'73 Volkswagen Squareback

[Seanz0rz]

i figure with about 300 bucks i can have it back on the road, from there its just fixing stuff because i want to, not because i need to.

besides, the 4runner is "done" just some loose ends to tie up on it and then i can just maintain it and enjoy it. time for another project vehicle!

[strykersd]

Very nice! My uncle has had one of these sitting in his yard up in Salinas for almost a dozen years, I've often times thought about taking it off of his hands...

[Terracoma]

*I should've kept the black-yellow plate. ;(

I've got a black-plated '68 standard-trans Beetle, but it needs more work than I can give it...

Always wanted a Squareback!

[Seanz0rz]

first weekend i got to work on her, got alot done.

my first priority was tackling the passenger window. it had come off the regulator and the PO had messed with it a little bit. to get to it, the door panel had to come off. a few screws and alot of NICE metal clips (they sure dont build them like the used to...):
[img width=800 height=600]http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m141/hamiltoncomputers/square/IMG_2440.jpg[/img]

the door panel is pretty shot, lots of water damage from not having a plastic seal. what i found underneath is exactly what i expected, a pretzeled regulator:
[img width=800 height=600]http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m141/hamiltoncomputers/square/IMG_2441.jpg[/img]

nothing that coulnt be fixed with a hammer, torch and a welder:
[img width=800 height=600]http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m141/hamiltoncomputers/square/IMG_2443.jpg[/img]

also found that the pin on the end was kind of messed up, so i filed the slot smooth so the clip would operate properly:
[img width=800 height=600]http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m141/hamiltoncomputers/square/IMG_2444.jpg[/img]

i reinstalled the strip to the bottom of the glass. some soapy water really helped get this accomplished without fear of shattering a 40 year old window in my hand. everything went back in after a thorough coating of grease on the metal on metal parts and a good coating of silicone lube on the window tracks. this was also done to the drivers side, and both work GREAT!!!

while i was working on the door, i removed the exterior handle, as it was broken. unfortunately i cannot fix it and will have to find a replacement:
[img width=800 height=600]http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m141/hamiltoncomputers/square/IMG_2442.jpg[/img]

after completing that, i set about fixing the emergency brake. that was fairly simple and took just 5 minutes! i now have a parking brake that works!

i took a break from real work and started to sort through the random parts strewn about the frunk. took stock of what was good and what was simply trash.

next was the starter. i knew the battery was completely flat, so i hooked up one i had lying around that was fully charged. i put the key in the ignition and nothing happened. i looked at the back of the key cylinder and found no wiring attached to it. the PO had installed an on/off switch and a momentary switch. this was to start the vehicle, you dont even need the key! (except for the steering lock) but even those didnt work. im fairly sure the problem is purely wiring related. after looking at the hack job from the PO, and the general terribleness of 1960's wiring, especially european wiring...

didnt take any pictures of the process, but here is what it looks like now:
[img width=800 height=600]http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m141/hamiltoncomputers/square/IMG_2450.jpg[/img]

i most certainly have my work cut out for me. im thinking it is not worth the 200 or so for a main harness replacement. i will order the wire next week and hopefully get started on it in a few weeks, stay tuned!

[Seanz0rz]

so this car has become a bit of a time vampire. (like i knew it would)

here is an update (cross post from thesamba.com)

started on the rewiring of the square on wednesday. here is what i started with:
[img width=800 height=600]http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m141/hamiltoncomputers/square/IMG_2477.jpg[/img]

left headlight harness half done:
[img width=800 height=600]http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m141/hamiltoncomputers/square/IMG_2478.jpg[/img]

frunk completely wired:
[img width=600 height=800]http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m141/hamiltoncomputers/square/IMG_2479.jpg[/img]

right turn/head lights, horn, left turn/head lights:
[img width=600 height=800]http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m141/hamiltoncomputers/square/IMG_2480.jpg[/img]

through the bulkhead with forward lights, fuel gauge, fuel pump, and brake lights:
[img width=800 height=600]http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m141/hamiltoncomputers/square/IMG_2481.jpg[/img]

here is my fuse/relay box (ignore the lack of fuses and relays, they are out to be properly wired to my needs):
[img width=800 height=600]http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m141/hamiltoncomputers/square/IMG_2492.jpg[/img]
[img width=600 height=800]http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m141/hamiltoncomputers/square/IMG_2493.jpg[/img]

and what my dash looks like now:
[img width=800 height=600]http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m141/hamiltoncomputers/square/IMG_2494.jpg[/img]

my methodology for this is pretty simple. keep brown as a ground, so at the very least that is somewhat OG VW. other than that, im choosing colors that make sense for stuff like headlights. low beams are yellow and orange, high is white and grey. striped wire was too expensive so there are some identical colors in some harnesses, but i try to differentiate with different sizes or twisted pairs.

so the front is done, some of the dash is done. im trying to figure out the best way to wire the headlights. i dont like full current running through the switch, but i know the switch was designed for it. so ive been kind of stalling on that front. most everything is pretty straight forward, just power and ground. im trying to separate out the fuses a little more than stock. i never liked how the fusebox had more than one or two things on each circuit.

all in all its going well. taking today and tomorrow off of working on it, then back to work on tuesday, wednesday, and thursday. trying to get it done and hopefully get the thing started, as i needs to be off the driveway by monday.

