Volks World - February 2015

8/10/2019 Volks World - February 2015

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PLUS

Building a dealershipHow the VW empire was made

VW icons: OkrasaThe worlds first VW tuning company

HOW TOReplace Beetle track rod ends

BUILDING A BAJAModifying the bonnet and fitting wings

STAFF BEETLE PROJECTSBuilding up a chassis and a period supercharger

LOGOD SPLIT ROLLING ON HYDR ULIC SUSPENSIONJUICE BOX

LOW-RIDING 57

6 Karmann Ghias this the perfect coup?

BUCKING THE TREND: MODIFIED

58 RAGTOP RESTORED TO STOCK

PAINT NOT PATINA

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Static slammed 74Stanced late model

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KYB Excel-G shockprices from 39.70

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Front wing, fibreglass. Best quality 148

Pre 67 bonnet 297.70

Car built using VW Heritage partsby Wolfsburg Wizards, Brighton.

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VolksWorld

Never miss an issue, subscribe today over on p.51Go to www.magazinesdirect.com

THIS MONTH6 NewsMike gets wood for metal

8 EventsHanging out with the Old Friends

10 ProductsCool bits and bobs to buy

12 LettersWhat cho talkin bout shared here

14 Readers ridesReal world VWs driven by you

98 VW IconsTuning legend Gerhard Oettinger

FEATURE CARS18 BeetleA turtley awesome late model

28 Rag topPaint or patina? Paint! And we love it

36Karmann Ghia61 reworked for the second time

44 ManxterLWB Buggy built in a weekend, almost

52 Split PanelSuper slammed 57 drinks machine

SHOW REPORTS

60 DTA meetEnding the VW season in Birmingham

HISTORY66 How to set-up a VWDealershipVW wrote the book on it, literally

PRACTICALVOLKSWORLD72Project carsFuchsing hell and supercharger mods

76Project carsThe Penny Pincher rolls again, sort of

80 How toReplace Beetle track rod ends

85 Build a BajaCutting and pasting Baja bodywork


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0 0 6 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

NEWSEmail your news to [email protected]

t may have taken Bob Van Heyst, owner ofBBT in Belgium, since last April to get thisdeal done, but he finally did it, managingto secure four Split Window Beetles from a

heavy hitter collector in Sweden. On a cold dayin November, they arrived in Belgium togetheron a car transporter not a sight you see everyday in 2014 thats for sure! All four cars havebeen repainted at various timesin their lives, but all are complete,running cars. The dark blue one wasbuilt in June 1951, the lighter bluecar (said to be Gulf Blue, but werenot convinced) dates from August

1951 and has what Bob describes asthe nicest unrestored Split interiorhes ever seen. Its also the only onestill packing a 25-horse motor. Theblack car dates from January 1951and is Bobs personal favourite ofthe four. The least original of all ofthem is the earliest car, the PastelGreen one, which has a build dateof September 1950. This one has only one ofits original Split wings and the rear valancehas been replaced with a later 60s part, buteverything else is there.

Naturally, all four are for sale so, if youvebeen promising

yourself a SplitBeetle, you needto give Bob a calland put your nameon one of thesebeauties.

Discovered

WELCOME TO THE MAG

Everyone knows I love

a bit of Pat and Tina,

so the car that really

floats my boat inthis issue is at odds with how

most people view me as an

editor only interested in filling

the mag with rusty old junk

in place of real cars none of

which is true. Okay, so theres

no getting away from the fact

that original paint does it for

me, but to my mind the Garnet

Red 59 ragtop on p28 is one of

the nicest cars weve featured

for some time.

As cool as the 59 was when

it was gnarly and slammed, I

think its marvellous to see it

sympathetically restored back

to its full glory. And the key

word here is sympathetically.

The coolest car I have ever

owned, bar none, was the

Ruby Red 63 ragtop I found

in the classified ads of this

very magazine a good 10 or

more years ago. It was a two-

owner-from-new car with just

43,000 miles on the clock. It

had never been welded, but

had been painted and treated

to a new headliner a further 10years previous. The original

6V 1200 engine purred like

a kitten and the interior had

that wonderful old car stink

only a Beetle can muster. The

only thing I did was fit an

adjuster to the front beam and

some replica BRMs. Other

than that, I couldnt bring

myself to do anything that

would spoil it. Which is partly

why, in the end, I had to let it

go.

