Houston, we have a Gas Cap!

This past weekend was very productive! Steve and I were finally able to get down to Allen's VW Salvage near Bristow. It was a paradise of old VWs. I picked up a lot of replacement items from several 1970 Bugs.

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Besides the gas cap above, we got a nice horn button, but the best was we were able to pick up a GREAT front fender from another 1970 Bug...my Beetle was made 04/70, this fender was off an 05/70 Beetle.

Here is Steve, getting the fender off the car in the salvage yard...



This is what our car looked like before the fender...



This is what it looks like now!



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I also figured out, with help from some people at The Samba, that my steering column was missing a couple of bolts that hold it to the dash! We got the bolts at the salvage yard and I repaired that part of my car very quickly! That's when I found out my steering column locks and I will be needing to get a key fitted eventually to get it unlocked. That's ok.



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Also got a couple of windshield wipers...but I don't know how to put them on the arms...anybody know??





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We really had a great time. Mr. Allen came out and helped us a lot, even let us borrow some WD-40 to help with the fender bolts. We had a picnic out in front of his shop and got a little sunburned. We were out there about 4 hours, till he closed at around 3pm. He had a front end that would fit our car, which we really wanted but couldn't afford. Someday we'll go back and get it, maybe!

Bugs and Bees

We didn't get much time to work on the Bug this weekend, Steve had Creek Cleanup to do with Blue Thumb on Saturday, and then on Sunday we got home from church to find a huge clump of bees in one of our trees. A beekeeper came and got them, but it took up almost all afternoon. By the time that was dealt with, it was time to get ready for evening worship.

I did get the brake/clutch/accelerator assembly out. Well, basically...it fell out. Everything holding it in just broke all apart, it was so rusty. I also had access to the shop vac again and I did more cleaning. Steve put together some metal shelves a guy he works with gave him.

I also got a lot of that gunky sludge-like stuff out of the bottom of the car where it had dripped out of the gas tank over time.

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Yabba Dabba Doooo!!!

Salvage Yards and Wheels!

The Resto has begun!

Steve took off half a day on Friday to take me to some salvage yards. He's got a lot of vacation time.

The first place we went was an import place...very professionally run. A very courteous young man assisted us and I was able to find a pretty decent dome light for a dollar.

Then we went to another salvage yard.

That was a weird weird experience. Very spooky!

We walked in (me, the jedis and Steve) and about 8-10 men were standing there...no one said a word. They just stared at us. Finally, this old guy says "Can I help you?" I said "We want to look at your Beetles. He said "All right, but we close in just a few minutes."

So we went rushing out there and literally, there were half a dozen Bugs there...and it was surrounded by a SWAMP! Steve and I looked around and we found this huge hood...like to a big truck or something! We managed to pick that thing up and make a bridge out to the Beetles!

Found a 1970 just like mine, Yukon Yellow and everything...I need it's left front fender, but we didn't have time to get it.

As we left, all those men were still just standing there staring at us! Like we'd stumbled on their still or something! It was weird.

I told Steve "You're coming back to get that fender...I'm not coming out here alone!"

He said "No, you're not."

Saturday afternoon, we went to the VW Club of Tulsa meeting. This car caught my eye!



This is what my car should look like. This one is the same year and the same color...1970 Yukon Yellow. I was looking at the label inside the car door and pointed out to the owner that his car was 2 months older than mine. He said "How do you know?" I pointed to the label and said "See, it says 02/70..."

He's got fancy wheels on his and has redone the interior to be really nice. My wheels are the "stock" wheels, but only two of them were any good. One of them was bent really badly and the other wasn't even a wheel that came with the car. A guy from The Samba in OKC sold me a pair of 1970 stock wheels. Another guy, from the VW Club, went to OKC yesterday for a show and picked them up for me.

So I'm not just tearing apart anymore...with the purchase of the wheels and a dome light, the restoration of this old Bug has truly begun!

Cleaning Day! Let's Roll!

We had a great weekend. The first thing we were able to accomplish was getting that axle nut off. Steve just could not get that axle nut off, so we consulted our neighbor.

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Here he is working on the passenger side rear axle nut...



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Steve thinks if he puts his foot right here, it'll help...



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They finally got that one off, it was difficult, but not impossible, mainly, I think, because Steve had banged on it with his "Persuader". It's a metal rod with a point on it about 10" long.
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So they went around and tried to get the driver's side axle nut off and it was really a tough one. So the neighbor went and got his "Persuader"!





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It's off!



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The rest of the day, we worked on cleaning stuff up. Here's the case...Steve got it very clean using carborator cleaner. (Another neighbor was walking by, noticed we were working on the car and suggested the cleaner...a great tip, it worked like a charm.) Look back at the old pictures of this case and you'll see just how much cleaner it is...it was a MESS before!



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Once we got the axle nuts off, we were able to finally check out why the wheels wouldn't roll. Seems the brakes were fused into an "applied" position, like they were being pushed all the time. So we took off the drums and moved the stars on the inside until there was no brake at all...just so we could roll the car!

I put the wheels back on (that's my job) and for the first time we were able to roll this car! We rolled it outside!



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It was so filthy! People are all the time dropping by to check out our progress, I thought it looks in such a state of disrepair, but it doesn't need to look so dirty! So we gave it a bath.







The change was amazing!



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I also removed the headliner...something didn't smell good and I suspect it was the headliner. Sure enough, here's a mouse nest with acorns and everything in it...





I wore my mask and glasses...it was pretty dusty and dirty...



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Here's what the paint looked like under the headliner...a very pretty yellow! See how it's faded out? We're going to put it all back to the bright color some day!

Happy Birthday! Ouch!

According to the label on the inside of my driver's side door, our Beetle is (about) 35 years old today. I say about, because I know it was sometime in April of 1970, but don't know the exact day. I chose April Fool's Day because it seems as good a day as any to celebrate what many might consider a foolish thing anyway.

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Well, you know the other day I was removing that old rusty running board? I was so careful not to cut myself...kept my kids back and everything. I threw the running board in the trash and scooted the trash up against the big sliding shop door so the boys wouldn't run in to it.

Next day, I was working in the shop, sweeping it up and opened the sliding door. When I did, I hit my knuckle on the running board and sliced it open. Bummer.

Had to get a tetanus shot.



(Many thanks to my physician and his nurse for allowing me to take this picture in his office.)