Hey Dennis, I bought 165/80-15 tires. Pretty much the same size as originals.

That front bolt on the carb is fidley. Try this…just barely start the rear nut. Then lift the carb up and shim it with something, so its not resting on the manifold, but leaving the front stud just sticking through the hole. That way its not so close to the bend in…[Read more]

After all of the steering and suspension work, I had a professional alignment done to the car. They did all four wheels. They did a great job. EZ Tire in Willard MO. Theydo alot of custom cars and race car allignments, so they are not afraid of the unusual cars. I also put 4 new tires on. I couldnt justify the high price of the “new but vintage”…[Read more]

Hi Paul,

Mike and Wendy Davis

Ash Grove, MO

Grand Duchess

Factory Built

Yellow with white top and interior

VW chassis, 1970 chassis and engine block, titled as a 1981.

1641 motor with single port heads and a real Solex pict 30 carb and genuine vacuum Bosch distributor.

My screen name, Oldnslow

State Farm insures mine without hesitation. Liability only though.

Sounds overly complicated and expensive but mayge Im missing something. When I rewired mine (vw chassis), I ran a hot in and out of a 5 dollar button flasher unit then fed that to the hot side of the turn signal switch. Then fed left and right circuits accordingly.  90 bucks for a flasher relay? Yow!  And did you know that Lucas invented the i…[Read more]

Get the Ford spoke wheels, no matter what you have to do to get them. As others have said, I would take a loan out to buy those. Nothing says ” I got this car but had to chintz out when it came down to the final thing ” more than a set of incorrect cheap looking wheels. That being said, I will probably step on some toes when I say this, but my…[Read more]

The VW wiring is extremely basic. No electronic gizmos, no safety circuits, no relays unless you want one for the headlight dimmer, and the voltage regulator is very basic. Just one flasher module. Ground circuits can be a bit of a challenge, with the fibreglass body, but patience and plenty of quality wire will clear that hurdle.

Now a modern…[Read more]

Thanks Paul. No rivets in the grill, but several rivets held the body in place to a metal frame work around the grill opening. It would have been an easy job save the stinking headlight bolt on the passenger side.

My next challenge is a total rewire. I’m not going to save a thing, except for the pig tails from the individual light sockets. The…[Read more]

If you are cutting from the “good” side, use a jig saw with a very fine blade, but one that cuts on the down stroke, not the up stroke. The teeth point down. These are available at hobby supply stores and woodworking sites. They are fairly easy to find. Plus use tape to protect the surface.

Ok. I cut and installed a new panel behind the grill, to replace the battleship anchor box, cut and installed a new trunk floor,and new front shocks. After a test ride, i put 70 pounds of sand in the trunk. (Inside a nice gym bag, so it can be taken out easily and just looks like luggage. This set up seems to be best. Nice ride, good stability.…[Read more]