I’ve owned an old car of one sort or another for about 30 years. The amount of time I’ve owned a functional old car is measured in scant months, so now that my 1963 VW Beetle is back on the road I’m discovering what can be done with an old car.
One thing I’ve long promised my wife was a winery tour in the Beetle, Friday was looking to be a glorious fall day so I booked it off work. First I had to do a little maintenance as the morning fog burned off:
I got out my 35 year old dwell meter to check the ignition, but sometime in the 20 years since I last used it, it has stopped working. I had to get the feeler gauges out and set the points the low tech way. Sixteen thou, with a bucket and a hockey stick to make the job easier.
Ready to go, I’m looking a little nervous. This was going to be the furthest I’d taken the car, EVER.
If you didn’t know, there’s a small wine growing region along the southern shore of Lake Ontario, where the Canadian climate is moderated by lake and topography to permit vineyards. It’s about 60 km from our house, a scenic drive on the Ridge Road that snakes along the edge of the Niagara Escarpment.
On a clear day you can see Toronto from here, but there was still some fog on the lake. When I was young there was no barrier at this lookout point, and stolen cars fell from the outcrop regularly.
A perfect day for driving the VW. Bright sunshine, windows down, no traffic.
Although I’m a map guy my wife prefers to navigate via iphone, so Siri gave us the final directions to our first destination. Is an iphone a million times more electrically sophisticated than a Beetle? A billion?
First destination, we’ve been here before and it’s our favourite, you’ll see why.
Most wineries are cultivate a second revenue stream by offering tastings, a restaurant and a wine store. We ordered a cheese plate and a glass of Pinot Gris, and sat out on the porch to take in the view.
The escarpment is at our backs, and the fields slope gently down to the lake.
Forty years ago most Ontario wines were terrible, but with an influx of talent and better grape varieties remarkable progress has been made. After a few tastings we bought a bottle of Pinot Gris and a Syrah to take home.
Next stop was a winery restaurant that my sister had recommended. It also has airy wood and stone architecture that is currently fashionable. Being a work day in October it wasn’t overly busy so we got a sunny table outdoors.
East Coast oysters, and later Pear pizza with Chardonnay. Pear pizza sounds unlikely, but why not? After lunch we visited the wine retail store but they were busy and understaffed so we strolled back to the VW.
Heading home we were close to my parents’ house, so we stopped for tea with Granny and Grandpa, and admired a new baby quilt and the apple sauce that Mom was canning.
Granny’s a busy lady. After we left I spotted a familiar shade of blue at the side of the road, so we pulled over to have a quick look:
This 1950 Plymouth had only 38,000 original miles and was in immaculate condition. The price was $14,000 or offer. Although the car was impressive I found the scene a bit depressing. Another well cared for old car searching for a new caretaker, having lost a good chunk of it’s collector value to changing demographics.
Back on the road, the VW seems happiest cruising at 45 mph.
Or maybe it’s just me that’s happiest, there’s a very disconcerting engine clatter if I go much faster. I have few ideas about the internal condition of this engine, between the clatter and the low oil pressure at idle a rebuild may be in the works.
After getting into a traffic jam on the Linc expressway (oops, forgot it was a weekday) we swung back out into the countryside and got home by the back route. A really enjoyable day, no tools or flatbeds required.
Although the Beetle was designed as efficient transportation for the masses, it’s primary mission now is to elicit smiles. It definitely makes us smile, and it’s amazing how many grins you get from other folks when driving around.
Now, what can I do next with this old car?
Nice VW Doug, and what a perfect car for such a relaxing day cruise. Fun!
Keep taking day trips with it when possible! To me, this was the perfect use for a CC. Ain’t nothing better than being with a wife that supports your hobby on a scenic road trip eating good food and driving your classic!
Doug, so nice to finally really see your sweet Beetle. Sorry to hear it’s not sounding good at higher rpm.
But 45 is a nice pace for putting around; you’ll probably get 40+ mpg. When I used to travel the country in my ’64 or ’63, and I was running really low on cash, I’d slow down to about 50 even on the interstate, and draft big trucks, just to save a bit of precious money. I remember getting 45 mpg on one leg. But it was a bit tedious on a long trip. 🙂
Beautiful Veedub! Yours is right in the sweet spot of Beetles that I find appealing, and I love the color.
