My karmann bug

[sharkbait]

As lots of you know, I got myself a little Cabrio 1971 last August. Since then, the engine has needed a rebuild as it was totally shot to pieces. It's a miracle that the car drove at all to be honest, but drive it did.
Engine got sent off to JH engines in Derbyshire, who did a fantastic job and rebuilt it completely. I say fantastic, but as you can see, it hasn't been refitted yet, but it does come with a two year warranty, so no worries there.
So this is a new beginning for Sunny the cab, will post more pics as I start investigate the bug more thoroughly. Being pregnant kinda slowed the process down, but now I'm back on top form (if a little rounder), I'm raring to get going and get Sunny running for springtime.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f173/top_bunny/DSC00239.jpg

[Graham]

Looking good Leia :cool:

[Shamrockez]

Do you know what colour it is? It's really nice :)

Bet you can't wait to be back out in it when the summer comes back - top down :D

[sharkbait]

Got some history on the bug... it lived in Cali all its life and was imported into the UK in 2000. Here it underwent a resto, including the all important new hood. All new rubbers, windows rechromed, the lot. It got a respray which doesn't quite match the interior, but is still shiny enough. At the time it also had a RHD conversion, so from what I understand my metal dash isn't 'correct' as strictly speaking it should have black vinyl padded one. I'm kind of glad it doesn't to be honest!
It then got sold to a chica who owned it until 2007 when she left it at a toytota dealership as a trade-in for a new car! Here it was bought by a retired car trader who didn't know much about beetles, and put it on ebay without a reserve.
The boyf and I spotted it last summer and put a bid on it without seeing it. Using the sneaky snipe thing we won the auction and have never looked back. The bug is solid. I have had it looked over by my mechanic and he can't believe how sound it is. Worst bit is some bubbling over the bonnet and small rust bubbles on the bottoms of the doors. I'll get all this sorted at some point but the main thing is that there's no rot at all.
Here's an interesting document.... a bill of sale from California. Shame it doesn't say how much it was sold for! Nice to have a record of its original US registration plate though, I might get a cali plate made up for it at some point. Makes me giggle how all american males seem to be Snr and Jnr, lol

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f173/top_bunny/sunnydoc.jpg

[sharkbait]

Not sure how many variations on yellow were available that year Lucy. Someone said it could be Texas yellow? I'll take a picture of the inside of the doors at some point as that's the proper shade it should be. The inside is sort of brighter than the outside, and strangely enough the donor dash seems to be the same yellow.
Really can't wait to get it running, it was so much fun on the few trips we took last summer before sorting the engine out. Now it should be up and running beautifully it will be so much better. LOVE the way you hear the engine rev with the hood down. Not that you can't hear it in a tin top of course, but I've always had a soft spot for the sound an aircooled beetle engine makes.
Will definitely be attending some shows, I just hope we get a better summer than last year!

[amethystbelle]

aaaawwww it looks great and i bet you can't wait to have her on the road again :D We have just brought a 1972 1302ls Karmann cabriolet and ours originates from Germany and came with all the German paperwork dating back from 72 (any bills etc always add to the character of the car i think) and like yours was also converted to RHD ;)

[yellowbug]

i LOVE the colour, its very pretty :D

[sharkbait]

i LOVE the colour, its very pretty :D

You would say that! Hah, yeah yellow is the best, I wanted a newbee in yellow when I got mine, but ended up with a blue one.
My corrado before that was yellow though. Best colour apart from attracting lots of insects in the summer who are convinced they have found a huge lump of pollen. :D

[sharkbait]

aaaawwww it looks great and i bet you can't wait to have her on the road again :D We have just brought a 1972 1302ls Karmann cabriolet and ours originates from Germany and came with all the German paperwork dating back from 72 (any bills etc always add to the character of the car i think) and like yours was also converted to RHD ;)

Yeah I noticed your av just now. Have you started a thread on your bug? Got any more pics of it anywhere?

