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Tue Jul 19, 2022 10:21 am

Nice paint. Glad to see the progress. Hope you have it home by now but i can wait for that update when it comes.

Wed Jul 20, 2022 2:04 pm

WOW! That black is deep! Is that a stock VW black? It looks stunning.

Wed Jul 20, 2022 2:10 pm

Looks really really nice !!!!

Wed Jul 20, 2022 3:54 pm

toxicavenger70 wrote: WOW! That black is deep! Is that a stock VW black? It looks stunning.

To be honest, I don't know what "black" it is. They said they painted it the "blackest black" you can get. It turned out beautiful.

Wed Jul 20, 2022 3:56 pm

April 11 2022 they post the final video :

Wed Jul 20, 2022 4:05 pm

And pictures they posted on their Instagram site piecing it back together :

Wed Jul 20, 2022 4:08 pm

Back together except for the front hood. They said there were some flaws in the paint and it would need to be resprayed. I'll have to come back for that later.

You'd never know this started life as a '64. Now it looks like an oval window from every angle :shock:

Wed Jul 20, 2022 5:51 pm

I love how perfectly the fenders flow into the front/rear aprons.

Pierre

Thu Jul 21, 2022 7:19 am

So nice. That is really good paint & body work. Hope you get it home soon.

When you spy a gull wing Benz in the back ground your dealing with a quality shop...

Thu Jul 21, 2022 7:36 am

That looks amazing! Glad you finally found a competent shop! I really hope they switched the wheels to the correct corners before that big tire on the right front had a chance to rub the fresh paint.

Thu Jul 21, 2022 3:06 pm

April 11 2022 it finally gets delivered to my driveway! It's finished and looks amazing.

The gull wing you saw in the background at the shop I believe is a kit car of some kind but I could be wrong. They are a high volume shop with a year long waiting list at any given time. They bust out projects left and right and aren't afraid to tackle anything. The fellow that did my body work is a total perfectionist.

First thing I noticed when it was dropped off was the fact that someone had the wheels on backwards :shock: . Out came the jack and the 135's got put back up front where they're supposed to be :) There was no rubbing so all is good.

Thu Jul 21, 2022 3:38 pm

A few weeks later the hood has been repainted so I pick it up and a buddy helps me install it.

Looks so much better complete!

But... I don't like how it fits :( This was a super straight original paint 1958 4-tab hood. I swore it fit really nice when I first installed it 5 years ago. Now it has some major issues. It sits too tall along the windshield cowl, the front tip rubs against the apron and there is a huge gap along the drivers quarter panel. Argh!!
To be honest, the shop came across some of these issues during final fitting when it was in primer. They didn't like what they were seeing either and had me come out with the latch, handle, cable and hood seal. They wanted to mock everything up together.
A few days later they text me and said they think they were able to get it fitting 90% better. To get 100% they have to start chopping the hood up - cutting, sectioning, welding and redoing the bodywork. I figured I could live with 90%.
I don't want to play the blame game as I have no idea what happened to my hood. It was at numerous shops in the last 5 years and for all I know someone dropped it and tweaked it out of shape. It's just too bad this wasn't noticed on day one at the body shop.

Thu Jul 21, 2022 3:55 pm

I just can't live with the black hood! It's driving me nuts. No amount of adjustment will help.
My buddy comes over and we try fitting the hood that originally came with the car when I bought it. It's pretty rough but it fits way better! Flat and level with the cowl, proper clearance at the apron and even gaps on the quarter panels.

I get back to the body shop about this and the owner feels terrible for me. He's a stand up guy and wants me happy. He said he's willing to body work and paint my yellow hood all at no charge. The yellow hood isn't a 4 tab but at this point I don't really care. I want to run a Wolfsburg crest so I'll just have the holes drilled.
After thinking about things for a while, the idea of using my yellow hood is bothering me. The car is so nice that using a beat hood that will definitely have filler etc just doesn't seem right. The car deserves a nice hood. Finding air cooled parts where I live is tough. The supply chain dried up years ago and finding another mint hood will be next to impossible. Where to start? How about posting up a "wanted" ad on Craigslist and see what happens...

Fri Jul 22, 2022 2:53 pm

A couple weeks go by and someone responds to my Craigslist wanted ad. A guy 40 min from where I live is offering up a clean hood that came off a 1965 Bug. I get his address, stop at the bank for some cash and head out to see if I can make a deal.
After a bit of back and forth negotiating, I become the new owner of the hood. $400 bucks + I give him a beat down hood that I have in my collection from a 1963 that I'll never use. He didn't really want to part with his hood. He knows a nice one is hard to find. He wanted something in return so at least he still had one in his collection. A rough one was better than nothing. I'm gratefully he was willing to help me out.
Nice and straight. No major dents, no rust and no cracks in the metal.

And it fits!

The body shop has agreed to body and paint this one for me. They said they should be able to book me in for August.

So... this is where I'm at with the Bug. From here on, it will be about slowly piecing it back together and rounding up parts etc.
I also have a Zwitter that I've owned for over 25 years that has been sitting for probably a decade. I've rolled it out of the garage and I'm currently working on it to make it a turn key driver again. I can't have 2 projects sitting around in pieces. The Zwitter must be put back together by the end of this summer. Then I can consider it done and move forward with the chop top.

Sat Jul 23, 2022 1:48 pm

Sent off an NOS oval ignition switch, NOS outside door handle and a mint used t-handle - all to be re-keyed so that they operate off the same key. All SG key codes.

Wed Sep 21, 2022 10:35 am

Nothing much happening with the Bug for the last few months. I switched gears and have been working on my '53 Zwitter instead. That car has been sitting off the road for over 12 years and I decided I better get it back together so I can drive it again before I focus back on the chop top.

Finally got the green light from the body shop to bring my red 1965 front hood in for body and paint. They sent me a text on Monday and they are completing some of the modifications I asked for.

They welded up the 3 holes for the VW emblem and have re-drilled the pattern for a 1960-1963 style emblem. They also welded up a molding hole, drilled a new one and added slots for a Wolfsburg crest.

Wed Sep 21, 2022 12:07 pm

Very cool. 8)

Details, details, details.

Thu Sep 22, 2022 12:02 pm

Stunning work!

Wed Mar 22, 2023 1:41 pm

banana split wrote: A couple weeks go by and someone responds to my Craigslist wanted ad. A guy 40 min from where I live is offering up a clean hood that came off a 1965 Bug. I get his address, stop at the bank for some cash and head out to see if I can make a deal.
After a bit of back and forth negotiating, I become the new owner of the hood. $400 bucks + I give him a beat down hood that I have in my collection from a 1963 that I'll never use. He didn't really want to part with his hood. He knows a nice one is hard to find. He wanted something in return so at least he still had one in his collection. A rough one was better than nothing. I'm gratefully he was willing to help me out.
Nice and straight. No major dents, no rust and no cracks in the metal.

Who did you get it from?

Wed Mar 22, 2023 4:28 pm

Hi Stephan, the beat down 1963 hood came from you! The red hood came from a guy named Brian who lives rather close to you. Don't recall his last name (and it's not Cook).

The chop top is still sitting in my garage with a car cover untouched. Still waiting for the body shop to finish up up the replacement hood. I know it has been a very long time but I told them no rush, the car is just sitting waiting for Spring time and warmer weather. I'll be reaching out to them soon. The chop top will still sit because getting my '53 Zwitter back on the road is priority for me.