The battery and starter on a VDub were in the back of the car, and the ignition switch was in the front on the dash. After a while the wires to the solenoid created resistance that 6 volts couldn’t push through. You would have to crawl under the car and cross the contacts with a screwdriver to start the car. Always had to make sure it wasn’t in gear so it didn’t roll over me.
And don’t get me started on the heater boxes. Before they came up with the “Fresh Air System,” they would pump the engine cooling air over the cylinder fins to heat the cab. VWs always leaked oil and the oil would cook on the cylinder fins and get blown through the heater system into the cab.