So it was back to plan "B". I got out the later '69 steering column that I had already put a new turn signal switch in, powder coated, and had keys for. I had surplused it and had taken it to two swap meets without selling it! Now I know why it didn't sell, I guess the Notch Gods knew what I needed. I had initially planned on using this later one, it had came out of the '69 T3 Fastback donor car and is the same part as a T1, but it just wasn't a bolt in so I figured the early would be easiest to use and be "correct". Hmmm, not a "correct" restoration was ever planned so ........? 

  It was actually very easy to make the one required part that allowed the late column head to bolt in. All it took was to make a wider nut plate that matched the wider spacing of the later column mount. I then used the early shaft and tube, modified the rubber steering head insulation mount slightly and Bingo!, it was bolted in. A very neat and easy fix for the dreaded "Dead Starter Switch Syndrome" that the earlier cars can and do suffer from. It just isn't "correct". 

  The turn signal switch, ignition switch, and hi beam flasher wiring of the later head would have worked with the early stock wiring system or with what I was originally going to do. I was going to use a '67 T1/T3 flasher and the mating 2 year only red plastic emergency flasher switch. Not a good idea, I had started asking myself why use the rarest and most expensive and hard to find flasher? I could see me in some parts store in the middle of no place, and at the worst possible time, asking for a '67 only VW blinker relay and then hearing the ensuing laughter and snickers. And then the question from the parts guy- "You want it when?".  In hind sight I'm glad the start switch didn't work. I went with the '69 switches, and with a flasher relay and dimmer relay out of around a '70 and later plug in style to mate with the relay panel I installed out of a later T1/T3/T4. All these parts are shared with the T1 and are plentiful. I am now attempting to modify the early knobs to use on the late switches, I like the "look" of the earlier knobs. With the new "3 Hole Dash" the early knobs are a nice fit and will compliment the interior style I'm going for.  

  What is a "3 Hole Dash" you ask? Well it's a new style that that factory didn't make. We welded up the two holes for the headlight and wiper switches in the left side of the dash then drilled 3 new holes spaced  to allow three switches to nestle there. This allowed the red emergency flasher switch to now live between the wiper and headlight switches. The '66 and '67s had the "Emergency 88" switch mounted below the dash in an add-on bracket in the U.S. market cars. This 3 holer conversion looks much more integrated and cleans up a minor bit of clutter, in my humble opinion. This also allows me a bit more freedom on a couple of other ideas. Wish me luck.  

  Oh, by the way, the replacement turn signal switch for the '69 column has the required wiring and contacts in it to make the little side parking lights work correctly.  A big plus in my book. 

  The insulation is going in, almost 24 square feet of Dynamat so far (and I still need to do the doors), and all new stock type insulation. This car will be quiet and will "thunk" like a Benz. Soon the head liner can go in and then the glass. Speaking of glass, I will be taking the side windows out for a light tint similar to the tint on my Bug side windows. This should compliment the factory tinted windshield I just was presented with (Thanks, Lyle!) 

  The '67 brake reservoir is in, a one year only part (again, Thanks, Lyle!). It fits where the stock '64 reservoir  was, and is a baffled, dual circuit type which is a compatible match to the '69 brake master cylinder. To add this required a minor change to the mounting bracket and then adding the extra line to the master cylinder. The other options were to put a "tee" in the original line and then plumb the dual master cylinder , easiest, or add a '68 and later reservoir and its plumbing to the master cylinder, definitely the hardest.  

  Yes, the car is progressing slowly and is giving me a good feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment.

   The brake system is ready for fluid and I'm only missing two studs for the wheels. I haven't been able to find where I put the gasket for the exhaust pipe of the BN2 heater, and I'm doing the waiting thing for the upholstery guy and the headliner. I just finished taking a few pix of the rear engine mounts and accepted the fact that I have to split the engine case and put a dipstick tube in it. Seems there is a major problem in using the T3 dipstick on the T4 motor,  I would have to move the alternator to a different location. Back to "Plan B". Glad I have a lot of "Plan Bs". 

  One big milestone was the final solution to the puzzle of my front seats. I was going to use '66 low backs out of a donor car but the bases  were too rusted and rotted out to use. Plus getting good release cables and all the levers to go with them wasn't in the budget. So I figured on using high back seats with the low backs swapped on to them, but Nooo!. The latch  mechanism is not retrofit able to the early seats without much fiddling. There is enough differences between the early and lates that made it just too difficult to install the release mechanism. Simple cutting off of the high back seat tops didn't leave me with an acceptable seat back, nor would it have looked like an early seat. So I improvised. I cut the late seat frames off just above the release latch and then grafted the top part of the early seat to the later frame. This then allowed the early seat spring assembly to be put on the late frame with just one other minor little modification. I now have an early looking seat with the release knob of the later high backs hanging out the side of it, and all on the later bases. The only thing that didn't get to be used was the Chrome handle from the early seats for the seat track release. Maybe I will figure that one out someday. 