If youve never driven acherished survivor VW, youll

have no idea just how much

better they are than a restored

car, no matter how well its

been done. Maybe its because

a bit of their soul can never

quite be replicated, and to

eradicate that is a crime.

Ive never seen YWC 924

again but Ill always

view it as the one that

got away. Its not paint

or patina that Im

into its simply goodcars whatever style

theyre built in.

James Peene

Group editor

Like many earlyScandinavian VWs,all four of these carshave had exterior

repaints at somestage, but checkthat gorgeousoriginal paint dash

Three of the cars havelater 30-horse motors fitted, though someretain original 25-horse ancillaries

Three very rare Karmann prototypesto come to 2015 show

ere celebrating the 60th anniversary ofthe Karmann Ghia in style at this years

VolksWorld Show with three vary rareand interesting cars coming all the way from theKarmann museum in Osnabrck. It will be the first

time any of these cars have been seen in the UK andone of the few occasions they have been shownanywhere outside of the museum.

But we cannot claim all the credit, this must go toDavid Ward, founder of show sponsors VW Heritage

who, through his connection with VW Classic Parts,and his obvious persuasive powers, managed tosecure the three cars for

display at the show. Weknow he paid a flying visit

to the museum, but werestill not sure how he pulledit off, but our very special

thanks must go to him fororganising such a wonderfuldisplay of unusual

Karmanns.The cars include the

pre-production Karmann

Ghia prototype the one without nostrils thatwas designed by Luigi Serge at Carrozzeria Ghia and

built by Karmann in 1953. Alongside this will be a1962 convertible design study that never made itinto production, and a one-off Type 34 Karmann

Ghia Fastback prototype that dates from 1965. Thiswill almost certainly be the only opportunity to seethese three cars without making a journey to visit

the Karmann museum itself in Germany, so saveyourself the time and expense and come along to

The VolksWorld Show and experience these uniqueVWs for yourself.


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PYE EYEDFeatures editor, Mike Pye, says it how he sees it

For when only the best will do

Panel perfect

Veng. That one word is

enough to strike fearinto the hearts of any VWenthusiast of a certain

vintage. Er, what yearsthe car sir? 1968 / 1958 / 1948 (delete

as applicable). Yep, this onell fit. And

in 1988, 1998 and maybe even 2008it might have, albeit with the use of a

hammer for a bit of gentle persuasion.But these days VW restorers are a verydiscernible bunch. No longer will a one-

year-fits-all repair panel do. Oh no, andnot even genuine VW will do for many

people either, for these days that almostuniversally means genuine VW Mexico.Or Brazil. And we all know thats not the

same thing as genuine VW Germany,which is why there is now a thrivingtrade in decent, used cut-out panels.

But into this shark-infested void havestepped some talented people, who take

their VWs very seriously indeed.I think its fair to say Steve Hook, of

Hookys Panel Shop in Lancashire, was

one of the first to realise there was ademand for high quality, short run,repair panels that not only fit, but are

made the exact way the parts they aredesigned to replace were made, not

just a rough approximation of. I think

its probably also fair to say that Stevespanels came about through his close

working relationship with anotherfastidious Steve Steve Gilbert of One onOne Restorations. I can still remember

looking with awe at the spy photographsthat would regularly turn up in the postat VolksWorldHQ showing the work

that was going into Steves old Fridolin.Working on a rotten car that no repair

panels existed for meant everythinghad to be made from scratch, andwhen youre talking complete Fridolin

heater channels, for example, thatsno mean feat. That was over 15 years

ago now, and I maintain there has not

been a better Fridolin restoration doneanywhere in the world since then. Equal

perhaps, but not better.Around the same time, Dorsets

Creative Engineering was the first

company in the world to start offering

complete replacement side panels forSplit Screen Buses, not pressed out from

some long past its sell-by date tooling,but brand new, laser cut and CNC folded,ensuring they fit where theyre supposed

to and not where theyre not.A short while later, in 2004,

Warwickshires Auto Craft Engineeringstarted offering a range of superblymade repair sections for Split Buses,

initially because the guys behind it werefed up with the poor quality of what littlewas available for use on their own early

Buses, but later to answer the increasingdemands of both early and late Bus

owners and, latterly, Beetle owners, too.

