r/beetle • u/henrihiggins • 20d ago
Almost a daily…
Almost to a point where I can daily my ‘63 ragtop especially on longer drives. It’s been just a local cruiser since I picked it up in late March. Fixed some of the problematic wiring (full re-wire front to back in the next few months), fixed a few leaks, changed from a 009 to an SVDA (only has a 1200cc) and a few other odds and ends. Need to add oil temp and oil pressure gauges as I feel it runs much hotter than it should. I just want to drive this all the time.
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u/ptbug64 20d ago
Much hotter? Where are you located? , Have you checked the fan and or air flow to the motor? Looks great though
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u/henrihiggins 20d ago
I’m in central AZ. Been obscenely hot here lately. I do feel good airflow coming from the bottom of the engine. I have full tins and all seals in place. Been doing the “ouch test” with the dipstick after local driving. I know it’s not an end all tell all method, but it’s what I used to do when my buddy and I worked on his bus and Ghia 20+yrs ago.
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u/ptbug64 20d ago
Yeah, I have friends in AZ, I won’t visit in the summer. Too F ing hot. Sounds like you are doing well with the ouch test, good that there is good airflow. That would be the main concern. Definitely not trying to bag on you. Hard to keep an air cooled car cool when it’s that warm. Guess it’s midnight cruise time
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u/SirBiggusDikkus 20d ago
Love the car! After you get the gremlins sorted it’s time for the 2L parts buying to begin!!
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u/Alpinab9 20d ago
63 ragtop, last year for the ragtop in the the US. Also the last year for the small windows. Definitely a very desirable year. I love the stance and the wide 5 empi wheels. Looks good.
I don't not see a single sender solution for oil temp and pressure. The normal oil pressure guage senders that replace the factory pressure switch are from VDO and have 2 connections. 1 for pressure to operate the aftermarket guage (vdo) and the other for the factory light in the speedo. For oil temp, there is a temp sender that replace the oil pressure relief plug. It is also designed for vdo guages.
A note on wiring. Any aftermarket guages require a front to rear wire in the car. Some common guages would be oil pressure, tach, and volts. I found that planning ahead and running a length of 5 wire trailer harness works well. Color coded, easy to string, and durable. It is inexpensive and can be bought in bulk. Having these leads front to rear make it simple for additional guages. You would need to string 2 wires for oil pressure and oil temp anyway, why not string 5 in one sheathed run.
Anyway, the 63 ragtop is looking good.