[corax]

Hey Sean, forget fixing the outside handle - get a cheap "door pop kit" and shave it off completely. Extra bling and smoother lines unless you're tryiing for a near original resto

BTW, since you're not doing striped wires, I found a cheap label maker works great for marking wires (future reference - if you ever need to go back over something, it'll save your sanity)

[Seanz0rz]

thanks keith! i have a label maker, just need to find it and get some more tape for it! ill have to do that before i do any more work!

i fixed the door handle, bought a used but good one from a guy in the classified and swapped over my lock cylinder. works great! also got a new ignition switch, it also works great, but most of the rest of the wires are toast, hence the rewire. i think i will add electric door locks in the future, along with an alarm system (i just love keyless entry, plus the lock cylinders and key are showing their age, so id like to cut their usage down a bit)

[Bob98SR5]

sean, man you got your work cut out for ya! enjoy reading this so far, reminds me of my rehabing of my mercedes. the wiring scares me though. good luck!

[Seanz0rz]

thanks bob! hopefully i don't have the rust that the 'benz had! how is that project going? i haven't heard anything, though i haven't looked or asked either!

got some work done this past weekend. the fuse box is nearly done being wired. fuses for headlights (4 total), fuel pump, EFI, horn, brake lights, and parking lights are done. Instrument panel, turn signals/hazards, wiper, radio, and security/interior light fuses are left to be wired. i ran out of connectors, so i need to raid the junkyard again! here is the back side of my cut down fuse box with the 4 relays, one for headlights, high beams, fuel pump, and fuel injection each:
[img width=800 height=600]http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m141/hamiltoncomputers/square/IMG_2558.jpg[/img]

here it is in the stock location:
[img width=800 height=600]http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m141/hamiltoncomputers/square/IMG_2559.jpg[/img]
[img width=800 height=600]http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m141/hamiltoncomputers/square/IMG_2560.jpg[/img]

those pictures do not show the last two relays, but i did confirm that everything fits with them installed. i will have to make a mounting bracket for it, a cover for the rear and a cover for the front. you will also notice im not soldering my harness directly to the fuse box. i am planning on either putting disconnects or a full on complete plug between them, so the fuse box can be completely removed if necessary.

this weekend im hoping to get the starter in and wired to the ignition, completing the dash wiring this weekend would be my ultimate goal, but i still have some work ahead of me. i think i might go on and do what i can with what i have and continue to wire the rest of the vehicle and save finishing the fuse box (and the dash wiring) until i have all the correct fittings for the fuse box. new battery cables will be going in this weekend for sure, but i am going to wait until i am done with the wiring to get a new battery (i have a spare from my truck i am using to test with.

rear fenders may have to come off to do the wiring of the tail lights (doing my best to avoid this, im thinking i can abandon the wire that is in there and run my new stuff with a fish tape and some luck! the original stuff is clamped in there with steel tabs, so i doubt i'll be able to pull it through with the new stuff attached to the end. that's a question for a different day.

thats all for today folks! that fuse box took me an entire day! hopefully i can pick up the pace soon, id like this running by the end of the month.

also, i've had a few people ask me how i printed out my wiring diagrams on multiple sheets of paper. i use this program discussed here:

http://lifehacker.com/5468489/easy-p...-...d-printers [LifeHacker.com, links to download pages]

[Seanz0rz]

So wow! It has been almost exactly 7 months to the day from the last time I posted in this thread!

The last couple of weeks I cleaned the garage enough to get her in and start working on finishing the wiring. Today, it rained, so it was a great day to toil around in the garage.

First, I cleaned out the square and organized my tools and supplies, and threw away a lot of trash! I looked at the wiring I had done and my notes, and realized I didn’t take enough notes! I’ll have to spend a bit of time and decipher what I had done and take careful notes. I have already relisted all my color codes for things, so that should help. I will be doing a final schematic in Eagle when I am all done.

After looking at the daunting task in the dashboard, I turned to the rear of the car. 6 months ago I ran wires up the passenger D pillar and down the door for the license plate light and for a future 3rd brake light. I started here and added a new ground wire (and cleaned up the grounding spot for a better connection), turn signal wire, brake wire, parking light wire, and reverse wire. I cleaned up the contacts on the housing with a bit of electrical contact cleaner and a qtip, and then applied some dielectric grease to the connections to keep them corrosion free for the foreseeable future.
[img width=600 height=800]http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae38/hamiltonfabrication/Squareback/IMG_3052.jpg[/img]
[img width=600 height=800]http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae38/hamiltonfabrication/Squareback/IMG_3055.jpg[/img]

Did the same on the left side:
[img width=600 height=800]http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae38/hamiltonfabrication/Squareback/IMG_3057.jpg[/img]

I ran the 4 wires in split loom through a hole I drilled and then through the stock hole in the body through to the engine compartment.
[img width=600 height=800]http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae38/hamiltonfabrication/Squareback/IMG_3056.jpg[/img]

I tested all the wires and they work! I installed my new lenses from ISPWest. Taillights are officially done (except for LED bulbs, but that’s another a topic for another day)!
[img width=800 height=600]http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae38/hamiltonfabrication/Squareback/IMG_3058.jpg[/img]

Feels good to work on it again. Tomorrow the plan is to finish all the wiring through the firewall. Under the rear seat will be my splice section, not sure if I’m going to do something like a patch panel here or if I am just going to do a lot of soldering here.

Thanks for reading!