Readers rides
Panel Power
The reason I am so excited about my Van is not that I have just bought him, but that
I have just spent almost the last six months without him on the road, watching him collect all manner of spiders' webs and other debris, and now I have him back! Having missed the show season, I'm looking forward to next year already.
I have been into Volkswagens since I spent a summer driving round in a friend's black Cal Look Bug, with our surfboards on the roof and the cheesy Beach Boys playing over the stereo.
I was hooked (closely followed by my parents)!
Since then, I have owned a couple of Beetles, but before long, the roof rack on the last one was straining under the load of all my boards (not just the customary one for show). So I began the search for a Van - air-cooled, of course.
The pictures here show Bruce, my '79 Bay, which I had owned for 12 months with just the odd repair here and there, such as the usual leaky fuel lines, shot starter motor, random electrical quirks, etc, etc. But then the old 1600 lump out back started to sound as rough as it looked! And so I had an idea: a nice, big, shiny new engine - I like polishing! I blame your magazine for these delusions of grandeur!
I duly placed my order and sat back waiting - and I waited and waited... I didn't have the best experience, in all honesty - it is cheaper to buy from the States, but you can't just pop along to see how things are - unless you're Mr Branson, I presume.
Finally, though, Bruce is back on the road and menacing the speed bumps in town! He is now running a 1914cc Type 1 motor with twin 44 IDF carbs, full-flow oil system and some choice Scat components. My once-huge smile that I wore whenever I drove my Van is now even bigger!
Cheers, guys, for such a great magazine,
and here's to all Volkswagens - especially
the low ones!
Craig and Bruce, Macclesfield
Daddy's lil girl
My name is Kelly, I am 17 and I am a Volkswagen Beetle enthusiast. Let me introduce Lily, my beautiful 1969 Bug.
Ever since I can remember, I have dreamt of having a classic Beetle to call my own and thanks to my extremely determined dad, Gary, I am fortunate enough to have Lily as my first car!
Two years ago, when I was a mere 15 years old, I was surfing eBay and came across a very lonely-looking car, which of course
I fell in love with. I showed my dad immediately. He had possibly had a few too many beers that night and stayed up until early hours of the morning bidding frantically, in his rather 'emotional' frame of mind!
It wasn't until the next morning that he realised that the car was kept over 300 miles away in Cornwall. So there were a number of concerns:
Problem 1: How do we get it home?
Solution: Let's fly to Newquay and drive her back!
Problem 2: Ten miles into the journey home, the Beetle dies.
Solution: Ring the RAC.
Problem 3: RAC takes seven hours to find him and then won't bring him home.
Solution: Courtesy car used and Beetle transported home several days later.
Problem 4: The Beetle arrives, but
on close inspection, we discover that
she is a complete wreck. Needless
to say, my dad is not very happy.
Solution: Hard work!
It is no exaggeration to say that Dad spent every single spare moment in the garage, whether it was boiling hot or freezing cold weather. First the floor and heater channels were repaired, then all panels, except for the roof, were replaced and a complete rewiring was done throughout! Next the 1200cc engine was rebuilt. Weeks of rubbing down commenced to prepare her for the respray. I chose her new colour Mermaid Blue and, after a few weeks of anticipation, Lily was reborn.
From then on, it seemed as if the postman was bringing us a parcel every day that contained a shiny new piece of chrome to add to her bare body!
The original seats were recovered to match the paintwork and a new interior carpet was fitted, after much swearing from my parents (at each other)! A new steering wheel, surfboard-style interior mirror and CD player completed the transformation. The icing on the cake was a birthday present from my brother Tom: a bud vase with a lily flower.
I wrote in because I wanted to show my dad how much I appreciate the work, time and effort he has put into building my perfect car. I just need to pass my driving test now!
Kelly Semper, Lincolnshire
Mark Whitfield's 1960 Panel Van - Readers' Rides
Allow me to show you my 1960 Double Dorr Panel Van. I've had it about six months now and just got it through an MOT after sorting out the headlamp alignment, one rubber shock bush and the number plate light.
At the shows this year I've been meeting people who remember the Bus from Cornwall where it had sat out of the scene for a while. I've been getting some good stories about it. I even met a chap through STEERING BOX SCRAPERS
(great bunch of people) who had photos of the Bus when it was in Vancouver. It won the biggest burnout award at the Fathers day dub parade in 2000. Ace pics lots of smoke and 2 flat tyres at the end. I have some video footage of it that! [You can see this by looking at our Video pages - JG]
Engine is a Bernie Bergman type 1 2276cc which was featured in Hot VWs Feb '97 when it was in a red cal-look Bug. It has 45mm DRLA carbs, DMS 82mm crank, stock rods clearance'd and balanced, forged Cima 94mm pistons and cylinders, 040 ported and polished heads, 3-angle valve job, berg dual springs and retainers, 40x35.5mm valves, autocraft 1.25:1 rockers and a compression ratio of 9.0:1.
