TheSamba.com :: View topic - A patina headed step child we have here(1968 VW Bug)

Sun Dec 11, 2016 1:01 pm

Hi Samba

I picked up this 1968 VW bug from a fellow on here last summer....we don't have much history except the fellow I bought it from got it out of a storage unit on the west coast...his daughter was driving it as her daily driver while she went to college....then I step into the history of this Bug...

I owned a 1971 super in the 1978-79 time frame...my son owned a 1974 Super Beetle in 1999 to 2001...

As I got older I started to feel a nostalgic pull to get another one...

This is George R as he is leaving sunny Southern CA for Mechanicville NY

Getting settled in for the ride East...

Once he got on the East coast...trying to get use to his new surroundings...

So the reason I call it the "step child" is I tried to sell him for the past 2 months...I got one real offer and it was a low ball one at that...I had to think about it and I was not sure...so with my indecisive feelings telling me maybe I should hang onto the old man...

I don't drive in the winter as we get lots of road salt around here...but it is residing in storage...I put new rear tires on him last summer...got the front aligned on it...needs some TLC...I am getting use to the burnt paint too...I was a rat rodder for like 5 years...so this fits right into that whole aspect of things...

future plans are a better pair of front seats...a newer straight rear fender...new KYB shocks all the way around....and run it...

It will do 60 mph...takes a bit of getting use to the whole carbureted stuff again....but he is way faster than my last 2 toys...one was 1953 Chevy truck (52 mph)and the other was a 1947 Willys Jeep (45 mph)...

My dad bought a brandy new one in West Germany on Dec 17, 1953 from the factory...he always told me he was the first GI to do this at the factory...he drove it over 100,000 miles...then he bought a 1957 beetle then a 1960 bus...that was when I was born...he needed room for two kids and all the stuff two little kids have to carry from place to place...the 1957 and the 1960 I believe were bought from Bromley Volkswagen in Glens Falls NY...

I think my dad would approve of it...my dad was George R.....so I named the old bug George R...

I have never had girls talk to me before about a car...they do now...

MikeC

Tue Dec 13, 2016 5:52 am

George R needed some new rear new sneakers.....

Went on line and found some on tireeasy.com and for less than $40.00 each these showed up

I had trouble right off the rip with driving it with my Danner work boots on...

So I figured I had better make sure I wear my skinny White's boots instead...problem solved...

Actually thinking about getting driving sneakers maybe in the future...I have not owned a pair in many many years...

Anybody have VW driving shoes???

MikeC

Tue Dec 13, 2016 3:23 pm

VW shoes... like that one! :lol:

Love the car also! :)

Tue Dec 20, 2016 7:55 pm

Haha well I have to drive barefoot or in my socks when I drive my little Austin Healey. I can't find any kinda shoes that work (i wear a 10 1/2 wide) and the pedals are even closer together than a vw! Sorry I know it's almost totally unrelated but I thought it was funny

Thu Jan 12, 2017 11:33 am

Hi Samba folks

I was crazy since October of 2016 and I went out and bought another childhood set of wheels...it was a 1971 Datsun pickup truck...after almost 3 months of trying to find parts that are virtually non-existent with no aftermarket support at all....a 23 year old kid came by Saturday night and picked it up...he was happy as a kid in a candy store...

So I pulled the old man back into the garage last night...I have not tried to even start it since I got the Datsun truck...I was surprised that it even would start after all that time....

Went out to the garage the other day...holey family...I forgot how old cars tend to reek of oil and gasoline....had to leave the garage doors open to let the fumes leave the shop....this morning most of the smell had left the shop...

Getting a plan in my head as to what I want to do with the old man....I have never adjusted the valves on one of these things...might try to do that...rear end is kinda saggy too...I should try to re-index the rear springs plates...

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Doing the 1970's time warp again...

MikeC

Tue Jan 17, 2017 11:55 am

I got crazy again and I threw the VW up for sale on a facebook VW page...I had a couple in my garage 3 days afterwards wanting to buy it...we could not come to a price I shooting for. I have another lady looking at it this weekend sometime...

My wife says I need to drive it more before I sell it...

It is a cool old car for sure...

MikeC

Thu Mar 16, 2017 10:47 am

The old car went to its new home...a couple bought it for their 15 year daughter to drive during the good weather....I think it left the first week of February 2017...

I had a blast with it while I had it....

I never felt safe in it and it was too slow to keep up with the flow of traffic where I live...I kinda had to send it down the road...I was not driving at all...

I hope the new owners have a ton of fun with it.....

Thanks for the memories...for the short time it was the 1970's again..

MikeC