Awesome! So glad to hear. We're premiering a new video tonight at 8pm central on installing front drums, kind of dry and technical. Later this week we're going to have a good one where we pull a bus motor that hasn't ran in over 20 years and get it running. I think you'll really like that one!. Also we are getting stickers made now, so stay tuned
I was a Boy Scout. Be prepared! In my experience, if I carry a spare, I won't need it. Thank you. I will sing praises to you the first time that I break down on the side of the road. It will happen and I want to be prepared. Valuable information!
I’ve driven VW s since I was 19, I am 71 now. I lugged around a tool box and a few spare parts. I never used any of them. The problem is you also need a jack and stands, rags, hand cleaner , overalls, lights, and something you don’t have. If you do like I do and build your car with the best parts and the subtle knowledge of how to do it right you won’t need a trailer full of parts. That’s why you guys drive busses.
Very valuable advice, especially getting the right length accelerator cable. Many years ago I owned a '71 VW camper van. I learned early on to carry spare parts. One summer I made the trip from my home in California back to New York were I was born. While in NY my accelerator cable broke. I removed the broke cable and replaced it with the spare I'd been carrying around for a couple of years. Before I started on the long trip back to California I bought a replacement cable. I made it home without incident but about a year later my accelerator cable broke again. I went to replace it with the cable I bought in NY only to find it was too short! I had about a 3 mile walk to the local dealer for the correct replacement. It could have been worse. Had it broke coming across the desert on my return from NY, I probably would have been very uncomfortable until help passed by. This was long before cell phones.
@@TheStickyBusiness nope I sure haven't, I was talking to Carlos and he wanted to remake a video with me at a future tech session. If you watching my videos you know who Carlos is... lol
Nice one guys! And thanks for mentioning us “gals” too! If running points, I keep and emery board as a points “file” silly but it works! I also keep a section of wood block to aid when jacking bus up (of course I carry a shop style floor jack lol), zip ties of all sizes, LOADS of electric tape and I carry a beeswax blend of paste to work as a leak stop during a rain...and most importantly a VOLT (ohm) METER!!! Or test light!👍
yep a good block of wood is nice to have. Emery board is a good idea. Yes Test light too. Alot of these are tools that we'll be doing a second video on.
Good video! I had the barrel nut pop off accelerator cable in the middle of the desert 2 hours east of Reno...I was able to Jerry-rig it using a button off my luggage...lol barely made it to slc...
@@VWLifeVW I was kind of a newbie...driving from bay area to Chicago---I learned a valuable lesson both about tools and scorpions (don't ask). The VW was actually "booted" at a gas station near John Wayne airport---a 67 Convertible. No rust but no way to test drive---owner was a kid right out of 29 palms--and told me I could have it for $1500 but only if I paid boot fees and tickets that day--which were about $560. I was actually just topping off my rental car on the way back to airport--but called Orange County sheriffs--paid fees and had boot released, canceled flight and started driving. First problem was it had a manifold leak and engine stopped at every stoplight. Auto zone had a intake gasket and I got it changed at a gas station. On the way back i had to change carb jets after dropping the 8000 feet between Cheyenne and nebraska on I80. --I had never done this---but actually used an iPhone to do a facetime call with a guy Blackline racing in Salt Lake city--who walked me thru the change while at a Walmart parking lot. hell of a trip...wouldn't trade for anything though...
Very informative and valuable advice! Just purchased a restored 1966 1300 beetle, converted to 12 volts, and the information presented here by you guys is really appreciated. I was hoping to learn which are the essential spares to carry in my car. Thanks!
REALLY cool video!! A necessity as well. One time in my baja the accelerator cable came unravelled and left me stranded in an actual traffic lane, the disabled vehicle lane was being worked on! Such a scary time, Spence and I were waving our arms like crazy to get people to slam on their brakes while praying this wasn't gonna be the end to our bug. Ashlynn ran half a mile down the freeway on a shutdown section to get two police cars to park behind our car until a tow came. Needless to say we have had two cables on hand ever since 👌😂
Fixing to buy a bus! Planned on trips and was thinking of what to carry this is a fun channel to watch! If I wasn’t moving to Colorado I would drive down to Texas from Oklahoma. Maybe when I make a trip back home in my new bus! ✌🏻
A biggie I learned from my Sage mentor master vw mechanic is that fuel lines are METRIC. Think of all the horror stories we've heard of old buses/vanagons getting torched from leaking fuel lines. There's a significant diff betw SAE and metric. Did you mention starter brushes? A little lube on the felt points cam will help keep the heat down so they're less likely to get brittle and fail. You guys rock! thx again.
I knew I needed to carry extra tools and as of right now, fuel filters. Thank you for this video. I'm definitely making myself a bag. Being a girl, I definitely don't want to break down by myself. Im learning and have been the only person working on my bus. I'm binge watching your videos
Love your guys channel so much, I just got my first 1972 beetle and learned so much from this channel. I got to say that one thing that's probably rare but now I keep since it left me stranded is a mechanical fuel pump rod. Idk how but I guess mine worn down enough that it wasn't pumping enough fuel to the carb to run so now I got a spare with me at all times.
well thanks! ah yes, that is a good one! also there are two different lengths of those rods depending on which style fuel pump you have. thanks for sharing.
Great Episode. In 2011, we made a trip with 6 VWs (2 Vanagons, 3 Bays, and 1 Splitty) from Indiana to Yellowstone (1500 miles each way). On the way out, the Split and 2 Bays broke the rubbing block off NEW Bosch points. Another set broke while we were out there. Fortunately we had brought some spares, and we found 2 additional sets in Cody, Wyoming auto parts stores. Keep up the good work and thank you for your videos.
Rockin the dogbones! Aircooler shirt! What chapter. AVAC here. Great stuff. I roll with a small stash of spare parts on my bus, and gasoline, jack toolbox, etc..