It is stories like this that make me itch for another old car. My Miata is great (and does this kind of duty) but it’s – you know – modern. Funny how a now 20 year old car is modern to me, but that’s the way it is.
I feel sorry for that guy with the Plymouth. It looks like a really sweet car, but in the world I inhabit, it will never, ever sell for anywhere close to $14K.
It is interesting how many regions of North America are sprouting wineries. We have several in Indiana, and while I am not a big wine guy, the Mrs. and I do enjoy touring and tastings.
And I love how you Canadians even use hockey sticks to fix your cars. 🙂
The wheels are chocked with hockey pucks.
Beautiful country and the Beetle looks great! My second car was a ’63 Beetle. A quick check on engine condition is to give the crankshaft pulley a tug and push (back and forth) to see if it moves and clunks. I’ve see some move as much as half an inch on badly worn engines. If you have freeplay it shows the thrust bearings (main) are worn and a rebuild is due. Looks like the hold up spring for the engine lid in the center is missing or broken, if you can find one it’s easy to replace.
When I got the car the mount plate for the spring had been torn off somehow. I re-fabricated the plate but must gotten the hole placement wrong because the spring just barely holds the lid up, and if there is just the slightest gust of wind it’ll fall on my head. Hence the hockeystick.
Anyway, it’s a 64 decklid so I’m on the lookout for a good 63 unit.
I see. So you need a non W T handle hood (’58-’63) with the narrow license lamp. There are actually and early and late ’63 hoods, the difference being the later ’63 raised center bump aligning with the license plate lamp cut out, vs the earlier design that is wider and curves away from the cut out. I don’t know the VIN break on this, but the later design for only ’63 must be about impossible to find. Only matters if you care about a tiny detail such as this. I see it’s been converted to 12 volts with an alternator, that’s a good upgrade.
Your Beetle is tempting me to get one again.
Thats the standard VW engine test too much endfloat used to allow the mains to turn and block oilflow so I was told, but anyway too much is bad news on VW motors.
The perfect article and pictures to illustrate why October is a great time for Thanksgiving :-). I’m a little lazier than your Mum – my applesauce goes into freezer bags. This week the sadder specimens are getting juiced.
Seeing the pics, I could hear in my mind that increasingly rare sound of a clattery bug winding slowly up through the gears. Nice post.
What a handsome little beetle, nice job! I remember that view from the driver’s seat, and I kind of miss it. I had many beetles through the years. I hope you enjoy this for years to come.
The 1963 below wasn’t as fortunate as yours, it was a rust bucket from New York in 1970 when this photo was taken. Most of the red (Ruben) paint was gone, and it wouldn’t shine no matter how I tried.
It’s hard to beat a wine country getaway with your significant other and a fun old car. Our region also does well with Chardonnay and Syrah. A folded down Beetle rear seat is the perfect place to stash a couple of cases of wine, not too warm like in a trunk.
Loved driving my aunt’s old Super Beetle growing up. It was the only small car that I felt comfortable in back then because of the chair height seats. The seats in the Pinto were a joke being so close to the floor.
Nice story to put you in the mood for the weekend!
Super cool Bug. Reminds me my first car, a 1966 VW. I never had a chance to take it in a nice trip like you did, well I didn’t even have my license back then.
The engine lid wouldn’t stay open as well, and I used not so cool sticks as you do.
A friend has an old Mercedes diesel. It’s SUPPOSED to clatter. But he’s always worrying about the noise anyway. I just tell him “Turn up the radio!”.
You need a vintage VW radio to dress up your dash (and drown out the clattering). Find an old Sapphire AM unit, or if you’re really lucky, one of the vintage 6-volt Baupunkt AM/FM/Shortwave radios.
Happy Motoring, Mark
That’s a beautiful Bug! A less common, but period correct color, too.
My dad’s second VW was a ’66 bug in that beige / gray color that was popular then. His sister had a light yellow ’65 from the mid ’60s through the mid ’80s.
Thanks for some cool memories! 🙂
Love the Beetle, and particularly the color.
Let me be the first to also compliment your photos. They capture your trip in a wonderful way!
