The Beetle Report

Since the last post the Beetle has come home. It was amazing how much space we gained in the garage. It was late in the day when we got it home. My son Joshua and I spent a couple of hours cleaning it up a bit with a good vacuuming. Over the last week I’ve been going over it bit by bit evaluating it, taking pictures and notes. I’ll hit some highlights and lowlights as I go along.

Rust and this vehicle know each other very well. It seems the more I look on this car the more rust I find. Sometimes I think I bit of more than I can chew but then again a challenge is good. So far I haven’t hit anything that couldn’t be repaired with some money and willpower. In other words most everything I’ve seen so far is repairable in my opinion.

When’s the last time you’ve seen one these on any vehicle.

What is strange about this picture? It’s a full-size spare tire folks. No donut spare here.

For myself this was a a key selling point. A manual transmission.

Yes folks more rust.

Biggest priority I have at the moment is repairing the brake system and tuning it up. This way can move it around a little more. Then I will tackle stuff as time and budget allow. I’ve already begun by removing the master cylinder just today. I’ve already ordered new stainless steel brake lines and drum hardware kits from JCWhitney online. Previous owner had bought a replacement master cylinder so I figure that will give me a good starting point.

The old master cylinder. I may get rebuild kit so I could keep this as a spare part.

When I removed one of the brake lines it came off just like this. Good thing I had already ordered new brake line.

These are the front drums. I’m pretty much going to replace most everything seen here. I’d rather be on the safe side in the brakes department.

So far it’s been fun having something to do in my spare time. My son enjoys it too. He’s even encouraged me to get out  work on it with him. It’s a nice family bonding time too. The hardest part is figuring where to start and what to work on first. It’s been easy to get impatient. Well thats all for now. Thanks for coming by.

Bitten by a bug

Since buying the VW Beetle it would seem as if I’ve been consumed by Beetle-Mania! The biggest problem has been getting it to our house(and in the garage). Because of the the lack of brakes it’s not in immediate drivable condition. For those that don’t my wife and I purchased a 1971 Volkswagen Super Beetle. Keep in mind this is a very used VW and will need quite a bit of work. The engine does run though it could use some tuning. The interior is rough shape and rust is present almost everywhere.

Yesterday I went over to start it up, take inventory, some notes and to take some photo. If any thing it’ll provide us a starting point as we go through the process of repairing and restoring.

Well for starters the paint has seen better days. The seller tells me it’s not the original color and was repainted about ten years ago(give or take a few). The original was red as you may see in some of the pictures later on. It’s peeling and cracking in many areas. It will obviously have to be addressed.

My wife and I are still debating what color we’ll end up with. I’m more of purist and would like it turn back the original red. She wants some thing with flowers on it. I don’t think so. It’s not the highest priority right now.

The all powerful 1.6 liter air-cooled monster of an engine. Between the receipts previous owner gave me and research I did from the engine number this is not the original engine. According to the paper work it was replaced in the early 90’s. It’s the correct engine and type for this VW. From my research I place it as a slightly newer 1972 engine. Not a huge deal in the long run. It does run and start. It could  use some tuning. If it weren’t for the brakes I wouldn’t hesitate to drive it home. You can hear it run here:

Ahh those lovable VW hubcaps. The tires were new back in 2001. They are a bit cracked from dry rot though not severely. They still have plenty of tread on them.

It was last driven regularly back in 2001-2002 as shown on this Maine Inspection sticker. You can see some of the original red where the blue paint is peeling. I’ll have some more information on the Bug in my next installment. Thanks for dropping by.

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1971 Volkswagen Beetle

1971 Volkswagen Beetle
Originally uploaded by Bob Cutlass

This is the 1971 Volkswagen Beetle that I just purchased. I couldn't resist this one for the price. It's in need of a brake job and tune up for starters. It does run but won't stop. It going to need work from top to bottom. I'm really looking forward to starting in on this. Right now I'm working on transporting it to my garage(or other location). It's still work-in-progress. I look forward to blogging more about this in the near future.

How do you forget about 36 Corvettes?

This is certainly the question for Peter Max owner of these 36 Corvettes in a upper Manhattan. These Corvettes apparently part of VH1 contest in 1989 that gave away 36 Corvettes from each year between 1953-1989. The original contest winner sold them to artist Peter Max who originally intended to paint them and tour with them. Well we see that hasn’t happened. They now sit collecting dust and suffering from neglect. This is a crying shame. May be VH1 could buy them back and do something with them. I could see a documentary come out of this. Let’s hope they are rescued before it’s too late.

Source: Edmunds Inside Line

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Thanksgiving Day drive

While I was out on Thanksgiving day I spotted this 1941 Chevrolet Business Coupe in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. It was at a small garage that was selling other vehicles too. Being a holiday no one was at the garage to ask any questions. This looked in excellent shape. The paint looked in great shape and I didn’t see any major flaws. I thought the vintage 70’s Monte Carlo hubcaps was a bit odd. The interior was in very good condition.  There was a for sale sign in the window but, it gave no price. I hope it finds a good home. I just thought I’d share what I found. Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: 1941,41,chevrolet,chevy,business coupe,coupe,master deluxe,yellow