RT 58 just outside Edwards air force base CAL. driving my 71 bus alone , heading to Colorado (after driving cross country from boston) 1998 (no cell phones) bus died on the side of the road. went through some diagnosis and I found the little plastic piece on the points you showed had broke off, I got my spare points, swapped them out and away I go! good video. I carried a floor jack and wood blocks. I could pull my engine anywhere I was.
WOW! So helpful--I wished I had half of those various parts when I had my '74 Beetle. I did start carrying a few quarts of oil, zip ties, jumper cables & the like to at least get me to a gas station or the side of the road to wait for my buddies at AAA (tow truck drivers--knew those guys for a 20 mile radius)! I ran into almost all those issues you mentioned in the 6 years I drove my Beetle--No JOKE.
When you points are made in China and the little tab that opens up the points breaks off I'm building my kit thank you for your video they are very informative I've owned hundreds of vws I've got a addiction lol
You can get home without a clutch cable or accel cable if you have to I’ve done it but for a short time. You idle the carb up enough to go through the gears. The clutch you can go through the gears using your sync little more tricky. You have to turn the motor off and put it in first or second and then turn the motor back on and mash the gas. this is all explained in the owners manual. Another good point on spare parts if you car has any weird one year only parts or using really early parts that you can’t pick up at a store or at a show very easy keep a spare. Example 67 or 68 turn signal relay.
Hi guys I really liked this video my 1972 doka is my daily car and I had lot of you said happened I recently had a problem with a new petronix ignition, the magnetic rotor just came apart all of its magnets fell off inside the distributor and I managed to get it back together with a piece of paper to give some tension to keep it from coming apart again but it’s really an headache to put all of that little magnets back on with the correct polarization... as you put one the other comes off and it takes some time to put it back together. So a spare magnetic rotor is a good one to have!
Like your videos...can you do a video on the proper tires available for VW split buses including size, side wall rating, tread, brands and cost?...thanks!
best kept secret: General Grabber AT2's...they rock, cost like $106 ea on Amazon w/ free shipping. Poor man's BFG AllTerrain tire. Got em on my Vanagon and my Splitty...love em where I go, fearlessly in ice, snow, rain, mud ! Not oem size, tho.
Thanks for the video my fellow bus, road tripers! I'm working on my spare parts kit now. You might want to add oil drain plug, fresh air hose, wiper blades and oil fill cap just in case.
Greatings from Barcelona, Spain, 1- i don,t speak english, i,m try to learn myself, well i love Volkswagen bug, and all of yours programs on you tube, it,s fascinating the original presentation of your hobbie, and all the people make a program. Well, my firts contact with you, maybe is rigth but sorry for my english ,the next comunication it, better for you understan me better. Well i say bye bye, and yours got a new friend on me, from Barcelona !! 😉😀👍👍👍👍👏👏🍺🍻🍺🍻
@@VWLifeVW it,s a honor talk with you, and your son, well i,m 58 yeas old, and discap , 28 years ago a trafic crash with my bike, a Suzuki GS 500 E, me destroyed when down on the road, and, well it,s a sad histori, and i explain to you and all the others Texans friends. Maybe in 6 mounth, me and my wife make a voyager to a promised land AMERICA.!!🍻👍💩✌🖖 Well guys, i say goodbye, to the next contact.!! GOOD LIVE WITH A VW LIFE !!!!
Thanks! We actually do keep some safety wire with us as well. It's hard to cover everything in the video some things we just forgot like that along with the fuel pump and a few other things that people have pointed out. We might have to shoot the video again and make it 150 spares to keep in your Volkswagen
Good video I’m still laughing about the clutch cable wingnut. My first thought on that one was vise grips I’m suprised you didnt mention a spare belt. One time i was about 4 hours from home in a Buddies Manx DuneBuggy built on a 58 pan and the generator belt. Went of course it was night and we needed lights so we found a all nite. Convenience store the only thing we found in that store that we thought may work was. Pantyhose that came in those plasti eggs i think they. Were called Leggs brand. We bought them and went in the parking lot and tied them on it worked like a charm and even made the 4 hour drive home ! I grew up in South Florida and that old Dune Buggy was our favorite car to cruise the famous Ft Lauderdale Spring Break Strip on the weekends One nite we had 13 girls pile in the car It was so crowded the driver couldn’t reach the gear shifter but i could So it took 2 people to Get the old girl rolling that Buggy was a lot of fun down there and did. Get a few late nite runs out on the beach Just to say we did it ! That was in the 80s and my freinds Father still had. A couple of crated Manx Bodies. In storage From when he built that Buggy for his winter home in Florida As i beleive he was a actual distributor for Manx at one time When my Buddy used it i am pretty sure it was a stock 36 horsepower motor as it was pretty slow and the metal flake gelcoat was. Pretty chalky from the Florida sun it was so bad that my freind wound up painting it to keep it looking better My last Aircooled was a 71 Bug that was so beat up and running so poorly that i paid 400 dollars and a set of used tires for it to a freind that just graduated college and went out and bought a new car that the dealer wouldn’t even take the VW at the time my sister needed a car so my Dad and i bought a cheap Brazilian rebuild kit for 112 dollars pulled the motor and. Rebuilt it i gave the car to my sister who i told it may get you around for a little while but I wouldn’t take it on any long trips to the best of my knowledge that motor is still running in another freinds Beetle over 35 years later. With all those crappy Btazillian parts in it a group of then local VW mechanics told me ot to use them. Ut to buy the German ones instead that car was so rusty I never thought it was going to last long When my sister was done with it she gave it back to me running and driving i pulled the engine and donated the body to a local scrapyard whatever. Was still left of the old thing its kind of sad that todays generations dont have things like that in their lives VWs. Were not only great vehicles but they were a lifestyle as well Another great freind of mine has had 28 VW Beetles. On the road in his lifetime along with his iconic 63 rag top sunroof he purchased with a Baja kit installed on it and drove to Vermont to be a ski Bum during his college years eventually becoming his Florida car as well
wow thank you for sharing, first off if we forgot the genny belt, then yeah that is in the top 5 of things to bring for sure! your stories about your VW life are really cool. You definitely have had a lot of fun in VWs and I'm sure you have more stories to tell.
