I’m with Dale, my foam only seat means about 1 hour at a time. The last time I went 100 miles, I walked like an Orangutan for the next hour!

Jim,  I have run into a similar problem with my Duchess.  My brake and clutch pedal were tight together but pretty much on the same plane.  If you look at my gallery photo of the front speaker set up, you’ll see that my pivot point on the gas is higher on the fire wall.  That allowed me to put an extension on the gas pedal that allows me to toe…[Read more]

Very Nice!
Almost makes me wish I had bucket seats!
Ringo

Ran into the same problem, (almost burned my thigh on the switch!).
Relays fixed it!  Looking at wiring diagrams, it seems they used the bare minimum on some of the circuits. Plan on relays sooner or later.

Don’t you hate how something so simple can be such a pain in the butt to get rid of?
Oxalic acid will neutralize rust.  It’s the active ingredient in most wood bleach sold at Lowes or HD. Check the ingredients to be sure it’s oxalic acid based.  DON”T use bleach, it’ll just set the stain.  I’ve used it on many surfaces, but never fibreglass.  Che…[Read more]

Just checked your photos.  The floor pans may be shot, but the paint looks excellent!  Take care stripping her down, fiberglass can be very unforgiving when it comes to drilling out rivets or doing any heaving wrenching when you’re close to an edge. 

All of my hobby cars and trucks in the past have had well thought out names.  Soooo.. I’m sorry to say that over the past 2 years I’ve taken the apparent easy route and have always refered to her as simply “The Duchess”
Now that I see it print, I like it!  “The Duchess” it is.

Wow! I wonder if the last person to drive it did so with that hole.  If they had made the hole big enough for both feet it would have doubled the stopping power.
Been a long time since I’ve done VW pans. You should get a lot of great info from this gang. Good Luck.
 

 
Welcome to the Dark Side
You’re gonna love it!

Monte
That is one primo engine bay! 
Neat, clean, chrome,  I love it.  

I’m 6’3, 235# and my Classic Roadster Duchess with the 2.3 and 4 speed fits me just fine.  The only problem I have is with the room for my 14EEEE feet fitting the pedals.  I have put an extension on the gas pedal and now it works pretty well.  When stopping I end up with pressing down on my left foot with my right foot sometimes, but it’s no bi…[Read more]

Ed,
Checked the Haynes and it’s like Larry said, two piece cover with the bottom bolts of the water pump lookin’ like they’re behind the plate that surrounds the crank snout.

Good tip! 
But be aware that the metal polish is just that, a polish, and you will still need to wax the parts to protect them and keep the pitting from coming back even quicker. 

EdI’ll check my Haynes manual when I get home.Ringo

My bracket’s not proper, but the trim on the side of the “tank” is already cut for it, so…..
Thanks for the  reminder about the plate behind the license, that would help dress up the whole thing!

Welcome to the group!
My 2 cents, the gas could certainly be a problem and should be checked out, but I’ll bet the coil is going bad.  I’ve had bad coils do the same thing on at least 4 of my cars (including my last VW and my Duchess) over the years.  It’s cheap and should probably be part of your initial tune up anyway.
Good Luck,  Rin…[Read more]

Dan,
I Love it!!!
If you’ve ever fixed your car with a toilet paper holder,.. you might be a genius!
Ringo
 

MontieMy 2 cents, put the vented cap back on. The blowout is at the weakest part of the fittings and the pressure with non vented is too much. Remember, chrome won’t get you home.I’d also look into the blue Felpro gasket with the metal core that prevents over torque (available at rock auto).  And get a new belt, one of the lugs might have…[Read more]

Richard,
Outstanding!!!
I have a hard time with 11 hours in a modern car!
Glad to hear she’s behaveing like a lady.
RingoRingo40342.4950462963

Bill,
Mine are metal spacers that are about 1.25″ by 1.25″.  flat against the bracket but convex against the bumper. 
 The pieces have a pretty good crown on them, so if I had to make ’em I’d get some bar aluminum .25″ thick (too allow plenty of thickness for filing the front, (back?).  Do the whole bar at one time then cut off individual spac…[Read more]