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Excellent suggestion and thank you for your comment. She's a keeper! Most air-cooled VWs had recommended 6,000-mile intervals for valve lash adjustment. If I recall correctly, the Type III "pancake" or "suitcase" models should have valves adjusted every 3,000 miles. On my Type III cars I always adjusted the valves every 3,000 miles and noted the exhaust valves tended to be "tighter" when it was time for the clearance adjustment. My father burned up two engines in his 1964 Variant S in less than 20,000 miles for two reasons, in my opinion, due to the fact he did not have the valves adjusted often enough as well as he did not believe in "revving" the engine...no wonder they got hot and dropped #3 exhaust valve every time. I tried to tell my father, back when I was a teenager, he needed to increase his engine RPM between shifting as the cylinders needed more air for cooling, but he insisted the higher he would rev the engine, he would wear it out faster. His reference point was diesel locomotives as he worked for a railroad. While I can understand his reasoning, the diesels were water-cooled, and diesel engines tend to run cooler than their gasoline-powered counterparts. It was similar to comparing apples to oranges, and I eventually gave up trying to convince him otherwise.

@@vwdarrin Thank you! It is fun to drive.

They are fun to drive!

These cars were meant to be driven, and will perform better when driven often.

@@chaddirks5822 More smiles per mile than any other car I own!

Drive safe, as well, and watch out for distracted drivers who will try to video record you while attempting to drive their own car...this has happened to me on several occasions.

Blame it on silly American advertising executives. Why do we have cars on this side of the pond with ridiculous names such as Avalanche, Tundra, Ram, etc. At least they did not call the VW 1600TL the "Hunchback"!

@@cobrasteve414 😃 Thanks. The TL in Germany was nicknamed ,,Traurige Lösung'' which means ,,sad solution''. Not far from Hunchback ...

@@Dickschiff Sort of like "DODGE", or Drips Oil Drops Grease Everywhere", or "FORD" First On Race Day". Car folks can be very creative!

@@cobrasteve414 👍 Both I never heard before.

Thank you for your comment...hopefully in the forthcoming weeks I shall carve out time to resume working on the Dauphine.

Both are fun in their own ways...GT6 has sufficient power and the Spitfire is a blast to drive. Hopefully with the Spit 6 project, I'll have the best of both worlds!

It is indeed an interesting and unique vehicle and was the French equivalent of a VW Beetle. I like the fact the engine is water-cooled and has four doors and when I get the parking brake operable, it will be the only one at a "cars & coffee" event!

Tinkering on my LBC's is so therapeutic for me and you are absolutely correct about the Triumph family. Our local Triumph club is very active and full of friendly folks who gladly share their knowledge and assistance when asked.

Thanks...like to keep my audience "riveted"!

Wise words to live by.

I've had only good experiences with Spit Bits. Always try to avoid Chinese imitation parts...they may look the same, but as a general rule, their quality is significantly inferior. Why do the job twice? Pay a little extra for quality American- or European-made parts. The sweetness of low price is soon forgotten but the bitterness of poor quality remains.

There were some cool cars back in the 1960's! My folks had a Variant, as well, and many fond memories!

Everyone seems to want a bus (Typ II), but they're simply too expensive for me. The Variant is a happy medium and a car which can be daily-driven during good weather.

Thank you for your comment. To be honest, I haven't taken the time to reduce the idle speed. The car has plenty of power, accelerates well, and does not emit any smoke. The next time I replace the spark plugs I'll perform a compression test to determine if there are any issues and to also establish a baseline for the engine's condition. Thank you for your comment.

That is an EXCELLENT suggestion and I thank you. Simply pulling the pressure release pin would be an easier means of evacuating the condensation. I also like the idea of having a redundant pressure release device for safety purposes.

@@cobrasteve414 To release condensation at the PRV, you would have to tilt the unit so the condensate collects at the valve. Relocating the PRV wouldn't be a good idea. edit: just noticed your id is cobra; are you an owner? Did you recognize my id -- csx --as the id for AC Cobras?

Thanks!

A little humor...glad y'all enjoyed it!

I tried to raise my sons to be independent and self-sufficient and I can say with complete honesty, I have succeeded. Sad so many of today's youth cannot nor have the desire to learn how to operate a manual transmission. When my sons were 7 & 11 years old, they rebuilt a Lotus Europa Twin Cam (Ford) engine with my oversight. Talk about a confidence building exercise!

@@cobrasteve414 frk that's cool. Ha my boys first started on lawn mowers lol. My youngest 22 now is restoring his xr 250. Even Powder coated the frame. I wouldn't have went that far but it's what makes him happy. Cheers

Your call. Unsure of the shipping cost and if you are bringing it up to sell for profit or simply to enjoy on the roads? These are a rare sight, indeed, on the roads today.

Thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm still a novice but since I'll be retiring soon, no excuse now for not "getting up to speed".

I remember that light blue color...had a '67 Beetle in the same color. Where I grew up, we had Earl Scheib for quick paint jobs. I believe their motto was "In by 9, out by 5". Paint was applied reasonably well but one better remove all trim or it would become the body color, too. Now that I think of it, they were way ahead of their time as cars today seem to have all emblems and molding painted the same color as the body.

Viel danken!

It is truly amazing how "solid" this car is...then again, VWs of that era were much more simple and robust. While she is not a speed demon, she is fun to drive, relatively easy to maintain, and does not look like another "squished jellybean" going down the road.

Normally the overheating was the thermostat sticking

Car puts a smile on my face each time I take her out for a drive....

Thank you! She's a keeper!