VW Life Oh boy for sure my Dad bought a 58 brand new then upgraded in 63 with another brand new one my Mom told me the 58 was the first Beetle she had ever seen my Fathers payment on that one was 52 dollars a month And on the 2nd Bug VW screwed up the Green color they ordered which what they said was very ugly as time went on they did keep that car and it was lovingly known as Bob and his Green Machine because it was so noticeable BTW it wasnt The standard Hunter Green that VW used for years but more like a weird baby blue with a green tint in it ? Too hard to describe in words I do remember my Dad played the beat of his radio on the drivers side roof for so many miles the roof had dents in it from his fingers he also told me that often he would come out of work with the car parked on the street and there would be people looking at the Bug and sometimes so curious they would have the engine and trunk compartments open because Americans were amazed at the engine being in the back LOL my Mom said he was very impressed with the power increase in the second one as they used to drive upstate New York through the Catskil Mountains and he would have to shift so much it made her tired watching him they could travel to and from their destination on two dollars worth of gas ! And my Dad was a expert on tying things to the outside of the car because so many of the baby things were big and bulky like playpens that wouldn’t fit inside the car or in the trunk
Great video guys. How about a list of essential tools that are VW specific? I use to own a 69 bug that I miss dearly. I live in Buda and I wish I still had it so I could tag along with you guys on one of your road trips! Stay safe and having fun!
Great Suggestions and all really must haves! But If all else fails and you’re stranded, AAA premiere membership has saved me at least once when I needed to be towed back...
@@VWLifeVW Agreed! I actually signed up for Hagerty’s Driver’s Club with the roadside coverage last year since I already had insured my cars with them. Thankfully I haven’t had to use them yet, but a buddy of mine did and he said they were great! I plan to renew my Hagerty Driver’s Club membership and let my AAA expire at the end of this year...
If I might make a suggestion to carry an INFRARED PYROMETER! Ebay, Amazon and Harbor Freight all have them. If you just adjusted all your brakes then test how well they are adjusted by the temperature of the drums. Or a bad wheel bearing or what cylinder is not firing.
I've mentioned in the comments on a separate video before that I'm working on a 1974 VW type 2, however some areas have been modified by a previous owner, such as the fuel pump, it's electric. I recently had to remove that one and splice in a new one to get my bus going down the road! After wiring it up I discovered the no fuel issue was a fuse, so I recommend carrying a back up fuel pump in case your electric one fails on the road!
I no longer have a VW, wish I did. I carry a small floor jack, Harbor Freight 30.00. It is so much easier to jack up a vehicle rather than mess with those jacks for the side. Just get under the axle and it's up quickly. I learned that with our Nissan Sentra and the piece of crap jack that comes with them.
I must say some of these things should be done or checked at service points especially points. Any thing that's worn out like accelerator components is just unlucky
What do you think of owning a 1975, and older, Volkswagen beetle to avoid CA smog test. would it be cost effective, or would maintenance cost be greater?
If you put the distributor clamp on your spare distributor, time it and then just remove the 13mm hold down nut.... that way if you swap them, it is already in time...... ask me how I know lol
Wanted a bug when I was a kid, as an adult I'm wanting to get a bus and go on road trips. Flying these days just gets to be more and more of a hassle. Prices keep rising and now with them cancelling flights on people, nope, I'll drive.
Great video guys! Keep them coming! What transmission and engines are you guys running? Different tires size/type? Do you carry spare gas? If so whee do you keep it? Awesome video! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks! We run standard transmission nothing fancy. Standard gearing. . Our engines range from 1600 to 1776. With just standard single carburetors. If we're going on a trip we will carry spare gas. Sometimes you just put up on top of the rack or in the bus
Something important keep extra fuses, different amps, headlight bulbs, it has happened, that I was driving a 1973 Super Beetle, and one of the headlights stop working imagine driving with only one headlight, and for the person who has disc brakes, an extra set of brake pads, and if you have drum brakes ,brake shoes so you can stop on time, also it is never a bad idea, to have an extra air filter, since dirt carpenter the carburetor, maybe even some spark plugs,.
My most annoying fail was the carbon brush tip in the centre of the distributor cap, it broke and I was stuck on the cities busiest road full of traffic and I couldn't even see what it was until I got towed home in shame the next day after a sleepless night hoping my bug wouldn't get vandalised as it was left on a public cycle lane overnight!
Oh add a couple of wavy washers on the rocker shaft. I had one of those fail on me and I heard a terrible rattling sound from my engine as I was driving and had to pull over! It causes the rocker arm to slide off the pushrod to the side and luckily I stopped in time because it could Destroy the engine!
@@VWLifeVW -- Dang - sorry I did not think it through. Of course!, With most Buses and my Beetle - we don't need to worry about things flying off the table. Just have to stay away from Dead Man's curve, Stingray and XKEs. Seriously - nice job. I doubt that I will go to your level, (i only keep belt, oil, brake fluid, fuses, bulbs, led zep cd and a Big F Hammer). I look forward to your channel. t
My clutch fork broke on me once. I got stranded & had to wait 5 hrs. for the tow truck to rescue my bus & bring it to the shop. We got to the shop at 3 am. It happened while rain was pouring down.
I used to carry a shitload of crap too. But in 130,000 miles I was stranded just once, by a Generator shaft that snapped at the pulley. Fuses, Globes that sort of stuff, everybody carries that. Everything else, it's called routine maintenance, we should all do that regardless of the age of our vehicle.
