Taking an Inventory

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.