Build the Plywagen!

Let's take a little trip back in time; To a bygone era when men had tools and knew how to use them. To a time when, for just the price of lumber and a magazine a man could build his own roadster. 

These free plans show the ingenuity, spirit and fun one could have in that era unhindered.  It's the closest you may ever get to having a set of time machine blueprints....

Enjoy!





Taken from Mechanix Illustrated, November 1964

Until Next Time....

No man can serve two masters; (Aka, Farewell to the Beetle)

Yes I quoted Matthew 6:24.  No, I am not turning religious on you.

The quote is one that did stick with me from my days in the Anglican Church and it seemed the best to summarize the situation I found myself in.

In a previous post I spoke of being struck with an anxious feeling when I went into the garage.  While that feeling passed to a degree, it never completely went away.  I believe that deep down one knows when changes need to be made in one's life.   For me, the weight of my ambitious list of projects had become far too much for me to manage.

Something had to go.


There were several reasons that the forlorn bug became the sacrificial lamb;  It was taking up far too much real estate in the garage, leaving little room to maneuver.  Secondly, not having my friend available anymore to assist took much of the joy from the project.  I also hadn't really worked on it in a couple years.  Lastly, there was a laundry list of items left to be done, including paint and body work.  That is a very large time and money commitment.

The decision was made and the ad went up.


The Beetle sold (rather quickly) to a retired gentleman with a nice, big garage.  He has lots of time and pocket change to finish what I started. 

Regrets?

Not a one.  I am very proud to have rescued it from the crusher and to have had the opportunity to work on an iconic car;  I learned how to weld and met lots of great VW people in the process.

The first thing I did was secure two new workbenches to put along the walls.  I plan to get another one up as well, to eventually have 16 feet of workbench space (4x the current amount!)

Once everything is cleaned, purged, swept and sorted I can once again focus on my first love, English Iron.

Until Next time....

Get the lead in!

My poor old Beetle had definitely seen better days before it found me in 2014.  One of the most awkward spots to tackle was the rust right below the windshield.   Fortunately for me that area was solid but badly pitted with a few holes here and there (small ones).

I knew that putting body filler over top was a poor idea as rust could reform and bubble up under the paint.  I thought of fiberglass, however that was also messy and problematic.  I decided the best approach was to go back in time to the days of lead solder filling.   There is an excellent supplier in the US, TP Tools.

http://www.tptools.com/

I had all the items shipped to my US address and they arrived within 2 business days.  I purchased lead body solder, tinning butter and a copper brush for application.

I have been sitting on this stuff for a couple months and decided to dive in yesterday afternoon.

Here are the shots of the process.

Here we have some small holes and pitting

initial filling of the holes 

I added some more material and smoothed it out.

Overall I am pretty pleased, especially for a first attempt.  I will need to use a thin layer of filler to smooth things out, however it is being applied to metal coated in high build primer.

I hope to have the rest done before class starts on Saturday morning!

Back to School!

We are never too old to learn and never too old to deal with what has been put off.

I have decided to tackle both by signing up for a welding course at the local community college. 

 My friend did an exceptional job installing my floors and heater channels;  I found myself envious at times as he made it look so easy.  He is entirely self taught, honing his skills over the last 27 years on British cars and other projects.   

I am ashamed to admit that I was intimidated by welding and always avoided it.  Relying on others is fine on occasion, but not something to make a habit of.  

My friend has a young family and a demanding work schedule these days.  In conversation he has told me he feels badly about not getting the Beetle finished;  I always make sure to show appreciation for all the hard work he has already put in.  Without him, the project would have never gotten off the ground. 

It is definitely up to me to take things over the finish line.  

With formal instruction I hope to gain the confidence to do my own work.   The course runs from Mid-September until the end of October, every Saturday morning for four hours. 

I am very excited to take on this new challenge! 

Not me.....yet.  (soon though!)

Ask and ye shall receive....

I asked the universe if I should do a ragtop conversion on the Beetle.  The universe in turn, put one right in my lap.  My lap and the rest of me will be making a two hour drive to collect in the next couple weeks, but so it goes.

It happened that quickly;  As a curiosity, I scanned the classifieds on the Samba and found this for a very reasonable price.

