As some of you may know, I just recently got myself a 74 VW Beetle. The car is great! I picked it up for $1500, and it has been quite the car so far. It’s metallic purple, so easy to spot and recognize. As I’ve learned on a very, hmmmmmm, revealing moment.
No, it’s not what you’re thinking. Nobody got naked, unfortunately, but I found out some important information from a previous owner. About 4 previous owners ago, and probably about that many years as well.
So I pull up to the local JC and I’m rolling up my window about to hop out when a city truck pulls up on the other side of the street and the driver is sitting there….. staring at me. Kinda awkward……. so not having power windows and about to hop out of the car anyways I open up the door and yell out “What’s up?”, probably not the best choice of words in this part of town, but oh well.
Which he follows up with an, I used to own this car. And proceeds to tell me everything he knows about the car. This is my kind of car person. If I ever ran into someone driving an old car of mine. I’d give them the laundry list of things I’ve done to the car, things that needed to be done, and things that are available for the car if you so choose to take that route with your vehicle.
I’ve always been that way with my cars. I like having a versatile vehicle. Something that has been known to do something other than just drive the highways and city streets. I like cars with a history, and preferably a racing background. First car was a 1992 RS Camaro with a 5.0L V8. BMW’s, racing background. Crown Vic, Police Car. VW Beetle, race cars. Oh yes, the baja bugs. There are VW beetles that race in the Baja 1000 all the time. Beetles, are “race” cars 😀
But anyways, back to MY beetle and the story. Turns out the motor was rebuilt back when the body had 80,000 miles on it, it now has 40,000 miles. If you’re not familiar with them, their odometer only goes up to 99,999.9 miles and then rolls over. The odd thing is, it’s one of the only vehicles that can get OVER 300,000 miles on a body and the motor AND do it economically.
I may have a Beetle with a “recently” rebuilt motor, but I’ve still got a Beetle with shitty window cranks, rotted rubber around the roll up windows and the rear window. Well, most all of the windows except the windshield. So what did I do? Replacing the worst of them. I think that’s where all the rust in the floor pans comes from. Leaky windows letting a bunch of rain get into the doors and run down them onto the floor. So I just spent a bunch of money on a bunch of rubber, which I still need to wait to put in. I bought new window regulators too, so they’ll stay up and actually roll up and down now.
Or at least I hope so. I had to buy another window regulator because the first go around on one of the doors didn’t go so well. So I decided I needed more parts and tools to get the job done. I love buying new tools. If there’s anything I buy more than shoes, it’s tools. Oh yeah.
Supposed to take it in on Monday or Tuesday and have them replace the floor pan on one side, so I’m pretty excited 😀