Hi all,
Tonight my Beetle went up in flames, '64 model 1200cc with no mod's.

I caught it before it got too far, the following is damaged:

- engine
- engine bay
- engine lid (inside and outside)
- grille area above lid
- slight burns on the apron below the lid

Although very black and now covered in dry powder, a lot of the engine components still look complete. The fan belt is still intact, and there is minimal easily locatable damage in the bay. The wiring above it (lid, for the plate light) is understandably melted.

The car will go for insurance assessment but I want to be prepared, in case I end up working on it.

Can someone please tell me what kinds of things to look for when checking serviceability of the various parts? For example the engine does not seem to be siezed as the fan belt still turns the pulley, hoping this is a good sign. Where do I start with the rest of the components?

Thanks heaps.

really sorry about the fire do you know what the cause was? I know Adam and Mick at RAW are currently repairing a similar car and Adam did tell me that it is difficult to repaint and area after it has been burnt.

PM me if you would like Adams number I am sure he will be able to advise you

Thanks, where abouts is RAW? If you are able to PM his number I'd be appreciative.

Cause is unknown currently, I haven't fiddled in there too much as yet.

hey bruce,
when i burnt mine it melted all the plastic/rubber components...ie fanbelt distributor cap and leads,rotor, fuel lines. oh..aircleaners (dual carbies)
i respayed the engine lid and inside the engine compartmentand the black stuff washed and polished off elsewhere..didn't have any trouble respraying burnt areas, normal prep.
pumped the water out of the engine and changed the oil and it was fine.
however all those bits do add up and paint,wiring etc ended up about $700
bet you were crapping your daks...i was.
phil

PM sent

Bad luck, but it does happen to Dubs.

Mainly, relatively superficial - wiring, rubber stuff and paint - sometimes the Carby may melt.
Outside of fixing these bits, the engine should still be pretty happy to run.
The black stuff and the powder make it look worse than it is.
Most of the damaged bits, you will have accumulated over the years or can buy at SuperCheap - the painting being the biggest deal.
If you can paint it yourself - I would cost the parts and decide whether an insurance claim may cost you more in loss of bonuses than to repair it yourself.

If you have or can get the parts, it should be a mornings work to get the car running again - not pretty yet, but a good start. And an opportunity to replace all of those tatty old engine bits with nice new stuff.
Nice new wiring, hoses, rubber engine seals, maybe a coil, a bit of black engine paint - the body is a separate project - hell don't bother, you now have a ready made RatRod. Don't shave, get an old John Deere cap on back to front, sneer at anyone that looks your way, a pair of widies on the back. Hell, you don't even need to paint any flames on the car - you already have the authentic stuff. Those "PunchBuggy school kids will think that it is soooo cool. I'm starting to think that this fire has been a good thing!!!

Anyway, not a big job. Just a few small ones.

Most of the dry powders are Borax based, so are water soluble and just hose off and aren't too dangerous (fish 'n frogs and termites don't like it).

Oh, Dry Powder Extinguishers, $15 at Aldi this week!!!(March2011)

Also, a good argument for wearing a Fuel CutOff Valve alongside the gearbox - run off the ignition circuit(through a relay).

Don't be disheartened, keep the Bug - there are another 50 years in her yet.

Lance.

Something like this, might be a good idea for dubs..........Put the fire out without opening the decklid......
http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productdetails.asp?RecID=7034 

the insurance company will almost certainly write it off, get the payout, keep the car and fix it, no probs with painting a burnt surface when you sand it back to bare metal.

sounds like a write off.
the paint repair will cost heaps,
I had a customer who's 70 bug had a engine fire.
NRMA Wrote it off.
But the owner opted to keep the car and i did take engine out and replaced a fair few parts on the engine .
cost $1600
I WAS lucky to have a spare same colour engine lid.