Jims 1952

[scarabee]

Speaking of not knowing what to do... I think you've still got a bus to work on?

[VW_Jimbo]

[Jimone]

Lol! Nice.

Ill figure something out with the truck eventually.

Im interested in exploring the classic car driving and classic car maintenance hobbies right now. I know i find building it to be fun. Its hard work but there is a lot of fulfillment that i get from fixing. Especially when the thing im fixing is my fathers un-finished business. Sometimes it was a bit like alternative therapy. Its also filthy, frustrating and knuckle-busting.

Driving has been amazing. Lots of fun. The way my people talk to me about cars has changed. People want my advice on cars now lol. All my buddies are thinking about picking up a classic or fixing a family members classic.

I have never seen myself as a car guy. I guess i am now? For a bit i think ill spend some time out of the garage and see what that part of the hobby has to offer. Go to a car show. Take friends for drives. Photo shoots and picnics. The bug still needs/wants a bunch of minor things so i wont actually struggle to keep busy.

Rebuilding some of the truck parts will probably happen naturally as part of bug upkeep. I plan to rebuild the starter, fuel pump ect. That way i can swap those kinds of parts when they need work. The carb currently on the bug is actually the one from the truck.

I appreciate that you guys like this one enough that im immediately being encouraged to take on the truck. Thanks guys!
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november 1952 ragtop
november 1954 single cab

[scarabee]

I was only yanking your chain! Your Beetle is one of my favourites on the Samba, so I'm enjoying it through your posts. I get what you're saying. I've got a lot of work waiting for me in the garage, but I'd rather spend time driving my Beetle. We're in the middle of spring now, with vacation and summer to follow, so it's going to be even more difficult to focus on garage work.

[Jimone]

i added some scary teeth for halloween. they are spray painted cardboard. taped to the under side of the trunk lid. they folded up when i closed it.

couple more driving pics:

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november 1952 ragtop
november 1954 single cab

[viiking]

[Jimone]

[Jimone]

more motoring photos. the weather has been unseasonably warm.

this is the lake at shawnee mission park. the park is twice the size of central park in manhattan. they have a beach and a stable. theatre and an rc plane airport. disc golf. dog park with swimming. lots of trails and on and on. the park is an amazing feature of the city.

bonus shot of the interior.

almost time to start figuring out a winterizing plan. they use a lot of road salt around here so Smiley wont be getting driven as much.
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november 1952 ragtop
november 1954 single cab

[sportin-wood]

Great pics. You are living the dream! Those features at the lake sound awesome - makes me wish we had stuff like that around my area. Thanks for sharing!
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Dave

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1966 Bug project
1973 Thing project
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"Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman. He's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it." --- Jeff Spicoli

[Jimone]

[Jimone]

been a fun week.

snow soon so that means salt trucks.

did some winterizing stuff:
changed oil and tranny fluid
checked/topped off fuel, air cleaner and steering box fluid
lubed the beam, steering, brakes, pedals.
i did NOT check the front wheel bearing grease so ill need to do that sometime.
oiled the hinges.
steel wool in all the holes that critters could get in.
parking brake off.
battery inside.
i plan to roll it and pump the brakes one a week.
ill start it and drive it if the weather permits.
the garage is humidity controlled, so its dry, but not temperature controlled. it stays warmer than outdoors. lowest ive seen it is 25f when it had been in the negative teens for a couple days.
let me know if you guys have any additional advice. ive never overwintered one of these things.

here baby smiley oversees my 3rd attempt at putting axle boots on correctly. first time i didnt have the motor in, so when we installed it the extra weight tore the boots. the second time i did better. i didnt use a sealer though. they were fine right off the bat but started to leak after we got moving. i kept the fluid topped up till i did the tranny fluid change. this time i hit it with some permatex and i think we got it.

bunch of railroad ties at an old train depot in lenexa

kc is cool for a car like smiley. i can be in places like this or the middle of the city in like 15 minutes without highway.

fun mural.

the federal reserve bank. all the "J" stamped dollar bills come from here. you can watch them make them. they also have the Truman coin collection on display. president trumans actual coin collection was stolen. the displayed collection was donated by a bunch of coin dealers.

union station. there are bullet holes in the building from a mob shootout back in the prohibition era.

leaves are fun

liberty memorial. its the national wwi museum. the subject matter is grim but the presentation is world class. highly recommend. you can take an elevator to the top of the tower and see the whole city.

it rained on us. i actually had to use the wipers. they were...adequate.

this is as big as our tunnels get. not like those tubes some of you mountain folk get to drive through.

fun pic.

chevy in the background

happy holidays

and put away for the season.

been a blast driving the car this year. we went 1054 miles. mostly at 30-35 miles an hour.
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november 1952 ragtop
november 1954 single cab

[VW_Jimbo]

Very cool end to a great parade of pictures, of your drives! Thank you for it all! I will be missing the historical journeys. I have enjoyed all of them!

Lucky Bug! Looks like a warm spot to snooze through the wet winter in.

Hopefully you have something to fill the time you have spent working on and driving in Smiley! Something that makes you smile!

Adding this in. That picture of the Chevy in the background is a keen reminder that I have a 57 Bel Air to restore next. Really want to start on it by 2027. So, I need to get the 54 Bug done. Thank you!
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Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[esde]

Great pics Jim!!
About the axle boots, I've recently learned to not tighten the clamp at the tube until everything is back together, with weight on the axle. Often this means supporting the car on stands at the wheel while I tighten the clamp. I'm able to push the boot a little towards the trans, not much but a little keeps it from being stretched. I use the one piece boots whenever possible, but split boots get the seam facing forward. There are different opinions on this and theories as to why they work, but forward has been good to me
And yeah, top off the battery with distilled water, and hook up a maintainer type charger. Dump a little Stabil in the tank and run it to get it to the fuel pump and carb.. or drain them. Modern fuel is hell on things when it sits.
I just stuck a mouse trap in my 55...
SD
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modok wrote:
Bent cranks are silent but gather no moss. I mean, ah, something like that.

[Jimone]

thanks guys! good advice about the battery.

got smiley garaged just in time

stay warm out there
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november 1952 ragtop
november 1954 single cab