The Holy GrailPartly due to the brilliant marketing ployof painting them funky green, everyone

and their dog has heard of ColombiasKlassicFab these days, and Ive yet to heara bad word said about any of their year-

specific repair panels, which now includewhat I consider the Holy Grail of repairpanels Oval and Split Window Beetle

wings but now Ive got someone elseto add to the list. In doing my research

for the feature on Phil Davies 59 ragtop

in this issue, I came across the work ofMika Virtanen in Finland. I knew a little

of Mikas work, having stumbled acrossit whilst looking for parts for sale on theinternet, and was impressed, but until

today I had not discovered his website.Heres a qualified mechanical engineer

who has worked in the motor trade asa production development engineerand at Nokia as a design specialist

turning his hand to making some of

the most exquisite repair panels andreplacement parts I have ever seen, fromthe mundane flexible brake hose clips

and generator shims to beautifullyformed floorpan repair sections and

rear crossmembers, not just Oval or Split

specific, but individual year specific.And from what Im hearing, while

these guys may not necessarily makeparts to order, if they feel there isreasonable demand, they are willing to

consider expanding their product rangesto meetyourdemands.

None of these parts are eyeballapproximations of the bits you need,theyre exact reproductions, often

reverse engineered from original parts,so you can be sure theyll fit as theoriginal VW parts did. Sure, theres a

price differential between the massmarket and the specialist market, but

the fact is both exist. The cheap stuffwill always sell to less anal owners who

just want to keep their VWs on the road,

or those who are working on a tighterbudget, but for those for whom only thebest will do, there is now an alternative,

and its a growing market that is showingno signs of slowing down.

There may not yet be a market for

complete replacement steel bodies,as are now available for so many other

popular classics, but I feel a certainswelling pride that all this is happeningwithin our humble little VW world, a

world that traditionally has been lookeddown on by the big money classic carmarket. And I take my hat off to all the

people behind these ventures, and anyothers doing similar work, for having the

balls to turn their hobby into a businessand provide VW owners around theworld with the sort of quality parts we

have been crying out for for as long asweve been working on our own VWs.

Whatdo youthink?

Do you agreewith the ex-ginger Oracle, ordo you think hestalking twaddle?Join the debateby emailing usat [email protected]

Someof themost

exquisiterepair

panels Ihave everseen

Early and late heater channelbottoms from Auto Craft Engineering,

and early and late Oval battery trayrepair panels from Mika Virtanen.

Lastly, one of M ikas incredible25-horse crank pulleys


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EVENTS AND CLUBSLet us know about your VW event or club email [email protected]

Old school customBeetle fitted rightin with the retroatmosphere of the day

Brian Andrews Classic Trials-prepared Beetle. A littledifferent from the norm, but definitely something we like

This slick-lookingstreet Buggy washome built by AntAdlam, with someseriously fat rubbersall round

Old Friends ShowA new air-cooled only meet in the west countryWords & Photos Alan Cooper

T

he Old Friends Show was a new addition to the VWcalendar for 2014, one of a number of smaller local

shows that seem to have been springing up of late.This particular show caught our attention for a couple

of reasons, the main one being that it was an air-cooled only

event. Held in Yate, just north of Bristol, on a fabulously sunnySunday in July, it was eagerly anticipated by many in the locally-

based facebook VW groups and club forums, and I cruised upwith guys from Kerbside Kustoms and Der Blitzen Sphinctersin a convoy of what ended up as 12 VWs. The cruise up, with

communications between members of theprocession being via CB radio to ensure weall arrived together, and then arriving at the

show with nothing but air-cooled there hada real old school feel about it, and had many

of us reminiscing about how things used tobe in the good old days.