My wife got into wine tours some years ago with her friends. I’ve been a bit slow to come around to them, but my wife has taken me on a few, and I’ve enjoyed it – except maybe for the bees. Our last trip was about this time last year, and trying to sit on a deck and eat, we were greeted by a couple of bees, and soon a few dozen of their friends! Thankfully there was a very nice indoor lodge with windows for a view.
I like that Beetle. As soon as I read a hockey stick was holding up the hood, then I knew this car belonged to a Canuck.
Your beautiful Beetle looks like the perfect getaway car for a summer’s day in southern Ontario. But I’m reminded of riding in frozen Beetle on a couple of cold Edmonton winter mornings on the way to high school. The beat up Beetle belonged to my school chum’s brother. Great traction with snow tires, frost on the inside of the windows!
Enjoy your little car…
Great little Beetle. A wonderful day trip well documented with great photos. I can’t wait until next spring/summer to do a few of my own classic car trips.
Charming story and beautiful photos, and I love your car. After nearly 40 years, I still miss my ’68 Beetle, purchased new and driven for nine years. That ’50 Plymouth is mighty purty, too. Hope it finds a good home.
Oh man, I’m jealous! Great trip report and photos… just another burr under my saddle reminding me I need to get to turning wrenches on mine. A friend loaned me a magnetic protractor this week, and a little googling turned up info on how to set the preload on my swing arms. Looks like maybe a few hours work, if I can squeeze it in this weekend!
Agree on checking your thrust bearing runout as mentioned above. When I bought the ’62 sunroof, it had a 1600 in it that knocked at speed, and that was its exact problem. It’s getting the vintage speed 1200 (now 1373 or so) when it goes back together.
Nice to see it out and about, the furthest my old bomb has gone from home is about 250kms plenty of tools aboard spare everything nothing went wrong or has gone wrong since I usually carry a 6 inch crescent and a screwdriver kit and thats all now Hillmans were reliable back in the day my one still is, 55=60 mph is an easy cruising speed in my toy any faster wind noise gets fairly loud it will do 80 mph without straining but the limit is 62/100kmh so I generally stay below that, My pet cars just gets used as a car it goes shopping does the school run and it turns out the gardening lady at my daughters school has a 58 Minx, it does everything currently theres a 3ton floorjack and chain hoist in the boot left from a Peugeot TD engine harvesting mission, its an old car it generates a lot of smiles and does a lot of miles great fun to drive around in too.
Sweet Beetle-bug. And thanks for not sugar-coating the “charms” of old-car ownership!
A comely wife who wants to ride in an old car? You have a keeper!
I can attest to the goodness of pear pizza, we had some on Sunday after bicycling to one of our many brew pubs. Oregon has lots of wineries and vineyards but only on the West side and I now live on the East side so it’s all breweries, distilleries and the occasional remote outpost of a river valley winery.
On the other hand the semi desert climate keeps a lot of air cooled VWs running, including the Brazilian taxi bus I need to upload to the cohort.
” Another well cared for old car searching for a new caretaker, having lost a good chunk of it’s collector value to changing demographics.”
and it is just starting to take effect soon to snowball in the next decade.
Love the Beetle. Looks to be in good physical condition. Pretty gutsy checking the dwell just before setting off on it’s longest trip. Reminds me of when I bought my 65 F100 and had to make the 35 miles drive home. That Saturday just had to be unusually crowded on the freeway up, over, and down the Sunol Grade. The next week my brakes went out coming up on a four way stop near my house. When I got home and took them apart imagine my surprise to see only shoes in the right rear wheel. That brake job took weeks to complete and I still get wary today.
Nice story. This is what its all about.
Agreed, this is why we do it. Inconvenience, expense, frustration, bewilderment of the onlookers and hostages? No, for that perfect day.
Thank you for taking us along for the ride. The Beetle is beautiful.
And thanks for the encouragement. Around 30 years and it all comes together? Hooray! Any day now…
Great article and lovely photos. It is nice to see vintage plates on that bug.
A Niagara wine tour is always nice. Done it a time or two. 🙂
A nice Beetle, and an original 1973 licence plate!
