bought a new starter from Autozone for $39.99 (they had it in stock!). It is now in the car and spins when the key is turned. So the wiring must be OK. I have also jacked up the car so that the engine can be wheeled underneath it (30 inches). We are ready to install the engine. Then we will have to figure out where all the wires connect so we can try to start the engine and see what happens. We will still need a clutch before it can actually go anywhere (and brakes, and tyres, and a battery).
ing the engines we have without putting them in the car. So that means the starter has to work so we can see what the engine will do. Now we have to have a working battery to test the starter. We picked up four batteries from various places and some of them were chargeable. So we charged one and hooked it up (under the back seat...the back seat just pulls out.. no screws or clips). We turned the key and the lights came on. But nothing happened when the key was turned further for the starter.
40 (same price as Advance Auto which would have to order it), or the solenoid by itself is $40. The next step is to test the current to the starter motor with a volt meter (so we don't buy a starter motor only to find the wiring is bad).
I have finally started work on the body of my Bug. I primed part of the hood. In order to do this, I had to grind down the rust. the fellow who had it before me had ground it down and then not painted it over, so it was pitted. After grinding, I rubbed it down with lacquer thinner to degrease it I then proceeded to paint it with the new high pressure spray gun (see previous blog). I had to be careful not to paint over the rust spots I hadn't ground down, so I covered them with newspaper (see bottom photo) . It turned out very nice.
When I disassembled the engine on the Bug, I forgot to label the wires connecting to the distributor cap and spark plugs. It's important that you get the wires on the right spark plugs so
the spark fires at the right time. Because of this, we had to discover where the thing under the distributor cap (rotor) was when the #1 cylinder was at top dead centre, and mark that spot as such. Our first course of action was to use the compression from the spark plug hole to find out when the #1 cylinder was at TDC. This did not work, as the intake valve for that cylinder was stuck open. I 
will have to find out what is wrong with that and fix it. Anyway, we found where TDC was by putting a stick in the spark plug hole and watching the exhaust valve. We then marked it on the distributor cap.
My family recently surprised me by beginning to paint my Bug. First, using stencils, they painted lightning bolts on the hood. They then fix up an old licence plate to say, "L8NG-BUG". Wasn't that nice of them?
I recently acquired a "new" engine for my Bug. It came with two old clutches I can use to try it out in the car. The whole package cost $40. I did not get this new engine because the one I had didn't work, only because while the engine that came with the car came from California and has the heat ducts closed off. The engine I just got, however, is from my area (which is a bit north of California), and has heat ducts already in place, although they need replacing. I am planning to try and start this engine out of the car, as the shrouds on the other one are off for cleaning.
