68 Vw Bug?

Question

this car has been sitting in my yard for 10-15 years anyway it was supposedly parked because my dad wanted to put an alternator into it and convert it to a 12v system. i want to fix it and i want to know possible reasons he would have wanted to change it and what i need to do before i start it.
P.S. cant ask my dad he passed away (long time ago) most of the reason it sat there

Answer 1

Dear 1968 Bug-

First! Congratulations on the car. I owned a '66!

The 6 volt to 12 volt change is a fairly simple project.

Lets walk this path together since you have not done this before, and all of the other respondants are having a hard time grasping the project.

Changing the 6v system out is to your advantage. It will require that you change a few things to get the job done correctly.

First lets start with the fuse box, and the J.C Whitney Catalog. There is a complete 12v conversion kit for the fuse box, and you are going to need it because the 6v fuses are nearly non-existant in the automotive industry. This new fuse bos looks the same and replaces the old one with the glass type fuses, or you can get the one with the Horse-Shoe Type too if you like. But either way, there is a little cutting and splicing that you are going to need to learn how to do properly.

Just make sure that you properly mark all of your wires, and relocate them properly in the fuse panel. The instructions will walk you through this fairly easily.

Next is going to be switching from a Generator to an Alternator, this is a direct bolt on system, also from J.C. Whitney. If you have a place like BugFormance, or any other VW shop, they will have the setup available there too. You are going to need to change the Battery Cables out to the modern cables, fortunately the cables from a 197?? will work just fine.

Now its going to be down to the battery, and this is where things start getting a little tricky. You need to measure the spot under the rear bench seat. I no longer wanted the battery here on my car, and I relocated it to the front, and plumbed the wires back through the sill of the door next to the floor board, and installed a fault relay inline just incase I got into a side collision and the wires got shorted together. The fault relay will pop in the event of a short circuit, and will require a manual reset.

You will also need to change out the starter and the Ignition Distributor, and I highly recommend doing away with the points and condensor system, as that system is very unreliable, and with the 12v system, you will burn the points often.

The electronic ignition wires in exactly like the old distributor so there is no fuss. As for the starter, it is a simple remove and replace job as with the alternator kit.

Let me also give you a couple of other tips while we are here too. Inside the "Dog House" is the engine's oil cooler. Unfortunately the heat exchanger sets directly in line with Cylinder #3.

The heat from the engine oil cooler, blows directly down in the jug vanes and unfortunately this cylinder is the first one on the air cooled VW's that starts to have heat related issues.

Fortunately there is a cure for this. There is a remote Oil Cooler and Filter kit available for the engines. This makes a huge improvement in the engine temprature by relocating the oil cooler and adding a spin-on type oil filter. This not only adds oil capacity, but relocates the Oil Cooler to a better location, and even come with a fan to get the job done properly. It drops the engine temprature about 30 to 40 degrees.

It will not be located on the exterior of the vehicle, so if you are going for a restoration like I did with mine, unless you lift the little hood, they will never see the added parts and improvements from the outside.

You can also add disc brakes to the front of the car by obtaining the spindle kits for a Karman Ghia. This will give you the standard, disc front and drum rear setup to improve the braking system.

I restored mine and had it for quite a few years, then sold it at a show. I sort of regret doing it, but while I had it I enjoyed the little car. I also changed the carburetor out to a dual 40mm Webber System and chucked that sad single Solex! I also changed out the exhaust to a dual side header/muffler system. Both improve the performance of the little engine.

I did not do too much internal work, but just kept the little car as reliable as possible.

Good Luck with your project, and I hope I passed some ideas on to you and gave you a little help.

Answer 2

6V electrical system is pretty OK if you will not be starting the car in cold winter mornings...
The only major problem is namely that 6V system is weaker and more sensitive to drop of voltage in battery because of drop of the temperature.
The lights are weaker also, but this is again not an big issue - you won't be doing night races with it, I suppose...

And if you want to have it as a real oldtimer, then you have to do as little changes as possible.

For now - to only test the car if it is still running - I suggest to find a new 6V battery or a bit dangerous option B to use a 12V battery, a bit low on voltage and turn on the key (or button) with only short bursts (in order not to everheat the starter).

Since your father most probably parked the car on some relatively clean and safe place and it was there for only 10-15 years, then you should not find too many surprises there - like animals living inside.

But definitely replace the engine and gearbox oil as soon as you will want to run the engine for longer periods or even to drive the car, because oil detoriates with age and 10-15 years is 5 times too long..

I would actually expect the most problems with brakes, since they tend to stuck - both the brake liquid and the gaskets inside and the brake shoes inside the drums. The usual procedure here is to disassemble everything, clean the parts, replace the gaskets and assemble again.
Can be a tough job if the screws are rusted...

Ah yes, when you try to start it for the first time, try to turn the engine a bit manually (also can be a bit stuck) and if the starter will not turn, it helps to hit it a little with hammer in order to set it in motion.

Answer 3

If it's a 1968 it's already 12 volt, they changed over in 1967. The standard VW generator puts out only 40 amps, while the alternator puts out 55 amps. There is an advantage with the generator and that is it's easier to push start the car if the battery is completely dead.

If you don't plan on adding extra off road lighting, racing it or installing a super audio system I wouldn't bother changing it over.

Answer 4

I owned a 68 bug. Bought it new. It was already 12V. So there should be no reason to convert it.

I paid $2005 for it. That included taxes, license, all fees. Walking out the door with a full tank of gas. The first new car that I had bought.

Answer 5

alternators are the only way to go, you'll need a battery, a resistor for the wiper motor, new bulbs, and decide if you want to pull the engine out to grind the transmission to accept the 12 volt flywheel, some people like to run 12 volt system with a 6 volt start for fast cranking

Answer 6

the 12v system is saver and more up to date than a what it has it most likely has a six volt before u start i would check the heater and muffler for mice nest there really bad also make sure u put new gas in and check the oil o and a new battery

Answer 7

12V makes for easier starting (especially if you keep the 6V starter) and it's easier to find 12V stereos, TVs, DVD players and all that stuff. J. C. Whitney has all kinds of parts for Bugs. Go to www.jcwhitney.com

Answer 8

i would charge the battery and start it. check out the electrical system. if its the alternator then you can convert it all to 12 volt then. its pretty simple job to change over really