[yellowbug]

yeah i cant help it im subliminally (sp?) attracted to yellow cars :lol:

[amethystbelle]

Yeah I noticed your av just now. Have you started a thread on your bug? Got any more pics of it anywhere?

I have pics elsewhere just not got round to posting any on here so far but i will get round to it ;)

[Duggy]

this might help yo find out which colour it is:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/paintcodestype1.php

looks great :)

[Shamrockez]

Not sure how many variations on yellow were available that year Lucy. Someone said it could be Texas yellow? I'll take a picture of the inside of the doors at some point as that's the proper shade it should be. The inside is sort of brighter than the outside, and strangely enough the donor dash seems to be the same yellow.
Really can't wait to get it running, it was so much fun on the few trips we took last summer before sorting the engine out. Now it should be up and running beautifully it will be so much better. LOVE the way you hear the engine rev with the hood down. Not that you can't hear it in a tin top of course, but I've always had a soft spot for the sound an aircooled beetle engine makes.
Will definitely be attending some shows, I just hope we get a better summer than last year!
Looks a bit light to be Texas I think. I did think Yukon, but I think it's too dark.. lol

[sharkbait]

this might help yo find out which colour it is:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/paintcodestype1.php

looks great :)

Wow! Great link, thank you. I really do wonder what the frig I did before the internet. How did anyone find anything out? Would we all have met in the library in the automotive section? lol
I think it must be Texas Yellow cos the inside is a couple of shades brighter. The Yukon one looks a bit duller I think.

[sharkbait]

yeah i cant help it im subliminally (sp?) attracted to yellow cars :lol:

Maybe you and I were bees in a previous life, lol

[sharkbait]

I have pics elsewhere just not got round to posting any on here so far but i will get round to it ;)

Get posting! Would love to see your bug too :)

I'll post up more pics as I go, maybe take a few more tomorrow morning. Hopefully will have the engine fitted in the next couple of weeks depending on time we might do it ourselves (not that I'll be lifting anything heavy like engines at the moment), or we might get our buddy mechanic to do it. Fitting beetle engines isn't technically difficult, it's just physically difficult and can be really frustrating at times. Sadly it's not like the old days when we had all the time in the world to work on dubs... unfortunately these days jobs and house take up more time, not to mention impending parenthood!

[Shamrockez]

When's bump due? :)

I think I've probably asked before, but I've forgotten :o

[Shamrockez]

aaaawwww it looks great and i bet you can't wait to have her on the road again :D We have just brought a 1972 1302ls Karmann cabriolet and ours originates from Germany and came with all the German paperwork dating back from 72 (any bills etc always add to the character of the car i think) and like yours was also converted to RHD ;)
Cool my Mum's 1302 cab was a German import and converted to RHD.

[sharkbait]

Bump is due in May... will equip said offspring with flying goggles and hat and he/she can come out in the cab with me. :D

Here's a pic of the dash where you can (sort of) see the colour is brighter. Ignore the stupid speakers, they're GOING, it's like listening to music underwater!

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f173/top_bunny/DSC00176.jpg

[Graham]

Looks a bit light to be Texas I think. I did think Yukon, but I think it's too dark.. lol

This is Rach`s old 1303 - that was Texas Yellow

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/Grahamini/bug1.jpg

[Shamrockez]

Oooh yes the inside is much more texas yellow!

[sharkbait]

Oh god now that's confused me even more! Okay, I have no clue what colour it is. Whatever it is I like it though :D

Here's another pic to show how straight the car is. As I said, will take some new ones soon. Not sure what the plans are for the bug but seeing as we have a sproglet to think about soon, I doubt I'll change much about it. I do kinda like it just the way it is, and yeah it sits HIGH but then there's the pleasure of going over bumps and not really being bothered by it. I remember cringing every time I went over anything at all in my 65.. and listening to it bottom out on the bump stops wasn't much fun either! I'm going to keep it high and fogey for now, maybe change the wheels but I have no clue what sort to go for. I like the look of steelies... I MUST be getting old!
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f173/top_bunny/DSC00183-1.jpg

[sharkbait]

Looking at it again, Rach's looks like Yukon yellow. lmao

[Shamrockez]

maybe change the wheels but I have no clue what sort to go for. I like the look of steelies... I MUST be getting old!


