1971 Vw Type 3 Squareback

[silverra23]

Took Veronica to the VW meet last weekend. I love driving this car!

 

 

The meet was held at a cool hotrod workshop called Rancho Deluxe in Collingwood... will have to take my real camera nex time!

 

 

It rained lots on the way home, so it rained inside the car on my feet as well... figured it was time to have a proper look.

 

The drainage tube had a metal joiner in it which has rusted and fallen apart.. so that is one source of water leak but I realised there was multiple sources when I had a proper look. I will fix this one with a new joiner of some description.

 

Further investigation up behind the dash with a torch and I could see much rust, and lots of self tappers, and maybe even a rubber glove :(

 

So I got in under the bonnet and peeled the trim off that bulge in there.. here is the sight that greeted me

 

 

D'oh, but not really unexpected in a Type 3 I guess. Shame someone did a dodgy repair once before and didn't do a good job of it, but ah well such is life. I put the cover back over it, and will worry about it another day. There looks to be some funkiness around the brake fluid reservoir area, but I decided that ignorance was bliss and didn't look too hard!!

 

Given it was now hosing down outside it was time to fiddle inside. I have been toying with the idea of building a suitcase stereo, with bits that are floating about the garage. So grabbed my ipod, an old amp, some wire and a jumper battery and tested it all out. Worked brilliantly, so now I just need to find a suitable suitcase, and do some wiring :)

 

 

So today I went to Altronics today and bought some hardware:

 

2 x 6x9 speakers - $59

1 x Cigarette Lighter socket with Alligator clips - $8 (might cut the clips off and hardwire it in when its all sorted)

1 x cigarette lighter plug with swith (can turn it on and off) $8.50

 

A great guy on a veedub forum kindly donated a good looking suitcase to the cause, thanks Ben!

 

I sat everything inside the suitcase tonight just to start getting my head around how I will put it together.

 

Right now I am thinking I will get a piece of MDF, and make a platform / lid that goes right across the suitcase opening. I will then screw the speakers into that, and mount the amp in between them.

 

Will then drill many holes in the suitcase lid to allow the sounds to escape.

 

Will run a lead with the cigarette lighter plug on it into the back of the suitcase to power the amp. Can unplug it and roll it up and take it away easy enough.

 

Need to fit the cigarette lighter socket in the back of the car some where easy to get to, but not in the way of the seat moving, and wire that to the battery.

 

Drill a small hole near the handle some where and the ipod lead can go in through that.

 

Then trim my MDF lid in something that looks decent, and hopefully job done.

 

Can any one think of any problems with my ideas?? I am not so good with wiring.. all I know is its bad when the smoke gets out!!

 

 

 

Small youtube video of it playing.. be better if the speakers werent sitting on their magnets I think.

 

[KEhendo]

looking good adam. the guy with the mercury wagon behind you lives literally around the corner from me. last i heard he had about 10 or so classic american cars. my favorite of which being a ford edsel two door in pink with the numberplate [DUD] :P

 

for the suitcase, perhaps you can just put a lockable arm in (like the ones on card table legs) so you can have it stay open while you're listening to the music but still have it look like a regular suitcase when it's closed/not in use. just a thought.

[silverra23]

Good idea on the hinge thing.. wonder where I can buy them! Will have to go look.

[parrot]

What about one off a KE1x or KE2x!

 

Well this is rollaclub......

[silverra23]

Here is some more progress on the suitcase stereo for Veronica Buttercup

 

 

 

 

 

It was at this point that people who understand electricity much better than I told me that my idea of running this set up through some piss-ant wires and a cigarette lighter would be a fail and end up with the smoke getting out. They suggested that unless I planned to use the big cables I was testing it with, it would not work.

 

So I am going to plan b and have ordered a mini-amp from ebay dudes in china which should cope with my power source a whole lot better. Might not crank as loud, but thats OK me thinks.

 

Here is a pic of Veronica with some gear I have acquired for her rack!

 

 

[SLO-030]

Lookin good mate!

 

can't let that smoke get out eh?

[silverra23]

So as I didn't want big long battery cables and anderson plugs every where with that big amp, and my mini amp has not yet arrived from ebay china.. we are up to option C!

