[benjyhas]

It's been a LONG time coming but after owning the car since the tender age of 16 (I'm now 23!) finally it's having it's body off resto! :hangloose

When I first saw the car it was sat in the corner of a backstreet garages yard, full of scrap metal, old tires piled up on the roof. It was 3 days away from going to the scrap yard!
I bought it there and then. Probably not the best idea since I knew NOTHING about beetles at all! Still, I've learnt the hard way!

In the seven years I've owned it I've somehow managed to become stupidly sentimetally attached to the rusty heap of metal (sound familiar?). I know a lot of people wouldn't think it's worth saving since it's not a particularly desirable model but hey, it'll all be worth it to me! Plus I've seen some really cool 'Late lookers' on VZi which makes me determined to see this resto through! :hangloose

Unlike a lot of you daring people I don't have the time, space and if I'm honest, not enough balls to do this myself so I've got Merv and his crew at DubMonkey's in Tavistock working their magic on the car!

It's going to be a while in the making but I just thought I'd get a few snaps on here to share with you chaps and chapettes to see what you all think.

My aim with the car is to make it a cal looker with late 1200, upright wings all round. Nice set of gasburners/porsche 2 litres, nice rake on it, maybe a slightly narrowed beam. I'm pretty certain I'm keeping it orange although I'm not sure what shade (ideas?!).

Feel free to put your thoughts on here, I'd be glad to hear what you guys have to say.

This is the car the day I took it down to DubMonkey's. Floors, heater channels, hookey's pillars etc, all of it on the roof. Had a few funny looks driving along :

 

[benjyhas]

I've been away sunning myself for two weeks and I popped up to Merv's to see my car looking like this :

Apparently it took nearly all day with an air chisel to get the body off!

I knew the car had some rust issues but fook me, I didn't realise the'd be quite this bad! :

Anyway, the floor halves already been removed and the new ones grafted in, painted and are looking preeeety sweet! :

The cars going to be braced up in the next couple of days and the channels and all the other crusty rusty areas will start coming out. I'll get some photos on here asap.

I'm hoping it'll look a bit less daunting in the next week or so.

 

[manic]

Keep us all up to speed!

 

[shanebeardsley]

Yeah, definately keep the pics coming....

Nice choice on the Gas Burners....i've got them on my '71 along with the original uprights...not a big fan of putting early panels on a late looker.....if you want that look then buy an early I say! (mind you, I do have blades on though :crazy: but thats whats great about Bugs...you can do what YOU want)

I was going for the Porsche 2.0l originally but was deterred by the lead time, glad I went with the Burners now though


Shane

 

[benjyhas]

Yeah, definately keep the pics coming....

Nice choice on the Gas Burners....i've got them on my '71 along with the original uprights...not a big fan of putting early panels on a late looker.....if you want that look then buy an early I say! (mind you, I do have blades on though :crazy: but thats whats great about Bugs...you can do what YOU want)

I was going for the Porsche 2.0l originally but was deterred by the lead time, glad I went with the Burners now though

Shane

Shane I've been following your thread-What a cool car!
It was your wagon that made me decide on the gasburners. Before I saw your car I was deliberating between them and the porsche 2litres but you've made my decision a whole lot easier!

I completely agree with you on the whole 'retro fitting' a late car. In a moment of madness I fitted early front wings to my bug a few years back! It wont be happening again! The 'Late Lookers' thread on here is a perfect example of how cool a late car can look!

If my car ends up looking anywhere near as clean as yours I'll be very happy! The chap who's doing my bug really is good. I'm just a bit daunted about the rusty road ahead but hey, I'll get there in the end!

I pop in to see the car every couple of days so as soon as any progress is made I'll get the pictures taken and on here straight away!

Take it easy!

Ben :hangloose

 

[Jonofdoom]

That the origional colour? If so, snap!!

^^My '71 1200 model bug, slightly too rotten for it's own good, undergoing renovation, and originally brilliant orange

Sounds familir I'll bet...

You sure you don't want to buy my old bonnet? Scrape back the silver paint, ignore the rust, and you wont even have to spray it:incheek:

Glad you're returning its uprightness too, I have to admit to buying some slopers and a long decklid for my bug before I saw the light:hangloose

Good luck!!

Oh, and you're a braver man than me if you do keep it orange

 

[benjyhas]

That the origional colour? If so, snap!!

^^My '71 1200 model bug, slightly too rotten for it's own good, undergoing renovation, and originally brilliant orange

Sounds familir I'll bet...

You sure you don't want to buy my old bonnet? Scrape back the silver paint, ignore the rust, and you wont even have to spray it:incheek:

Glad you're returning its uprightness too, I have to admit to buying some slopers and a long decklid for my bug before I saw the light:hangloose

Good luck!!

Oh, and you're a braver man than me if you do keep it orange

Hey John!

Been following your thread to. Like I've said to you already, I'm blown away by what your getting done on your own driveway! Top work dude!

The car is definately staying orange. I figured since the old boy's been this colour for 36 years why change it now! Besides, how many orange cars do you see on the road?!

It's nice to hear of someone else going to the trouble of saving a later 1200 car. Who knows, maybe there's enough of us late 1200 owners to do a get together display at a show!

Thanks for the offer on the old crusty bonnet but my car has enough rust on it at the mo as it is! :moon:

Will give you £18 for your new bonnet though

Ben

 

[maddave2000]

The car is definately staying orange. I figured since the old boy's been this colour for 36 years why change it now! Besides, how many orange cars do you see on the road?!

I think they only made one type of car and colour originally at VW! Mine is the same:

One day will get the same treatment as both of yours!

 

[benjyhas]

Dave, your car looks sweet as there!!

I can't wait to see mine all orange again! It hasn't been all the same colour in the seven years I've owned it!

