Will my VW last another 50 yrs.?

It's just a blast and fun too. People ask what kind of car it is.
some have never seen one.
--
Money! What a concept.

VFW wrote:
> It's just a blast and fun too. People ask what kind of car it is.
> some have never seen one.

Usually with an old car you can keep the engine going, or even replace
the engine. Keeping the frame/body in one piece is the problem. With a
bug (is it a bug?) the problem was the floor pan that tends to rust
through. Is it undercoated? Every few years you should pull floor mats
and such, inspect, and paint with a rust inhibitor. Put it up on a rack
and do the same with underside.

Suspension and running gear parts can also be replaced, of course.

Don Stauffer > wrote:
>VFW wrote:
>> It's just a blast and fun too. People ask what kind of car it is.
>> some have never seen one.
>
>Usually with an old car you can keep the engine going, or even replace
>the engine. Keeping the frame/body in one piece is the problem. With a
>bug (is it a bug?) the problem was the floor pan that tends to rust
>through. Is it undercoated? Every few years you should pull floor mats
>and such, inspect, and paint with a rust inhibitor. Put it up on a rack
>and do the same with underside.

The thing is, there are aftermarket Bug parts still being made, and VW
was actually making the things in Brazil until less than a decade ago,
so there are still OEM spares for a lot of stuff on shelves.

The floor pan will rust out.... hit it with rust stabilizer if you haven't
already, then budget to eventually cut it out and weld a new one in (which
is not trivial since it's oddly structural).

>Suspension and running gear parts can also be replaced, of course.

Avoid the Brazillian-made engine parts... the metal is not as good quality
as the German ones. But the Brazillian replacement floor pans are just fine.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

My 1914 Ford Model T will be 100 years old in 2014.I have no idea how
many actual miles the car has run before.Maybe someday I will get
started on restoring my 1948 Willys Jeep.
There is an online VW website you might check out.
rec.autos.makers.vw.aircooled
cuhulin

I once read about a guy who restored his World War Two Jeep.He bought a
new complete reproduction steel body and body parts that was made in the
Philippines.He said the metal was so crappy he couldn't even weld
anything to the body.It wouldn't take and hold a weld bead.
cuhulin

> wrote in message
...
>I once read about a guy who restored his World War Two Jeep.He bought a
> new complete reproduction steel body and body parts that was made in the
> Philippines.He said the metal was so crappy he couldn't even weld
> anything to the body.It wouldn't take and hold a weld bead.
> cuhulin

I doubt that.

On 08/12/2010 06:43 PM, hls wrote:
>
> > wrote in message
> ...
>> I once read about a guy who restored his World War Two Jeep.He bought a
>> new complete reproduction steel body and body parts that was made in the
>> Philippines.He said the metal was so crappy he couldn't even weld
>> anything to the body.It wouldn't take and hold a weld bead.
>> cuhulin
>
> I doubt that.

I dunno, one day I was looking at the front of a Studebaker V-8
installed in my '55 coupe and noticed a little water seeping out of the
connection between the water manifold and the front of the engine. I
can't remember if it was the block or the head. (this is an old design,
remember - the upper water passage wasn't integrated into the intake
like it is on a SBC.) So I grabbed a wrench and figured I would snug
those bolts up. SNAP! look at head - no marks. Great. Some
knucklehead used grade-2 or worse bolts to put the water manifold back
on. So I remove it, breaking two more bolts in the process. I could
NOT weld a nut on any of them to save my life! ended up having to drill
all three.

I am rather proud of the fact that I didn't helicoil a single one of
those holes, however, and I just drilled them with a handheld electric
drill. (had to pull the radiator to get to them though, which ****ed me
off even more.)

Lesson: don't use cheap bolts. Do use anti-seize.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

On Thu, 12 Aug 2010 17:43:38 -0500, hls wrote:

>
> > wrote in message
> ...
>>I once read about a guy who restored his World War Two Jeep.He bought a
>> new complete reproduction steel body and body parts that was made in the
>> Philippines.He said the metal was so crappy he couldn't even weld
>> anything to the body.It wouldn't take and hold a weld bead.
>> cuhulin
>
> I doubt that.

Perhaps not. Google "Jeepney"

"Nate Nagel" > wrote in message
...

>
> Lesson: don't use cheap bolts. Do use anti-seize.
>
> nate

Yep, I know what you mean.. Dont do anything on the "cheap". Economy is one
thing but "cheap" can be a disaster.

I have seen several re-bodies using modern aftermarkete body panels. None
of
them were exactly like the OEM panels, but sometimes you dont have a choice.