I’d kill myself trying to push start now.
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Back when I walked upright I could push one of those fast enough to jump in and start it on my own. Once changed a clutch cable in the ‘Robin Williams Tunnel’ in afternoon rush hour before the cops got there…I knew to carry an extra…sic.
If VW bugs were not easy to work on they would be called ‘Yugo’s’…
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My friend’s bug broke a throttle cable about 60 miles from home. He took off the engine cover and rode on the rear bumper while operating the throttle. His wife drove. They made it home.
Dude was radical.
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I always made it home too, sometimes with greasy hands.
Never again.
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This was my very first ride. Hoss meant everything to me.
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According to Mount Vernon Historians- Washington’s ‘special’ dentures used the teeth of slaves…NOT dead ones either!
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OMG - that’s terrible!
I always thought bus engines were easier to work on than Beetles. Here’s why - all you need to do to pull a bus engine is to remove the rear piece of engine shrouding. That would be four bolts. Then it’s time to remove the four engine bolts. At that point, a floor jack is handy to roll it straight out. No need to raise or lower anything.
Once while I was driving home from the largest local city in the area, Longview, WA, about an hour away along WA. State Hwy. 4 (aka, Ocean Beach Highway), I threw a valve in my 1965 bus. I always carried a floor jack, so within 20 minutes I was ready to pull that head off. Mostly, I had to wait for it to cool. I hitchhiked back into Longview to my buddy’s VW shop, had him replace the valve (which he did immediately), hitched back out to the bus, replaced the head, put the engine back in and drove home. Made it in time for dinner! I fucking loved working on VW buses (as much as I can imagine ever loving twisting wrenches).
My hat is so off to mechanics! 
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Damn! Great story!
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my first car in 1986 was a 1965 oldsmobile f88. yep, tank indeed. one time after a football game we lost, i was pissed and slammed the car into reverse and floored it. about two seconds later i stopped rather suddenly and thought i had hit one of the large light poles in the lot until i saw an s-10 with my car sticking out of the driver’s door. the truck was almost totaled while my bumper had a little of the overspray from the primer knocked off of it.
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Rear shroud…heater cables…heater tubes…accelerator cable…coil wire…4 bolts…floor jack.
When I was 12 I got caught delivering newspapers in my dads bug when the folks were out of town…gas station guy narked me out. My grandma was watching us while the parents were away, she never told my parents…grandma was cool that way.
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Driving a Toyota when the water pump froze up. Next parts store 40 miles away and not open until morning.
Bought a long belt from a truck stop and I was able to route around the water pump but still have a belt on the alternator and power steering pump.
It was a cool rainy night and I was able to drive to a hotel near the parts store without overheating.
Replaced the pump the next morning and made it to my destination on time.
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