If it were my windshield I’d install the cowl wipers and claim that they came from a 55 TF.

 
Pink?
One of their engine color options is Pink.
If it brings more women into the sport I’m all for it. 
 

 
Richard,
How does the engine run at 55? Is it spluttering and spitting or does it sound normal? Fuel starvation would cause it to splutter. Lack of advance would caue it to seem to run normally but keep it from going faster.
Have you checked the vacuum hose to the distributor? Is there one? is it connected at both ends? Pull it off the d…[Read more]

 
Simple idea.
Has your throttle cable slipped out of the friction lock on the carb linkage? Put a brick on the gas pedal (engine off) and look at the carb. Can you advance the linkage further? If so, adjust the linkage at the carb.
Has the throttle cable stretched? Is it coming apart inside the tube? That could lengthen the cable and give yo…[Read more]

 
Have you considered a trailer hitch and a motorcycle cargo trailer? No weight on the engine cover. You can leave it behind when you don’t need it. 

 
Greg,
That’s the kind of information I’m looking for.
Thank you,
Peter

 
All TD kits are not built to the same dimensions. If your kit is Fiberfab or CMC you are in luck. MGMagic stocks parts for them. 
http://mgmagic.intuitwebsites.com/

 
Keep something in mind about VW valves. They are actuated by solid lifters; steel shafts that are pushed up directly by the cam. Valve seats erode slowly, particularly exhaust valve seats. Over time, VW valves tighten up.
Then there are the heads. Aluminum. Head bolts are steel. Over time the heads squash. You have to check the torque on the h…[Read more]

 
I forgot about the current TF. Still, it’s the thought that counts when you’re trying to talk her into riding in a convertible. 
 
 

 
I watched the bidding on this car. The price went up by $1200 in the last minute. I’m sure that Rich was relieved. The winner won with a snipe with 13 seconds to go. Nicely done. Nice car too.  

 
Don’t go overboard on the test light. It’s a circuit tester, not a continuity tester. It’s a bulb in a handle with a probe on one end and a wire on the other. It lights up when voltage passes through it.
A continuity tester has its own battery and will show a complete circuit when power is not present. You don’t want to connect it to a po…[Read more]

 
Larry,
I have the latest copy of the Muir book. He describes both static and strobe timing techniques with the caveat that air cooled engines have to be timed at idle or statically because they have very tight valve trains. If you time them at speed with a light they tend to be advanced and heat up. Hmm. That sounds familiar. We don’t know…[Read more]

 
MGLondon,
Please read the Muir book on timing. You could be overheating because your timing is advanced. A few degrees off can do it. The type one engine is timed statically with a continuity light indicating when the points open. It looks like a pointy screwdriver with a bulb in the handle and a wire at the end of the handle. You time by li…[Read more]

 
Did Allison build a front engine version?

 
You bought a pretty ride. How many thumbs up did you receive on the trip?
The worst road trips make the best stories. In years to come, this will be an epic. You did make it home.
You might not want to use a pressure washer on the top. It’s just fabric, and old at that. Gelcoat isn’t tolerant of pressure washers either. It’s porous. Water p…[Read more]

 
Valve adjustment is the holy grail of keeping a type 1 motor alive, right after changing the oil and cleaning the screen. John Muir has a neat valve adjustment procedure in VW for the Compleat Idiot. Just make sure to press the pushrod side of the rocker arm to seat the pushrod before you use the feeler gauge.  
Valves were tra…[Read more]

 
Mark,
Old adage. When something goes wrong, the culprit is usually whatever you just fixed. Your neighbor set your timing by ear.
Did your neighbor tighten the distributor hold down nut enough to keep it from creeping? I suspect not. You cannot time a VW by ear. You can trash a VW in a hurry if you run too much advance. It has to be done s…[Read more]

 
Mark,
It sounds as if you are new to type 1 VWs (Beetle). They are high tinker factor vehicles. They were designed in the 1930’s. Nothing is terribly complex. There are just a bunch of little things that need looking after. Adjusting valves, cleaning the filter plate when you change the oil, timing staticly, checking the valves, again, finding…[Read more]

 
Shoe size.
I just read a thread about footwell size. The author was writing about using an automatic because his feet were too big for three pedals in the available space. Does the pedal space vary with manufacturer?  
 

 
It appears that ones ability to fit under the top is based on the height of the box under the seat. Have any or the taller members whittled that down?