All the profits from the day were donated

to Macmillan Cancer Support, and theorganiser finally totted up a total of 1,611raised. Speaking of the organiser, the event

was all put together by Kirky Nicholls, a 16-year-old lad fromBristol who is very much into the scene, and already workinghard to get his first Bug completed for when he is legal to take a

test and drive next year!Everyone I spoke to there really enjoyed

the day, commenting that it felt like theshows we used to go to in the 90s, with anice relaxed feel about the whole day, and

how nice it was to see just the older end ofthe scene at a show.

With a separate area designated in the

car park for the water-cooled crowd, theywere all still made to feel welcome, and

this is definitely a show I will put in mydiary for next year

All put together

by Kirky Nicholls,a 16 year old lad

from Bristol

The BB49ers had something for everyone: Bugs,Buses and Ghias, both polished and patinad


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EVENTS AND CLUBSLet us know about your VW event or club email [email protected]

Rob Hartnellshowed up in his 64Old School Cal Lookerrunning a 2276cc fuelinjected stormer andlooked hot to trot

Plastic-bodied kit car with Dino pretensions sitsastride a Beetle pan. It was definitely a talking point

Relaxed vibe made for a laid-back day

64 Notchback wasclean and straightand caught our eyeas soon as we walkedaround the show

A lowered Oval onBRM replicas, with acheeky side portion ofswan necks thrown in.Whats not to like?

This air-cooled-only event brought

out the Bugs as wellas the Buses. Sweetlittle 71 Beetle wasfor sale too

EVENT LIST

EDITORIAL 020 8726 [email protected]

GROUP EDITOR:James PeeneGROUP ART EDITOR: Steve GoslingWEB EDITOR:Jon GilbertFEATURES / SUB EDITOR: Mike PyeTECHNICAL EDITOR: Matt Keene

NEWS AND PRODUCTS: Cathal OTooleEDITORIAL ASSISTANTS: Elizabeth Spence,Nicky McKirdyMARKETING MANAGER:Rebecca BlightonCONTRIBUTORS:Steve Parsons, RichardGunn, Neil Smart, Gordie Woollacott, IvanMcCutcheon, Sam Jeffrey, Alan Cooper, Dandu Cros, Michael Whitestone, Laurens Parsons,Stephen Hall

PUBLISHINGMARKETING MANAGER: Adrian Vaughan

PRODUCTION MANAGER:Tom Jennings

PUBLISHER: Richard MarcroftPUBLISHING DIRECTOR: Alex RobbGROUP EDITOR: Garry Coward-Williams

MANAGING DIRECTOR: Paul Williams

ADVERTISINGAD MANAGER: Ben [email protected] 020 8726 8336SALES EXECUTIVE:Louise [email protected] 020 8726 8335AD PRODUCTION:Andrew Bucket

The team VolksWorld, Time Inc (UK), Leon House, 233 High Street, Croydon CR9 1HZ Tel: 020 8726 8354. Fax: 020 8726 8399

Email: [email protected] Website: www.volksworld.comVolksWorld is a Time Inc (UK) publication. 2014 Time Inc (UK), all rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part isforbidden, save with the permission, in writing, of the publishers. VolksWorldis published every 4 weeks 13 times a year

Printed by Polestar (Colchester) Newcomen Way, Severall Industrial Estate, Colchester. Distribution by Marketforce UK Ltd, 4thFloor, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU. Tel: 020 3148 3333. VolksWorldis distributed in the United

States by EWA, 369 Springfield Avenue, Berkley Heights, NJ 07922. VolksWorld(USPS 009-041) is published monthly byTime Inc (UK) in England. Periodicals Postage Paid at Green Brook NJ 08812. US subscriptions cost $69 from EWA, 205 US

Highway 22, Green Brook, NJ 08812.US Subs agent: Mercury International, 365 Blair Road, Avenel, NJ 07001. Periodicals paid at Rahway, NJ. Postmaster: Send

address changes to VolksWorld Magazine, 365 Blair Road, Avenel, NJ 07001VolksWorldwelcomes letters and technical queries. However, we do not undertake to publish or reply to every letter we receive.

