Friday, November 28, 2008

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.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008


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.

Friday, November 21, 2008

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.