  So as you can tell its been a bit of a roller coaster. Some good , some bad, but still getting some progress. The next few milestones are becoming very visible and coming closer. One is the interior is just about ready to go in after the headliner and glass. And the other is we are getting close to being able to hang the Painted Sheet Metal on the car! Yes, major things are a happening soon! Stay tuned for the next chapter of "This Old Notch"!  
 

  I am about to pull the only rear fender I have on the car back off. Why, you ask??? To install the adjustable spring plates I just picked up for a decent price. This will allow some fine tuning of the ride height with very minimal hassle. I was able to get a 16"x7" Porsche alloy under the rear fender with a 205/55 tire. Not sure if I will put a 55 or 60 series on the back, the 55 is about the same height as a 165 but much wider, :-) , and without touching my NOS fenders. But I'll never be able to put snow chains on, ;-). The wheels will be paint detailed similar to the rear one. 

.   The Fuel Injection wiring and the rest of the engine compartment wiring is basically done,  just need the sensor ends finished. All the wiring passed the function checks thankfully. Now just have to make a diagram, ugh.  

  The headliner is in and looks very nice, a light gray vinyl. This allowed the glass to go in and that was really a fun project! NOT!!! The rear window was pretty easy and was the first to be tried and installed. No sweat, let's do the front one! Ughhhh! Wasted the first seal by putting a small cut in it so had to get another seal.  Second seal was different than the first and much easier to put in, go figure 'cuz it came from the same supplier. Most of the interior is now in,  just a couple more carpet pieces to go plus the door panels and package shelf . It really looks good to me! Sewfine has been great on this! I an looking for a later seat belt system with retractors for the car. I used Golf A3/A2 seat belts in my Bug and will probably get a set of those for this one, too. I had to add the outside lower attach points for the 3 point belts, this car had only the early 2 point European anchors. I have the early dash knobs modified to work on the late switches and those do add a touch of ambiance to the dash. 

  The paint work has been shared by my buddy Jeff (main body Guru, excellent sheet metal man,  and coconspirator this car) and the removable exterior panels by Lanny Hussey up in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Lanny has a very good reputation and does beautiful show winning cars, you have probably seen some of his work in HVWs and VW Trends. He has also done most of the DVKK club cars. We still have the left side to paint and hang and then get all the glass in and color sand and buff. It was great stroke of luck that I found NOS black fender beading for this car, and the fit is just great! HINT!!! HINT!! !When installing fender beading, throw it in your clothes dryer  for a few minutes on low (you can also try a hair dryer) until it is nice and pliable, It is then VERY EASY to install and get smooth. I would recommend to anyone that is in the need for fender beading to get original VW stuff if at all possible. There is like 4 or 5 different profiles used in on set ( like 3 profiles or more per piece!) and it is a much better fit. Plus you don't have to spend hours trimming and cutting  the stuff to get it to fit. I also powder coated all the hood hinges semi gloss black for a little more detail. And, yes, that is a real T3 mud flap hanging on the rear fender. 

  The gas tank has been modified (see the EFI Notch Page) and is just needing, as a precaution against a leaky weld, the POR 15 gas tank sealer. When that is done the tank goes in , the lines get hooked up and all is done inside the front of the car. The NOS Bosch air horns, that came in a box with VW part numbers on it (!), are ready to mount and the compressor is in, (see the BN2 Heater page for detail shot of all the stuff mounted in the spare tire well). Now to find a decent replacement for the trunk liner, a good original jack and some tools for the tool roll. Still will need a roof rack for hauling the camping gear and ice chest. 

  Well, some of the next hurdles are major engine type stuff. They include building a merged 1 5/8" exhaust system for the T4 motor, build the plennun for using the GM throttle body. Still waiting for the custom pistons so I can set the deck height and finish assembling the engine. Fabricate the gauge panel that goes under the steering wheel. And of course get the doors assembled, the windows in, and a bazillion other details done!  Caio!