We reserve the right to edit letters that we do publish, although the views expressed therein are not necessarily those of themagazine nor of Time Inc (UK). VolksWorldcannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited manuscripts or photographs.

ISSN number 0954-0164

Aircooled WinterFestWhen:January 3rd & 4th

Where:Netherlands, Autotron RosmalenWeb:w ww.aircooledwinterfest.nl

DubFreezeWhen:February 15th

Where:Bingley Hall, Stafford

Web: www.dubfreeze.co.uk

Spring DubWhen:March 1st

Where:Great Yorkshire Show Ground,Harrogate

Web: www.springdub.co.uk

FreddyfilesWhen:March 15th

Where:Ninove, Belguim

Web:www.freddyfiles2015.skynetblogs.be

Dub AidWhen:March 20-22nd

Where:Towcester Racecourse,Northamptonshire

Web: www.dubaid.co.uk

The VolksWorld ShowWhen:March 28-29th

Where:Sandown Park, Esher

Web: www.volksworldshow.com

28th - 29th March


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WASP exhaustFrom:www.csp-shop.com Price:728 (header),159 (megaphone)JPM and CSP have teamed up to create the CSP WASP. This computer-developed design has been intesting for almost two years on the dyno and on the track, and can be mounted on Beetles withoutany bodywork or tinware modifications. Its available for three different horsepower ratings: Stage 1for Type 1 engines up to 230bhp, Stage 2 from 220-290bhp and Stage 3 from 270bhp onwards

Retro design tool chestFrom:www.sealey.co.uk Price:743.88With smooth ballbearing slide drawers and lift-latch lever pulls, thisretro-styled tool storage system wouldnt look out of place in your house,let alone in your garage. With a four-drawer top chest and a four-drawerroll cabinet, there should be enough storage for any home workshop, allwrapped up in classic styling thats sure to appeal to VW enthusiasts

Tiki bamboo shadesFrom:www.rothfink.com Price: 45.00The latest addition to t he rapidly growing Rothfink productline are these tiki bamboo sunglasses. They even come intheir own laser carved bamboo case

Billet shift linkageFrom:www.limebug.net Price:44.75Sloppy gears? Diffi culty shifting? Then stiffen up your gear linkagepermanently with this billet shift linkage f rom Limebug that comeswith a custom-machined sleeve bolt and Nyloc nut

0 1 0 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

PRODUCTSSelling a new product? email [email protected]

KK t-shirtFrom:karmannkonnection.com Price:10

To celebrate their recent move to the GoldenLion pub, Karmann Konnection have re-branded,created a new website and these cool new logotees. They have hoodies, too

Sprintstar rimsto suit

y ur

udget

riginal

SprintstarFrom: thesamba or swapmeetsOriginal Sprintstars are now commanding ahigh premium, for a set of steel wheels theyrebig money. 4.5 inch front and a 5.5 or 6 inchrear are the desirable set up and if you can findan original chrome set youve hit the motherload. Prices varey depending on condition,finish and width, generally the skinnier theyare, the more expensive they are

BBT SprintstarFrom: www.coolair.co.ukThese rims have been stamped out of steel in a6-step stamping process with excellent detailsand quality like the 240 hours of salt testing onthe soon to be released chrome version. Theyare available in 4.5x15 and 5.5 x15 and arethe closest thing to the originals.

SSP SprintstarFrom: www.vwheritage.comSSP Sprinstars are an excellent alternative forthose watching their budget. Finished in glossblack with diamond cut ribs they retail at just94. They come with a 20mm offset and a 2 yearwarranty on the finish. However being alloyrather than steel and machined rather thanstamped, they are not an exact reproduction

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LETTERS

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Share your views on the VW scene email [email protected]

With its 1776ccengine and ATSClassics, is this theGT Beetle VWshould have built?

