1970 VW Beetle

1970 VW Beetle questions and answers

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Q: 1970 VW Beetle Heater review/reinstall?
I have a 1970 VW Beetle. It's getting cold outside I've faced the facts, when I can see my breath inside the car, it just too dang cold. It still has some heater parts installed, so I'm thinking I could put it all back together and get a little heat. I was wondering if anyone has pictures or diagrams of what a functioning heater should look like as well as any tips that might help with the process?

A: The main problems with a 1970 VW heater system is pretty basic. 1. Check the heater junction boxes which are the units bolted to the exhaust ports of the motor. The sheet metal housings rust out causing fan pressure which normally would blow over the heat exchangers to escape rather than blow through the duct work to the windshield and floor vents. 2. Many older VW's have rotted out heater passages which run under the running boards. Check them to make sure they are intact. 3. Make sure the heater junction boxes are opening. Many times the heater cables break inside the cable housings and the heater junction boxes don't open. You can wire the heater boxes open all the way if the cables are bad. Find something other than the axles to secure the wires to!!!

Q: How can i adjust carburator of 1300cc VW beetle of 1970 model?
My beetle 's carburator has got two mixture ratio adjusting screws. How can i adjust the mixture ratio and tune my carburator to get a good fuel efficiency

A: The idle mixture should be adjusted with an exhaust gas analyzer to ensure proper emissions. There are two adjustment screws close together. The big one being idle speed, the small one, idle mixture. To get it close, turn the idle mixture adjustment screw in (clock-wise) until the engine speed drops. Back out adjustment to obtain the highest idle speed. Turn in 1/8 turn. It should be very close. The kicker is to not run it too lean. Real bad for an air-cooled motor.

Q: does anyone have any info on installing a subaru engine into a 1970 VW beetle?


A: This is a pretty popular swap. One of the biggest tips is that you can get an adapter from Kennedy Engineered Products to bolt most Subaru flat fours up to a VW transaxle. See here: http://www.kennedyeng.com/vw_por.htm Most of the other components - motor mounts, cooling system, and wiring - are things you are likely to have to build yourself.

Q: what new engine with euro3 can i use for a vw beetle(1970)?
i have a vw beetle from 1970 and i want to change the engine with a more reliable one, and i don't know what engine woult fit into this car.

A: um im not sure but my father has a 1973 VW superbeetle and you have to take measure ments to find out you could get a small porche motor like out of a 914 but you can put a inline 4 or anything like that unless you want to do major things to it if you want to put a V8 or V6 you have to change everything...this isnt easy to do.

Q: can anyone out there tell me the available color options for a 1970 VW Convertible Beetle (Karmann)?
Hi i have been trying to find out the possible available color options that may have been available in 1970 For the VW Karmann Beetle Convertible Does Anyone out there know where i might find this info ? i have tried various different ways and still haven't found this information thank you

A: try this site: http://www.wolfsburgwest.com/colors/bug70.htm hope that helps you out

Q: 1970 VW Beetle brakes rusted to the wheels?
I was told that I had this problem. My VW Beetle was parked for a bit and when I went to drive it, I released the parking brake and it didn't feel like it was releasing properly. I took the cable off the brake handle and there didn't seem to be tension in it. I was told by a few people that the brakes probably rusted to the wheels. Can I rectify this by pulling the wheels now or through something else? I couldn't drive it as the brakes were on and stopping the engine cold.