This roof clip from a '63 isn't perfect or complete but it is a great start!  The general consensus within the VW community is that aftermarket ragtops are subpar to a donor clip.  Well, I now have a donor clip and can gradually buy all the bits as I go.  This will make it easier to budget things over the winter.

It's funny how little signs pop up now and again.

Yesterday I wrote about my old friend Victor;  A few hours later, I spied a faded red Beetle (post '67) in the Dofasco parking lot.  What are the odds?

I believe in listening to the universe and it seems the universe occasionally listens to me.

Until next time....

P.S.

I am still working on the Matchless engine rebuild.  Progress is being held up by a $1.38 sludge trap screw that will arrive in a few weeks.

Was I always this sentimental?

Yes, apparently I was.


It's funny how a memory or feeling can be triggered quite randomly;  for a moment you may even find yourself reliving it.

I live near a somewhat busy country highway, with homes staggered throughout.  On my drive to work this morning I spotted a house with a side lot being used for new Volkswagen storage. I imagine this is rented space for unsold stock from the dealer down the road.  While VW sales have been up on the whole (despite a series of scandals) they are certainly dwindling here in Canada. I was seriously interested in the Golf Diesel wagon until I read about all the fuel pump issues.

I am however, getting off track.

For some reason, as I drove by all those (probably unwanted) cars,  my mind drifted back to 1982.

I have spoken about Victor, our family car at the time in previous posts.  He was a cheerful 1969 red Beetle that my dad bought new, chosen by a narrow margin over an Austin 1100. Considering my father's level of patriotism and belief in the home product, it was a bit of a surprising purchase.

Even at a young age,  I always felt that Victor was a friend;  It was through his small rear windows that I first experienced the world outside of our home.  Being in the backseat almost exclusively, I was also the closest to his mechanical heart, beating reliably on every trip we took.  My favourite being the hour long drives to my grandparent's house in the country.

Victor was a very tough and determined little car;  I vividly remember the brutal winter storm of 1977 during which my sister was born.  The hospital was at the top of a tall escarpment, a 330ft climb from where we lived.  All that could be seen was the blinding white of blowing snow; the high winds repeatedly struck Victor's body as he held true to course.  As larger, more powerful vehicles laid helplessly by the way side, he carved his path and by God, nothing would get in his way!

We had many more memories and many, many good times over the next few years.  The most amusing incident being my father's absolute refusal to allow a bushel of Sauerkraut (the exact expletive laden slur directed at the Germans escapes me) in his car.  My mother was forced to pack it in the front with the spare tire.

Fast forward to the fall of 1982, sometime before Halloween.  It was a Tuesday and my father announced that he would be picking me up from Cubs.  I was strangely uneasy about this as he had never picked me up and we only lived a block away. (Unlike today's bubble wrap children, we actually walked everywhere, something I am quite proud of!)

I would point out that I didn't distrust my father in any way, however I couldn't escape an awful feeling that had grown in the pit of my stomach.  In retrospect this was an early example of instinct and to a lesser degree premonition that has been with me since.

It was rather cool that night as I stood outside the church alone.  I felt comforted when I heard Victor's distinct exhaust note coming around the corner.  My dad was somewhat ambiguous about where we were going, only that it was a surprise.  Was I being sent to military school?  were we moving? I really had no idea.  The drive to our destination seemed painfully slow, but we had arrived.

 It was a car dealership in the east end of the city.  I looked up and saw a strange word on the sign.  N-I S-S-A-N. I sounded this out to myself, unsure of what a Nissan was (Datsun were transitioning the brand at this point; some cars actually had both badges on them).

We got out of  Victor and walked over to a rather boring looking blue station wagon in a row of other boring station wagons.  Dad informed me that it was ours and he would be picking it up the next day.  'What about Victor?' I asked.  Dad explained that while our family had grown, Victor had not.  It was time for him to find a new home.

  Suddenly that awful feeling I had was justified, knowing that I would have to say goodbye to a good friend.  To my father's credit he was excited to have something new and wanted to include me in a traditional father-son experience.  To my credit, I asked lots of questions and attempted to bury my disappointment.  At least that's how I remember things.