Other additions include: electric fuel pump, Porsche cooling kit, remote Mesa oil cooler with fan, Fram HP1 filter, Melling oil pump, 009 dizzy with Petronix pointless iginition, 2100lbs Kenedy Clutch and a fully merged header with Flowmaster muffler.
The gearbox is a Pro-Street straight axle. I have CSP ally hub front disc brakes on a dual circuit brake system, narrowed and dropped front beam and a hurst line loc!
I have also got a host of Autometer gauges for oil pressure and temprature readings and a dash mounted rev counter with shift light. There is a Gene Berg T-Shifter installed for gear selection.
Other things I love about the Van are the front and rear Saffari windows, centre brake light and the early crank start rear valance
All i can say is I'm well happy with this motor and hope to get it down the 'Pod next year.
Mark Whitfield
VW addict - Readers' Ride
Here are some pictures of my recently acquired 1965 Bug, it's my pride and joy! I only bought it three months ago after selling my '79 Guinness Panel Bus. It is my third car and third VW! My dad and me restored a '72 Bug for my first car, which was a slammed candy red cal-look! Anyway... the '65 is almost stock, the only modification being that it's lowered one turn/spline on the rear, and a few notches lower on the front adjusters, to keep the ride smooth!
The only things I had to do when I bought it were to put new TMI door cards in, and pop an EMPI roof rack on top! I've collected a few stickers too, as you can
see, most of which I got on a recent trip to the States, where I also
confirmed my love for VWs with a tribute tattoo on my leg!!! We'll be
at the shows, showing and shining through next summer, as well as
driving around Somerset every day in between!
Thanks to my girlfriend Chloe for putting up with it all, and to my
Dad who does most of the work! He's put up with a lot over the last
few years! Hope you get your bus finished soon!
Lee Evans (21)
A Bug's life! - Readers' Ride
Jake Markham has had this Beetle since he was 19. Now, 21 years on, he is turning 40 and still the proud owner of the same car. In that time Jake has married Marta who he met just before buying the Beetle), and has two great kids, Daniel and Lora.
The car has also changed a lot in that time. 'Back in the day', Jake started with subtle mod's, a slight lowering job, Spintstars, black blade bumpers and Lucas indicators. This was the 80's, Jake was at college and money was tight, but the car looked cool. Moving on a few years, and Jake decided it needed some updating, so it went into the lockup to start it's next incarnation. It was still the 80's, Wizard roadsters and graphic door panels were in, so the Beetle was treated to a fibreglass oval deck-lid, 2 inch wider rear glass fibre wings, early '60s taillights, sloped front wings, polished Cookie Cutters, a 1776 and one of those 'in' graphic interiors with Capri grey velour seats. The car was sprayed dove blue.
But Jake wasn't happy, the car never saw tarmac in this form, and he started over. He had 'matured' and his tastes had changed. Jake decided to go with a subtle VW colour, Polar White. To continue the subtle look, Jake chose early Fuchs, the desirable 4 1/2's on the front and 5 1/2's out back, with US spec front and rear bumpers, and a 60s convertible deck-lid. He wanted to go way faster than the 1776 could push him, so Jake contacted Ian at Wolfsburg who built him a 2332cc type 1 with 48 IDA's and a hot FK87 cam all pushing a 10.5.1 compression. It's hooked to a CogBox gearbox with all the right pieces. A hot setup for sure, this baby pulls - hard! The Interior was the basket weave off-white VW/TMI variety with a stock '60s steering wheel, colour coded Safety Devices rear cage, and a small accompaniment of Autometer gauges, oh, and the obligatory line lock! Like this Jake managed to get the car legal and ticketed to run around in. He entered the 2004 VolksWorld Show, went to a few Hot Rod and VW shows, tried his hand at drag racing a couple of times, running a respectable mid 13, but Jake being Jake, he had to tinker. Bigger heads were the start of it, that was three years ago, the car is the same colour, but a lot of other stuff has changed, the obvious things are the wheels, original American Racing Porsche pattern D's, and a bunch of other stuff, but you'll have to wait and see... There are also plans to restore a Squareback.
For his Birthday, Jakes son, Daniel (aged 12) came up with the idea of getting his Dads car into VolksWorld, so between him, Marta and Jakes good friend Neil Brown, the trio got in contact with us to make it happen. They, and Jakes daughter Laura (aged 2) would like to wish Jake a very Happy Birthday!
Long time coming - Readers' Ride
Hey VolksWorld, Here are a few pic's of my restored 1972 Beetle.