This was thoroughly enjoyable! A good trip, great company, and an old car. Life is good in DougD World.
What’s best is seeing the VW. It’s very good to see that you’ve got it to a point that you are comfortable driving it. And you are correct – any trip that doesn’t involve tools or a flatbed is a great trip.
With winter nearly here in your neck of the woods, would it be safe to say this trip was enough to whet your appetite for more adventure next spring?
Yup! I’ve got a couple of ideas:
One is that a family of 4 can go overnight camping in a Beetle.
The other is that Paul will call a CC meetup at the Henry Ford next spring. It’s about 6 hours away at 45mph..
Yes to both, please!
When I first got my ’64, it was badly out of time and tune, and struggled to do 50mph (really fun on I-285 around Atlanta, GA). Once it was sorted, it pulled 65 without too much strain. After building a fresh engine (reman long block and I did all the rest), it would cruise at 70 all day long (except going through the Tennessee mountains!).
I was a Cubmaster when I had the ’64 and took both my sons and all the food and large tents for our Cub Scout Pack in the car. A wag at the campsite said we looked like the clown car at the circus as we were unloading.
If we do a Henry Ford meetup, I’ll do everything in my power to be there! I’m actually getting close to finishing my wife’s kitchen work island, which is a Box That Must Be Checked before I can spend any appreciable time on my Bugs.
Neat story about your road trip and Canadian “wine country”. West Michigan also has a “wine country” for the same reason: weather moderated by Lake Michigan, tho it doesn’t seem all that moderate to me after living here 60+ years.
As for the Henry Ford idea, that would work for me as it’s close and I’m a member.
But for car guys, the place to go in Michigan is the Gilmore, about 2 1/2-3 hrs farther west. Besides having a *lot* more cars, the Gilmore has the advantage of being more reasonably priced than the Henry Ford (my annual membership at the Henry Ford pays for itself in 2 visits), but the Gilmore is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Lodging and decent eats are a good 20 miles away in either Kalamazoo or Battle Creek.
My 1st car was a 62 VW bug like this one. I was about 18, and used it to deliver newspapers. The Sunday papers were huge , and stuffed with ads. A whole load of them would really load that bug down to a point where the rear wheels would tilt in, with that funny swing axle suspension.
That Bug’s looking good! Winter’s coming, and that’s as good a time as any to check into the engine if you’re going to.
A great car in a great color, and a fine lady to enjoy it with. You’ve got it all going on!
My first car was a ’63 Beetle in the same color as yours. A man at work sold it to my Dad for $75 in 1974 when I turned 16. My brother-in law was a Art Major and repainted it the same color as the original. He found the color code and DuPont still made the paint.
I also got my crash course in auto mechanics when Dad bought me a $50 tool box set from Sears with “metric” sockets and wrenches, and a few screwdrivers as well. Did a brake job with the car under a tree in the backyard. I then learned that special brakes tools were also available at Sears after I did the work. My auto mechanics learning curve grew with each additional repair and I subscribed to the JC Whitney and Sears tool catalog from that point forward.
Later, the VW was smashed by a ’76 Chryster Córdoba chased by a cop car, but that’s another story.
I have wanted to find a replacement ’60’s Beetle since retiring several years ago, but prices have appreciated significatly!! Therefore, I have been looking at the recent FIAT 500. Same basic shape as the Beetle and only 51 more horse power. Used examples are available on-line at reasonable prices. A slightly updated approach to enjoy the past.
Plus AC and crash safety.
Very nice Beetle. I have a friend who just restored one a little older than yours. Even though I am not a big VW guy, there is something about an old Type 1 that puts a smile on your face. Enjoy your car, that’s what they are meant for.
What a nice trip! Some of my first trips were in the Beetle of my uncle. Sometimes we went just 2 km to a field to harvest cherries.
Electrically your beetle beats the iPhone, in voltage anyway. Electronically the iPhone is infinitely advanced.
When we visited family in that area we were introduced to the wines as well. The white wine varieties are really delectable. Some say they are better than the European white wines because the soil in traditional wine regions are pretty much used up by 2000+ years of wine making. The Niagara region is fresh and the grapes pull on ample supply of minerals to give the wine an earthy note.
