Quote from: Dave DND on July 30, 2026, 02:32:33 PMI will certainly be there - Its 800 yards from my house, so no excuses really 

Hope to see you there.  800m you should be able to get there on just the starter motor...

Thanks for the warm welcome, and the helpful tip about a hat!

Dave, are you likely to be at the Dubs at the beach event in Paington on Sunday? We're thinking of coming along, dipping my toe in the often choppy but warm waters of the VW world again...!

Quote from: Paul1953 on October 21, 2025, 01:42:03 PMTOP TIP :-

Since late summer I have been asked to take a look at rocker cover leaks on two Beetles and one camper. (All with type 1 engines). One guy had replaced the gaskets 3 times along with mountains of high temp` silicone sealant. Firstly....   You really don`t need any sealant unless the cylinder head surface has been gouged deeply by heavy handed prying with a screwdriver Silicone sealant, in my opinion, is to be avoided. It is easy to use far too much. Get a piece in an oilway and you are screwed. A wax based version, hylomar etc is a far better choice ( A bit of grease on a new gasket will hold it in place whilst you replace the cover.)

Way back in time a Mill Garages mechanic showed me what should be the first "port of call" if there was leakage from the rocker cover. Rare back then as the securing clamps where of high quality German steel. Not so nowadays with the reproduction clamps. Remove the clamp from the head. Take to a vice. Clamp as per the photo below and apply gentle pressure with the palm of your hand. Bend the upright bit at the point shown... but just a little . Reverse the clamp in the vice so that you can do the same to the other end. A little bending will result in the two curved sections sections that but up to the rocker cover securing the rocker cover with sufficient force once again. Run the engine up to temperature and 9 times out of 10 the leakage has disappeared   
Last job..... throw the tube of silicone sealant in the bin. 

When I had aircooled VWs this was a problem even with quality German components. The issue can be caused by the rocker cover moving up when the clamp is clipped in and no longer forming a seal - the trick was to clip the rocker cover on, then pull the cover back down again.  Grab the top of the rocker cover and pull down, it will move a little bit, but will then form a proper seal with the gasket. This is pretty easy to do when it's up on a ramp but less so lying on your back on the road. I used to use a bit of wood and a lever and i never had leaks from here. Honest.

Hello everyone.

Despite liberal application off mosquito repellent on a recent holiday to Greece, it seems we were bitten quite badly by a bug, namely a virulent variant of the Beach Buggy Bug. Actually, I think I was bitten quite a long time ago and the affliction has lain dormant until now. In Greece you can rent beach buggies. They are not VW ones, they look a little odd with small wheels, and they are all 1.3l automatics. They did look cool though, and it was rare to see one where the occupants weren't grinning their heads off.

I have quite a lot of experience with air-cooled VWs, having owned a 1972 1300 Beetle for five years as a first car, then kept a 1966 Van on the road on a shoestring for 25+ years with artful welding and ingenuity, selling it in 2004. In fact I still keep finding bits of it in random boxes. So the mechanics are familiar to me, but there is a lot more info available now than my treasured John Muir bible.

Ms EddieStone and I are based in Plymouth, Devon, and are probably old enough to know better. We do have a sensible car, and I have a few motorbikes: Vespa, Lambretta, Moto Guzzi. I consider a beach buggy like a four wheel motorbike where you get to sit next to each other, and feel our motorbike gear is likely to come in handy.

Anyway, we are looking for a beach buggy to tour around in and generally have some fun with. I'd like to find a solid basic example rather than a show winner, but at the moment all I can find are £10-12k stunners that are a bit beyond our means. They seem to be quite rare in the Southwest?

But first, I'd like to say hello to everyone, and ask if anyone local is willing to show me (us) around their buggy so I can find out a) I can fit into it, and b) if Ms EddieStone finds it comfortable enough, and c) what a roadworthy buggy is like, as a starting point.

Look forward to getting to know everyone.

EddieStone