1972 Squareback Restoration

[fancy pants]

Man, I'd love to see this thing, Bob! Maybe I can help you out for a day next week? I'll bring my squareback :)

[hambone]

That would be freakin fantabulous! Any advice would be great. I can hardly imagine a running driving car after hanging around this ol' gal. But I have hope, some at least...
I've decided to call the car Gladys. It fits.

[Gypsie]

After looking up Gladys' skirt several times chomping at the bit to crank it over I think it's time to have a get together to do it.

Maybe we can get tha Fam's together this weekend for a bbq and do some wrenchin'?


Any suggestions from the ether about things to confirm prior to a first crank for this little gem that sat in a barn for several years...(i mean ceptin the obvious, plugs points, spark, etc.

Gas tank was found empty...Yay...Hammie has changed fuel lines and will be checking valve adjustment prior to the first crank. Can we get the fuel pump to engage before cranking? I am thinking about making sure fuel is pumping and no engine bay leaks.

Engine turns. Injectors look to have been recently cleaned (meybe even new) as indicated by the new hoses and clamps on them.

My thought is to just crank it and see what happens but don't want to harm anything if there's something to be checked first.

[hambone]

I was busy today. Replaced a bunch of fuel lines and clamps, including ring main. Adjusted valves - they were very close, and the heads look brand new. Took off the air cleaner, full of clean new oil.
A bit of mystery - under the air cleaner, marked with yellow paint pen is "73 - 4 speed". So I gathered this wasn't the original engine. Turns out I have a late '71 engine per the case code, at least the bottomend. I will have to see if Kirk can find anything out. At least the car has 84k on it, but no telling about this engine. Who knows, maybe it's low mileage too. Wonder what happened to the original engine?
Also spent a lot of time staring at Bentley and the engine itself figuring out what everything does and where all the air hoses go. From the feel of it I think it will run. There is one thin melted wire running from the left side of the fuse box down into the wiring harness...and of course the wiring diagram doesn't show it. I would like to deal with that. It looks like it happened long ago.

Gypsie, I am heading out this weekend but would love to get together. Looks like Hambone Springs will be the next time. I'm hopin you can get out there Thursday night!!!!!!! It's a pretty special camp and you always come late Friday nite.

[Gypsie]

Hambone springs will have to wait til Friday after work. It's vacation season and I have to be at work on Friday to cover several other districts for my coworkers.

[hambone]

Oh fine.
Can I ask a few questions? Can I?
OK I will.

Anyone know if the early single-bleeder calipers will work on a later SB? Halsey stocks them cheap, and I'm thinking I may have to replace at least 1.

Is using an OHM meter OK for continuity checks? A neg. wire and a random ground location should show infinity if I remember 8th grade electronics class. Or is there a better way to check?
Does a white wire in the VW world always mean ground and black POS?

Next week I'll be at Hambone but the 1st week of August I really want to start this engine and really could use another set of hands. I'm storing them in the freezer. Never too many.

[fancy pants]

Just let me know when, bob!

[Gypsie]

I'm thinking I may have to replace at least 1.

If they won't interchange we could try rebuilding what you have. Honing and new rubber...

As far as Ground...I wouldn't necessarily trust the color of the wires buuut...

all them wires in your engine bay look to be originals (or at least they are as old as the hills...)

I have whites that are definitely not grounds albeit in a different beast. My "recollection is brown to ground"...

There's my sketchy view...

[hambone]

Ahhh, thanks. Must be the same deal.
Hey where be Hal? I figured he'd be all over this type3 stuff. Maybe I pissed him off when that oil pump broke and I lost my marbles. Did I? Yes? <POKE> Or maybe he's scared I'll chain him to it, looking for an endless stream of advice.

[dtrumbo]

Is using an OHM meter OK for continuity checks? A neg. wire and a random ground location should show infinity if I remember 8th grade electronics class. Or is there a better way to check?

Your ohmeter will work just fine for continuity checks. However the meter will show close to zero ohms rather than infinity.

Does a white wire in the VW world always mean ground and black POS?

White wires are usually used for fuel injection sensor/ECU wiring. Black wires are usually positive, as Gypsie confirmed Brown is usually ground. All of these statements are usually correct, but you should confirm everything before assuming... usually.

[hambone]

Thank you!

