I think white walls would look good.  I’d like to find good quality, affordable white walls.(And yes, a pun was intended)MGLondonRoadste40817.7611111111

Going to stay with black walls unless they are more expensive. Some places actually charge MORE for black walls than white walls. If that is in fact the case I’ll mount the wihite wall with the white on the inside.

Hmmm….”curves”  It’s probably too late!Allen (newkitman) started it with his questions about blackwalls vs white walls….and even HE drifted off topic with us!I would like to know what you decided to do Allen.

Is there any hope of getting this thread back on topic, or has it “rounded a curve”?

Jeff,Welcome back! :)Didn’t have the hood problem on my Duchess. But….Does the hood look like it was molded wrong? Or is it warped?

remember it’ll soon be TD Replica Calendar Time. Save some BIG photo files to email me later for that

Oh, is that what that’s for. I was wondering. LOL
I’ll try to get some pis up. May wait till we get back from Cruisin the Coast on the 10th as I hope to be able to take some nice shots on the beach.

Just a hint, Tom: That photo gallery button at the top of the screen is there for a reason. 

I used German Ball joints from Wolfsburg West. They were a little more expensive but worth it in my opinion. When ever possible I like to use the German stuff. You pay a little more but the quality for what you get is worth the extra in my opinion. Most replacement parts you see these days come from either Brazil or China.
One bit of caution on…[Read more]

Will do.

Did all 4 of mine in an hour with the trailing arms off, a 3 pound sledge, and a drift from harbor freight. There’s a trick to it that my friend who does loads of ball joint replacements wrote down for me. I’ll have to find the instructions and post it. And installing them is easier with a LITTLE BIT of lube after refridgeration.

I’ve built engines like mine (pictured above) from some rusty motors that wouldn’t even turn. I’ll pay $300 for a good core to work with.

There was a substantial ball joint replacement thread on the Speedster site a few months back. Couple things, from memory:1. Pickle fork bj separation on the VW is not advised–harms the BJ as often as not. Same thing with the steering knuckles. I say this as one who used forks on both and ended up replacing all tie rod ends and the BJ dust seals,…[Read more]

I wouldn’t buy a “built” VW engine from an unknown source even if I could hear it run. Close tolerances and lots of potential mistakes amateur builders make that could kill an engine inside of 5000 miles. Just a very different sort of animal than, say, a small block Chevy.I would consider a $50 or $100 running 1600 DP though, just to have a core…[Read more]

Thanks for the tip, Tom. I’m aware of the Houston VW Club, but hadn’t heard about the Air Coolers. Will have to check that out. The San Jacinto Battleground event sounds interesting. Shoot me a PM if and when you get ready to go there.
Enjoy your cruise — and don’t forget to take pictures.

Be wary of Craig’slist.  Two days ago, I bought what was advertised as a well running 1835 engine only to find out after bringing it home and opening it up, that there was a broken valve spring, pitted pistons, and it was not any bigger than my 1600.  Got my money back though, so we’re just going to build out my existing engine.

In this case without a press and the proper tools I think you’d be money and time ahead to have them pressed out and the new ones pressed in. 15 minute job if you know what you are doing and have the proper equip.

Will do Sarge. Going over Friday. Should get to Gulfport around noon. Staying at the Best Western on Hwy 49 just off the interstate next to Hooters. My cell is 225-202-2612. I’ll give you a call when we get in. Be nice to cruise with another TD.
Tom

The doohicky is a small press for removing a joint from its tapper socket.However the way the ball joints are positioned on the vw front end there is no room for the tool.I have used a 2 hammers for stubborn joints,use a heavy hammer on one side as a backer/dolly and give a couple wacks with the  2nd hammer and the joint should pop.Most of the…[Read more]

I may have spoken too soon. I used it to push out tie rod end ball joints, not suspension ball joints. I’m not sure that it is big enough for the latter. Think of it as an L shaped bracket that fits between the ball joint and the tierod. A bolt pushes against the bolt in the ball joint and enables you to push it out. It was on the rack at Autozone.