Hey nice video. Duck man sent me. Um, are you aware that the audio track is all in left channel? Figured you would want to know. I know I am not deaf in that ear because your intro is in both ears. lol TBH this video kind of scares the hell out of me. I know these old VW's are cool but I wouldn't touch one if it wasn't a resto mod, given the sheer amount of possible component failure. Worked quite a bit on the side of the road and that just eh...is never a welcome situation. I know this is all worst case scenarios but, eek!
it's weird, I don't understand why it's only coming out of the left channel. I noticed this too and not sure why. Thanks for coming over, we have more videos coming
Excellent!! - This almost mirrors the assortment that I carry in my Vanagon. I usually keep a whole oil change in it as well as at quart of brake fluid and a quart of gear oil. I also keep an assortment of fasteners .... I'm an old parts man as well ..... you can't have too many parts when you're driving Yee Olde Junque that ain't a Chev-uh-LAY that you get parts in a grocery store for! Hahaha!! BRAVO to you boys for actually drivin' these old rides, too! I'm slightly envious ..... {;^)
I'd add an oil sump plate and drain plug , and the nuts to the kit, as well as an oil sump screen. Also the intake manifold boot and intake manifold gaskets. And vacuum hose. I had the arm that goes to the clutch cable on the pedal assembly break before, I carried a spare after that.
I know a place where they have all of this parts... Its called a vw spareparts shop. 🤭✌️ Or might as well carry a trailer with you so you can bring an extra beetle inside it. Instead of carrying a spare tire, you have a... spare beetle. 😁🤘
There, done! I have bingewached your channel and i absolutely love it, keep up the good work.
From a vanagon owner :)
Awesome! So glad to hear. We're premiering a new video tonight at 8pm central on installing front drums, kind of dry and technical. Later this week we're going to have a good one where we pull a bus motor that hasn't ran in over 20 years and get it running. I think you'll really like that one!. Also we are getting stickers made now, so stay tuned
Oooooh awesome! Exited for the stickers 😁 if youd like to see my van check out @the.syncro.project on instagram :)
@@VWLifeVW one more thing, how do you guys know eachother? Are you family or just a group of friends? 😁 Im curious 😊
@@DavurBeder just a group of friends
Me too great channel.
"for safetys sake you should definitely keep a spare VW beetle inside of your VW beetle!"
great video!!
I was a Boy Scout. Be prepared! In my experience, if I carry a spare, I won't need it. Thank you. I will sing praises to you the first time that I break down on the side of the road. It will happen and I want to be prepared. Valuable information!
I’ve driven VW s since I was 19, I am 71 now. I lugged around a tool box and a few spare parts. I never used any of them. The problem is you also need a jack and stands, rags, hand cleaner , overalls, lights, and something you don’t have. If you do like I do and build your car with the best parts and the subtle knowledge of how to do it right you won’t need a trailer full of parts. That’s why you guys drive busses.
Very valuable advice, especially getting the right length accelerator cable. Many years ago I owned a '71 VW camper van. I learned early on to carry spare parts. One summer I made the trip from my home in California back to New York were I was born. While in NY my accelerator cable broke. I removed the broke cable and replaced it with the spare I'd been carrying around for a couple of years. Before I started on the long trip back to California I bought a replacement cable. I made it home without incident but about a year later my accelerator cable broke again. I went to replace it with the cable I bought in NY only to find it was too short! I had about a 3 mile walk to the local dealer for the correct replacement. It could have been worse. Had it broke coming across the desert on my return from NY, I probably would have been very uncomfortable until help passed by. This was long before cell phones.
👍, yes indeed you got very lucky. 3 Mile Walk for a part you were able to buy doesn't sound bad at all. Thanks for sharing!
LoL! I was about to upload the same video! Now I have to wait! You beat me to the market! Good video!
Do it! Would love to see your version!
@@VWLifeVW I'll still upload it then, but only because you blessed it!
@@DuckmanCycles thanks for the mention on your channel! we got some new subs :)
You never upload it. I didn't find it on your channel. I think is good to watch other people approach to this
@@TheStickyBusiness nope I sure haven't, I was talking to Carlos and he wanted to remake a video with me at a future tech session. If you watching my videos you know who Carlos is... lol
Last set of points, condenser and spark plugs, accelerator cable, oil. Apollo 11/13 parts kit (Pratleys putty and insulating/duct tape)
good stuff thanks!
These guys have saved me from making a mistake haha. I don’t want to deal with anything that breaks down frequently. My anxiety couldn’t handle it.
Nice!
Nice one guys! And thanks for mentioning us “gals” too! If running points, I keep and emery board as a points “file” silly but it works! I also keep a section of wood block to aid when jacking bus up (of course I carry a shop style floor jack lol), zip ties of all sizes, LOADS of electric tape and I carry a beeswax blend of paste to work as a leak stop during a rain...and most importantly a VOLT (ohm) METER!!! Or test light!👍
yep a good block of wood is nice to have. Emery board is a good idea. Yes Test light too. Alot of these are tools that we'll be doing a second video on.
@@VWLifeVW A healthy notch out of the center of that wood block is a good thing given the center pin on a Bus.
Emery board also!
I have no VW came over this way from DuckmanCyles herd about you in his videos so I’m here. Yeeehawww subbed ya
awesome! Check out our 4 part series "VW Bus Roadtrip"
Wow thank you for making this video! Very helpful!
yeah you're going to be doing this soon :)
Good video! I had the barrel nut pop off accelerator cable in the middle of the desert 2 hours east of Reno...I was able to Jerry-rig it using a button off my luggage...lol barely made it to slc...