To paint or not to paint?Sven Poelmans, The Netherlands

he story goes about a 1973 VW 1303S. After owninga few and having sold them again because of funding

reason, I finally got one I can keep and work on. Eventhough my budget is extremely low, I have been doing most ofthe work myself and have so far only spent money on having

the floorpan media blasted and powder coated.It started out as just some welding, but has turned into a full

body-off restoration. I am thinking of transforming it into a

weekend racer with the German look, so I started sanding downthe body, which is welded already (not sure about the quality).While finishing up the first stage of sanding down the primer, I

noticed that the car actually isnt as bad as it looks, at least notif you like the patina / faded paint look! My original plan wasto paint it bright red with black / carbon accents, but now I am

doubting if I should go that way. So, what do you guys think?BTW, this is my first attempt at restoring a car, or even painting,

so any advice is welcome.

Hi Sven, thanks for taking the time to email in. Were a little confused,but if, as we suspect, you are asking if you should keep your car as it isin the picture above then here is our advice. First, youll need to seal themetalwork or all your hard work will be in vain. You could lacquer it tokeep it like this, either with a gloss (shiny) finish or with some mattingagent added for a more natural, satin look but (and its only anotheropinion) our honest feeling is it s a shame to have gone this far and notfinish the job with a pukka paint job. If so, at the very least you will bewise to spray a barrier coat over whats there now.

Another option would be to have the car vinyl wrapped, but again youwould need to seal the bare metal and porous primer first. Its not beyondthe realms of possibility to have a go a t painting the car yourself, butspeak to some bodyshops and get some advice before you go any further.Please send some pics when its done, wed love to see how it ends up. JP

Vee DubbingMartin, via email

ello, I found Mike Pyes article on the

Beetle with the Formula Vee parts inlast months VolksWorldinteresting

as I have been interested in 1970s special

edition Beetles for many years.I have looked through my extensive

collection of period VW literature and I am

sure the Formula Vee brand wasnt offeredin the UK. However, in early 1972 there was

a Super Vee dealer promotion available in

the UK and I have attached some scans ofthe brochure that was sent to UK dealers. I have only

seen a handful of UK Super Vee Beetles and they wereall 1302s painted in either turquoise or Gemini metallic.

I purchased my first Beetle in 1985 and have owned

at least one ever since. I currently own a GT and astandard looking 74 1200L fitted with a 2.3-litre Type

4 engine, built transmission, 944 brakes etc. I haveattached a few photographs of my well used GT Beetle.It was extensively restored 20 years and 56,000 miles

ago, on a new Mexican chassis that was supplied andmodified for double jointed rear suspension by AutoBarn. The 1776cc engine was built around the original

case and its still producing 95bhp at the wheels. Iwas very fortunate to find a pair of Yellow and Black

Racer Beetle front seats for it a few years ago. I think itrepresents the GT Beetle that VW should have built.

Hi Martin, thanks for the informative email. You are absolutelyright about the Super Vee and Formula Vee special edition Beetles,and its great to see an original brochure from the UK version and see how itcompares with the US version, so thank you for sending us that. As for your cars, we know ourman in Ireland, Cathal, will love the look of your GT, and were very interested in seeing a bitmore of your 74. How about sending us some pics of that as well? MP

Hanging in ItalyGrant Mackay-Howard, via email

i VolksWorld, I thought Id senda photo of this Herbie-inspired

Beetle I spotted while on holidayin Italy last summer. Its displayed,

suspended off the ground, in a parkingarea of a vehicle repair business. Thecar appeared to be in good condition,

although the interior has been mostlystripped out leaving just a drivers seat.

Radial ga-gaIan Gibbs, Dundee

ow cool is this? Great mag guys. Once again I will

be down from Dundee for the show this year. Keepup the good work.

Arnold de Manshomemade, seven-potradial engine is amazing,see it in action at www.volksworld.com/radial


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=$'' +) 49$) 5"(5 +)'?0 8;@ 5


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READERS RIDESShare your VW with the world! email [email protected]

I

came in from work one day, and my husbandproudly announced that he thought he had justbought a car on eBay, muses Angie. Its purchase

could be deemed a mad moment, but that storyis not uncommon nowadays. It seems that quite

a few enthusiasts get all excited in the thrill of the chase andend up making a purchase. Around 10 years ago, Angie and her

husband went to collect the car

from Tottenham, North LondonIt was a rarer right-hand driveexample, and its MoT had just run

out. The car then sat around for agood many years, prior to being

restored, and the work involvedwas quite extensive.