A: Rear brakes are a bigger pain than the front because you have to remove the axle nut which has a cotter key. and about 400lbs of torque on it. We are talking a 4 foot pipe and a GOOD SOCKET. This must be done while the car has all wheels on the ground. So, while you contemplate that, lets try to free up the brake shoes otherwise the removing the big nut will be useless. We will have to backtrack. First; loosen off the parking brake cables completely with your 10mm wrench. Now( take your wheel wrench and loosen the nuts from the wheel 1 turn then, after putting blocks under the front and back of the tires on the side you are not lifting, jack up the car on one side and put a jack stand under (not on the axle)so that the wheel is free, put the car in neutral, and first try to rotate the wheel Yes or No (for it could be only 1 wheel you have to deal with regarding a rusted brake line). If it won't rotate you know it is the one you got to work on. (If it does rotate, then leave that wheel alone for now and go to the other side to find the stuck wheel.) Take the nuts/bolts off the rest of the way and pull off the tire/wheel). What you see now is the drum. On the backside of it is a stationary plate of metal called the "backing plate." I am telling you this so we are on the same page. On the backing plate(if everything has been kept up and original) there are 4 rubbers with rubber tabs that are covering 4 round holes. Two are at the top near the brake fluid line(or at the bottom depending on which production line it came from - no matter). Those 2 are the adjusting stars which you have to adjust manually to adjust the clearance on the rear brakes. The other two let you check the thickness of the shoes without removing the drum. Later... Near the bottom(or top) of the backing plate you will see a wire cable going thru the backing plate. It has a wire coil around the outside of it, this is the parking brake/emergency brake cable housing. The thin wire is inside of it. On the outside covering,push it pull it move it whatever. You want to get the cable to move inside. Chances are it is rusted in position. A lot of flexing is sometimes all that it needs to break free. Spraying lube on the cable won't help as there is a plastic covering inside the coiled wire protecting the wire cable from the outside elements. ALSO keep trying to rotate the drum(easiest way now is to put a wheel bolt back in and stick a flat bar over the centre spindle and between the wheel bolt and spindle so that you can rotate the drum with some leverage to check if it is a goer. once you GET the drum to move is the ONLY time you can adjust the star wheels at the top of the backing plate with a flat blade screwdriver(or brake adjusting tool). Look in the hole if you can with a light and you can see what I am talking about. On the hole closest to the rear bumper you must push down on the screwdriver handle moving the star upward. on the other star, you must pull up. Turn, until the star turns no more. Now that wheel should rotate completely free from the shoes. If you can't even get the star to begin to rotate, it too could be frozen in rust. What you can do is use a 7-9 inch screwdriver like a chisel and a light hammer. Stick the screwdriver on one of the star arms and tap with the screwdriver to get it moving. You don't want to break the arms if you can help it so many little taps is just as effective as a big whack. Don't bother putting any oil or oil spray in the hole, you won't hit what you need to hit...so that is a waste of time. Another technique you may apply in your breakage of rust and stuck brake shoes is wacking the drum where the shoes would contact(left and right side) with a hammer a couple of times per side using a 20 oz hammer. Whats the worst that could happen? The drum breaks, but it is off at least. so you can work on the emergency brake cable. Really, it is better if you go to the library and pick up a VW repair manual. It has pictures which are a thousand words alone. You will have to catch a ride. The wheels cannot be pulled until you are able to manually adjust them off. Period. FYI Brakes don't rust to the wheel. The brake cable rusting ON can happen. especially if it is one of those winter storage things.

Q: My 1970 VW beetle bonnet is stuck. The lever is 'clear' and workable, the bonnet is wiggable.?
Tried wiggling it sideways with sheer force, but it will nott budge. does anyone have an idea to solve this without cutting anywhere?

A: IF you don't have your spare tire in place, you can jack up the car and access the latch from the underside by going through the center access panel with a long handled screw driver. It's circular and held in place by a tab on the outside and a screw on the inside. Just bend the tab and then rotate the circular panel out of the way. Good Luck!!!

Q: Where is the turn signal relay for my 1970 Beetle?
There should be a 4- prong turn signal relay somewhere behind the dash for my VW Beetle (1970.) I'm afraid it could be missing, where is it located?

A: yeah, litterrally behind the speedometer, under the hood; I have a 1971 1302, and it's a silver grey cube.

Q: Cheap insurance companies for a 1970 1.6 Vw Beetle?
Hello, just past test last week, and i need insurance for my 1970 1600 Vw beetle before i can drive, does anyone know and good companies other than adrian flux.? Thanks Alex Thanks rhegan but need it to be in the UK! Thanks

A: Try to visit this cheap car insurance in UK http://www.nightbirdssolutions.com you can find there list of car insurance for your car. I hope it could help/.

Q: Questions about 1970's VW Beetle...?
I am considering getting a 1970's VW Beetle and I was curious to see if they are prone to having a lot of mechanical or really any sort of trouble and also i was curious to find out what type of gas mileage they get?

A: Those Beetles were extremely fine cars, sturdy, reliable and extremely easy to maintain. They had no quirks and were known to take a fair amount of abuse as well. Avoid the automatics and you would be doing the right thing. Their bodies were strong and upto the time the torsion bar suspension was changed, they did not require much care. With the advent of McPherson struts in front, alighnment needed to be kept in perfect order otherwise it affected your tyres. Myself and several friends have owned Beetles from that era and all clocked above 300,000 miles with no overhauls. City mileage is close to 25 mpg while a steady cruise at 50 mph on a long run gave us above 40 mpg. Go ahead and buy one - there are no pitfalls.