The heat cable barrel nuts work too :)
@@VWLifeVW I was kind of a newbie...driving from bay area to Chicago---I learned a valuable lesson both about tools and scorpions (don't ask). The VW was actually "booted" at a gas station near John Wayne airport---a 67 Convertible. No rust but no way to test drive---owner was a kid right out of 29 palms--and told me I could have it for $1500 but only if I paid boot fees and tickets that day--which were about $560. I was actually just topping off my rental car on the way back to airport--but called Orange County sheriffs--paid fees and had boot released, canceled flight and started driving. First problem was it had a manifold leak and engine stopped at every stoplight. Auto zone had a intake gasket and I got it changed at a gas station. On the way back i had to change carb jets after dropping the 8000 feet between Cheyenne and nebraska on I80. --I had never done this---but actually used an iPhone to do a facetime call with a guy Blackline racing in Salt Lake city--who walked me thru the change while at a Walmart parking lot. hell of a trip...wouldn't trade for anything though...
Exactly what i needed to know before this summer, thank you guys! love the videos, quickly becoming my new favorite VW channel on youtube
Awesome glad to hear we try to keep it a mix between Tech and lifestyle glad you enjoy.
Peace and love from palestine. Thank you so much
Very informative and valuable advice! Just purchased a restored 1966 1300 beetle, converted to 12 volts, and the information presented here by you guys is really appreciated. I was hoping to learn which are the essential spares to carry in my car. Thanks!
I would think you had over 100k subs with this video quality. Good job.
Hey thanks for that! We are doing are best to get there :)
I don't even own a VW yet, but I'm loving your channel because I'm learning a lot. :)
Great to hear!
REALLY cool video!! A necessity as well. One time in my baja the accelerator cable came unravelled and left me stranded in an actual traffic lane, the disabled vehicle lane was being worked on! Such a scary time, Spence and I were waving our arms like crazy to get people to slam on their brakes while praying this wasn't gonna be the end to our bug. Ashlynn ran half a mile down the freeway on a shutdown section to get two police cars to park behind our car until a tow came. Needless to say we have had two cables on hand ever since 👌😂
Just bought a Thing. I appreciate this list!
Hope you enjoy it!
Kind of sounds like I’m at an auction, the way he’s talking about everything! It’s great!
Thanks!
Hey some jumper cables small light bulbs for the speedo generator will not charge with a bad bulb 🤔
Fixing to buy a bus! Planned on trips and was thinking of what to carry this is a fun channel to watch! If I wasn’t moving to Colorado I would drive down to Texas from Oklahoma. Maybe when I make a trip back home in my new bus! ✌🏻
The holy grail vw traveling kit. Very informative, thank you for all the knowledge!
Glad to help!
Good job! Saw you at top notch yesterday, can't wait to see the video!!
Yes - fanbelt and assembly!! Stuck in the desert outside of Barstow!! 😁
Yep!
Welp, there goes the secret bookshelf behind the rear seat. In all seriousness, this is a great help, I just purchased my first, a '72 Super Beetle
Post a picture of it on our Facebook page! facebook.com/VWLifeVW/
A biggie I learned from my Sage mentor master vw mechanic is that fuel lines are METRIC. Think of all the horror stories we've heard of old buses/vanagons getting torched from leaking fuel lines. There's a significant diff betw SAE and metric. Did you mention starter brushes? A little lube on the felt points cam will help keep the heat down so they're less likely to get brittle and fail. You guys rock! thx again.
Good little tip thanks!
I knew I needed to carry extra tools and as of right now, fuel filters. Thank you for this video. I'm definitely making myself a bag. Being a girl, I definitely don't want to break down by myself. Im learning and have been the only person working on my bus. I'm binge watching your videos
Awesome sounds like a good plan!
Love your guys channel so much, I just got my first 1972 beetle and learned so much from this channel. I got to say that one thing that's probably rare but now I keep since it left me stranded is a mechanical fuel pump rod. Idk how but I guess mine worn down enough that it wasn't pumping enough fuel to the carb to run so now I got a spare with me at all times.
well thanks! ah yes, that is a good one! also there are two different lengths of those rods depending on which style fuel pump you have. thanks for sharing.
I always carry a complete engine gasket kit you never know when you need one. And it is already in a handy package
yes good one!
Thank you for posting this video. I am learning about my 1972 VW Bus, I am a beginner owner and your posts help me so much.
Awesome so glad to help!
great vid guys , I think we all learned to just go on cruises with you guys and were are all good !
Come to Texas! Let's do it
Great Episode. In 2011, we made a trip with 6 VWs (2 Vanagons, 3 Bays, and 1 Splitty) from Indiana to Yellowstone (1500 miles each way). On the way out, the Split and 2 Bays broke the rubbing block off NEW Bosch points. Another set broke while we were out there. Fortunately we had brought some spares, and we found 2 additional sets in Cody, Wyoming auto parts stores. Keep up the good work and thank you for your videos.
that's awesome! got any pictures? post a picture of it on our facebook page - facebook.com/VWLifeVW/
Rockin the dogbones! Aircooler shirt! What chapter. AVAC here. Great stuff. I roll with a small stash of spare parts on my bus, and gasoline, jack toolbox, etc..
Austin tx! Post a picture of your VW on our Facebook page facebook.com/VWLifeVW/
RT 58 just outside Edwards air force base CAL. driving my 71 bus alone , heading to Colorado (after driving cross country from boston) 1998 (no cell phones) bus died on the side of the road. went through some diagnosis and I found the little plastic piece on the points you showed had broke off, I got my spare points, swapped them out and away I go! good video. I carried a floor jack and wood blocks. I could pull my engine anywhere I was.
very cool! yep we've seen those break off
I’m signing up for Triple A tomorrow, love your videos!
nice! Hagerty offers a similar service
WOW! So helpful--I wished I had half of those various parts when I had my '74 Beetle. I did start carrying a few quarts of oil, zip ties, jumper cables & the like to at least get me to a gas station or the side of the road to wait for my buddies at AAA (tow truck drivers--knew those guys for a 20 mile radius)! I ran into almost all those issues you mentioned in the 6 years I drove my Beetle--No JOKE.
