Changing the Hood

I mentioned in a previous post that I had gotten an extra hood in with the deal. Well, I went over both hoods thoroughly, and decided the extra one was better. The one that came on the car had more rust patches and a dent. Also, the one on the car didn't have a latch , and water had gotten in through the holes where the latch went and corroded the underside. Anyway, I undid the four bolts that held the hood onto the hinges and took it off. I then put the extra hood in place and fiddled with it until I thought I had the adjustment right. To make sure, I closed the hood. The latch caught, which meant I had got the adjustment right.

Bringing Home the Chassis

When I made the down payment on the Bug, I only brought home the engine, bumpers, running boards, and chrome. That meant the actual body (or "chassis") of the Bug still had to be brought home.
Before I went to get the chassis of the Bug, I had to get something to bring it home on. In case you're wondering why I couldn't just drive it home, let me remind you that the engine was at home in pieces at the time (and still is). Anyway, I went to U-haul to rent a trailer. as luck would have it, the biggest trailer they had was to small (the six foot wide trailer was being taken just as I arrived). As a result, I had to settle for a tow dolly. This was not the best thing that could have happened, as all the tires were in need of replacement and I didn't want them on the road. When I went to pick up the Bug, it turned out the previous owner had a spare hood that looked as if it was better than the original, so I stuck it in the back of the van and took it. Luckily, the Bug did not pop any tires on the way home.

Uncovering (and cleaning) the Engine

In order to repair the engine properly, I had to take the shrouds off. The first thing I did in this direction was to take off the shroud that houses the oil cooler and fan. After this was finished, I was able to remove the intake manifold (that's what the carburetor connects to). I then took off all the other panels. After the engine was completely uncovered, I water blasted it (with this high power hose thing called a water blaster) and blow-dried it (with the compressor). I left the panels off so I could clean and paint them.

The Carburetor

The first part of the engine that I started working on was the carburetor. I took the top of it off, so that you could see into the reservoir, removed the diaphragm that pumps the fuel into the reservoir, and soaked both main parts in petrol (gasoline). After that, I scrubbed them thoroughly with an old toothbrush and sanded down the inside with 1,500 grit emery sandpaper. I then put the whole thing back together. I didn't put it back on the engine yet, however, as the next step was to take the intake manifold and heating shroud off for cleaning (fyi: the intake manifold is what the carburetor connects to) .

'70 Volkswagen Bug

I recently bought a 1970 Beetle for $600. Here it is:
The person I bought it from was apparently meaning to fix it up as well. For this reason, the engine is separate from the rest of the car. I first thought of this as an inconvenience, but this actually makes it easier to clean out the engine, which appears to have several rodent nests in it. I plan to start work on the engine promptly.