dune buggies and hotVWs June 2021

Dear subscribers, readers, advertisers, contributors, and fans of hotVWs Magazine from all over the world, In April 2021, hotVWs Magazine marked the fourth anniversary since OCI Media took over Dune Buggies and hotVWs magazine’s operation. We are very proud to have sent 51 magazines to you since the May 2017 issue without any interruptions, even though we were challenged by the “strange” year 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic impacted the entire world and forced us to change our way of living. It’s hard to believe how fast the clock is ticking. We’ve already been involved for four years, passionately making Dune Buggies and hotVWs magazine. If I look back, producing 51 issues was a long path in my VW life, but it’s somewhat of a strange personal feeling – I also feel…

One of my favorite kind of VW projects is detailing a car that has spent a long time sitting. Of course, the mechanical revival is always exciting, hearing that first sing of life from a long-dormant engine is prime Dr. Frankenstein “It’s Alive!” stuff that never gets old. But the joy to me is cleaning. This is especially strange in many ways in that I am a horribly dirty guy. As a kid I was “stinky” in grade school and my garage and work space always look like the aftermath of a tornado. The cars I apply my craft and passion to though are the diamonds that emerge from the rough. Over the years I have developed many techniques and tricks to revive old finishes and materials and I have…

Last month, we talked about the minimum three gauges I like you to have. Those are the most important three I run. What about other gauges? If I were to add another gauge, it would be a voltmeter. I have tried amp gauges and find the voltmeter tells me what I need to know. I get a lot of people asking me about cylinder head temp gauges. Back in the ’70s and ’80s, I ran this gauge and always had issues with it. The sender is supposed to go around the spark plug. Well if you put it there, the tin cuts it. So, then I started putting in on an exhaust stud. That was better but again always seemed to have trouble with it. The final straw for me was…

Under Pressure Jon, I am having some problems to adjust the clutch. I’ve been struggling for weeks. I rebuilt the engine for my 1964 Beetle and installed a new pressure plate and disc, along with a new throw-out bearing. Until a few weeks ago, everything worked fine, but now something isn’t quite right. About two weeks ago, I realized that the clutch began to release while on the floor, so I adjusted the free play and got it back where it should be. I set the pedal free play at about 1 or 1-1/2 inches. A few days later, the free play changed, as did the release point. So, I adjusted again, and got free play again! That makes me crazy. Do you have any idea what’s going on and how…

Anybody who has spent time watching the Antiques Roadshow on PBS knows that high-end furniture collectors want original, aged finish and patina on the furniture they collect. (Anybody who doesn’t know of this is invited to watch some Antiques Roadshows on the internet – it is fairly entertaining.) The value of unrestored furniture with the correct original patina can be many many times the value of a perfectly refinished piece. The furniture people want the rarest items, and since plenty of dingy old pieces get refinished, only the rarest last into modern times untouched. The proper patina in unseen areas of the furniture can verify its authenticity, help support its value etc. For us car folks, patina is a bit different, and means many things to people. It doesn’t necessarily…

It’s the smile. The smile on the “face” of the Bug and the Split Screen Bus. That’s what fascinates and excites people with these old Volkswagens. I’ve noticed this again in the last few weeks. My eldest son Janik is responsible for this. Well, not he, but his new acquisition, his first car: A 1969 sunroof Beetle. He fancied a Bug since he was four or five years old. Neither my Razoredge Ghia nor my early Bay Window Bus could surpass the enthusiasm for the Type 1. And there was always the fear that there would be no more Bugs to buy, when he was finally grown up. You might think I fueled that passion, but I didn’t. It was always his decision to join me going to shows. And he…