Yep. Years of experience will make you realize what you need. Sounds like you understand completely! #vwlife
Riding an old 2-stroke Vespa, the experience is hilariously similar!
This is a GREAT video.... Excellent Excellent Excellent information!!! Thanks 😎👍🏻
Glad to help!
When you points are made in China and the little tab that opens up the points breaks off I'm building my kit thank you for your video they are very informative I've owned hundreds of vws I've got a addiction lol
Right on
Love the in-depth list. Thank you for taking the time of listing everything and being extremely detailed!
Glad it was helpful!
Gaffer tape, baling wire (tie wire), Vaseline (great all-purpose grease!) and a variety of Vise-Grips!
Cool, thanks
If you lose the barrel nut for the Accelerator Cable you can sacrifice one of the barrel nuts from the heater cables by the engine.
Yep thats always a good tip, thanks!
You can get home without a clutch cable or accel cable if you have to I’ve done it but for a short time. You idle the carb up enough to go through the gears. The clutch you can go through the gears using your sync little more tricky. You have to turn the motor off and put it in first or second and then turn the motor back on and mash the gas. this is all explained in the owners manual. Another good point on spare parts if you car has any weird one year only parts or using really early parts that you can’t pick up at a store or at a show very easy keep a spare. Example 67 or 68 turn signal relay.
Yep it's good practice to rev match your rpms and shift gears without the clutch! Thanks
Hi guys I really liked this video my 1972 doka is my daily car and I had lot of you said happened
I recently had a problem with a new petronix ignition, the magnetic rotor just came apart all of its magnets fell off inside the distributor and I managed to get it back together with a piece of paper to give some tension to keep it from coming apart again but it’s really an headache to put all of that little magnets back on with the correct polarization... as you put one the other comes off and it takes some time to put it back together. So a spare magnetic rotor is a good one to have!
yep sounds good!
Like your videos...can you do a video on the proper tires available for VW split buses including size, side wall rating, tread, brands and cost?...thanks!
Yes we sure can! We'll add it to the list thanks for your suggestion
best kept secret: General Grabber AT2's...they rock, cost like $106 ea on Amazon w/ free shipping. Poor man's BFG AllTerrain tire. Got em on my Vanagon and my Splitty...love em where I go, fearlessly in ice, snow, rain, mud !
Not oem size, tho.
Nice list. From experience I'm also carrying a couple of new rocker cover gaskets. Because yes, they will fail or leak.
Yes!
Thanks for the video my fellow bus, road tripers! I'm working on my spare parts kit now. You might want to add oil drain plug, fresh air hose, wiper blades and oil fill cap just in case.
glad you like it! those are good suggestions
Thank you so very much for sharing! Awesome video as always. Love it 👍😍
Glad you enjoyed it
Valve cover gaskets. I’ve had fans go out on me before so I carry an extra fan with nut and washer.
Ah okay thanks for sharing
A another great video, always plan for the worst but hope for the BEAST.
That is right! Thanks
Greatings from Barcelona, Spain,
1- i don,t speak english, i,m try to learn myself, well i love Volkswagen bug, and all of yours programs on you tube, it,s fascinating the original presentation of your hobbie, and all the people make a program.
Well, my firts contact with you, maybe is rigth but sorry for my english ,the next comunication it, better for you understan me better.
Well i say bye bye, and yours got a new friend on me, from Barcelona !!
😉😀👍👍👍👍👏👏🍺🍻🍺🍻
Wow thanks so much! Your English is good enough. We'll hope you have a good day my friend
@@VWLifeVW it,s a honor talk with you, and your son, well i,m 58 yeas old, and discap , 28 years ago a trafic crash with my bike, a Suzuki GS 500 E, me destroyed when down on the road, and, well it,s a sad histori, and i explain to you and all the others Texans friends.
Maybe in 6 mounth, me and my wife make a voyager to a promised land AMERICA.!!🍻👍💩✌🖖
Well guys, i say goodbye, to the next contact.!! GOOD LIVE WITH A
VW LIFE !!!!
Nice video men! Also safety wire would be good. I raced go karts in the 90's always had a roll of the wire with.
Thanks! We actually do keep some safety wire with us as well. It's hard to cover everything in the video some things we just forgot like that along with the fuel pump and a few other things that people have pointed out. We might have to shoot the video again and make it 150 spares to keep in your Volkswagen
Good video I’m still laughing about the clutch cable wingnut. My first thought on that one was vise grips I’m suprised you didnt mention a spare belt. One time i was about 4 hours from home in a Buddies Manx DuneBuggy built on a 58 pan and the generator belt. Went of course it was night and we needed lights so we found a all nite. Convenience store the only thing we found in that store that we thought may work was. Pantyhose that came in those plasti eggs i think they. Were called Leggs brand. We bought them and went in the parking lot and tied them on it worked like a charm and even made the 4 hour drive home ! I grew up in South Florida and that old Dune Buggy was our favorite car to cruise the famous Ft Lauderdale Spring Break Strip on the weekends One nite we had 13 girls pile in the car It was so crowded the driver couldn’t reach the gear shifter but i could So it took 2 people to Get the old girl rolling that Buggy was a lot of fun down there and did. Get a few late nite runs out on the beach Just to say we did it ! That was in the 80s and my freinds Father still had. A couple of crated Manx Bodies. In storage From when he built that Buggy for his winter home in Florida As i beleive he was a actual distributor for Manx at one time When my Buddy used it i am pretty sure it was a stock 36 horsepower motor as it was pretty slow and the metal flake gelcoat was. Pretty chalky from the Florida sun it was so bad that my freind wound up painting it to keep it looking better My last Aircooled was a 71 Bug that was so beat up and running so poorly that i paid 400 dollars and a set of used tires for it to a freind that just graduated college and went out and bought a new car that the dealer wouldn’t even take the VW at the time my sister needed a car so my Dad and i bought a cheap Brazilian rebuild kit for 112 dollars pulled the motor and. Rebuilt it i gave the car to my sister who i told it may get you around for a little while but I wouldn’t take it on any long trips to the best of my knowledge that motor is still running in another freinds Beetle over 35 years later. With all those crappy Btazillian parts in it a group of then local VW mechanics told me ot to use them. Ut to buy the German ones instead that car was so rusty I never thought it was going to last long When my sister was done with it she gave it back to me running and driving i pulled the engine and donated the body to a local scrapyard whatever. Was still left of the old thing its kind of sad that todays generations dont have things like that in their lives VWs. Were not only great vehicles but they were a lifestyle as well Another great freind of mine has had 28 VW Beetles. On the road in his lifetime along with his iconic 63 rag top sunroof he purchased with a Baja kit installed on it and drove to Vermont to be a ski Bum during his college years eventually becoming his Florida car as well
wow thank you for sharing, first off if we forgot the genny belt, then yeah that is in the top 5 of things to bring for sure! your stories about your VW life are really cool. You definitely have had a lot of fun in VWs and I'm sure you have more stories to tell.
