Hello everyone...

Well I am new so let's get those introductions out of the way and save the initiations for another time..."g".

I will be bringing home my first Beetle this weekend. I found a 1972 2D Sedan and traded out my 1976 Harley Davidson Golf Cart for it...(what a swap eh?) Anyways I wanted a new project and in the back of my mind I have always wanted one of these toys.

The exterior looks to be in fair shape and I will be changing it, but not right away. Unfortunately as you look at these pics you will see the engine and the interior look as if they have seen better days.

If anyone has any suggestions concerning interiors, paint jobs, techniquies, places to go, links or services I would appreciate the help. I live in Manchester, TN which is about an hours drive outside Chattanooga.

I want to be economical but I would also like to restore this to its original beauty. (economical and project car doesn't go together in the same sentence does it...hehe) The interior will be very important to me to look clean simple. Painting information is what I am really looking for as well as nice parts...

Enjoy the pics and I look forward to posting with y'all... :rr:


http://webpages.charter.net/thehoodfamily/72Bug/72WebBug.html

The body from what I could see only had 3 ping pong ball size dings in it and you had to look at it right in the sunlight to even find them. Then there is a quarter size chip in the paint right under the hood (trunk) latch. Othere than that the body and paint to me is in wonderful condition, I was quite suprised.

This morning I went out with my mechanic to check the compression and the engine prior to making any commitments. We started her up with little resistance and she purred quite nicely. Drove her around in the parking lot for a while and everything seemed allright. I am sure there will be somethings that needed tending too and adjusting, but that is a far cry from starting from scratch with not engine. I will; however, take the engine apart and get it performing to the best of its ability.

The pan is looking good under the battery and in the front, but right behind the driver seat there is a gash about 4 inches long and a half of an inch wide w/rust. I assume I will be buying a rear panel but won't know more until I get it home and strip the interior out and see exqactly what I have going on, and look underneath of course.

The struggle I have is I want to restore it original, but also I wouldn't mind customizing it to my likes and dislikes...kinda fit my style. Re-sale value of course would drop though if I decided to turn-key it later.

I would like coming down and visiting you folks on a Monday, once I get her running properly and I can drive it for a good distance I will take you off on your offer.

Any suggestions and ideas are welcomed. I will update posts and pics for those of you who are interested in keeping up with its restoration...

In addition to our monthy meetings on the third Monday, we usually do an informal cruise-in on the Friday nights before the meeting.  In the warmer months we usually meet at the Sonic on East Brainard Road, and in colder weather, at Fat Mo's on Lee Hwy.  Both of those places are easy to find if you not familiar with the area.  They are just off of I-75 near Hamilton Place Mall.  Don't worry about getting it running before you come hang out with us!

We will also be having a lot of work sessions on the weekends and some evenings as we get ready for our big show (Bug-A-Paluza) in April.  We hand craft over 150 trophies for our show . . . it's a lot of work, but always a lot of fun!

Looks like you have an excellet project on your hands.  Rust in the body (especially in the heater channels) can get expensive, but most of the mechanical and interior stuff is pretty inexpensive when you compair a bug to any other early 70's car.

I can't really tell from the pictures, but it looks like it's a Super Beetle.  If it is, it'll have stuts on the front instead of a tortion beam suspension.  Some folks don't care much for Suipers 'cause if the front end isn't right they will shimmy and shake like crazy at about 45-55 MPH.  Once you get it right, however, a Super is a great handling car.  A Super won't make a good off road "Baja" like a standard, but for a street car, when the front end is right it's a better ride.

In the pictures it looks like it is missing the generator belt and rear tin.  You may already be aware of this, but just in case you're a REALLY NEW "newbie" . . . the engine is air cooled and the fan is driven by the generator.  If the generator isn't turning, the engine won't last long.  If the rear tin is missing, and you drive it down the road for any length of time, it'll suck the hot air from under the car and try to cool the engine with it . . . the longer and harder you run it, the hotter it'll get.  Even with the tin in place, it'll suck in hot air if the seal between the body and tin is missing.  You probably already know this, but I wanted to make sure . . . I fried the engine in my first bug because it didn't have the tin or seal.

Aother piece of newbie advice . . . VWs are adictive.  You will become obsessed.  If you aren't prepared for that, get out while you can!   \/

Finally got it all taken care of (paperwork) and now it was hauled over to my mechanic...he said he would charge me $40 to do a front to rear diagnosis of all of the mechanical and electrical work and make a safety and priority sheet for me. I figured I couldn't pass that up. So here in a few days I will have an idea where I stand with it. Once I know that I would really like to get it street legal and then bring it down so you "Experienced VW Fans" can take a peek at it and give me some suggestions through your years of trial and error.

Unless anyone makes house calls...lmao!

more pics too...

http://webpages.charter.net/thehoodfamily/72Bug/72WebBug.html

Yes indeed , As Herb said, Once bitten, there is no turning back. Im proof of that. I retired after 40+ years in the trenches with VW swearing that I would NEVER twist another wrench on anything much less a VW. That is until, for some reason unexplaned, I find this bunch of VW nuts called the VolksFolks. Well here we go again !  My wife Linda told me "Never say Never" As for you my friend, Its hopeless.You have a bug to keep you busy and on the bright side ,your family will be pleased that you will no longer have the time to sneak out at night to steal hub caps and hang out at the local "watering hole" :lol: Come see us soon!! :salute:

Glad to hear you are making progress but sorry to hear you have been completely "bitten". There is no turning back now and there is no cure for the addiction. There isn't even any medicine to "slow" its progress. Warn your wife now and I hope she is as understanding as my wife is as well as some of the other club members wives are. We will look forward to meeting you and your new Bug.

So true,
I've been working on my Westy for a while now, and have to hold myself back from getting a few beetles (have 3 nonrunning cars already!). It's tough, but once the westy is running, maybe I can get a nice bug...

Well back from vacation now...knew I should have ordered my parts before I left...lol! Van broke down the next day after getting back from our 1200 mile round trip, in fact it wasn't even a mile after getting on the road to hit the grocery store when the serpentine belt and pulley fused shut and burnt up half the wiring...oh well.

On a brighter note, the engine case is cleaned and painted and all the coooling tins are painted as well. Each of theparts David are spotless and and waiting for a day when I can get the parts and the stuff back down so I can learn phase two of putting an engine back together.

I am actually quite impressed with myself on how everything turned out and how good it all looks. Can't wait to get it going...