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I received my 1971 VW Beetle as a 17th Birthday present and went about turning the plain white car into a show-stopper that is guaranteed to turn heads and blow ear-drums wherever it goes. It is currently sponsored by Volksbahn Autos who installed the new 1835cc engine and who carry out all upgrades and repairs. In its previous incarnation, the sound system, sponsored by Pioneer, recorded 145.7dB making it the second loudest Beetle in Australia. The major restoration job involved a total respray which took 3 months beginning in November 2001. In April 2002, I was in an accident that destroyed the engine, engine lid and bonnet among other things. It was all repaired and restored again and is now back on the road with even more performance, audio and aesthetic upgrades.
Photos Updated 31st March 2004
Interior Progress Updated 31st March 2004
News:
Bumpers fitted, polished and looking like mirrors. Also new rear tyres fitted. Before and after shots below:
3rd November 2004: Bumpers and brackets back and installed. Pics will be up once I get my camera back.
31st October 2004: Well, brackets are being restored by Volksbahn Autos now. Should get them back within the coming week. Pics then!
20th October 2004: Bumpers have been rechromed and Hassarati Smash Repairs have painted the inside with an anti-rust coating. They are also restoring the original German bumper bar brackets (removing rust, straightening and painting). They're all being picked up on Saturday so keep an eye out for pics by Sunday 24th!
30th September 2004: Bumpers were taken for rechroming today. Due to be completed on Friday 8th October but I probably won't pick them up until a week later. Before and after pics will be uploaded when I get them back. New rear tyres will be bought then. Front is sitting lower thanks to new struts and front suspension. Hum-Bug is immobile at the moment because of lack of bumpers (illegal to drive):
Pics of the dash, before and after speedo/tacho mods:
28th September 2004: This week: oil change, new dash being installed (aluminium plates, new redesigned face for speedo and Pivot tacho properly installed) and new front struts. The new speedo face can be seen below. I scanned the old one on the right and used Photoshop to match the Pivot gauge. Photos of the dash will be up within 2 days. On Thursday I'm taking my bumpers to Cardiff Electroplating in Newcastle to be rechromed. Before and after photos will be taken. And new rear tyres will need to be purchased soon.
2nd June 2004: I have purchased a tachometer. It's a Pivot SGT-F1 stepping gauge which means that it has 3 lights instead of just one to show when to change gears. The first lights up when you're 1000rpm below the selected shift point, 2nd at 500rpm then all light up once you reach the shift point. Info can be found here. It will be installed on Friday and pics will be uploaded then.
31st March 2004: New rear suspension with adjustable Koni shocks were installed about a week ago. Today the bonnet was carpeted. See Interior Restoration page
9th December: New carpet installed, check the Interior Restoration page
5th December: More interior work to be done next week, check the Interior Restoration page
2nd December: Twin carbies finally installed:
1st December 2003: Expect pictures of the new carbies late tonight.
29th November 2003: Carbies are still being installed and final pics will be up by Monday 1st December. Progress shots will follow soon after. Seat belts and other interior modifications are being put on hold while the carbies are installed.
27th November 2003: My car was taken to Volksbahn Autos today and the twin carbutrettors will hopefully be installed by Saturday.
26th November 2003: Finally getting twin carburettors installed. Looking to get it completed by the end of this week or next. Stay tuned for updates.
6 October 2003: A photo of the new door pods with split speakers has been incorporated into shots of the front door panels on the Interior Restoration page
12th September 2003: New door pods have been completed and splits are installed. No pictures yet. Should be up within a week.
4th September 2003: Carby upgrade put on hold for a while. I am adding a pair of split speakers to the front doors. Also coming soon are new retractable (ahh technology!) seatbelts and interior posts next to the rear window. Check out the The Stereo and Interior Restoration Progress pages for pics and details.
28th July 2003: Volksbahn Autos took my engine out for me and removed the Weber carby last week. They put a standard carby in and the Weber will be sold hopefully at the Nambucca Heads VW show. In the Weber's place will most likely go twin ICTs to be installed in about 2 months. The twins will improve performance and mileage substantially. So there won't be many site updates for a while but check back for the carby updates!
21st June 2003: Sorry for the lateness of the photo. I took pictures last night but it was too dark and even with the flash, it was hard to see. Here is the completed and slightly altered beaver panel with a gap so that the muffler won't hit again:
19th June 2003: Last week a friend damaged my car reversing out of a driveway. The muffler hit the beaver panel and damaged it all along the bottom as well as pushing the entire panel up and bending it near the engine cover. The engine cover couldn't even be opened! Seeing as this is not the first time that I am having this problem panel beaten, I am having a 1-2inch strip of the beaver panel removed along the bottom. Either end will be curved so that the cut is not so abrupt. It should look quite good. Hum-Bug went in on Monday 16th and I'm hoping to get her back before week's end so check back for pictures late tomorrow to see the before (above, with damage) and after shots!
2nd June 2003: 2 Aerotech Octane seats installed and retrimmed! Check out the Interior Restoration page
14th March 2003: Updated the VR Cabin panoramic image. It's still not perfect but at least it's updated!
29th January 2003: Next week I am going to start the restoration of the interior. The restoration will be done slowly in parts. I'm not too sure of the colours yet but I am thinking along the lines of white and blue. Use the link at the top of the page to follow the progress.
1st November 2002: This week, a full service was completed by Volksbahn Autos, which included the usual plus: new brake pads, new accelerator cable, new accelerator pedal cluster and reparing a joint on the muffler. Hum-Bug also went back to Hassarati Smash Repairs where they fixed up some small chips and scratches in the paintwork that have appeared from daily use and driving.
19th October 2002: Repaired some of the rips and torn seams in my seats
12th October 2002: Installed a new Pioneer CDX-P670 stacker