Now that the Sentra had come home, Victor was relegated to the parking spot behind our backyard fence.  I would visit with him everyday, sometimes sitting inside and pretending to drive him away.  I worried that someone in the alley would steal him or smash a window.  Fortunately I could still see him from my bedroom.  When he was put up for sale, nobody wanted him.  On the one hand I felt badly for him and on the other,  I hoped we could keep him.

Beetles were garden variety in those days and plentiful.  Victor had one distinct advantage in that he was completely rust free due to a Ziebart treatment when new.  Eventually he was sold to the neighbour's son who bought it for his wife.  With fresh paint and a tune up, Victor was resplendent. That was my last memory of him and I cherish it.  Through a VIN search a few years ago  I discovered that he was sold again in 1985, the last time he was registered.  I'd like to think he is still being looked after by a caring owner.

My one remaining piece of Victor, as displayed on my garage cabinet. 

Is it wrong to love a car or motorcycle?  Not as far as I'm concerned. To choose to love anything or anyone is the noblest pursuit.  With the knowledge that all things must end, it is the bravest thing to be capable of.

As for the memories?  Hopefully the good ones live on forever.

Not the actual Victor, but identical.

To Ragtop or not to Ragtop, that is the question!

At least that is the question on my mind today.

Yes,  I am finally getting back to the poor old Volkswagen project.  This August marks the 10th year anniversary of my sister's passing and I want to get her tribute back on track.

Over the next two days I am doing a list of all the jobs required to get this car running and back on the road.

One of the items I have been seriously considering is the addition of a sunroof kit.  It would be a shame to decide to do this after body work and paint were applied.  This is supposed to be a fun vehicle for weekend or the odd drive to work, probably seeing the most use in the spring/summer/fall.

Many VW enthusiasts source an original Golde sunroof with the surrounding metal from a donor car. While I am enthusiastic about this car, I can hardly say it is original anymore so that might be a touch extreme.

There are a few kits available and this one currently has my attention.

Ragtop Kit

At $720 U.S. (including shipping) the kit is just works out to $1000.00 Canadian.

If you haven't seen it already,  Max Wilson has a wonderful Youtube video of his father's Beetle restoration.  In the video, he installs a kit (making it look much easier than it probably is).

The video can be found here and is worth every minute of viewing time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNv0fI-qzP8

I hope to have a decision made within the month.

I think this looks pretty sharp!

Updates and more updates...

Ah, the Throes of February;  Generally for me the low point of the year.  I only get a couple days of work a week,  the weather is poor and my garage unheated.

I am very pleased to say that this year has been far less trying;  With the low Canadian dollar, selling of parts has gone better than usual (unfortunately not so much for buying) and the weather?

This was taken a week and a half ago..

Unfortunately the weather hasn't quite held to this high standard, but the reprieve was more than welcome.   That quick blast through the country side with Katie has me smiling, even as I write this.

I will never be able to say enough about how wonderful these bikes are.  I can't think of anything else on the road with the level of style, performance, reliability and fun for the money.  While I choose to remain mostly stock, the custom possibilities for modern Triumphs are seemingly limitless.


All told it was a good year for riding,  She turned over at 29,000 on my sister's birthday back in December.   If you have read previous posts, I have explained the connection so I won't go into it here.   She passed away at 29 years of age and to see that number on Katie's Odometer on that day  I know she is still with us.

Very little was required maintenance wise this year apart from an oil change, new rear spoke, new rear inner tube and rear disc.   These are all items that are par for the course, especially when you commute daily as I do.  This spring she will be getting progressive fork springs (something I bought years ago, misplaced and have found again) fresh oil all around and fresh brake fluid.

I also need to consider some new rear shocks, at the moment I am leaning toward a set of Hagons.

Some high grade cleaning products to enhance and preserve the black engine casings and frame are also on the list.   I've been doing research, primarily on the Triumph Rat forum and some Harley forums.  The general consensus is that this stuff is best:

http://www.s100.com/s100_eb.htm

I believe I can get it locally and will post the results once I have given it a go in a couple months.

Onto the VW!

