Final Pics

Done... mostly

I drove the bug down to Carlos (La Voiture) last Wednesday to have the new fender painted and installed and have the hood fixed. Ends up the front end was pushed in a bit and so he pulled it out about an inch. He called me Thursday and said it was done.

Spent today reinstalling the fender bead, new headlight, new blinker, front bumper, trunk liner, and few other minor things.

Took it for a test drive and ....

... I'm calling it done.

I'm going to have the whole thing buffed and waxed and then I'll be taking all sorts of pictures and will be posting them here. Then I'm off to have it registered and insured.

3 1/2 years. It'll be nice to not spend any more money on this project :).

It actually drives! (and has a new seat)

David over at Vintage German came through today (just like he did before with my whacky front-end problems). I went over there this morning looking for another driver's seat. He has a pretty decent stash. The previous seat never reappeared... stolen as it were. I found a replacement on thesamba.com that would've needed to be shipped from Oregon. $100 just for the seat. Ouch. I put that one on hold until I checked with David. Yea, he had one. And, yea, he only charged me $25. I actually think it's in better shape than my original. Anyway, I reupholstered it, installed it, and then went for a drive!

Yep, after 4 years, the car drives! Really well, actually. The new tranny shifts, the new seats are comfy, the brakes work perfect, the clutch is adjusted just right, the engine runs good - no smoking, backfiring, or anything like that, the bias-ply whitewalls feel just right, the new steering box and front-end are doing their job. This thing actually drives awesome! I am amazed.

Now it's back to Carlos to fix the fender and hood. Then it's wax on-wax off, and then show-off ;).

Last Minute Thievery

We're at the end. I am not going to post pictures until the dented hood and fender are fixed and the car is completely waxed and detailed.

Lane and I were able to get the fuel pump primed and semi-functioning last week. The car started and ran for a bit, but something still wasn't right. I spent Monday morning timing it and now it purrs so nice.

The new bumpers and hubcaps arrived from WolfsburgWest last week (I opted not to rechrome them for fear of spending all that money and the chrome shop not getting it right - I am keeping the originals though, just in case). They really finish the car off well.

The driver's seat... I was able to find and purchase another seat for parts to rebuild the driver's seat. Tyler stepped up to the plate again and welded everything together. Two seats equals one seat now... sort of. We missed a spot on the bottom half and I ended up taking it back to him to tack on the final piece, which he did. Unfortunately, when I went to pick it up, it was discovered that someone had "stolen" the seat from his garage. Who, I'm wondering, is rebuilding an early 60's bug that is in need of the bottom half of an un-upholstered driver's seat? Tyler and I were both perplexed. The seat really is the last thing I need to do before taking it back to the body shop to fix the fender.

Anyone got an extra driver's seat? I'm on the hunt...

Interior + Electrical

Lane posting again.

We've got most of the interior in: Rubber flooring, carpet trim, passenger front seat, rear bench, and (most importantly) seatbelts. The driver's seat needs a bit of work before we install it.

Electrical is mostly complete; I got all the instrument lights, dash warning lights, and the engine wired up. Still need to do the headlights, passenger blinker, and starter. We're running a 12 volt system and a 6 volt starter, so we'll need to use a regulator so the starter doesn't fry...

The windshield washer sprayer still works, amazingly. Since they're air-powered, the tank needs to be pressurized. It still holds pressure, but the valve stem leaks a bit. Easy fix.




So far so good.








That's one happy guy!

Updates + New Addition

Hey all, Lane posting. We just got the '63 back from the shop with a brand new front end. It now sits nice and level and doesn't feel like a heavy duty truck ;). A new windshield was installed as well. We broke the first one trying to get it in (it happens), but this one went right in.

Level factory-looking stance








Windshield in with tricky chrome





I mentioned there was a new addition... Mom's brand new (to her) 2003 VW Beetle, with the 1.8L 4 cylinder turbocharged engine. Did I mention it's a convertible? ;)












Mom's '03 and Dad's '63. What a difference over 40 years.

Smash

In the process of towing the car to Foreign Aid for some front-end work, the hitch popped off and the bug smashed into the back of the Cruiser. Here's the pic:


Now it really needs some front-end work...