Great thread ,

I've been thinking relocating to Nigeria soon , my plan is to restore a Toyota corolla AE86 my father had an AE85 between 1991-2001.

Saw one for sale in Ibadan while there on holiday in 2010 looked in decent condition too

sweetgala:
Great thread ,

I've been thinking relocating to Nigeria soon , my plan is to restore a Toyota corolla AE86 my father had an AE85 between 1991-2001.

Saw one for sale in Ibadan while there on holiday in 2010 looked in decent condition too

ok we,we dey wait ur thread too

Updates....

Sorry for the long break.

Real work issues have been top on the agenda for some time now.

Picked the vehicle from the panel beater yesterday.

Panels have been 'repaired' and a lot of patches now on the vehicle.

Our welding technology in Nigeria needs some prayers.... Cotonu is far advanced with neat weld seams.... That's another story.

I asked wifey to help monitor during the panel beating process as I was not around. Permit me to say that wifey is not fully interested in this project. She sees it as an old car.... Simple.

Anyway, wifey took pictures and forwarded to me and I made some corrections while I was away..

Work done:
All rusted panels repaired.
Underbody panels were reconstructed.
An anti rust solution (I think tar) was applied to the Underbody, and inner seams. The whole under parts beneath the fenders were also coated.
The side steps were repaired as much as possible though they still look like fossils.

Remember the vehicle rear wheels had a 'bow leg' formation.

We got an old mechanic who claimed he had expertise with classic beetles. He was told to lower the rear side that was initially raised back to default.

He did a good job IMHO. He also adjusted the steering wheel clearance. He replaced the worn bushings in the rear.

I had a small issue starting the Beetle this morning.

The engine turned but won't start.

I removed the contact set (hope I got the name right) and sanded the points, still nothing. I drained the fuel in the house electricity generator (hope wifey isn't reading this) and added, thinking it was low on fuel. Nothing.

Upon further inspection, I found out that the small capacitor in the engine bay had a loose connection, wires twisted together.... I retwisted and the bug purred to life.

Major issues with the Beetle...

The panel beaters have done a lot of wire mix up as regards the lights. The headlight switch puts on the amber indicator on the left. Brake pedal brings up the reverse lights etc... To be fixed by a 'rewire'. No wonder they are called rewires... They wire and rewire everything...

The horn does not work properly. It is either not working when pressed or works on its own at full blare when it hits a pot hole.

The radio is dead....really dead and awaiting cremation.

The upholstery needs a touch from an angel. Initially, I was thinking of changing the leather to a brand new red but I will still keep the black. I don't want firm areas pulled out only to be fixed with inferior workmanship.

thr left headlamp has lost all its reflective powers. There is even visible rust particles. They tried using a volkswagen transporter headlamp but it won't fit. Need to get at least one headlamp.

Next stage...

I will get the vehicle to another body workshop to be properly 'sanded'.

By sanding, I mean all the excess weld points and old potty on the vehicle would be removed with an electric grinder.

This will allow a fresh paint job to proceed.

If I take the vehicle to a paint shop in this condition, the best they can do is to use sandpaper and water to manually scrape off. This gives an uneven and untidy job at the end

In addition, I intend to ensure all the lights are working properly.

Please I also noticed the negative battery terminal is have a lot of corrosion. It has so much corroded the battery terminal and the connection.

What could be the cause?

What is the solution?

Thanks

Denn:
Remember the vehicle rear wheels had a 'bow leg' formation.

We got an old mechanic who claimed he had expertise with classic beetles. He was told to lower the rear side that was initially raised back to default.

He did a good job IMHO. He also adjusted the steering wheel clearance. He replaced the worn bushings in the rear.

I'm so pleased with the way the rear is looking now since the bow leg issue has been taken care of.

Kudos man.



It was on this car talk I asked of rebuilding my 95 accord engine that someone said it's an old car that I should get something recent and here is someone reviving a 70's or 80's car.

Good job man, I'm also a lover of the beetle as it was my father's first love, had it before he met my mum and cruised it for 27 years after, before my crazy cousin had it blown up due to one wicked electrical connection during the early 2000s while I was out of town. Loved the car especially cause of its unique nature and metal body, whenever we cruised it around back then, we were almost invincible to the police (the throttle, clutch and break were just dangerous looking rods down below. ..... no single paper for the car. ... including all of us wey no get drivers licence. ... always hot started it as there was no key hole talk more of a key, so if police stop us and we off car, we just wait around cos after all them no go fit start am talk more of to drive am go station. .... fuel tank was a 10 litre gallon behind the drivers seat. ...... cars behind always gave enough space in between as the exhaust always shot at them). Long story short, I miss it and look forward to seeing you restore yours to glory.

Siena:
Excellent progress on the Bug, Denn. It's all coming together, I only wish I was in Nigeria to get involved.