With the help of my very good friend, (who is wary of Online media so no names or photos used) we have acheived an astounding amount work:

Here is the current state of affairs:

Here is a quick breakdown of the work (off the top of my head)

- New Floor welded in

-New heater Channels welded it

- Various patch panels applied 

-New front clip welded in

-4 cleaned and repainted wheels

-New tie rods 

-New front shocks installed

My friend will be taking the car to his property to finish the welding work in the spring.  I have all the parts required to finish the work including a brand new wiring harness.  I hope to be driving in primer at least by September!  I am thankful to some great people on The Samba forum and for the holiday sales (with free shipping) from CIP.ca.  

Next entry we will cover some new exciting projects and new rust removal techniques.  

Stay Tuned! 

Alive and Kicking................!

I realized today that it had been a ridiculous amount of time since I posted anything, so I decided it best to drop in a quick update! 

The Beetle project is indeed alive and well with quite a bit of work done! I have a bevvy of pictures to upload in the coming days depicting the current state of affairs.  Since Thanksgiving I have sourced parts (new fender, seats and bonnet from a '61)  Workshop manual (and what a massive tome it is!) New heavy duty floors from Cip1.ca and 1 heater Dansk heater channel.  I am patiently waiting my drivers side channel to arrive so it can be purchased, shipped and installed.  I am told the boat from Denmark docks next Monday, we shall see.   

Truly the biggest and most exciting news was captured in this video taken on December 24th. (see Below!)

With a new coil, HT leads, battery, distributor cap, rotor and ignition key our friend came alive!    

What a wonderful Christmas gift!   

Nothing can provide more motivation than hearing that project run for the first time.

A couple days later, I did an oil change and was very pleased that what came out looked pretty clean. It was evident that the PO had looked after the car (to a degree).  Once I get a little further in I plan on reaching out to him and letting him know that the Beetle is being resurrected.  

I had always heard that these cars were beautifully simple and joyful to work on.  I can honestly say that having only had the Water-cooled VW experience with my Rabbit and Fox those whispered words ring true.  This is a classic car for the everyman.  With limited tools and skills anyone can enjoy and take pride of ownership.  It is also the least expensive car project I have ever been involved with,  parts are plentiful from various corners of the world both NOS and reproduction.   It is very easy to understand how such a cult developed around these charming vehicles.  

Please stay tuned for more long awaited updates!  In the meantime here is video, enjoy!

Meet The Beetle....!

As per my previous post,  I slowly set out to scour the local ads (Kijiji and the like) to get a feel for the market and make some contacts;  Within a week this is what I had gathered:

We have a box of varied '66 parts including a nice Speedo, headlamps in nice shape with decent lenses and various other bits.   The beast below is a 1969 engine which appears to be in pretty good order!  I found that in a heated garage where it sat for 28 years.  The elderly owner would go out and turn the motor manually every once in a while, which explains the strong compression.  I brought it home in the Pontiac Vibe, for anyone reading these little wagons are extremely versatile.  I did however neglect to secure the beast down,  leaving the back of the car covered in old oil and gas.  If you haven't had the pleasure of being immersed in that smell, I would advise that you postpone it as long as possible.  At least the motor had lubrication all that time which is positive.

My initial idea was to rescue a forlorn 1970 from a local scrapyard, with no floors and no engine.  After dealing with the proprietor, I was left with an uneasy feeling;  He initially wanted $500 for the bug on the condition that it was used as a parts car only.  He wanted an additional $500.00 for the car with the ownership which seemed incredibly odd to me.  I wasn't really prepared to buy a car, bring it home and have someone else dispute ownership after the fact so I walked away.  I hope that someone does rescue the poor fellow, he reminds me an awful lot of Victor, our old car.

As I continued my online searches, there was a rather rough but complete '62 two hours away that made it onto my radar.  When I saw a price drop of $400.00 I decided to contact the motivated seller on my break at work. Within 10 minutes I found myself having put a deposit on a car, sight unseen something I have never done before.  The buy in price and as it turned out the flatbed costs were low enough that it didn't need justification.   No choice now but to dive in and resurrect this charming little car back to old glory.   I am not sure if he will get the full Herbie, but I will do the Pearl white which appears to be the original colour.

Without further ado, I present the latest member of the family!