Catching Up on the Past 3 Years

Here it is May 2014, almost 3 years since my last post.  Where has the time gone?  In July 2011, I wrote that I had picked up a set of new front suspension ball joints but had not yet installed them.  Well, not long after that Blog Post, I found a shop nearby that had the tools and knowledge to get them installed.  The job took four days, a press, hammer, torch, and lots of cursing.  The end result is a bus that handles like a new bus again, which isn't saying much, especially in the Santa Ana winds.

A lot has happened during the past three years. I had two job changes, an aging father-in-law who needs a lot of help, and many, many family life events.  Our oldest son, who has special needs, finished high school and was offered a job by a generous man at our church.  This is something that I never dreamed possible.  Our other two sons have been working on high school and college at the same time.

In the midst of this our middle son started driving, so we picked up a '64 bug in December 2012 that needed a lot of work.  Of course it didn't run, so we had to tow it home.  Over the past 1 1/2 years, we've gone through the whole car from front to back, rebuilding, replacing, and refurbishing everything.  The car's engine, an original 1200cc 40hp, had never been opened up since it was assembled at the factory in 1964.  The car was still (barely) 6-volts, had only minimal rust, and had been repainted (poorly) once.  The interior looked as though it had seen its fair share of rodents.  Besides the wear and tear mentioned, the car was in surprisingly good shape.

The restoration included everything mechanical, (engine, brakes, suspension, steering, shifting, etc.), interior upholstery, body work, paint, window rubber and trim, running boards, tires, and a whole lot more.  The car now drives, stops, and looks beautifully; ready for another 50 years of service (hopefully).  The only upgrades we made to the car have been a 12 volt electrical system (with Alternator), and front disk brakes for safety.  The engine was rebuilt to original 40hp specs.  (Its not easy to get a speeding ticket in a car with only 40hp).

Here are some photos, before and after:














Notice that it is now painted in its original L519 Bahama Blue.

As I was completing the final assembly on this beautifully restored piece of road art, I couldn't help but think that it would now be driven by a teenager, with all the pitfalls, potential dents, scratches, crashes, dings, etc.  "Let it go,"I told myself.  Just, "Let it go."  These fine machines were meant to be driven and used.

Along with the restoration of the little '64, I also started teaching an auto shop class on Saturdays.  This is done through a rather large local homeschool group.  Needless to say, a couple VW's have been brought back to their glory.  The first class rebuilt a '65 bug, and the second (current) class is finishing up a '68 bug.  No buses, yet.

Here's a couple photos:





That's it for now.  Happy bus (and bug) motoring.

Ron