  The rims are out being painted at my body guru's and should look fabulous. I found a very decent polisher here in the Northwest and was pretty reasonable on the price. We settled on a Chevy rally wheel color for the Porsche Fuchs. Should be a nice detail that will really work with "the look". Soon I will have the tyres and wheels done and on the car! I have opted to use press-in studs all around, just a bit sturdier. I have never had a problem with screw-in studs, just wanted a bit more security. 

  The stereo is done except for the front speakers, somewhat minor compared to the sub woofer. That box was a major project to build. Slanted front to match the seat back angle and to gain enough face board for a 10" JL speaker in a box only a little over 9" high!. Plus a shoulder of it had to have a big clearance notch for the speakers in the package tray. The system sounds quite nice to me and is not encroaching on any of the cabin. I lost approximately one cubic foot of the rear trunk to the sub woofer, power amp and  the Haltech EFI brain and relays, pictures soon. 

  I have been constantly busy doing little detail stuff that just never seems to end. I can tell that it will end and the car will be right and i won't have to "re-visit" some detail again. I am still amazed that the car is exceeding my expectations and turning into a very Nice Ride I'll have to do a lessons learned or some such dribble so the neophyte car restorer doesn't commit some of the various foopahs that I have. None though have been anywhere near to the engine problems that I have been enduring. Again , more on that soon. So until next time, enjoy your self, this will most likely be your last century on earth! 

  The car went its first show at the end of April. Didn't do too well, still some details weren't finished. But I still got 4th in the TYPE 1 class! Go figure, the Notch even has a Type 3 emblem on it. Points would have given me 2nd in the T3 class. 

  The engine is in its finally stages of prep and machine work and then will be assembled. NW ConRod is 5th studding the case and barrels to match the hole pattern of the heads. Finally got some useable pistons and cylinders from FAT Performance. The last thing to do is get the JE pistons tricked out with a heat barrier on the crowns and ant anti friction coating on the skirts. I thinking of doing the heads but may wait and do that latter. That would give me time to establish a baseline to see if they do help.  

  The exhaust is built! And I really like it.  It is 1 5/8" primaries going into a merge collector. The collector is all slip fit to the primaries and bolt tabs to hold it all together. It then dumps into a 1 3/4" tube to a long muffler across the back of the car. All that is seen from a normal viewing angle is the 2" tailpipe hanging out in the stock location. Very Stealthy! There is a different muffler arrangement to be tried but again after I have a baseline established. Oh, and by the way, the header will allow a small turbo to be bolted up under there someday!

  First I finished building the engine and got it installed which required the fabbing of more parts. About the only thing left not finished of the engine installation is the final configuration of the air cleaner.  See the new pix on the T4 engine page. The engine sounds GREAT! Very quiet sitting in the passenger compartment with it running. The engine has a pretty unique sound to it. Very Mellow but at the same time it has a Very Authoritative sound, if you know what I mean ;-). It was pretty uneventful getting the engine going and the Haltech EFI half tuned except for a bum tranny that puked its guts out while tuning the EFI on the running engine while the car was on jack stands.  

  This set back required the pulling of the drive train and some soul searching as to what to do. I put the engine back in with a manual transmission and did a bit of outlining what needed to be done to run a manual. Meantime a local tranny shop looked at the broken auto box and figured they could handle it. So a few dollars more and the car gets all put back together. The trans does the same thing again. Hmmmmmm, looks like my built 4 speed will go in! 

  Now during this time period , overlay the acquisition of a '51 split window bug, 2 car shows, me crashing hard twice on my mountain bike, and some family stuff to make a good mix vying for my time and attention. Now you know the where and why of my current position.  

  On the "show circuit" (as if I am a real show type person!), I did take the car to 5 shows this year. Except for the 1st one where the judges had the Notch in the Type 1 class, I won a 1st place at each except the last. In that show I got the 2nd highest point total overall and received a "Winner, Pro Class" award! Also at each show , it rained!. One positive result of the shows this summer is the picture of the Notch that made it into the show coverage of SIR in the Dec. issue of HVWs! Fleeting fame. 

  So where am I at now? Sitting here with wounded limbs, unable to work on the Notch. I am getting ready to install a 4 speed and get this thing on the road! I am also doing the little things to finish this project such as getting the gas heater operating, installing a few little detail things, etc. I should be ready for next year's planned events. So far I am planning the  "Classic Week", Berg Cruz and the local shows again. I also will be doing the non VW shows in the NW.

So what is left? Well, I need to get the alignment done on the suspension, change tyre sizes all the way around, get the BN2 heater working, some minor detail work finished, the carpet back on the tunnel, finish tuning the EFI, aim the head lights, start driving it a LOT! 
 
