Circle Yer Wagens!
Unfortunately, I was not able to attend this show with my very good friend Chris (who’s also the same friend working on my restoration project with me) but he did take several excellent pictures I’d like to share with you and he sent these kind words my way shortly after his visit last weekend.
This goes out to the young father, relentlessnessly scanning the environment for unique tresures that can one day be enjoyed man-to-man … by him and his young, malleable son, looking to dad for solid direction and guidance for the future. Things … important things! Things such as roofrack, or no! bucket seats, or no! Lowered frontend (in the weeds) or no! These are the incredibly important questions that face all of us, which, without a mentor, can lead to all manor od angst! Help your son … Help Grant! Don’t let another dubber be lost to the ways of the unholy trinity (ford,chevy,dodge)!
A good word Chris. I always enjoy injecting some poeticism into my love for all things VW. Enjoy!
Kennesaw, GA
It’s been another one of those trying moments that I must believe plagues every new father at one point in time. Yet right now I know I’m the only dad in the world who is clueless about how to console a truly tearful infant.
There’s something about a mother’s touch. It’s the graceful way she sways while effortlessly holding him so tight and close to her that keeps a child calm and secure. It’s the way she can pick him up, sing sweetly in his ear and bring a river of peace to his world that I find amazing. It’s an experience I try and fail to recreate for him.
Toys. Bottle. Swing. Rocking chair.
I’m not sure what to try next but I am convinced there’s something he wants that I haven’t given him yet.
I peek out the window. It’s a hot summer day but it’s not as unbearable as a typical Georgian August can be. In a level of desperation one frequently descends to while taking on solo parenting duties, I scoop up my irritable child from a play mat that is providing him no joy and I head, screaming child in arm, for the door to our backyard.
I’m not sure where exactly to take Grant. However, I take note as we step outside when he simultaneously ceases his crying and lets out an adorable pint-sized gasp. He’s completely taken by the sight of trees towering overhead, the sound of birds chirping and flapping about, and perhaps shocked into wonder by the sudden rush of fresh summer air and delicious sunlight.
It’s only a few moments later that I spot my lonely, newly acquired Beetle sitting across the yard and I wonder what enjoyment Grant would derive from exploring its’ interior. I speedily bring him over to the near 40 year old car and cautiously open the driver’s side door with one hand while tightly holding his excited, quivering body with the other. I peer my head inside its’ dome and crane my neck around, anticipating a fowl, dank odor to be present due to the Beetle’s years of inactivity. Yet, I’m pleasantly surprised to find there is not a musty or repulsive scent but one that’s inviting and distinct like a forgotten bottle of Old Spice that’s been in a shoebox for years aromatizing a closet.
At first, I sit down carefully on the worn out vinyl seat with him squirming on my lap. And I then I simply watch him. I am fixated on my child with the same intensity and delight with which he stares (in alternating order) at, the steering wheel, the radio dials, the gear shift, the steering wheel again, the turn signal, back to the gear shift, the dangling wires from beneath the ignition switch. And then repeats the process again in random sequence occasionally letting out a squeal of sheer fascination.
I decide then that this moment is too rare to be trusted only to my memory for preservation and I slide out from underneath him and place him gingerly back down onto the old driver’s seat. Once I am sure he’s not going to plummet off from where he’s sat, I remove my trusty Blackberry and snap a few quick photos of the baby boy gleefully dwarfed as he is by the bug’s driver seat and steering wheel.
Once I’m satisfied that I’ve gotten some quality photos, at least that will suit my standards, we begin to retreat together back to the house. Otherwise, I fear the mosquitos would have a field day with his plump, pink flesh and I also think it’s time for him to try another bottle of milk before nap time.
As we walk away I can see in the corner of my eye Grant’s tiny head bobbing, still peering over my shoulder at his new friend. It’s then that I realize just how badly I want to see this car driven again… and soon. I dream of Ol’ Bloo one day guided by this adventurous boy while he sits on his daddy’s lap, taking command of a vehicle that also has captured his imagination.
