May 2012

1963 Volkswagen Beetle Turn Signal Lever Switch Repair

Friday, 05/25/2012

A few weeks ago the turn signal switch lever on my 1963 VW bug stopped working. When I pushed the lever up or down it would feel like it was stuck so I decided to take it apart to see what was going on. This was my first time attempting to repair a turn signal switch so I didn't know what to expect.

To get to the switch lever assembly I first had to remove the steering wheel. Then, I removed it from the steering column, and assuming that it would have some small parts inside, I set it on a table on a well lit area to take it apart. To disassemble it I just had to remove the large c-clip holding the two assembly body pieces together. While removing the top, some small pieces fell out of it, they had come apart inside and that's why the switch didn't work.

Windshield Replacement And Window Chrome Install On My 1963 Ragtop Beetle

Thursday, 05/17/2012

The original windshield of my '63 Bug had some bubbling of the laminate material inside (as you can see in the pictures below), which looked really bad in my opinion. So I decided to replace it and to also install the chrome molding around it. I got all the replacement parts from my local VW parts supply shop, McNab Foreign Car. The job was pretty straight forward. I did watch a couple of how-to videos beforehand, which I've posted on my Volkswagen videos website.

Painted My VW Beetle's Engine Coil Back To Blue!

Thursday, 05/17/2012

A few weeks ago I cleaned the engine on my 1963 VW Beetle and decided to go ahead and repaint the engine coil back to its original blue color, or at least close to it. The coil was very dirty and worn. First I removed it from the engine, sanded it down to bare metal (including the metal clamp), cleaned the plastic bottom part, and sanded down the parts where the wires connect. Then, I painted it with a glossy blue engine enamel paint resistant to high temperatures just in case. It came out very good, and looks a lot better than how it was before. I spent about 10 dollars in materials and about one and a half hours total. I'm very happy with the results. On to the next job :)