I'm looking at buying a 1966 VW Bug. Short of taking it to a mechanic for a thorough check-up (which I plan to do), are there any tips for field-checking it for mechanical soundness? Any tell-tale signs that it is a lemon? How easy is it to field-test compression?

Any and all help would be appreciated!

Thanks!

John

 

Ask the seller if it would be OK to take itto your mechanic to get it checked out before you buy it. Most people will agree to it if they have nothing to hide.

 

Check for fluid leaks and rust in the floor boards and underneath. Not sure otherwise what to tell you to look for by yourself. I'd recommend asking to take it to a mechanic.

 

be carful with it i got a 68 and i made sure that the guy sold me a solid car but with getting a old school bug it is gonna need work i spent 1200 on mine with a good motor new clutch and a bunch of other upgrades but i am still working on it its got a 1600cc with 1776cc carbs. you will be able to tell if its good or not drive it first if you feel unsure talk to the seller 75% of the people who see the cars are looking for 2 drivers one who knows what they are looking for and one who has no clue

 

If the guy does not let you take it to a mechanic, you should be suspicious. If you still love the car and want to get it, drive it first and listen to the engine (make sure it has a consistent sounds rather than a knocking sound, indicating cylinder or timing issues etc), then release the gas pedal suddenly on 1st and 2nd and see if the car throws the gear back to neutral - this will tell you that your transmission is close to being shot. Once you have driven it around the lot, open the engine and see if there is any fuel leaking downward from the carburetor. Then ask the guy to lift the car and check for any rust. If the car passes all of the above, you have covered about 80% of the bad and expensive stuff. You could still get in trouble down the road, but you have covered a lot of ground, and if you truly love the car, you can spend the time and dough to fix the rest of the problems.

 

Pull out the back seat, it lifts straight up and out. Look in the back corners where the body, pan, and firewall meet. Beetles have a tendency to rust from the inside out...starting here. This is due to the "Y" shaped heater channels. I recommend cutting out the heater channels and replacing them with the flex hose that's used in the motor. Also look under the carpet in front of the doors as this area can also rust out. I always remove the float in the gas tank and take a peek for rust.

Also, start the car and let it warm up then put your hands over the exhaust. Are both pipes putting out the same heat, pressure, and rhythm? Locate the arm on the carb that's linked to the gas pedal. Make the car accelerate slowly to high RPMs and let off slowly. Do this a few times and get a feel for how the engine likes or dislikes it. Then pull on it to make the RPMs increase rapidly. Do this a few times and again see how the engine reacts. If things seem wrong you may be up for a valve job.

 

Thanks for all the help! I actually ended up flipping around the year and bought a '99 New Beetle. Nice little car, and my wife absolutely loves it! Really nice to get that improved gas mileage.

I'm hoping that in the future I'll be able to restore a classic bug. But in the meantime, there's some little things to do on the new beetle.

I'm sure I'll be asking for help on that as well.

 

grab the lower pully and push it in and out
this will let you know how worn out the thrust is on the main bgrs.
shouldnet have much play .005 to .010 inch
if more than that you will burn through rear main seals like crazy