clean" pile, you just clean and put back in the engine. Everything in the "rebuild" pile goes to the machinist, and the "replace" pile is self-explanatory. The heat exchangers are the boxes attached to the heads. These are your heating system, and if they leak exhaust they can kill you quick. Inspect them very closely, and if they look even the least bit questionable, put them in the Replace pile. If they're okay, put them in the Clean pile. Put all the stuff you stripped off in the first step in the Clean pile, except for the alternator, distributor and carb. They go in the Rebuild pile. Take the heads off and put them in the Rebuild pile. Strip the engine down. Put the connecting rods, the flywheel, the crank, the cam and the case in the Rebuild pile. Put the distributor pinion, the rockers and valve covers, the head studs, the pushrods, the oil strainer and the crank pulley in the Clean pile. Put everything else in the Replace pile...and think hard about putting the case there too. All the nuts and bolts should go in the Replace pile, but most people put them in the Clean pile. Box up all the stuff in the Rebuild pile and haul it to a machinist that does VW work and that has a Rottler line-boring machine if you're doing the case. Do NOT get your engine line-bored by a guy that uses a portable line bore. There are perfectly good reasons to use a portable line bore--in-frame overhauls of big diesels are those reasons. The alternator goes to an auto rebuild shop. The distributor needs new points, condenser, rotor and cap...or live it up and put a Pertronix Ignitor in. Use this opportunity to clean the items in the Clean pile and purchase the items in the Replace pile. You will also need at least one tube of assembly lubricant (Lubriplate is supreme), a tube of Yamabond 5 to glue the case back together, a clutch, a carb rebuild kit, a gasket set, a case of oil and a main seal--you don't get one in the gasket sets, and I don't know why. Make sure you have a good torque wrench--this is critical. Also get a new gland nut no matter what yours looks like. This holds the flywheel on. It's under a lot of torque and it has ultra-fine threads. You can get a racing gland nut if you like; it's made from 4340 Chromoly steel and takes a lot more torque. It also takes a lot larger wrench to install it--1-1/2" versus 36mm. When you pick up your rebuilt stuff, buy your main, rod and cam bearings from the machinist. He knows what undersize he used, and it's professional courtesy to do it that way. You will probably also save money--the last time I bought bearings from a non-machinist I paid about twice what I did when I bought them from a machinist. Go home and use your VW service manual to tell you how to put the engine back together. Reinstall the engine and, if you did everything right, you'll be a happy person.

Not without changing more parts than you want to think about.

The 1967 transmission was "swingaxle."

The 1971 chassis was made for "independent rear suspension" transmissions.

You can put anything from 1969 on in your 71, because 1969 was the first year of IRS.

The hood is in the back, with the engine. To change a hood hinge, you just unbolt the old one and bolt in a new one.

The trunk lid hinge is replaced the same way, but you need someone to hold up the trunk lid while you're doing it so you don't ruin the trunk lid (which you can NOT get new--they broke the stamping die many years ago) or the hinge on the other side.

Since both cars are swing axle, the transmissions will interchange.

Repair, as in replacing worn ones or fixing broken ones? You really should get the "Bently" manual for your year bug as it could be dangerous if done wrong. You basically have to compress the outer coil spring with a compressor to disassemble it to get at the strut cartridges. It's do able if you know what your doing but best left for the shops to do. Any of the parts stores usually still sell the strut cartridges. Just make sure you find out what month the car was made as some items on the Beetles were changed mid year so if they need that info you will have it on hand.

kamei is the brand

look on "super beetles only" forum for the group buy.

$250 each and they are not effective until 50-60MPH

the Beetle is the most-manufactured automobile of a single design platform anywhere in the world.From 1945 onwards the model was internally designated the Volkswagen Type 1, and marketed simply as the "Volkswagen". Later models were designated VW 1200, 1300, 1500, 1302 or 1303, the former three indicating engine displacement and the latter two being derived from the type number and not indicative of engine capacity.

Under the hood on the backside of the dashboard. If you have a new one already you should be able to match it up easily.

50 degrees of dwell, plus or minus two degrees. Set them to .016", hook up your dwell meter and run the engine. If the dwell's too high, open the points gap; too low, close it down.

A Beetle has a shock front suspension whereas a Super Beetle has McPherson struts. A Beetle has a flat windshield, Super has curved windshield from 73 on, but has a flat windshield in 71 and 72. Front hood on Beetle is narrow and comes to more of a point. Super looks wider and is more rounded. Supers are also known as Fat Chicks.

ALL Supers have the McPherson strut so just look under the front hood in tire well and see if it has the "shock" inside the coil spring. The standard Beetles all have the same style from the A pillar back as the supers. 73 and later also has a big curved dash.

Lastly, in 1977 the only Super was a convertible, 75 was the last year for a Super Beetle Sedan in the USA. All '77 convertibles are Supers. VW Beetle, Super Beetle history/FAQ, here is a link: http://www.superbeetles.com/faq.htm

http://www.vwshowtime.com/8_history/history_e2.html

The short answer is the only 77 Super Beetle was a convertible, no Super Sedans in 77, so if you have a US 77 Beetle Sedan it is not a Super Beetle.

71-72 Supers are AKA 1302, 73 and later known as 1303.

no actually the 1973 model (which i drive) is actually a beetle not a super because 73 was the year that VW changed to making only supers so you've got half beetles and the others supers but the only thing different is the front clip anywhere from dash board back is actually the same as a regular beetle but the other answer that i just improved is also correct they did go to the McPherson's strut for the front end so any where from 1974 on up are supers unless modified.

No,71 and 72 superbeetle hoods are longer than 73 and later,that have round windshield and 71 and 72 have flat windshield,by the way the hood is longer than 73 and later.

The 1972 rear fenders are the same on the standard and super Beetles, there is a difference between the front fenders however.

Stock is 1600 cc or 1.6 liter. The bore and stroke are 85.5mm and stroke is 69 mm.

chiltons repair manuals that you can buy at an auto parts store will have all the wiring diagrams for everything. if you buy on there in the back of the book in the chasis electrical part. not to expensive i think i paid $26.00 for mine.

1 - 4 - 3 - 2 (the word "Zundfolge" you found on your engine means "firing order")

No....BUT...

You can swap over certain years brakes/rotors from the Karman Ghia over to the Beetles. Or you can buy the "kits" that do the same thing.

If it's a Super that was made for the US market, it came with a 1600cc engine.