Late 1200's really do look nice from the front IMHO!

:hangloose:

 

[maddave2000]

Dave, your car looks sweet as there!!

:hangloose:

HA! Dont make me laugh! Cheers, but it needs a lot of tidying up. What you cant see is every bit of chrome pitted and looking tired, all rubber tired and worn, rusted windows so they dont open, bottoms of heater channels and a posts filled with filler, pretty solid pans that shouldn't need replacing which is a bonus, but nearly all the panels have faded, rusted paint patches and dents! I think my heater channels look the same as yours, from the top they look fine, but if you look inside you can see the rust in the bottom! Sigh... the life of a bug owner!

Good luck with the resto!!

 

[benjyhas]

So Dave, our cars are the same colour, same age and seem to have exactly all the same problems!

See I've been saving to get all this work done for about four years now, just putting a bit of money away each month. Gradually I've been collecting all my parts over about two years so it hasn't been too painful financially. Not so far anyway!

Why don't you consider having a crack at some of the basic resto work yourself? Looks like you have a nice garage and driveway from your photo.

Johnofdoom on here's pretty much self taught and getting on AMAZINGLY on his resto! I've rebuilt the engine on mine with a bit of guidence from father but unfort like I said don't have the time or space to attempt any sort of proper resto work. One day hopefully I'll be able to have a go myself!

Take it easy Dave!

Ben :hangloose

 

[maddave2000]

I definatley want to have a go myself! JonofDooms thread is an inspiration for all!! It definately spurred me on into wanting to have a crack. I bought a welder and took welding classes last year and have done a little bit of welding here and there. I'm currently living at my mums place still, so its her drive and double garage that you can see. What you cant see is that around where the bug sleeps is a tower of boxes, carpets, a 1000 tins of paint and other crap that my my mum has stored away. There is very little room for getting around the car let alone to taking the body off without a serious clear out - hoping to get a skip soon though! I have already rebuilt the engine and changed the front beam and redone the brakes, but its always bothered me about the state of the body work which is what I definately want to tackle next.

Im currently trying to save for a house too which is my first priority so any money here and there goes into the deposit pot rather than into what should be the heater channel pot! But doing it myself should keep the costs down anyway. I just need to take the plunge and start taking my grinder to things and see whats left! No excuse then!!

Keep us posted on your car! I love these resto threads!

 

[1584cc]

The car is definately staying orange. I figured since the old boy's been this colour for 36 years why change it now! Besides, how many orange cars do you see on the road?!

Ben

Good choice on the colour, I'm keeping mine orange too

 

[Jonofdoom]

Amazing, this thread's turning into a brilliant orange '71 1200 appreciation thread

Mine wont be staying that way tho, but this thread will certainly satisfy my curiosity about what it would have looked like if I did go with it's original colour.....
I might have to leave a tiny patch of OG colour under some carpet, somwhere inconspicuous, just to remind me of it's roots


Thanks for the kind words on me 'resto' by the way peoples:hangloose... Although I do have to say, most if it's been down to just ripping it apart then thinking "shit, I'd better fix this or I'm screwed". My number one bit of advice to anyone thinking about doing this kind of thing for the first time would be somthing allong the lines of that.. If you see somthing nasty, just get stuck in and cut it out. Then it's no longer a question of if you're doing a resto, but when

You learn prety fast too, when your beloved money pit's sitting on the drive in bits:lol:


By the way, what's model's yours 1584? Are you one of the lucky few to gain access to the elusive "'71 1200 model brilliant orange (or mango green over brilliant orange) beetle owners club"??

 

[benjyhas]

Good choice on the colour, I'm keeping mine orange too

See I was only joking before about therebeing enough late '70, 1200 orange cars to make a line up but who knows ey?!

Love your polished wheels by the way! Remember having a convo with you a while ago about them. Any pictures of them on the car yet?!

Ben :hangloose

 

[benjyhas]

Amazing, this thread's turning into a brilliant orange '71 1200 appreciation thread

Mine wont be staying that way tho, but this thread will certainly satisfy my curiosity about what it would have looked like if I did go with it's original colour.....
I might have to leave a tiny patch of OG colour under some carpet, somwhere inconspicuous, just to remind me of it's roots

John, by the time you've got your car ready for paint me and the rest of the 1970, 1200 orange crew are going to have convinced you to join our exclusive club! Come on, take the car back to its roots!

Ben :hangloose

 

[Jonofdoom]

John, by the time you've got your car ready for paint me and the rest of the 1970, 1200 orange crew are going to have convinced you to join our exclusive club! Come on, take the car back to its roots!

Ben :hangloose

Never!!!
:incheek:

I don't think I'm man enough to drive an orange car

 

[1584cc]

By the way, what's model's yours 1584? Are you one of the lucky few to gain access to the elusive "'71 1200 model brilliant orange (or mango green over brilliant orange) beetle owners club"??

No mines a 1300, euoropa bumpers etc... Hmmm, club L20B...

 

[1584cc]

See I was only joking before about therebeing enough late '70, 1200 orange cars to make a line up but who knows ey?!

Love your polished wheels by the way! Remember having a convo with you a while ago about them. Any pictures of them on the car yet?!

Ben :hangloose

Weldings finished, now waiting for prep. and paint. So the wheels arn't on yet. I'll put some pics up when it's all finished. Like the idea of an orange car line up

 

[benjyhas]

Right.....mini update boys and girls!

Popped down to DubMonkey's this afternoon to drop off some more parts that just turned up from Heritage.

The H frame's in so it's all braced up nicely. The crusty old heater channels have been removed to! The channels were so bad I'm relieved they're gone. The car looks even more naked now but already the car looks a million times cleaner!

A few snaps for you picture perverts!

Ben :hangloose