 

Sony headunit all installed and running a treat. The carpentry work to create the box is shite, and will need improvement on return from my road trip to the big VW get together at Valla. However it will give me tunes there and back which was the goal.

 

 

In other news, Mark at Imported has given the front end a birthday, so now it steers and stops like its meant to!

 

Today was two new front tyres and a wheel alignment, and sadly an end to the yellow walls. I reckon it looks a bit plain without them so I will have to get some new ones when I have done some miles on these tyres.

 

 

 

Tomorrow Mark gives her a tune, and then we are all set for our road trip to Valla!

[silverra23]

Well have been home nearly a week from Valla, and I think I am still recovering!

 

Anyways Veronica performed faultlessly on the the nearly 2000 mile trip to Valla and back. Sat on 75 mph the whole way home from Sydney on the Tuesday and was just a pleasure to drive.

 

There are lots of new photos in my albums on picasa... some are shot by my brother and his girlfriend... here are a few favourites

 

 

Which one of us is cooler? hehe

 

My smile sums it up so well!

 

 

 

Oh and HEAPS more photos of all things VW at the Valla show in my picasa album - http://picasaweb.google.com/adamlaws1974

Edited August 9, 2010 by silverra23

[NovaGS]

Adam,

 

Great vehicle buddy.

 

I am also a bit of an old VW nutter and we stayed in cabin @ Valla with our young kids. We also have a 71 model VW but its a low-light kombi deluxe 9 seater.

 

My good friends camped right next to you and your brother.

 

I love his red splitty panel kombi and see it at many shows (including Valla).

 

Maybe we catch up at the next VW meet that happens that you go to.

 

The kombi Club has their annual Bus Stop next Easter down @ Narooma (just south of Batemans Bay) which should be a bit closer for you.

 

Great vehicle selection - they are loads of fun.

 

Cheers,

 

Scott

[silverra23]

Thanks Scott... the cabins looked very civilised :)

 

Post up a photo of your Kombi!!

 

Narooma sounds interesting.. we are heading to day of the vw down here in melbourne in a few weeks. Can't wait :)

[NovaGS]

Thanks Scott... the cabins looked very civilised :)

 

Post up a photo of your Kombi!!

 

Narooma sounds interesting.. we are heading to day of the vw down here in melbourne in a few weeks. Can't wait :)

 

 

This is my old bus:

 

My 71 low-light 9 seater deluxe known as Beryl (as she is Beryl Green in colour)

 

 

Hopefully this works.

 

DOVW sounds great - I am also a VW T3 syncro 4WD nutter (way too many toys)and a few of the syncro group are heading down for a display and camp over.

 

Should be a great day if the weather improves - no more floods - its pissin down up here.

 

Cheers,

 

Scott

[NovaGS]

Seeing that worked.

 

Here is a photo of the two other cars I have (My VW Kombis my 71 and my 88 syncro)

 

 

Both are well loved.

[silverra23]

Weekend past was all about the Victorian Day of the Volkswagen... there was a cruise on Friday night through parts of collingwood, richmond, down chapel st and through St Kilda. The reaction of people on the street was priceless.

 

Sunday we were out at Yarra Valley Racecourse for the show itself, there were lots of cars to enjoy.

 

Here are some pics from the cruise and a link to all of the ones I took:

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/adamlaws1974/LuftRanchoToOnTopBarCruiseNovember2010?feat=directlink

 

A couple of favourites...

 

 

 

 

 

 

And all my photos from the show itself are here followed by a few favourite cars

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/adamlaws1974/DayOfTheVolkswagen2010#

 

The bright sunshine did me no favours and all my photos are a tad bright... oh well...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[silverra23]

6 months since I have posted anything of note on the car..

 

Guess much hasn't changed.. she cruises effortlessly each time I pull her out of the shed and aside from a service in the last month, and some wheel centre caps I put on, I have done bugger all to it. Oh I did put her on club rego which is awesome!

 

I am still enjoying driving it...gets heaps of looks and comments where ever you go.

 

Couple of photos from a VW swap meet I went to at Williamstown today...

 

 

 

 

[LXY-642]

love the car man, i was looking at either a squareback or the beetle. ended up choosing a beetle.