My Bug is out of Storage

I got my 1973 Beetle out of storage.  It feels a little late to be pulling it out, but it's been a cold and wet Spring in Indiana.

All I had to do was change the oil.  The oil in the lawn mower needed changed too, so I did both at the same time.  The car's oil was pretty sludgy, but that's probably a consequence of sitting for the winter.  A little gasoline and air is all the filter needed to get clean.

As usual, it was a messy job.  My car doesn't have the separate drain plug you can remove before removing the filter.  I have to loosen the six nuts holding the bottom plate enough to let the oil drain, and there's no way to do it without getting oil all over your hand.  Chloe thought it was pretty cool to see the oil running out when I let it go, though.  Me, I was tickled I got her interested enough to get under and look.

The car started on the fourth round of cranking, which is exactly how it's been every year I've had the car in Indiana.  That's its personality.  Once warm I cut the choke and drove around the neighborhood for a while.  She ran a little bit rough the first half a mile, and I had to ride the brakes half a block to clear a little rust out of the drums.  After that she was smooth as butter.  No flat spots when accelerating, and the idle speed is fine.  I checked the valves last fall, so I don't think I need to do any more work on the car.

Now I feel like Spring is here.