 

  So the weekend was spent tuning and fiddling with the fuel maps and that has progressed rather well. There is still some to do but it was time to put the Notch away and get more details done, like get the heater working! The gas gauge has yet to tell me anything, the odometer also isn't working, lots of little details to take care of. Everybody that saw it and /or rode in it was full of compliments. Did my ego good! Should be out running it some more after Valentine's Day. Stay tuned. 

   Oh, yeah! Almost forgot, I also got pulled over by Washington State's finest and warned about the German plate on the front (but officer, I didn't know!). Skated through that and now need to get the registration straightened out, minor glitch in the state records.

  One thing that really has made me happy is the quietness of the interior. All the sound deadening material has really worked. The car is extremely quiet at speed and doesn't have any rattles! Plus the quietness extends to the engine sounds, too. A nice muted sports car kind of sound from the the pipe that nicely is balanced by pleasant intake sound. The overall package is extremely pleasing. But the tranny has got to go!!! 

  I've been gathering the core transaxles and a few other bits to have one built for the Notch, the backup "race" built 4 speed in it just makes way too much noise. That's soon to be remedied with a 3.88/3.78/2.06/1.31/.89 box. Currently that is the same ratios in the car now but with a 4.12 R&P.  One with normal lash on the ring and pinion will be much more silent. An NOS Crown diff will be installed. along with the usual tricks to ensure handling of copious amounts of power.

 The two questions that seems to be asked of me most often is "was it worth putting a T4 in it?". My answer is Yes! The amounts of torque available at 1200 rpm and up makes this a nice car to cruise around in. When the new tranny goes in, the 3;88 4 speed, it will be even better. Eventually my Berg 5 will go in but it will need different gearing for it to be complementary to the torque available. The other question is "do you need to go this big in displacement?" Yes for me, no for most others.  These two questions are always debated on the internet and you can make your own choices. 

 I have pretty much quit showing the car at VW shows, and now just drive it to events that sound fun to be at.  The Vee Eight crowd accepts it as an "intermediate with a big block", just foreign. It will be in a magazine as a feature car someday, it gets an amazing amount of interest even at the grocery store! It seems to attract other special interest car people and we end of having fun little cruises. It is very mild mannered in a daily driver way and has more than met my expectations. It should be quite amusing when I use it to tow my rat rod bug out to the drags!

   Also while I was there the spring plates got massaged and the 944 camber adjusters were added. These are also the mounting points for the 944 anti-roll bar I had sitting here. Fabbed two mounts mimicking the 944 pieces and welded them in. Everything was all put back together when I discovered a minor glitch in the trans. Well, my hand and its subsequent hand surgery put a stop to just about everything for a few months.

   The rear disc brakes made the transition from the bug to the notch, and the parking brake cables are a pain to deal with! But I did put the cross drilled rotors I had sitting here on it. I'm looking at getting it going soon (I hope), the good weather is here! 

 And while all this was going on, the March '03 VW Trends came out with a well done feature of my car! Thanks, Dave and Stephan.

   I did some fine tuning at light load, part throttle speeds and was greeted with just over 27 mpg coming back down running around 75 mph. Plus just this last winter I did some fine tuning on the cold start and it fires up nicely in sub-freezing temperatures. I'm going to lean it out just a bit more and I feel that closer to 30 mpg will be easy to attain under the same conditions. It's currently running about 12.8-13.0 and it will be set leaner to around 13.6 at cruz'n speeds.

   The new trans is also working out just fine. The slight ratio changes are rather nice. It now has a 3.78, 2.06, 1.32, .89, 3.88 set in a single side cover case. The more relaxed 75 mph cruz'n speed is nice, around 3400-3500 rpm is the sweet spot. That puts it easily faster than the traffic flow around here,  sucky traffic  . The next change will be the installation of the Berg 5 that ws in my '69 bug. It is also receiving a new ring and pinion, a 3.88.  The late style Berg 5 speed intermediate mount is already installed in the notch.

   The suspension upgrades have proven to be terrific! Greatly improved smile power comes from the addition of the rear anti-roll out of a 944. It is I believe a 13 mm, (dang memory, will double check) and with the 19 mm bar added to the front's biggest '73 SB stock bar, she 's not a rolling pig. I have kept the shocks on the soft side running a gas shock about 2 steps up from a stock oil filled. This results in a smooth ride with out wallowing about, it does do quite nicely on the on and off ramps now,  . Car is very planted feeling and neutral approaching it's limit, and  with mild power-on over steer easily induced it is a gas!

I'll get some pictures of these changes up soon.