Cleaning the Little Things

The past few weeks have been spent cleaning and painting small parts. Not much real progress. I installed a new reverse switch on the shifter mechanism along with all of the shifter linkages. Another tip for everyone, when you disassemble the "monkey motion," match mark everything so that you know where the shifter shaft should be aligned. I spent well over an hour trying to get things set right. I think I'm close but won't really know until we get on the road.

I have spent a considerable amount of time researching painting processes and visiting with a couple paint shops. I want to choose a paint shop prior to starting the body work. I want to make sure that the primers that I use to prep the body are by the same manufacturer that the paint shop will use. I'm not hung up on paint manufacturer so long as it's a good brand name such as PPG, Dupont, or BASF.

I've ordered the replacement panels for the lower door area and door bottoms and plan to spend next week on the doors and the final metal work on the body. I was hoping that I might actually start some filler work but with the heat already rolling in I may not be working as fast as I would like.

I've ordered the balance of the hardware to finish the brakes from California Import Parts. While I did install the original drum brakes, I will be installing a dual master cylinder. This will be a '71-'79 VW Super Beetle master cylinder (vw pn 113.611.051.BH) with a remote mounted fluid reservoir. All of the other brake lines and hoses are replaced with new as well. This will give us a little more reassurance while driving. In the event that one of the brake lines leaks or a wheel cylinder blows, I'll still have a working circuit.

While in San Diego on business last week, I stopped by Autos International. I would really like to install all leather in the car as original but I still have a little sticker shock. Everyone says that Autos makes the best and their work is top notch. Still a little time before we cross that bridge.