The folding windscreen brackets on my Lafer resemble those on the original MG-T series, but I’ve never done a side-by-side comparison to see if they’re an exact match. Mine appear to be pot metal painted black, as the TI version I drive came with almost zero chrome. I’ve thought about getting these plated, and maybe having the frame itself…[Read more]

My Lafer is insured with Hagerty, too — also for $10K. That includes a slick quarterly magazine on collector cars, as well.

I stopped at my VW mechanic’s shop for his thoughts on this shifting question. He’s been working on Beetles and Porsches for nearly 40 years, and says that even here in Houston (where we’re heading into our 15th straight day of triple-digit highs) he’s never recommended keeping up the revs to cool the engine. Instead, he suggests adding an oil…[Read more]

I was looking online for new rubber for my MP Lafer and came across this site, which sells VW parts made in Brazil. Apparently they still stock the wheel covers with blank centers @ 4 for $98.82 (plus shipping):

http://www.vwantigo.net/shop/product_info.php?cPath=62&p roducts_id=1664
There’s a currency selection button on the left of the site. Be…[Read more]

As usual, Paul, you seem to be the Answer Man. After looking at those prices, though, and at my available cash, I think the best option would be to just keep watching the odometer. At least for now. Thanks.

No big rush. Like many of our fellow replicants, I’ve relied more on my odometer than on the fuel gauge to know when it’s time to top up. To tell the truth, I don’t even know the reason for the foam, and wonder if my best bet (since the Lafer is not running circle track races) would be to drive until the tank is almost dry and just pull the foam…[Read more]

Paul — I recall clicking the !Report button and dashing off a note about some spam awhile back. If that made me one of the “three kind-hearted souls,” I’m sorry.  

Whoa! I just looked through that eBay seller’s store listings, and some of those toy cars cost almost as much as my first ride — the ’62 Mk II Sprite my dad found for me in a dentist’s barn outside Shiner, Texas. 

I just gave your “mirthful hyjinx” a read, and have to say that my hat — if I were wearing one — would be off to you. Something like that might have made me lose my religion.

Ed — By “quick shift,” do you mean one of those short-throw add-ons that I’ve seen in the JC Whitney catalog? I’ve wondered about those, how easy they are to install, how durable they are (one seemed to be made of plastic) and how well they work.

I imagine most of us know what you mean about the heat here lately, especially those down here in the South and Southwest. Where are you located, Mark?

Thanks, Mark. Every scrap of information I can get helps. (Although the more I learn about these little jewels, the more I realize is yet to learn.)

So much to like about your ride — that creamy yellow paint job,
the nicely laid-out dash, and all that gleaming brightwork. I’ll bet
you get a lot of long looks driving around Atlanta! And as a bonus,
it was bolted together right here in H-town! TexAg7140761.5379513889

Happy to be of service, Paul, no matter how inadvertent it was.I don’t think the shop that installed my new 1600cc Type 1 motor knew about sealing around the engine compartment. I don’t take it there any more, having found a much more knowledgeable guy within walking distance of my house. Now that I think about it, he may have mentioned that very…[Read more]

Montie: I carry State Farm on our house, my wife’s Taurus and my old Ford Ranger, but our agent (we’ve been with him since 1978) said they wouldn’t write coverage on a kit car. Tried to convince him that the Lafer isn’t a kit, but couldn’t. Ended up going with Hagerty, but don’t really know what I’d get if the Lafer were stolen or totaled.

Good to have you with us, Bob! What type of TD do you have?

I can’t claim first-hand knowledge of other kit cars, although I’ve eyeballed a few over the years, but it’s hard to imagine one built with more rigidity or thicker fiberglass than the MP Lafer. Granted, it isn’t truly a kit car, but the principal — VW frame, floorpans & engine — was the same. My TI model has a one-piece body with a hinged hood…[Read more]

Sweet! I’m guessing you rarely use the side curtains in Florida.

Thanks for the information and photos, Ricardo, and for showing the more timid among us that it really is possible to do this stuff ourselves.
Two questions: Is there a gasket under that gauge glass? And if so, where did you obtain a replacement?
Again — great job!

I’ve never cared for the “patented furniture” tag. I usually tell people that MP stands for Motriz Prazer, which is Portuguese — the language of Brazil — for “Driving Pleasure.”  TexAg7140766.5666898148