The battery negative terminal corrosion is caused by arcing, due to poor connectivity. On the Beetle, the correct lead is a flat non-insulated braided one, and prone to corroding at the best of times. I would replace it with a regular round insulated version with a silver terminal. The original copper-coloured terminals are garbage. Sand the battery terminal with coarse emery cloth, then pour boiling water onto it to kill the corrosion. Finally coat it with grease.

Your horn issue will be due to a bad switch. The contacts are shot. Don't forget the horn is triggered by a negative signal. Look between the steering wheel and the actual column, you will see a single metal spring contact. Make sure it isn't bent out of shape. If it's too flat, the horn will be intermittent due to poor contact.

If there is too much tension, it will be making contact with the steel plate it is insulated from, causing the horn to inardvertently operate each time it gets a jolt when the vehicle is driven on rough roads, or when turning the wheel.

Thanks boss...

Chibzee2:
Good job man, I'm also a lover of the beetle as it was my father's first love, had it before he met my mum and cruised it for 27 years after, before my crazy cousin had it blown up due to one wicked electrical connection during the early 2000s while I was out of town. Loved the car especially cause of its unique nature and metal body, whenever we cruised it around back then, we were almost invincible to the police (the throttle, clutch and break were just dangerous looking rods down below. ..... no single paper for the car. ... including all of us wey no get drivers licence. ... always hot started it as there was no key hole talk more of a key, so if police stop us and we off car, we just wait around cos after all them no go fit start am talk more of to drive am go station. .... fuel tank was a 10 litre gallon behind the drivers seat. ...... cars behind always gave enough space in between as the exhaust always shot at them). Long story short, I miss it and look forward to seeing you restore yours to glory.

Lol....

Means I am lucky I got a better copy to work with. My fuel tank is still functional albeit a poor gauge. It is always showing empty.

I also have a functional key and a smoke-free engine.

Nice job. Thumbs up for you, Denn

Old picture and adverts of vw assembled in Nigeria....

empron:
nice job I am following

all of us..makes me regret why i sold my late dad's beetle in 2005 for a paltry N15k cos it occupied space.engine and body just needed a few touches.infact b4 his death in 2011 d volks was motorable and was sometyms his knock about car.it was the 1st car i drove

So happy about the updates. Wishing I can have a ride in this classic when you have it completed. It will make me momentarily feel 10 years younger.

Denn something just came up man, I'd need to talk to you man, Pls ring me on 07039117836

Chibzee2:
Denn something just came up man, I'd need to talk to you man, Pls ring me on 07039117836

Nice talking with you.

Hope you have acquired the vehicle now?

Many thanks

I have been extensively busy with business and have not had much time to update both this thread and the beetle.

I should have some time soon after governorship elections and would update accordingly.

Apologies.

Oga Denn web dey wait for u patiently. God will definitely see you through to complete this project.

Denn:
I have been extensively busy with business and have not had much time to update both this thread and the beetle.

I should have some time soon after governorship elections and would update accordingly.

Apologies.

So you are doing politics.

Politics na work?

DECOtech:


So you are doing politics.

Politics na work?

No. I am not doing politics.

Yes. Politics is serious work... ask messers tinubu et al

Wow! Exciting thread seeing how I used a 1600 beetle in the university and mine was still almost new though it actually belonged to my mum. When I left owerri,I gave it to my younger brother who let idiot mechanics kill the engine. They took away the zzzzzz sound and when he left town,there was no one to drive it and we eventually sold it.
You could check if the landrover defender headlamps will fit as its 7" in diameter. You can get it at tradefair in Ojo. Great work

ivoryhouse:
Wow! Exciting thread seeing how I used a 1600 beetle in the university and mine was still almost new though it actually belonged to my mum. When I left owerri,I gave it to my younger brother who let idiot mechanics kill the engine. They took away the zzzzzz sound and when he left town,there was no one to drive it and we eventually sold it.
You could check if the landrover defender headlamps will fit as its 7" in diameter. You can get it at tradefair in Ojo. Great work

Thanks ivoryhouse.

Ironically, another vw is currently being butchered in ibadan at the moment.

I am getting parts from the carcass.

It is a pain to see these cars being butchered for a miserly 30k to 50k.

My people wallow....

I am looking at buying many of these vehicles over the long term.

Restoring them and storing them up for future generations.

It's an expensive thought but can be done.

Soon, the value of these vehicles will shoot up in nigeria.

Who remembers the classic pendulum wall clocks and the rush for them many years ago.

I do remember the pendulum clocks of those days. my late aunty used to have one. it's a pity our new generation would never get to see these relics.

Denn:


Thanks ivoryhouse.

Ironically, another vw is currently being butchered in ibadan at the moment.

I am getting parts from the carcass.

It is a pain to see these cars being butchered for a miserly 30k to 50k.

My people wallow....

Would you mind sharing how much you bought yours.