The bodywork was completely

stripped downand my husband and a friend fabricated newfloorpans, as replacements were not available

at the time, explains Angie. Lots of otherbodywork repairs were required before thecar was repainted in Sea Blue and white. The

original engine has been rebuilt and slightlyuprated to 1641cc. Other work included fitting

a new headlining and a complete brake rebuild.The seats were in fairly good condition and arebelieved to have been re-trimmed in the 1960s

or 70s. Either way, they were deemed goodenough to go again.

Since completion, the car has been driven to

Hessisch Oldendorf in Germany, just one of itsmany trips out and about.

Its purchase could

be deemed a madmoment

1500 twincarb motor isstock, but hasbeen refreshed

Theresnothing quite likethe rear deck of abig Karmann

Angie Rendell, 1964 Type 34 Ghia

Sea Blue and white is a classic combo, the whiteroof really suiting the fine lines of a Type 34s roof

Bodyworkrestoration wasextensive, withAngies husbandand a frienddoing the work


15/100

VOLKSWORLDS

READERS RIDES

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 0 1 5

Then email [email protected]. Subject: Readers rides

WANT TO SEE YOUR CAR IN VOLKSWORLD?

Paul Millard, 1962 Crewcab

P

aul Millards 62 Crewcab is a relatively recentpurchase, bought with the idea of being an

advertising tool for his business, Westwood Fencingof Bathpool, Somerset. It was established in 1962, the

same year as the Bus, so it all just made sense. The heavilypatinated look, complete with cyclops headlamp on theroof, stainless steel truck rear view mirrors and tarnished

EMPI-style five spokes all blend in extremely well. And, withsomething as distinctive as a Crewcab, should hopefullypay dividends in getting noticed on Pauls travels.

We love the highly patinated finish, which we plan toretain, says Paul. The crewcab was a USA import into theUK around four years ago, and was previously owned by a

friend of mine. It runs a standard 1600cc engine and thesuspension has been lowered, but hopefully over the wintermonths of 2014, Ill be looking to upgrade the suspension

for better overall handling, and to make it a little more userfriendly to drive, either with air ride or hydraulics. It wont

be too radical, as I still want to drive it as often as possible,

whether its just popping into town, going down to ouryard or out on business.

Dean Butler and Ali Wood, 1973 Bay

week before Dean and Ali were due to be married four years ago, up popped

their 1973 Bay Window for sale on Gumtree. Wed always been interestedin Campervans and had talked about them, and both of us had pretty much

wanted to own one since we were kids, says Dean. We went to view the Bay and

came to a sudden decision, that rather than go to the Maldives on our honeymoon,wed purchase the Bay instead, as a kind of joint wedding present to each other. It hasproved to be the best thing we ever did, and nowadays we use it non-stop during the

summer months. We go everywhere in it shows, holidays and camping weekendsaway, predominantly around Devon and Cornwall.

Several years ago, when Dean and Ali were one day into a trip to Italy, the engine

overheated, almost caught fire andgave up the ghost, so and they hada new 1600cc Vege engine installed.

The Bay, affectionately calledGeorge, has a homemade interior,

installed by a previous owner, but

Dean and Ali would like to return itto stock specification in due course.

In the meantime, they have starteda hire business (faroutcampers.co.uk) and plan to add another Bay

to the fleet when funds permit.

Victoria Free, 1969 1300 Beetle

V

ictorias father, John Webb, purchased this Beetle brand new from Volkswagen

(North London) Ltd. at 259 Plaistow Road, N15 on October 16 1969 for 735. Itwas their first family car and was used regularly up until 1977, and never sold.

In February 1989, when I turned 17, my dad asked me if Id like to use the Beetle.

Of course I jumped at the chance, Victoria fondly remembers. I was lucky enough todrive the Beetle for the next four years, before making the decision to buy my own car.