[ruckman101]

Gladys, huh.





neal

[hambone]

Remember that Ashwanden drawing of a guy in bed, wide eyed with exploded diagram thoughts?
I woke up today after a night like that. Although we know our fair Gypsie is quite insane, he is an electrical genius, and a hell of a help.
I was determined to get Gladys running, by gum. All mechanicals adjusted, silently poised like a track meet runner awaiting the gun. Eva and I had a splendid summer walk, purchasing a gallon of the FINEST gasoline and admiring neighborhood chickens and fat fruit trees PLEASE DO NOT EAT say the signs surrounding sidewalk strip blueberries, oh the cruelty.
Gypsie arrived in a flurry, fresh in tie from work but eager to get rolling. Well thank goodness let's get this beast going.
Poured in the gas, popped in a battery, and turned the key to 1st position. The fuel pump starts priming the system! And the dash lights come on, cherry red, except the oil pressure. Oh well, I'll fix it later. Ok time to start. Turn the key, nothing. Lights dim. Oh great.
Jack the sucker up, fight the spiderwebs, somehow convince Gypsie to climb under there and test the starter. All functional. But guess what? Dirty solenoid terminals.
Turning the key cranks the engine! But it doesn't want to catch AT ALL. We spend an hour tracking wiring, changing coils. Well, I went thru all the connections previously - except the points. They weren't titted, perfect gap, and looked clean. Pulled the points, and guess what, they are oxidized from sitting in the barn for so long. Well that's pretty subtle! Filed the points shiny, and wouldn't you know it - it starts right up! But running rough, like it's not on all cylinders.
Somehow, the wires to #1 injector were totally broken. Ok then, delicate soldering and all is put back together. Nope. No #1. A compression test shows 120#, well that's nice.
"Pull off the injectors!" says a wild eyed Gypsie. I am ready to crawl under a bush. Ok then, it's not so bad - just 2 nuts holding it all together.
Testing, more testing. Turn the key with the injectors out, #2 sprays fine mist, #1 sits there dumb "I ain't doin SQUAT" oh thanks. Reverse the wires, same story. So a dead injector.
And then, after a quick shower and bolt-filled dreams, I sit here, now committed to more rust and to finally getting this car together now that it runs. Even on 3 cylinders it fires right up and runs smoothly, not at all like a sick dog begging for the End.
Today, injector shopping (unless someone has a spare!). Then it's time to take care of the body and get some primer on it. I will be happy to get this thing out of my shop I tells ya. It sure was cool to hear it come to life though, after so many years of sitting.

[Gypsie]

Ok so this process is gathering some steam and you have the energizing renewal of hearing the engine run. It did indeed sound smooth and mechanically 'steady' (no clunking or rumbles across the rpm spectrum). Timing advanced evenly as rpms increased. vacuum adv. is in the game.
Fuel injector is dead.

Many other items to get back together. This will be a process. Asking for feedback here will keep you rolling forward with extra insights. Some "buy new OE parts..." some with "grampa's baling wire fixits"... All with good intentions.


This is a fork in the path (one of many that lay ahead):

-New injectors are around $50. cleaning or retuild $20-30. Used from a u-pullit $?.??

You have:
-the whole rest of the body to seal up before winters moist little fingers grab ahold of those little pits again.
- brakes that are in need of attention and potentially $ome part$.
-a pan area that needs some repair.
-a certain amount of new seals and glass (presumably all that are needed)
-running lights in a box
-interior in need of reassembly.
-limited re$ource$.

I know you have a bit of purist in you that won't let you go with shoddy aftermarket parts, (good on ya for it too),

This is a good time to look into what you are doing with this rig.
Full resto? Get it roadworthy and sell it off? ???

I think that with the amount of items that are needed you can take your time with some things (like the injector) and do some u-pullit hunting where you could find some (perhaps OE) parts for pennies on the dollar. It would be a shame to start throwing money at something that you may encounter a full on dead end that will cause you to have to let it go unassembled and therefore with no reward for you.

Keep going on the body and get the brakes off to see what is needed there. We may be able to rebuild them too. Start making a list of needed parts. I love doing the u-pullit thing when I can and we save on gas if we go together.

[hambone]

Sounds good, that's a lot to think about.
Although I am a purist, I am also a Ghost Town Structure Stabilizer. I don't have enough cash to remake the entire Wild West. I needs bits galore...
I really would like to hear that engine with the missing injector replaced.
Thanks on the UPULLIT offer. That may be an excellent route to go. Hal will know.
The car should be dry, run, drive and stop with all lights. Anything past that is gravy.