Kennesaw, GA
I was lucky enough to get my 1970 Beetle at a heck of a bargain… free! The only cost incurred at the start of the project was the $65 I paid to hire a flat bed tow truck to bring the bug from its’ final resting place of the last 5 years in Acworth over to my home in Kennesaw.
Unfortunatley, I do not have a garage or a paved carport underwhich to park Ol’ Bloo. So it has to sit on my gravel driveway for the time being. However, the plan is to get the blue Beetle into my workshed nearby that has enough room and sturdy enough floor support to keep him dry as we work.
As soon as we had touchdown and “The Beetle had landed” I immediately went out to inspect my little bug and see what I had in store. Being an avid note taker, I grabbed a pad and pen and eyeballed the vehicle to get a very basic if not rudimentary inventory and start pricing out the main components that I will need to replace in order to bring the bug back to life.*
- (1) Front passenger side fender. ($99.00)
- (2) Heavy Duty Chrome Bumpers (front and back)- OEM 1.5mm thickness ($139.99 each)
- (1) Vinyl Headliner set $89.99
- (1) Vinyl dashpad set $59.99
- (1) Vinyl seat covers (driver and passenger seats) ($399.99)
- (2) Running board set ($179.99)
- (1) Steering wheel ($179.99)
- (1) Passenger sideview mirror ($14.99)
- (1) Door panel set ($129.99)
- (1) Tail pipe set ($19.99)
- (1) Ignition Switch ($9.99)
- (1) Carpet set ($119.99)
Total so far by estimate $1443.89
These are all the things from a cursory view, must be done. We may encounter some side projects along the way that have yet to be tallied but this is enough work to keep me busy for a while.
My friend Chris, who’s assisting me on the project, and I inspected the starter kit and solenoid and found that it is still operational and we were able to bypass the ignition switch to get the flywheel to crank (good news!). We did a quick replacement of the fuel filters, some fuel lines, and gave it some fresh oil and installed a Bosch coil just to get some headway on the engine.
Finally, after tearing out all the original carpet, which was grimey beyond salvation and hosting an ant colony, we found a lot more rust and holes in the floors. There will be quite a bit of welding in many places to avoid a “Fred Flintstone” experience but I know what I have ahead of me now.
I’ll keep you posted and please let me know of any tips or tricks you’ve learned as you approach these projects.
MY RESOURCES:
*All prices provided from Mid America Motorworks, I may end up buying certain parts from The Samba classifieds or other used sources where acceptable.
Kennesaw, GA
Before even beginning a lick of work on this old 1970 Volkswagen Bug, I took several pics to begin the documentation process right. Below you’ll see what I saw when I first started assessing the task and dream of restoring this lovable bug back to its’ original glory.
But before we get into details about the Bug… Here’s some history for ya.
The Blue Beetle (or Ol’ Bloo as we’ve taken to calling him from time to time) had been sitting and rusting on my in-laws’ driveway for about 5 years or so. Though for years it was a commuter car as well as a cherished family vehicle it had been relegated to immobility and the undemanding task of keeping a red Super Beetle company. Both had been well shaded during that time by the unforgiving though gorgeous Georgia pines above. The years of weather and a little lack of love kept these two Beetles from doing much more than collect debris and cake on quite a thick layer of grime. So by the time I arrived, I knew there was a lot of work to be done. I took the pics you see once I had firmly decided it was time to seriously consider rescuing the VW I had had my eye on even back in the days when my wife Hannah and I were still dating.
But there is still so much more to this tale to tell and no lack of fascination I derive from the prospect of repairing a vehicle that my wife and all five of her siblings once rode around together in throughout Acworth, GA. (That’s right, 6 children, 1 dad, 1 Beetle. You put two in the front, three in the back seat, and the two twins- My wife and her sister Lydia- would squish in behind the back seat… if you can imagine that!)
So this Beetle Blues Blog will track the story of restoration as well as the many road stories and retrospectively, those of a car that has seen nearly 40 years, several owners, and has captured this blogger’s heart with its’ simplicity and spunk. I look forward to sharing this process and the journey with you as we breathe life back into Ol’ Bloo.