VW Life Oh boy for sure my Dad bought a 58 brand new then upgraded in 63 with another brand new one my Mom told me the 58 was the first Beetle she had ever seen my Fathers payment on that one was 52 dollars a month And on the 2nd Bug VW screwed up the Green color they ordered which what they said was very ugly as time went on they did keep that car and it was lovingly known as Bob and his Green Machine because it was so noticeable BTW it wasnt The standard Hunter Green that VW used for years but more like a weird baby blue with a green tint in it ? Too hard to describe in words I do remember my Dad played the beat of his radio on the drivers side roof for so many miles the roof had dents in it from his fingers he also told me that often he would come out of work with the car parked on the street and there would be people looking at the Bug and sometimes so curious they would have the engine and trunk compartments open because Americans were amazed at the engine being in the back LOL my Mom said he was very impressed with the power increase in the second one as they used to drive upstate New York through the Catskil Mountains and he would have to shift so much it made her tired watching him they could travel to and from their destination on two dollars worth of gas ! And my Dad was a expert on tying things to the outside of the car because so many of the baby things were big and bulky like playpens that wouldn’t fit inside the car or in the trunk
@@craigmonteforte1478 wow thanks again for sharing Craig! your dad sure sounds like a great man.
I would keep a clutch pedal shaft in my spares also , if driving a bug or ghia. Had one break about 20 years ago. On my 74 bug I used to have.
yep we actually keep one thanks! :) that's a level 2 spare :)
I have the pertronix in my bus now, but ya I carry a complete dist. with points and condenser all set up with new cap and rotor.
Good idea
Nice job fellas!
thanks!
I carry a tire repair kit! Also, bike pump.
Great video guys. How about a list of essential tools that are VW specific? I use to own a 69 bug that I miss dearly. I live in Buda and I wish I still had it so I could tag along with you guys on one of your road trips! Stay safe and having fun!
Great suggestion!
Love all of your videos! Could y’all make a spare parts vid for fuel injected bay windows?
We don't deal with them much but maybe one day
Great info! Thanks!
I don’t keep any spares in my bug because it never leaves my driveway… Always working on it
Great Suggestions and all really must haves! But If all else fails and you’re stranded, AAA premiere membership has saved me at least once when I needed to be towed back...
yes indeed great tip! Or the Hagerty's premium membership is the same
@@VWLifeVW Agreed! I actually signed up for Hagerty’s Driver’s Club with the roadside coverage last year since I already had insured my cars with them. Thankfully I haven’t had to use them yet, but a buddy of mine did and he said they were great! I plan to renew my Hagerty Driver’s Club membership and let my AAA expire at the end of this year...
If I might make a suggestion to carry an INFRARED PYROMETER! Ebay, Amazon and Harbor Freight all have them. If you just adjusted all your brakes then test how well they are adjusted by the temperature of the drums. Or a bad wheel bearing or what cylinder is not firing.
Yes good suggestion! Thanks
I've mentioned in the comments on a separate video before that I'm working on a 1974 VW type 2, however some areas have been modified by a previous owner, such as the fuel pump, it's electric. I recently had to remove that one and splice in a new one to get my bus going down the road! After wiring it up I discovered the no fuel issue was a fuse, so I recommend carrying a back up fuel pump in case your electric one fails on the road!
good tip!
I no longer have a VW, wish I did. I carry a small floor jack, Harbor Freight 30.00. It is so much easier to jack up a vehicle rather than mess with those jacks for the side. Just get under the axle and it's up quickly. I learned that with our Nissan Sentra and the piece of crap jack that comes with them.
yep
Excelente video camarada, saludos!!!!!!!
Gracias mi amigo!
I must say some of these things should be done or checked at service points especially points. Any thing that's worn out like accelerator components is just unlucky
yep never know on a long road trip though
haha love it. I am trying to make a kit for my 79 bus, can you do a video of what tools you keep with you also?
Yes in the plans!
What do you think of owning a 1975, and older, Volkswagen beetle to avoid CA smog test. would it be cost effective, or would maintenance cost be greater?
If you put the distributor clamp on your spare distributor, time it and then just remove the 13mm hold down nut.... that way if you swap them, it is already in time...... ask me how I know lol
yep that's usually how we do it actually. and "ask me how I know" is Gary's new catch phrase. we need to make shirts and stickers
VW Life I think you’re onto something there!! Keep up the good work
Wanted a bug when I was a kid, as an adult I'm wanting to get a bus and go on road trips. Flying these days just gets to be more and more of a hassle. Prices keep rising and now with them cancelling flights on people, nope, I'll drive.
how do you fit that bus in your garage with the rack on?
Custom made by ezcamper on the samba! Half inch of clearance.