Only if one lives in the rust belt. Only corrosion I could find was a 1/2" diameter "bubble/blister" on the lower trailing edge of the driver side door.

Comments such as yours are the reason I enjoy posting these videos. With all the negativity in the world today, it is nice to reflect upon simpler times of the past. You made mention of the warm area above the engine. That was my favorite place to sit as a child so I could listen to the wonderful sounds my fathers Variant would emit!

Samochody, które są dziś produkowane, są nudne. Wszystkie wyglądają tak samo. Mimo że dorastałem w Ameryce, zawsze ceniłem europejskie samochody. Były przyjemniejsze w prowadzeniu i znacznie bardziej oszczędne.

@@cobrasteve414 zgadza się

I guess I was fortunate. The 1969 model I had in college was completely original, reliable, and had the factory fuel injection. I do recall many people converting them over to twin carburetors once they began having fuel injection issues. This was the early days of fuel injection on mass produced cars so the learning curve has not flattened out yet.

Yes, indeed, they are rather rare these days. I particularly enjoy how utilitarian they are. One can pack a lot of stuff in there!

My Dad had a 1964 1500S, which was one of the reasons I bought my 1969 model while in college. His had the factory twin Solex carburetors and yes, it seemed faster than the Beetles back in the day.

They are difficult to find, indeed. I would recommend The Samba website as it is an excellent resource for enthusiasts to find not only cars, but parts for restoration. The majority of folks on this site are fellow VW afficionados who graciously share their knowledge and expertise to help one perform everything from maintenance to full restoration of a project. When I decided I wanted another Type III Variant (my first and only one being one of my college cars), I scoured every want ad, website, etc., and reviewed three cars prior to committing to purchase this one. Not only did I find an honest seller and an excellent example, but my car was also equipped with the desirable factory sunroof--something my college car did not have. Be patient, keep a close eye on the market, and you'll find one!

Viele danken!!

Cool story about the goat! Yes, I do have the hand crank for my car, although it is best used for setting the ignition points gap. Regarding the Chinese, I used to represent foundries for castings years ago when the Chinese were trying to penetrate that market. In the time it took one of my American foundries to quote, usually 4-6 weeks, the Chinese would not only offer a quote, but also send a sample part! Problem with China is it is made up of numerous "kingdoms" where there are various leaders in charge of each area. When you think you are dealing with one foundry, you are not. They will send you dimensionally and metallurgically-sound parts at first, but then, they will move your tooling without your knowledge to a lesser-quality facility to cut costs. Many American companies were screwed over by this practice...I saw it firsthand. Cast metal parts were having various porosity and machining issues so one of my foundries performed a spectral analysis on the Chinese part only to reveal the chemistry of the part was NOT in spec! Very dangerous if it is a critical component.

Thank you, Kevin!

Thanks! Once I rebuild the front suspension I will likely put it on the market to make room in my garage.

Maybe 28IBT needs 1-1.5 psi. My Weber DARA works well with mechanical fuel pump (1 psi, 70 liters per hour). This pump is enough for 1.7 inline-4 (moskvitch 412) and works fine even at 5000 rpm

Thanks for the sharp eye! I never noticed it and certainly did not see any fuel spraying since I recorded the video a while ago. I'll pay particular attention in the future...and keep the fire extinguisher handy nearby, too!

Thank you, sir! My first Variant, which was my second car, the first being a 1955 Beetle, was also a 1969 model. It was very useful for carrying camping gear (tent, stove, sleeping bags, etc).

The father of a classmate while I was in high school drove a red Dauphine and I always thought it was an interesting car and better than the Volkswagen equivalent as it had a water-cooled engine (BETTER HEATER). I have the correct shift knob for mine but have not installed it yet. The shifter does not appear to be any better or worse than a rear-engine VW.

Thank you for your kind words. I have always gravitated towards unusual cars as I find them interesting. Many folks do not know Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot invented the world's first full-sized self-propelled vehicle in 1769 powered by steam. Or the fact the Citroen 2CV was designed to carry four people and 50 kg of goods at 30 mph across a ploughed field without damaging the eggs in a basket! Years ago in was in a suburb of Paris on business meeting with a company which manufactured pressure transmitters. Had the opportunity to be driven around France in a Peugeot 604 (?) diesel at 100 mph...very comfortable and solid car! We went to Aluminium Dunquerque (spelling?) where the precision pressure transmitters were utilized for burner (natural gas) control...they could measure in the 0.001" of water column range! I thoroughly enjoyed myself in France! However, I made the attempt to speak French and was very thankful and respectful to everyone. In return, the French people were equally polite to me.

@@cobrasteve414 any person making the effort to communicate in the language of the host should be rewarded for the challenge. If you met well educated people, it cannot be any different and people will logically strive to protect a nice contact person on the long run. Especially when it comes to business relationships and even more when these can go beyond. Thanks!

@@tonerotonero1375 You are absolutely correct. Dale Carnegie book, "How to Win Friends and Influence People" has been translated into many languages. The book is full of wisdom and common sense. Several quotations from the book include "Talk in terms of the other man's interest." and "The sweetest word a person can hear is his/her own name." Sincerity is paramount. My interest in European cars goes back to my childhood. I always marveled at how efficient their engines were and most especially, how well they handled compared to their American counterparts of the same era. Today's cars are of little interest to me as I believe they do not have the same "soul" as the classics...not to mention I truly enjoy the relative simplicity of classic cars since I perform 100% of my own maintenance.

That is life...good and bad people. However, I am a firm believer in Karma...what goes around comes around.

Viele danken! Not too many VW Variants on this side of the Atlantic, either. This one is truly special being a low-mileage survivor and a solid, comfortable car to drive.