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/Nessy101/S7000015.jpg

perhaps detailed...

[1958 Harry]

Looks awesome! Looking forward to seeing it at some of the shows this year :)

[yellowbug]

im not sure if I was a bee.....Im scared of bee's :lol:

I do love your bug though its very nice

[1958 Harry]

Got some history on the bug... it lived in Cali all its life and was imported into the UK in 2000. Here it underwent a resto, including the all important new hood. All new rubbers, windows rechromed, the lot. It got a respray which doesn't quite match the interior, but is still shiny enough. At the time it also had a RHD conversion, so from what I understand my metal dash isn't 'correct' as strictly speaking it should have black vinyl padded one. I'm kind of glad it doesn't to be honest!
It then got sold to a chica who owned it until 2007 when she left it at a toytota dealership as a trade-in for a new car! Here it was bought by a retired car trader who didn't know much about beetles, and put it on ebay without a reserve.
The boyf and I spotted it last summer and put a bid on it without seeing it. Using the sneaky snipe thing we won the auction and have never looked back. The bug is solid. I have had it looked over by my mechanic and he can't believe how sound it is. Worst bit is some bubbling over the bonnet and small rust bubbles on the bottoms of the doors. I'll get all this sorted at some point but the main thing is that there's no rot at all.
Here's an interesting document.... a bill of sale from California. Shame it doesn't say how much it was sold for! Nice to have a record of its original US registration plate though, I might get a cali plate made up for it at some point. Makes me giggle how all american males seem to be Snr and Jnr, lol

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f173/top_bunny/sunnydoc.jpg

I don't know how it works with US cars, but I have Harrys Swedish rear plate at home, from that a guy on the Swedish VW club site traced his history for me, including the no of owners, where he lived all his life, even down to getting me the contact details of his last Swedish owner!

Perhaps you could contact someone on a US site and get some more history through their DVLA system :)

[sharkbait]

Good idea Luke! I also thought of writing a letter (yes a proper one with paper and everything) to the VW dealership that's stamped on the bill of sale. Don't know if they're still around, but they might know something about the car in their files... not sure but it's worth the price of a stamp I think!
Now to find a US beetle site... anyone know if they have a VZI equivalent? Obviously not as good but.....?
I also have his 'birth certificate' with the date of manufacture from Volkswagen confirming it was built in Wolfsburg on 2nd of Feb 1971. Nearly Sunny's birthday then!

Tried looking up the dealership but can't find it. Still, I'm rubbish at googling, I'll get Andy on the case later. It's also an idea to get in touch with the person who sold the bug to the dealers (I think it's that way around, right?). He may well have moved but it's worth a shot. Hmmm... just call me Miss Marple.

[1958 Harry]

Aww Sunnys Birthday is 2 days before Harrys! :D

Its deffo worth a try with the letter! Have you tried looking at the dealerships on the US VW site? It might still be listed on there :)

I dunno any US sites TBH, only the New Beetle one :) Lucy might tho ;)

[1958 Harry]

Looks like they are still around TBH, moved tho it looks like, heres a link to their site :)

http://www.interstateusedparts.com/

[sharkbait]

You see, I told you I was rubbish! Thanks there Lukey. I can drop them a line now :)

Okay, I've emailed them. Fingers crossed that they hold records going back to 1999. I've also seen with keen interest their current stock list!

Bugs & Super Beetles 1960 - 1977 40 Vehicles
Convertible Bugs 1963 - 1979 7 Vehicles
Karmann Ghias 1970 - 1974 5 Vehicles
Buses and Campers 1968 - 1979 60 Vehicles
Squarebacks and Fastbacks 1967 - 1973 12 Vehicles
Vanagons 1986 - 1987 2 Vehicles

Now if only they had pictures and prices on their website. Trip to Cali anyone? 1963 Convertible sounds good to me!

