TheSamba.com :: View topic - Another Fat Chick - '71 Bug

Mon Mar 15, 2010 5:13 pm

As a kid, I dreamed of having one of those rides I would see every month in Hot VWs and VW Trends. I can remember being twelve and walking down to the local VW shop to pick up the latest issues. I guess I could have gotten a subscription but then I wouldn't have been able to look at all the cool after market products hanging on the wall or the projects they had going on in the back. The owners didn't seem to mind having a punk kid with no money hanging around; maybe they did the same thing at my age.

At fifteen, my grandma & grandpa bought a '71 Bug for $400. When I found out they had bought it for me (to buy from them), you can bet I was in VW heaven. I spent every weekend I could working on that thing. I had big dreams but little money so we worked on the basics. JC Whitney was right in line with the budget we had for this car. A little interior work, a tune-up and a good coat of wax got this car in perfect condition for a kid's first car. After six months, I'm sure my grandpa was happy to be done with the VW and me constantly wanting to work on it.

I drove the car for most of my junior year and like a lot of kids, got caught up in the wrong crowd. Soon after, the car was taken away and parked. At eighteen, I got the car back but the intrigue of the VW Bug had lost its lure. Soon after, I bought a pick-up and parked the car.

Sixteen years later I decided it was time to get the car going again. My daughter, who is only eleven now, was going to be the recipient of my old ride. I figured I would build it now, enjoy it for a few years and then pass it on. Well, I wasn't too far into the build when I realized I wasn't going to spend all of this time and money for a young girl's first car. I started to remember high school parking lots and teenage drivers... I think she'll get a Cheep-Jeep.

So this is where I am. I will update this thread as I move along with the build. The goal is to get the body work done and get the car looking good on the outside. I will work on the interior later, as time and money permits.

Disclaimer: I am not a purist. I don't care if the car is period correct. I am building this car for myself and what I like, not for anyone else.

Cliff Notes: Restoring my first car.

This is the car when I was sixteen (around '91).

Starting to take it apart.

One of my helpers.

Stock motor will be replaced with a 1914cc.

Separated

Before I told her she wasn't getting it.

Motor disassembly.

Mon Mar 15, 2010 5:17 pm

Pretending to go for a cruise.

Narrowed the beam 3 1/2"s with adjusters.

Got the new pans in.

POR15 on the chassis.

After

Mon Mar 15, 2010 5:32 pm

I new I wanted a motor that would have some pep but also be streetable, so I decided on a 1914. I went to a local VW shop called Sport Car Performance, owned by Randy Bowen, and discussed what would be best for my build. I let him know right off the bat that I had planned to build the motor myself, but he still took the time to make sure I did it right. He even let me build the motor in his clean room and took the time to give his expertise and answer any questions I had along the way. There wasn't one part that came out of the box and straight on the motor. He had me do something to everything. There are a lot of tricks to building a solid motor and Randy seemed to know them all. All those years he spent building drag motors and racing VWs has made him a wealth of knowledge on the subject.

I didn't go with the best stuff on the market but I do feel I have a motor that will scoot and be reliable. I am running a stock crank and connecting rods but everything else is aftermarket.

Getting ready to assemble the motor.

The final product. I will disassemble it one more time so I can paint all the tin and do the final fitment.

Mon Mar 15, 2010 5:38 pm

And this is where I am now. I am so sick of sanding.

Shaved front turn signals.

Early taillights.

What I'm starting with.

Got the wheels the other day. The front is a 3 1/2" narrowed beam, with adjusters. I am also running a disc brake conversion with drop spindles.

This is with one inner spline and 205/60's. I didn't like the height, so I went one outer notch and will test fit some 195/65's.

Mon Mar 15, 2010 6:34 pm

Great way to put the kids to good use, er... spend time with them. My 1 year old just looks at me like I'm stupid when he watches me work on mine (maybe he's right) Looking good, summers right around the corner...

Mon Mar 15, 2010 7:43 pm

Wish I had the time, money, skill and balls to do a project like that. Gotta hand it to ya.

