I just
bought a 69 VW Beetle from a man who restored it to driving condition. I love
driving it around, but it still needs some work. I bought it for $1500 and
understood it may still need some “polishing”. I am enjoying fixing it up and
learning how it works. I’ll use this blog to share our story.
First things
first and that’s safety. I drove my kids around the block and one of the dry
rotted tires went flat. I called around to see what would fit and none of the
big box companies could help. They didn’t understand the small tire size. It
wasn’t until I called Big 10 Tires that they could help me out. I had to go a
little wider, but there were able to put the right ones on. When I pulled up
with the bug, I got the royal treatment. They loved my car.
Now that I’ve
got new tires, I drove around to work and around the neighborhood. I got a lot
of thumbs up and encouragement. It’s so nice. However, I have to find out what’s
making me dizzy.
Apparently
exhaust has been leaking into the cabin, so I climbed in back to see what was
up. It wasn’t until I removed the rear luggage storage carpet and insulation
material that I discovered the deal; rusted floor pan.
Next I rip
out the entire interior and find more rust and holes. At the same time I go
into the trunk to find out what could be causing air to rush in through my ash
gray and other areas.
I also
discover water standing under the trunk carpeting. The problem; A missing drain
hose from the fresh air box. I follow that line and do research and discover
that it’s a large problem; water and air leaks through this system.
In the mean
time, I’ve been making small improvements by replacing old control knobs on the
dash and the horn ring and cover on the steering wheel.
Here are my
favorite stores online:
www.
westcoastmetric.com
www.
jbugs.com
http://www.vw-wagenwerks.com/servlet/Categorieswww.wolfsburgwest.com
Visit often
as I will document my journey to a further restoration of this magnificent car.
