Volkswagen Project Part 1

In October, 2001 I was looking for a decent Volkswagen Type I Beetle that was in good enough condition to drive from the get-go, but not in such good condition to cost me more than $2,000 or so. After looking at a few in my area that were far over priced for their condition, I combined a week working in San Diego with a Bug search. I picked up an issue of the Auto Trader© and found several that might fit the bill. One was a 1972 convertable that was on a lot in Chula Vista for $2,200. Unfortunately, it was a piece of crap that would have taken a ton of work to make clean. On top of that, the owner of the lot failed to take the receipts for a major accident body and frame work out of the glove box. My search went on.

I called several more that were either sold, real basket cases, or Super Beetles. In some cases they were actually trying to sell me Bugs with (GASP) Automatic Stick Shifts. (I'd made that mistake once already, never again ) I had made up my mind that I didn't want to go the "Super" route with the strut front ends, and was determined to stick with the traditional beam front suspension. I thought that I had hit paydirt when I read about one at a small Volkswagon repair shop in Lakeside, but this 1971 also required major work and was the ugliest lime green color I'd ever seen.

I had almost given up hope when I called the last one in the book. Based on my experiences so far I had little hope for success. It was advertised as a 1969 with sunroof, new tires, good body and "needs paint" for $1,100. I talked to the guy and set up an appointment to meet him at his place in La Mesa. I got there early (on purpose) so I could give it the once over without an anxious seller breathing down my neck.

The body was straight with a few minor rust spots, but no major dents or cancer to deal with. There was some chipping of the paint on the front end. New tires, still had the nubs on 'em. It didn't have the original hood, but a check of the underside showed no obvious collision damage. No puddles of oil under it, and from what I could see looked pretty original, no jury rigging and all stock parts. It didn't have a headliner, and the seats had suprisingly few tears. The rear seat looked almost new. The carpet was aftermarket, glued onto the original, so I knew that would all have to be replaced. The door panels also looked new, but were definitely aftermarket. But the most suprising detail about this car was the fact that there was absolutely NO RUST ON THE PAN! It looked as it did when it rolled off the boat from Germany (or Mexico or Brazil or wherever it came from.)

When the guy showed up I showed mild interest, while commenting on the lack of inside amenities and fingering the rust spots and other obvious flaws. He told me he bought it 6 months ago from an old guy who had it sitting in his yard for a few years. He said the guy used to tow it behind his motor home (hence the chips in the front end). He went to get the keys and I thought to myself "If this thing runs, it's sold".

He came back, got in, and turned the key. It fired right up. I had to keep myself from jumping up and down as I heard it purr away. I took it for a test drive (less than half a block) and knew it was mine. It drove straight, didn't pull on braking, although the brake pedal travel was kinda far. Down the street, I stopped and snooped in the glove box, and sure enough, the paperwork showed he bought it in April, 2001. There were receipts for tires in May, and there was less than 1,000 miles on it since he bought it. Speaking of the glove box, it was the first time I'd seen a bug this old with the hood release lever still attached to the paperboard box, even though the entire back of the box was rotted away into the trunk..

When I got back, I got out, walked around it a few times, looking real hard at nothing in particular on it, and finally said, "Will you take $1,000"? He said sure and I thought "YES"! I forked over the cash, and he went for the title. I had found my project. It was a good thing, since I had already bought the tow bar and lights.

When I got it home I gave it a real good inspection and found a few other minor things that it needed. I installed new front shocks, a new horn, and bought the VW bible: Muirs idiot book I also ordered the first of many items I'd need to bring it up to snuff. (I'm reluctant to use the word "restore", as VW purists define restoring as putting original parts on, to bring it back to what was on the car when it was new. I don't have that kind of dough.) I ordered sunvisors, visor clips, a new crank for the sunroof, and a new outside rear view mirror. (The original mirror was missing, and a cheap plastic one was mounted to the side of the door.)

This will be my on-line documentary of the project as it unfolds. It may take several months, but eventually it will be one clean Bug. Check back to see the progress I'm making. I welcome any comments, suggestions or tips that anyone has. If you know of any short-cuts to make a job like this easier, let me know. I'll be sure to give you credit for any of your help.