[Dub-Diva]

ooohhh.... I lurve your vert... it's so cool and a lovely colour too :)

[Doodlebug]

He's so lush and scrumptious! Hopefully we'll have a decent summer where you can stick the old roof down! The best thing about convertibles is driving on a clear summer's night, in the middle of no where with the stars above you, its lush :)

[Shamrockez]

Try thesamba for a US site :)

[Duggy]

just to add another clue really, here's a picture of my 1300 the day i brought it back from the bodyshop with its fresh coat of 2k L10B Texas Yellow:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v473/thedugmaster/EKKY/100_0824-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v473/thedugmaster/EKKY/100_0822.jpg

[Shamrockez]

just to add another clue really, here's a picture of my 1300 the day i brought it back from the bodyshop with its fresh coat of 2k L10B Texas Yellow:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v473/thedugmaster/EKKY/100_0824-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v473/thedugmaster/EKKY/100_0822.jpg
That was the last Bug i've driven :eek: :o

[Duggy]

'bout time you got that one of yours out the garage and on the road then ;)

[Shamrockez]

I know! :o

I've sat in her and made 'brummm brummm' noises... does that count? :D

I'll have to let you take a spin in her as payback for you letting me drive yours that time ;)

[Duggy]

yes yes that would be cool :D

[Shamrockez]

:D just as long as it's somewhere flat, otherwise you won't be able to get any speed up :lol:

[Duggy]

you wouldn't get her round most of the roads round here, they're shocking :(

[Shamrockez]

Not much better here - I've got to work out how to get her out of the garage first tho - we reversed the trailer half way up when we got her in it, and since then we've put in a garage defender which has a chunk of metal which sticks up out of the floor! Then downhill down the drive and onto the road... ho hum!

[Duggy]

fit a baja kit?? :p

[Shamrockez]

air sounds much more fun ;)

[Blue Smoothie]

This is Rach`s old 1303 - that was Texas Yellow

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/Grahamini/bug1.jpg

with tinted elephants :eek: :laughing:

[1958 Harry]

That was the last Bug i've driven :eek: :o

You've never driven Harry have you Luce?

Next time you're around and he's out to play you can have a go :D

[Shamrockez]

you might regret that - I might never give him back! :lol:

[1958 Harry]

:lol: I'm sure he wouldn't mind that, he'd get to snuggle with Bella!

He'd also have something else to talk to other than the Tumble Dryer and freezer!

[Shamrockez]

:lol: Bella gets to talk to the tumble dryer and the freezer too! She's sitting looking at them - well she would if I put her eyes back on

[1958 Harry]

:lol: Her and Harry make a fine couple then, they are slowly going mad talking to appliances!

[Shamrockez]

yes! :D and watching the washing go round... and round... and round... lol

[1958 Harry]

Oooh oooh GEM WANTS A BUG!!! :D :D :D

[Shamrockez]

:D excellent :D

[sharkbait]

Excuse me... the word hijack springs to mind! lol

[Shamrockez]

Sorry :o



We'll go sit in the naughty corner :D

[sharkbait]

that's right... give yourselves time to think about what you've done! Tsk!
:D

Back on topic, no word back from the US dealers as yet.

[1958 Harry]

:o sorry (Goes and sits on the naughty step)

[sharkbait]

So... after an EXTREMELY long wait, looks like Sunny should be up and running by the end of the week... fingers crossed of course, there's the inevitable vw pixies who always cause mischief. Only got the hassle of getting the new engine up and running...I'm bracing myself.
Baby Isabella should be getting her first ride in a 'proper' car sometime soon.. best get her a sun hat and some cream and baby sunnies, lol

[Shamrockez]

Fingers crossed :D

I'm sure Isabella will love your Bug!