The awakening!
So this will be a shorter story. Now that we got “Bee” home, it was time to deal with a few things. I have an out of state inspection to get done. No dice. Covid 19 has started to set in and the BMV is closed. Since everyone on the planet is talking about that one, I am going to leave it there and move on quickly. The lock down is not quite so locked at this point, so we called on my dad to come over and lend a hand since none of us know points ignition systems. My dad is truly one of my favorite people to solve problems with. His steady hand and level head mixed with his years of experience and good sense make him a real joy to work with. The kids were very excited to get to work with Grandpa on the beetle and share this experience with him. The night before, I snuck out to the bug alone and figured I could help set the stage for Saturday’s fun. I found that my hands are a bit large for bug work, but with the right tools, I can accomplish stuff. Many years of lawn mower first starts I remember the words clearly from dad “it only take 2 things for it to work, gas and spark.” armed with this, I set out to remove what I thought to be the easiest spark plug to access and rotated the motor to see if I could see a spark. No such luck, so I put my tools away and awaited for the expert to arrive so we could approach it together in the morning. A good sleep and better coffee later, Dad pulls in. We had a very nice greeting and catch up on the latest goings on and then went straight to work. My daughter and son were super excited to know that Grandpa had his own beetle long ago. We opened the engine compartment and gave it a look. I explained that I had pulled one of the plugs so we could watch for spark. It seemed like a good place to start, so we tried to start it. As expected, only revs from the starter. At least we knew that worked. I hear from the driver’s seat “No spark!” so I pulled the key out and walked back to dig in further. We opened the distributor and gave a look the points. Yep, they look a little burnt and chipped. I looked at the local parts stores and they all had what I needed for less than $20. With new points and condenser in hand, we returned to the garage for round 2. I also picked up a set of feeler gauges as in my reading, I see these used a lot and they were a whopping $11. Good thing too as we needed them to set the gap on the new points. So, we set about the task of replacing the points and condensers and now we get spark. In a 2 part equation, we are now half way there. Now we are down to gas. We looked over the carburetor and it looked pretty clean. I was told by the previous owner that it was new. Now, I am sure it was, but more on that subject later. Sufficient to say, I am glad I found VolksBitz.com. The link is now on my links page. I knew this project would lead to meeting new people, but I am especially happy with this place. Back to the gas. I also knew that the bug has been sitting for 5 years which does not inspire confidence in the gas in the tank. More like condensation. Thinking ahead, I had purchased some octane boost and some stabilizer for the little bit of old fuel that I could not drain. I also filled up the gas can with some fresh gas for startup. Before adding too much fuel, we pulled off the oil bath air cleaner (very carefully) and set it aside. We then played shoot some starter fluid in the carburetor and turn the key until the vehicle burps. Oh yeah, we did put the spark plug back in for the detail oriented people out there. We also checked the gap and color and decided they were not bad enough to warrant replacing all four plugs. A couple key turns and the noise the bug mad was like a St. Bernard being poked by a smaller dog. Hurumph! It burped again. Now, it was time to add some fuel and see if we can keep it running. It’s ALIVE! It briefly started and quickly died again after letting go of the gas pedal. We now know it is a runner. The kids are dancing and laughing like this is the best thing they have ever seen. I am a happy and proud dad. Grandpa then turns my attention to the electronic choke. He is sure that it needs to be adjusted to start out closed and I have no reason to argue. We worked the flap and other moving buts until it seems to move freely and found a couple short tutorials on how to adjust the automagic choke. After completing the procedure, we can now keep it running for about 20-30 seconds before it dies. Once we made it this far, we decided to stop for the day so Dad could get home to be with Mom. They are so cute!