I'm restoring a 1967 VW Bug. I don't know where to start, electrical, engine, body and paint? any suggestion

Answer 1

67's a great year, because there's a lot of one-year-only stuff on them. If you know your Bugs, you can always tell a 67. Also makes them a bear to get stuff for, despite the fact that '67 was VW's biggest sales year in the US.

1. Pull the motor & trans, gut the interior, pull the wiring. Get her on blocks & get the suspension out.

2. Body & paint, chassis rebuild. Go through the motor while you're waiting for the bondo to dry.

3. Paint done & windows back in? Get the wiring done. Lots of places have pre-made wiring cheap.

4. Get the trans & motor back in

5. Finish up the interior.

6. IMHO, the best repair manual is "How to keep your Volkswagen Alive: A book of step-by-step procedures for the Compleat Idiot" by John Muir. I prefer the wire-bound version, with laminated pages.

7. Good luck, & have fun!

Answer 2

when i restored my 69 Bug i started with the engine and electrical systems, considering that this was my only car i still needed something to drive back and forth to work, this also included brake cylnders, lines and cables, pretty much anything that i could replace or rebiuld on the bug i did, considering that i was working on a budget and parts for older VW's are really reasonably priced, and this way i could save up to have the body and paint work done. Also if you dont have one already you NEED to get a copy of John Muirs Book; How to keep your Volkswagen running forever for the complete idiot. it is the Air cooled owners bible. it was originally published in the 70's i think but you can find updated versons at barnes and noble or on amazon.com, however it is a big blue book that has a cartoon drawing on the front of it of a volkswagen bug. So happy building and to the guy who said you were wasting your time and money obvisouly has never had the pleasure of driving a volkswagen, and if he has he is one of the rare ones who didnt like it, because as i am sure you know, you have a speical bond with your bug, one much like a cowboy has with his truck.

Answer 3

ok.. by the numbers

1) Check the engine and tranny.. if they are not running then you need to line up replacements or rebuilds. If they are ok then move on to the

2) BOdy.. is it ok.. remove any dented or broken fenders or bumpers that you are going to replace.. this makes the rest easy as you... fill all the dings and dents that stay and get it primered

3) Remove the interior.. seats, linings, insulation, headliner, etc. any rusted areas? Replace them or repair them.. Pay special attention to the battery side of the car and remove any corrosion.. now you can

4) Paint the inside if you want to.. at least put rustoleum on the bare metal and undercarpet areas... if you are painting the inside for finish work, remove all the windows and felting.

once the paint dries you can...

5) Deal with the electrical. Make sure everything works and the wiring is ok.. replace as necessary... so now consider what you want to add and where you want it.

RUn the wires overhead or across the bare floor. plan for speakers, lighting, cigarette lighters (actually power supply outlets now since most people don't smoke.

Gauges? courtesy lights, glove box lights.. any thing you want to add./.. this is the time... how about an alarm, gps, blue tooth cell phone hookup, etc...

Put additional fuse panels in the car trunk to avoid choking out your factory one.

How about a power washer instead of one that hooks to your spare tire and sucks the air if it breaks>

ok.. got it all done..

6) Now lets put it back together

a) Windows, seals, headliner and carpet .. now finish installing all the new stuff
b) seats.. and misc. and your interior is done

7) Put on the body parts loosely.. (no bumpers yet) paint the car... now put in new fender welting and tighten up the fenders. Let the paint cure before you mess with the car.. CURE not just dry.

8) Put the engine back in carefully if it was out (you can do this at step 7 too.. your engine should be spotless and all the tin repainted to a color you like... chrome accessories should be installed and a new clutch and throwout bearing in place.

9) put on the bumpers and fancy wheels and a car cover.. turn on the alarm and step back and enjoy it.

ta da...

.

Answer 4

You can check the electric shut off valve by listening for the "click" it makes when you turn it (the ignition) on and off. If no click, check the wire which operates it. These had real fine threads and were subject to vibration- so they would vibrate loose. You may have a replacement carb which had two of these, the second one was high on the carb near the front ahead of the choke. We recently had a post where the back up lights had shorted where they came thru the fire wall to the coil. You might want to try a jumper wire from the battery to the hot side of the coil and see if it will run that way. If it will run, you have something wrong from the key switch back to the coil. Remember, VW hate big balls of keys hanging off their key switches.

Answer 5

get the book,
How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive for The Compleat Idiot.
It teaches you everything, from how to buy one, to what tools you'll need to keep in your VW. And yes, Complete is spelled Compleat on the book. Also, the book was written before the new beetles came out, so that'll save a lot of confusion.
Dude, it's totally worth it.

Answer 6

Well if you are going to restore it, must mean you have some skills in mechanical repair/body work/upholstrey or a wad of cash. You either start at what you are most familiar with or start with the most difficult job which needs doing. Electrical basically is solid in most cases. That leaves engine, body, upholstrey, or suspension. Take your pick or do all of them at once...to kill the boredom.

Answer 7

I would always start with the window rubber/door seals/ this of course if it is a driving car. Otherwise go to what makes it move first. The 67 is a one year only so its worth the effort to fix it up.Parts are very reasonable to buy or just go to the samba.com to do your shopping. You can make it anyway you want with the parts and contacts/ swap meets. The people who drive these cars are most happy to help other people to have their car going.

Answer 8

Make sure the body is good first. Frame rot where the front suspension bolts on and where the rear torsion arms mount on will make or brake your project. If those are good, everything else can be repaired/replaced.

Answer 9

Thats a lotta work, mate.You can do it with determination. Cant guarrantee smoothness in this task.Enjoy.

Answer 10

Yeah.Get a real car to restore. What a waste of time and money.