I bought the car with my dad when I was 15. It had a very tidy interior and a disc brake conversion - plus it drove well! After a good run home, closer inspection showed it needed a lot of bodywork including two new sills and one floor pan.
We decided to completely strip it down and having seen my Dad restore two Classic Jaguars I was not fazed and hoped to have it ready for when I passed my test.
Although sold as a 1300 we found out the engine was a 1600 so rebuilt it using twin port unleaded heads and had the crank and cam checke and re-machined at a local engineering shop.
At this point there was a pause in proceedings, of around seven years, as my parents moved house and I moved out and discovered girls, pubs and all-night parties. During this time the Beetle lived in three different garages, I had five different jobs and traveled to 20 different countries, needless to say not much work got done during this period!
I thought about selling it a few times but all the ads in VolksWorld for "Unfinished Projects" were pretty sad so I kept it and promised to make time in the future.
Some years later, in its new home and me with a job allowing me more free time and money, we set about the task in hand.
I knew I wanted it lowered but nothing too crazy so went for a new puma beam at the front and dropped it one spline at the back with up-rated anti-roll bars front and rear. We bolted on the engine, which we had re-built seven years earlier, to the original gearbox, which was in very good condition.
Once we had lifted on the re-sprayed, de-chromed body it was time to get to work on the new auto sparks wiring loom and lots of smaller more fiddly jobs.
A whole lot of blood, sweat and tears from dad and me and we have done it.
Taking it for its first MOT was awesome, it passed with flying colours and even got a complement from the MOT inspector.
I really want to thank my mum and dad for putting up with the Bug in the garage for so long, my fiancé for not getting to annoyed when I kept disappearing to Norfolk to work on the car and to VolksWorld for all the tips and contacts in the mag.
Dan Greenway (now 31)
Andrew Wright Kool Kubelwagen - Readers' Ride
Here are some photos of my husband Andrew's recently completed Kubelwagen Replica.
Having wanted a Kubel for many years, he decided the only way he was going to get one was to build his own!
So in May 2003 he got a 1969 1300 Beetle. The remains of the Bug were separated from the chassis – which was then renovated and fitted with a left-hand drive front beam.
The body was created using a combination of repro' panels purchased from Hans Schuckenbohmer and some home made ones. These were built up around a box section frame.
The homemade dash incorporates the 1969 Bug Speedo. The engine is a pre 1967 1200cc – a £35 bargain from Bristol Volksfest. Another show bargain are the wheels with tyres.
The front and rear Notek (black-out lights) are genuine Kubelwagen as are the rear stoplights – courtesy of eBay.
Paint is "Grey" done with rattle cans – Military markings in white were applied free hand.
The seat and hood frames where made using steel tube and a pipe-bender. Andrew also did all the sewing involved in making the seat cushions and the hood.
I hope you like his handy work.
Angela Wright, Leicester.
Erik Nymans lovely lowrider Beetle - Readers' Ride
This '66 Beetle low rider belongs to Erik Nyman from Sweden. Four years ago it was a daily driven rat-looker. When autumn came to Sweden it found its way in to Erik's garage and was the third Volkswagen to get a complete resto and rebuild from Erik's skilled hand. A couple of months in to the build it was clear that due to all his new and crazy ideas, this was going to be the most extensive project yet.
The main goal was to make it as low as possible. Starting at the front, Erik relocated the front beam two inches higher to be able to lay the body on the ground. The beam was narrowed four inches and features custom shock towers and air shocks.
In order to match the super low front, Erik raised the engine and transmission two inches also. In order to maintain a stock-looking engine bay, the entire section above the gearbox and around the engine was cut out and relocated a bit higher to suit.
In the back the car has two airbags instead of torsion bars and the spring plates have been radically notched for the lowest possible height.
Even the floorboards have been raised to make sure this car wasn't just going to be low, but the lowest!
The basic idea for the rest of the car was to use as many parts from 50's Beetles as possible such as the ?56 taillights and engine lid. A batwing steering wheel and steering column also found their way into Erik's creation.
Due to the raised front beam, the petrol tank had to be relocated, so while doing this Erik swapped the tank for a smooth tank from an oval window Beetle.
The interior is a one-of-a-kind! Erik designed it and his mother made all the upholstery from scratch. It features a bench seat in the front, and subsequently the handbrake needed a new home so it now operates from the left side of the seat.
The engine is nothing more than a stock 1600cc but it's been properly cleaned and treated to some shiny bits, and of course matching beige tin ware.
Wheel wise, the Bug rolls on MWS Fuchs measuring 4.5 inch in the front with 145/65 tyres, and 5.5 inch in the back with 195/50 tyres.
So far the car has attended two shows in Sweden and has won awards both times - and rightly so!
