More sanding.

Not much going on lately. I received my dash knob buttons in and I installed the missing hazard switch, so at least my dash looks good. I have been working on sanding the front clip and hood. It takes all my free time and the weather has been cold so without heat I haven't been able to do much. Also a lot of Christmas related activities going on. Will post a picture of the front clip as soon as I am done with the sanding.

Rear work

Rear apron welded on and bondo applied.

Nose work.

Front end work on Drivers side.

Bondo and more Bondo

I started working on the dented and rusted areas last night. It's slow going and I can see this taking a year to complete.

Welding done

69Custom brought his welder over last night and we spot welded the rear apron on and fixed a few minor places on a quarter panel. A little grinding, bondo, and primer it will be good as new. Going to try and fix a few bolt points for the fenders and get them back on. Should be about 70 deg. this afternoon so It will be a nice day to work on it.

New Dash

Got the new Dash put in, just need some dash knob buttons.

Rear apron work

I got the rear apron on and ready to weld. I will try to get that finished today.

Happy Thanksgiving

Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. I had a 24 hr. bug that put me down for a while Wed. and Thur. but I am better now and plan to do some work on Barney this afternoon. I did get a chance to install the new dash and remove the old rear apron that was dented. I will post photos Monday.

Sans dash.

Here is a nice German fender I found, $25.00

Here is the car without fenders....

Long Weekend

Well I had a long weekend and I didn't get to work much on Barney. I took the fenders off and found a little rust spot I have to fix. I located a rear apron and fron fender used, I also picked up a dash pad and a new rear fender so I have all the body parts I need. Now I just need a welder.

Battery Box Repair

I glassed in the battery well and painted it black. Common to find rust there.

Rear of glove box

Just on Screw holds it in.

Glove box replacement

The new plastic glove box was easy to replace. Just drill new holes and add screws to the hood release lever bracket.

Painting the Door Jambs

This is tedious but adds alot to the look.

More Paint Work

My wifes going to kill me if I get overspray all over her stuff....

This is fun, I have a few more photos and back to work.

Some work completed

Some of the work I have done to date:

Cleaned up the engine, replaced gaskets

ripped out interior

rebuilt fresh air box

replaced heater cables, muffler, hoses, dash

touched up door jambs, trunk, gas tank

replaced headlamp buckets

fixed odd wiring problems

Barney comes home.

Well I went air cooled finally and picked up a 1971 Super Beetle from Quitman Arkansas. The car had sat in a field for two years rusting away next to a barn, hence the name,(Barney) till my father saw it and negotiated with the owners. We changed the points, wires, plugs, and rotor, put a little gas in it and it fired right up! Mr. Patt Abbott from Heber Springs did a valve adjustment , tuned it up and it was ready to bring back to OKC. No I didn't drive it. I towed it back on Oct.1 and started tearing it down. It needed a lot of TLC but the body's good, no rust, and the engine runs strong.

I am becoming an accomplished VW mechanic. It seems that I am either restoring or replacing every part on the car. 39 years of neglect was hard on Barney. I plan to add to this blog every day if I get a chance. I will add pictures as I get them.