Great video guys! Keep them coming! What transmission and engines are you guys running? Different tires size/type? Do you carry spare gas? If so whee do you keep it? Awesome video! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks! We run standard transmission nothing fancy. Standard gearing. . Our engines range from 1600 to 1776. With just standard single carburetors. If we're going on a trip we will carry spare gas. Sometimes you just put up on top of the rack or in the bus
Cool so who is this replying? This is Matt. Also, maybe do a top 10 and go into more detail about how to replace/fix them. Thanks guys!
@@CTmoog yes, but we both get on here and comment.
Something important keep extra fuses, different amps, headlight bulbs, it has happened, that I was driving a 1973 Super Beetle, and one of the headlights stop working imagine driving with only one headlight, and for the person who has disc brakes, an extra set of brake pads, and if you have drum brakes ,brake shoes so you can stop on time, also it is never a bad idea, to have an extra air filter, since dirt carpenter the carburetor, maybe even some spark plugs,.
Thanks for the info!
My most annoying fail was the carbon brush tip in the centre of the distributor cap, it broke and I was stuck on the cities busiest road full of traffic and I couldn't even see what it was until I got towed home in shame the next day after a sleepless night hoping my bug wouldn't get vandalised as it was left on a public cycle lane overnight!
Oh add a couple of wavy washers on the rocker shaft. I had one of those fail on me and I heard a terrible rattling sound from my engine as I was driving and had to pull over!
It causes the rocker arm to slide off the pushrod to the side and luckily I stopped in time because it could Destroy the engine!
Well nice. But you will need trailer .
To carry all these parts..and tools.
I have old car too I know.
Good ideas, very well organized. I didn’t watch to the very end. But how do you get the table with all the items laid out in your bus or beetle ?😀😀
The tables go up on the rack
@@VWLifeVW -- Dang - sorry I did not think it through. Of course!, With most Buses and my Beetle - we don't need to worry about things flying off the table. Just have to stay away from Dead Man's curve, Stingray and XKEs. Seriously - nice job. I doubt that I will go to your level, (i only keep belt, oil, brake fluid, fuses, bulbs, led zep cd and a Big F Hammer). I look forward to your channel. t
@@timdolan4591 fair enough, :) thanks for watching. We're doing a brake drum install video next.
How about jumper cables? Never know when you may need to get or give a jump start.
Yep good suggestion
My clutch fork broke on me once. I got stranded & had to wait 5 hrs. for the tow truck to rescue my bus & bring it to the shop. We got to the shop at 3 am. It happened while rain was pouring down.
Wow sounds frustrating
Nice, very be prepared.
Yes sir!
Thanks guys I need to add on to my road trip spare inventory, hopefully not sitting on the roadside thanking you!!
Yep hopefully you never need it but you never know
I would buy the tool kit from your other video and I’d buy all these parts. I’m lazy. I have a 69 Westy.
That why the the Old Man makes it easy. www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2290686
is fixing a your turn signal mechanisism to get it to return to neutral easy to do, for someone with out special tools or much ability ?
there is a thread on the samba about that. it depends on what kind of VW but it shouldn't be too hard.
@@VWLifeVW thank you. I'll check it out
How can I buy one of this kit, I have a 1973 crew cab(pickup)excluding the axle booths
www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2290686
Cable ties, gaffa tape, lockwire (and pliers) and chemical metal putty!
I used to carry a shitload of crap too. But in 130,000 miles I was stranded just once, by a Generator shaft that snapped at the pulley. Fuses, Globes that sort of stuff, everybody carries that. Everything else, it's called routine maintenance, we should all do that regardless of the age of our vehicle.
Indeed
I carry quick steel, and rainx
Remember to bring tow bar!
yep :)
Hey nice video. Duck man sent me. Um, are you aware that the audio track is all in left channel? Figured you would want to know. I know I am not deaf in that ear because your intro is in both ears. lol
TBH this video kind of scares the hell out of me. I know these old VW's are cool but I wouldn't touch one if it wasn't a resto mod, given the sheer amount of possible component failure. Worked quite a bit on the side of the road and that just eh...is never a welcome situation.
I know this is all worst case scenarios but, eek!
it's weird, I don't understand why it's only coming out of the left channel. I noticed this too and not sure why. Thanks for coming over, we have more videos coming
@@VWLifeVW Cool man. Looking forward to seeing them and checking out your past ones!
you guys are one step away from towing an extra bus ..haha
Yes!
Excellent!! - This almost mirrors the assortment that I carry in my Vanagon. I usually keep a whole oil change in it as well as at quart of brake fluid and a quart of gear oil. I also keep an assortment of fasteners .... I'm an old parts man as well ..... you can't have too many parts when you're driving Yee Olde Junque that ain't a Chev-uh-LAY that you get parts in a grocery store for! Hahaha!! BRAVO to you boys for actually drivin' these old rides, too! I'm slightly envious ..... {;^)
You've got to be prepared indeed
Do a video on what tools you carry.
We're planning on it thanks!
Great video
Thanks Dale!
How about a clutch return spring?
yep I have one of those! (Matt Jackson)
You run a 30pict on the 1776?
I'd add an oil sump plate and drain plug , and the nuts to the kit, as well as an oil sump screen. Also the intake manifold boot and intake manifold gaskets. And vacuum hose. I had the arm that goes to the clutch cable on the pedal assembly break before, I carried a spare after that.
All really good suggestions and actually we have these in the kit to. For some reason I didn't make it on the video. Thanks!
How and where do you stow the spares in your bus?
the bench seats in the rear have plenty of space.
I know a place where they have all of this parts... Its called a vw spareparts shop. 🤭✌️ Or might as well carry a trailer with you so you can bring an extra beetle inside it. Instead of carrying a spare tire, you have a... spare beetle. 😁🤘
Lol yeah sounds crazy but I doesn't take up that much space.
@@VWLifeVW lol im enjoying watching your videos man... Thanks. Keep it coming. ✌️🤘
Keep an extra accelerator pedal hook for your beetle.
Thanks for the tip!