.......to buy a car like this!

Hi to all,

As I didn't introduce myself to you yet, I thaught I could show you my beetle... 😃
It's a rare '67 1200 Standard and in really bad condition.When I bought the car two years ago, its 1970 1300 cc engine was still running, but now there is something wrong with the carburetor due to a very long break...... :roll:
Now I'm taking apart all the parts to rebuild the chassis first, then the engine and gearbox (I will use the 1300 cc engine until I'll find an original 1200 cc from march '67, when the car was built) and finally the body.
This is going to be really hard work, even now while trying to loosen the completely rusted screws :lol:

But have a look yourself at the beetle: '67 beetle restoration album 

Ah, finally something about me 🙂 : I am german, 17 years old, pupil, member of the Glas Automobile Club International  and absolutely mad on classic cars.I currently have the beetle, a '69 Goggomobil Coupé (also in bad condition) and a '73 Simson Schwalbe, a scooter from the former GDR.

Well, Have fun by looking at the photos!
I would be grateful if somebody could tell me something about the planned order of the restoration or to give me some tips about it.Do you have other experiences or would you also restore the components of the beetle in this way of order?

Greetings,
FREDDY :wink:

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Freddy,

First rule of thumb - DON"T THROW ANY PARTS AWAY unless they have become totally useless. You couldn't reuse it if you tried.

As you will learn, everybody has their own procedure that they follow when restoring anything. Personnally, I like to label everything as I remove it and have separate bins or cans to keep these parts in. I also take photographs as I proceed, that helps to remind me how and where some of the parts are put back together. Especially the wiring, that could end up being a nightmare if you are not careful.

Most important, you have to have the money on hand to do this. Get all of the mechanical portion completed first. Because if that doesn't work, basically you don't have a car to drive. Collect all of the replacement parts needed to finish the car. Then get the bodywork done, put all of the parts back together and you are finished. Now what I just told you took me over 14 months to complete. That amount of time includes working on it constantly, after coming home from work. But the end result was well worth the challenge.

The most important part here - Have FUN doing this.

Did that answer any of your questions :?:
Larry

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Freddy-
I agree totally with Larry on this one. I just finished my '64 bug last fall, and it took me 6 months, BUT I started with a very solid little car from Arizona which had never suffered the ravages of salt on roads, winter driving, and rust. She was running pretty well when I started, all wiring was intact, etc. So it was a pretty straightforward restoration. If you have access to a digital camera, they are invaluable to take pictures of every assembly as you start on it, and as you disassemble it, and for future reference. Some of the most simple things won't seem that way in 6 months when you are trying to remember how to put them back together. (Case in point, the doors, with all the glass, seals, handles, regulators, etc.) Label every single part and save every little screw as if your very life were going to depend upon it. About the only little part I lost was a slotted cup washer used to secure the accelerator cable assembly to the carbeurator- do you think I could find a replacement for that little part anywhere? No way- I had to spend 10.00 on a complete kit!! Good luck, and enjoy your hobby!
John Scribner

Hi Larry and John,

Thank you for answering! 🙂

Of course I have a digital camera, I'm taking photos of everything I can.I rebuilt my motor scooter last year, and I know from this project how important it is to save every screw (even if you think of the fact that a motor scooter is "a little" smaller project than a beetle :lol: ).I usually put all the smaller parts into little plastic bags and write on the bag which parts can be found in there.
I'm planning on saving all the off- taken parts in boxes and writing the parts number of the original VW Parts catalog (the old one with the explosion views of all the parts) on the boxes.These boxes will be stored in groups of several themes, such as electrics, body parts, dashboard, chrome parts etc.

Money?Well, as you probably know I am still a pupil, and that means I don't have sooooo much money to waste on a beetle as you perhaps have 😃
But that doesn't mean that I want to do the work worse than other people do.Sometimes you only have to search longer for a special part to be able to pay a good price for it.And, very important, you have to know the right people!Next month I will pick up several beetle- parts from a friend, who has a '58 beetle and who doesn't need many of the parts he has in stock.
In general, I personally prefer original VW- parts, even if they are used parts.The fenders for example: Original, new VW- parts are very expensive; repro- fenders are new and cheap, but they usually don't fit!And even if they do, the beetles have a different "look" in their eyes.
That's why I take used fenders and restore them to good condition.

What you, Larry, said about doing the mechanical parts first is really true.So the order would be engine/gearbox- chassis- body.The body will be real fun stuff, as you can see on the pictures :roll:

Greetings,
FREDDY :wink:

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Freddy,

Each and every one of us here have a certain budget that we will or can spend on our vehicles. What I meant about the money was - have the money in your hand BEFORE you start working on a particular portion of the vehicle. Do not start anything that you do not intend to finish. If you only have enough money at the time to fix one fender - remove just one fender. That is why I said do the mechanicals first, at least it can be driven.

I have seen some guys completely disassemble a car with the intention of restoring it. BUT, they did not have the money on hand to complete the job so it just sat there, in most cases getting in worse shape than if they would have just left it alone until they were ready.

That is what I meant,
Larry 🙂

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That sounds a pretty good description of me... 😞 Although to be honest lack of motivation is probably more of a problem than the money

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Hi Larry,

If I begin something (things in general, also restorations), I always bring it to an end!I'm one of those guys who doesn't like unfinished work.And if it takes some more time than expected because of some reason, I don't care 😃

Greetings,
FREDDY :wink:

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Have a look at my Album, I've posted some new pictures! At the moment I have time off from school and I think I'll get some work done. 😃
Greetings,
Freddy

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