In the Beginning, there was
rust
and it was not good!!!
Such are the humble beginnings of, what someday, will be my 1956 VW street driver. It is also the motivation behind putting up this page. I plan to use this space to chronicle the restoration of my car, and as an aid in its restoration. By posting the images of my problem areas, It will allow those willing to offer advice on how to best fix them, an opportunity to see exactly what I am up against.
The Concept:
I agonized for a long time as to the best way to approach the resurrection of my car. On the one hand, its a 1956 "Oval", and deserving of the respect such a vintage car demands. On the other hand its a 1956 "Oval", and would peg the needle on the cool-O-meter as a "slammed" street rod. To restore, or to build, that is the question. Well, I will endeavor to do both (sort of). I envision a car that retains, as much as possible, an outwardly stock appearance, but has the performance, safety, and comfort of a modern sports car. This car will sport a fuel injected hydraulic lifter 2plus litre Type IV engine, four wheel disk brakes, a heater that works, air-conditioning, and a quality sound system... all hidden. Form must follow function, so some modifications to its appearance will be unavoidable, such as lowering the car enough to be stable during the occasional 100 mph pass (your only young once, but you can be immature forever). This car will NOT be a "trailer queen" , it will be my daily driver... and drive it I will.
The Links:
A lot of pages try to put a link to every conceivable place you can think of, NOT HERE!!. I will only put up a few essentials that apply to my project, or , aircooled cars in general.
RAMVA : rec.autos.makers.vw.aircooled, hands down , THE most important place to know about if you have any interest in aircooled cars. Good, knowledgeable, and helpful people here.
The Bug Shop : John Henry's site dedicated to the restoration of his '57 Type I. In a word, Wow! John has covered most anything you could want to know about restoring your car. His writing style is a real joy to read as well.
Next Generation : Joe Cali's site showcasing the Type IV conversion manual he wrote, as well as links to company's offering conversion kits.
Type 4 Secrets Revealed : Tom Slider's page on all things Type IV.
Steves Type IV and Beetle Performance Page : Steve's page on building a high performance Beetle. Links to good performance info.
Aircooled Internet Yellow Pages : Bill Berckman's comprehensive list of aircooled links, and links, and links, and links............