Q: I have a vw 1300 beetle of 1970. Can I use a electric fan motor for cooling?
I am hoping to replace the generator with a present time alternator that is not equiped with an engine cooling fan. I have decided to replace the belt driven cooling fan fitted to the back of the original generator with an electricaly driven cooling fan. This is an air cool engine

A: Sounds like an awful lot of modification just to change the generator to an alternator. The belt drive fan is a pretty efficient design, I am wondering why you want to change it? I guess if you wanted to reduce the drag on the engine by getting rid of the fan, it would be one thing. I guess you could modify the fan to run on an electric motor. I wouldbe really careful to do your homework, though. The belt drive fan fluctuates with the engine speed, so it gives off a higher velocity of air at higher speeds, thus cooling better than if the engine were idling, and not putting off as much heat. By putting a constant speed fan on there, you could thoretically cool it too much at low speeds, and not cool it enough at higher speeds possibly damaging the engine. Good luck, Stevo. After re-reading this question, I think I see that you aren't talking about the engine cooling fan but rather the generator itself, right? As stated, the question is a little confusing. If you are talking about the fan at the back of the generator, you need not worry aboiut cooling the new alternator your are contemplating installing. They usually have what they need to keep them cool built right in. The fact remains however that ther won't be as much air rushing past it as in a conventionally mounted engine with air coming in through the radiator, and around the engine. It shouldn't be too much of a problem though. If it is a big concern to you, simply add an electric fan and point it at the alternator. You can hook it up to power on as soon as the key is turned, or get a bit more industrious, and run the power through a thermostat of some kind, that turns the fan on at a certain temperature. Good luck! Stevo.

Q: 1970 Beetle Transmission Problem?
Everything one my 1970 VW Beetle is stock, never been replaced. I have never had a problem with anything, even the transmission, until a few weeks ago. When I start the car, I go to shift from N to 1 and there is about 1-1 1/2 inches of "freeplay" on either side of where the stick is supposed to engage, and its not quite as bad for shifting 1 to 2, and I have no problems with 2 to 3, 3 to 4, and minor difficulty N to R. Any suggestions? Anybody had this problem before? I've had this car for a long time now and can fix everything, except I suck when it comes to transmission work! And please no smart remarks like "Why don't you buy a 2008 Lexus or something?" Any help/suggestions would be appreciated.

A: Sounds like the shifter plate under the stick shift is really worn out. If anything just try and get one out of a beetle around your year model out of the junk yard. That should fix your slop problem. If you wish to have a shorter throw in the shifter there is a really cheap kit they sell that does just that for you. Try also changing out the shift coupler that connects the shifter to the tranny. Sometimes those bushings in there waller out and can cause some serious slop in the shifter as well.

Q: my VW Beetle 1970 needs ive been told enw engine has the crank shaft is fualty.Is it possible for me to do it


A: The 1970 version of the VW beetle is pretty easy to replace the engine. You will need an engine hoist (to lift old engine out and put new engine in). You can get the engine from any VW parts supplier from anywhere from 300 to 600 dollars on average. Best place is one of those pick and pull places where you pull it yourself. Only like 4 bolts that hold the engine down, they just need to disengage the transmission case. Get yourself a Chilton Book on your year model and it will walk you through the steps.

Q: 1970 Beetle needs help?
My husband has a 1970 VW Beetle that needs its engine overhauled and new floor plans. I would like to have this done for him. Does anyone know where in Michigan I can get this done? The closer the place is in the center of the state the better. What would the value of the bug be worth now. It will start and run when the battery is changed, but my husband insists it needs these repairs before we take it anywhere seriously. It has sentimental value to it more than actual value, but I would like to get these things done for him.

A: They're a popular collector's car. Shouldn't be too hard to find a good source of information and somebody who does good work on them in your area. I'd try asking in a VW Bug Type 1 forum on the web. Somebody in a local car club may be able to answer some questions and point you in the right direction. Here's somewhere to start... http://www.mvvc.net/

Q: VW Beetle, does anyone know where I can get a ragtop sunroof fitted for my 1970 Beetle in Scotland, thanks.?


A: Do you mean ragtop (full convertible) or a sunroof (small retractable hole in the metal roof covered by a movable metal plate? If the latter, most body shops will do it. If the former, then make sure it's done properly with the sides of the car being strengthened to compensate for the loss of the roof structural support (and that's not gonna be cheap). Leave the poor thing be... it's managed for 37 years as is, it probably doesn't want sawing to bits on your whim....