1957 VW Beetle

Monday, August 28, 2023

The one time I drove it...

Throttle cable was a hand-operated string.
Seat was a lawn chair.
No brakes.
Fuel was in windshield washer tank.
Electrical system was two switches (run & start).

Lined it up, pulled the throttle cable, popped the clutch and all hell broke loose.

Car did a one-foot wheelie.
Lawn chair tipped over.
I rolled into the back seat area.
Engine stalled.
Car rolled to a stop halfway down the... the... "test area" (street)...

2023, I should clarify about the engine:

Engine for this test run was 1.6L from 1966 Type 3 Fastback. That's the really flat flat-4 engine.

The Type 3 car had burned due to an engine fire, but the engine survived (of course it needed a lot of rebuild work).

Single port heads, but ported and polished. Dual carbs, stock Solex IIRC, but polished and streamlined around the throttle plate. K&N Air Filters.

Very long tube headers. 009 distributor. Lightened flywheel. 6v starter worked well at 12v.

Engine worked well for such a low budget build.

Car was totally stripped out. And rusted out.

Those attending were very excited to see a car pull a wheelie, even if only about a foot high.

Total distance travelled in the 1957 'Oval' by myself was maybe 150 feet. Most of that was rolling to a stop...

Kids... :-)

A meme was born...

The loading of the rusted carcass caused this chunk of floorpan and heater channel to simply fall out. It was left on the ground. The lovely low angle evening lighting led it to become a meme...

Sunday, December 23, 2007

I've sold my 1957 VW Beetle.

Sort of sad. But one less thing that needs doing. It'd be different if people were immortal, then I'd eventually find time to build a car. But since we're not immortal, better to spend life's allotment on the things you enjoy most.

Pictures below.

Camera note - these pictures were all taken with my SE k790a cell phone. It is 3.2Mpx so the quality is pretty good for a cell phone. You can click on the photos to open them up full size.