Tue Apr 13, 2010 9:09 am

Got a few more things done. I have been wanting to get the interior painted so I could put the body back on the chassis and get some much needed garage space back. Still have plenty to do but it's coming along.

A shitty video of my 1914.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcz_mg3fvXI

Prepping the dash for paint.

And after.

Engine compartment partially done.

Tins trimmed and painted.

Cleaning up the gas tank before paint.

And after.

Starting to go back together.

Tue Apr 13, 2010 10:29 am

WOW looking great!

Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:35 am

Top effort mate, your engine is looking awesome! Can't wait to see the finished look

Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:45 am

I like it bro. Its super clean looking. Cant wait to see what it ends up like.

Tue Apr 13, 2010 4:47 pm

Thanks guys! I'm going for a simple, clean look. I grew up admiring Cal-Look bugs and even though that may not be the trend today, it's what I've always wanted. My Bug won't be pure Cal-Look but it will be along those lines (I hope).

Tue May 11, 2010 7:45 pm

I was able to put in some time this past weekend. My wife even let me spray the car on Mother's Day. What a great woman. It looks good in the photos, but I'll be the first to say it is a TEN FOOTER. I'm not too disappointed since it was a single stage paint shot in a garage. I will spend more time on an early car (when I get one). I still have plenty to do. The headliner arrives tomorrow. Once that's in, I can install the rest of the glass. I am going to shoot the undersides of the fenders and wheel wells with Rock-It Undercoating. It's coming along though.

Fri May 14, 2010 5:52 am

The headliner showed up on Wednesday. I was a little nervous about installing it because of all the hype I've read. I will say it was much easier than I anticipated. I went with a charcoal colored tweed. I don't mind the perforated vinyl but I think this is a classier look. The pad kit I purchased with the headliner was a bit crude but it did the job.

Pad kit installed.

Worked the B-pillars first. The J-Bugs video was very helpful for this install.

Got the bows in the main section of the headliner. This was a six piece kit.

Getting everything centered.

Now time to start pulling and gluing.

Lots of clips.

DONE!!! I am really happy with the way it turned out. The charcoal grey looks so clean next to the light metallic blue.

Two more windows to go and I can focus on wiring the lights and turn signals. I am going to rough it in for now and the do a clean install at a later time.

Fri May 14, 2010 6:39 am

I haven't posted here yet but I've been following your progress. Looks really awesome man! 8) I'm afraid to do my own headliner, not that I really need one all that much. I'm going to do some repairs with some vinyl from a cloth store. Anyway keep up the good work :D Are you using an SLR for these pictures?

Fri May 14, 2010 5:07 pm

Chad the car looks great. Has a nice stance to it. I think I am going to get rid of mine

Fri May 14, 2010 9:31 pm

Thanks l.t.m.f.

Most of the pictures were shot with a dslr but some were p&s and a couple with my cell phone.

HomeGrown wrote: Chad the car looks great. Has a nice stance to it. I think I am going to get rid of mine

That sucks dude. Are you just tired of it or getting rid of it for other reasons? If you decide to sell it, let me know what you want. I might be looking for an early car soon.

Sat May 15, 2010 2:14 am

[quote="_Jocko_"]Thanks l.t.m.f.

Most of the pictures were shot with a dslr but some were p&s and a couple with my cell phone.
No problem.

Sweet, I love dslrs...you go canon or nikon?

Sat May 15, 2010 5:27 am

My stable of camera equipment is Nikon. I think Canon as some nice stuff, but for low light situations, Nikon is leading the field. The interior shots were all with a 14-24mm lens.

Sun May 16, 2010 12:39 pm

_Jocko_ wrote: My stable of camera equipment is Nikon. I think Canon as some nice stuff, but for low light situations, Nikon is leading the field. The interior shots were all with a 14-24mm lens.
Awesome. I have a Canon but I like Nikon as well. Canon has slightly better color reproduction, imo.

I'm gonna keep following your thread...good luck :)

Fri May 28, 2010 5:51 am

This is how it sits right now. I still have plenty to do, but it is now a hobby and not a full time commitment. I have been buzzing around Colorado Springs for the last two weeks, enjoying the car like I did when I was a punk 16 year old.