I really like that blue color of your beetle and the Dodge. I have done plenty km in my beetles. That makes the Dodge enticing to me.
Thanks for taking us along on your day off!
What a lovely Beetle ! so few retain those fantastic pastel colors any more .
I see if has an internally regulated 12 volt alternator but not what size engine it has ? .
Still the 40HP 1200 ? .
Your Lady being willing to travel in it is a special gift, don’t P her off and lose it ! .
Making me think ever more about getting old last Beetle before I croak .
The Dodge is sweet , too bad it’s a Sedan instead of the prettier Coupe .
Love the Fox Craft fenders skirts, I might have a set for Beetles stashed away some where .
-Nate
Yes Nate, it’s a 40hp 1200 with alternator upgrade. I brought it to work today so we’ll get the dial indicators out and measure the crank end play.
Usually I’m not a fan of fender skirts, but they make that Plymouth look less stodgy.
Mrs DougD is a mechanics daughter, which helps both with her tolerance of old cars, and my FIL still has a great set of tools I can borrow!
Sounds like close to the perfect day–wine, a classic car, and a companion of the fairer sex. How can you go wrong?
That beetle is really looking good this morning–it occurs to me that I’ve never even ridden in one, let alone driven or owned a bug. I’ll have to change that sometime. And it seems like the perfect vehicle for winery touring as well! Here in Virginia we have a nice concentration of wineries in the northwest part of the state, near Charlottesville, a tradition that started when Thomas Jefferson planted grapes at his estate after spending time in France. The surrounding region works especially well for Viognier, as well as Sauvignon Blanc and some nice reds and roses.
Hey, I used to use a hockey stick to prop open the hatch on my 87 Ply Voyager after the shocks gave out.
I have stopped at that spot on Ridge Rd many a time, it provides a beautiful view of Hamilton. I have a brother in law who lives just down the way.
I had a 62 VW briefly before the engine gave out. The heater was non existent in the cold Canadian winter. It was a cool (no pun intended) first car before I got a new vehicle. Your 63 is in beautiful shape. Notice the bumpers on my 62 are … different?…
Nice writeup, very nicely done.
1963 was the first year of the vastly improved ” Fresh Air ” heating system that used the exhaust instead of the cylinders & heads to provide heat .
It really did work better .
I well remember clattering along in 1950’s Beetles in close to zero temps, only one vent wing cracked to help boost the defrosting a little bit .
To remain warm in an old VW you needed to retain all those tiny myriad, maddening seals , wax paper sheets, on and on and….
Everyone always asked why my old VW’s were reasonably warm inside .
-Nate
After putting a fresh 1200 in my ’64, with new seals and heater boxes, it did indeed provide some warmth in the car. Not necessarily roasting, but it was sufficient for Georgia, USA winters.
I enjoyed reading your story, Doug, complemented with the various piccies along the way to wine country. Your wife must be a trooper to willingly ride along for a day-trip in a Beetle buggy mini-beastie! I noted you mentioned she is a mechanic’s daughter but she could have gone the other way and not liked old cars at all!. She could have looked at you and said “You want me to go for a wine country tour in THAT?!?! I’ve been in enough old cars to last a lifetime already. Are you crazy?”
♠ THINGS ♠ You could take your Beetle to the store when you only need a few things and that way you don’t have to pack the mini-beast full of groceries but you can do something constructive. → Suppose one afternoon you run out of paper towels and milk. What to do? Take the ’63 to the store and Bug others! 😀 (And collect your groceries while you’re at it). You could also take your Beetle to the hardware store one day when you need a monkey wrench!
Is that the style of license plate Ontario was issuing when the car was new?
No. That style of plate was first issued in 1973, with space for a renewal sticker every year. Before that, you had to get new plates every year.
Great story and pictures. I’m the same age as that VW, and I came home from the hospital in an identical blue ’61. An old car is great for touring the wineries around Niagara, and other than a vintage sports car, you could do a lot worse than a classic VW. Get that engine looked at this winter, and come spring you’ll be ready to take your wife exploring more of those Ontario back roads (and wineries).
Oh,WINERY! ,i thought it read WINTERY, here i was expecting to be regaled with tales of frosted windows, frozen feet, and exhaust fumes.