The Beetle then remained at my parents home until my dad died in 1997. My mum

then gave the car to my brother who continued to keep it at my mums home.In 2011, Victorias husband bought the car and gave it to Victoria as a surprise 40th

birthday present in February 2012. It needed a little recommissioning work, plus alittle refurbishment of the original Cobalt Blue paint, predominantly to the wings.

The Beetle has covered just 57,000 miles from new and is in remarkably original

condition. Naturally, Victoria is delighted to have been reunited with her old Beetle,that can truly be described as one family owned from new.

What a great marketing tool this Bus is. Pauls customers love it!

Cab area is all standard, right down to the nicely weatheredsteering wheel, with a modern head unit on the shelf below

Not for hire or reward, only in thiscase it is available for just that


16/100


17/100


18/100

0 1 8 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

1974 BEETLE


19/100

WordsSteve arsonsPhotosDavid Hall

Proof, if it was needed,

that wheels make the ride

p w r

Turtle

n the late 1960s, Disney saw the appeal and funside to the humble Beetle when they producedthe motion picture The Love Bug, featuring the

anthropomorphic Herbie as its lead actor. Hehad a fun personality that suited the look of theBeetle that people bought into, and it became amassive hit with adults and children alike. 30-year-old trainee veterinary nurse, Kerri Walker, from

Redditch in Worcestershire was one such person. Kerri loved Herbiewhen she was young and its those early memories and her love for thepeoples car that brings the story of this 74 Beetle to these pages.

For as long as she can remember, Kerri wanted a Bug. So, when sheeventually began taking driving lessons in 2005 aged 22, there was onlyone car she was going to buy. Thats right, a Mini Metro. Only kiddingof course, she bought the car of her dreams a Miami Blue 77 1200.

At the time she was dating the very skilled and talented Pete Nickson,who was, and still is, heavily involved in the Volkswagen scene. WithPetes help, they transformed the bone stock 77 into a lowered, Golf-

seated, 17-inch Subaru Legacy-rimmed learner car for Kerri to get togrips with. For the next two years Kerri lived the VW dream, but

that all changed one day whilst browsing the cars forsale section on a well known VW forum. I was lookingfor something to replace the 77 when I spotted this74 on VZi and instantly wanted it.

I

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

0 1 9

1974 BEETLE


20/100

No lady bagshere! This is static,RSVP stylee

Beetles are very much likehandbags. A woman cannever have too many!

purchased it from in 2007. Kerridrove the car daily for a few yearsbefore it was taken off the roadfor what was supposed to be somequick-fix repairs

So what happened in the fouryears the car was off the road?Well, it was decided there were afew areas that could do with some

remedial work and Pete Nicksononce again stepped into the breachand promptly separated the bodyfrom the pan to ensure every inchof metal was in good shape and togive the car a full, fresh rebuild.Working in his ample workshop atthe end of his garden, he found themain structure to be in relativelygood order, with only one right-hand rear crossmember, bothrear body mounts and the right-hand rear bumper mount needingreplacement. The bonus was that

both heater channels, floorpan halves, rear quarters

and lower a-posts didnt require any work at all,which is a rarity on a UK car that has been drivendaily. Once Pete was happy the body was going tolast another 30+ years, he began the lengthy task ofputting it all back together. Being of the mindsetthat if you are going to do a job, then you do it rightfirst time, Pete replaced every nut and bolt, cleanedand painted every underside surface and detailed thepan in some fresh black gloss. With regards to themechanicals, these too were subject to a thoroughgoing over and replenishment where required. Anew Puma adjustable beam was narrowed by fourinches, and a pair of dropped spindles, long-travelballjoints and Koni red shocks ensure the car handlesas well as possible. At the rear, notched

spring plates were relocated a couple ofsplines higher than stock to help the carhug the asphalt nicely.

TECH INFOENGINEStockrefreshed 1600twin port; dual40mm KadronsWHEELS4.5x 15 VolksMagTurtlebacks

TYRESToyo135s andMichelin 165sINTERIORStockSUSPENSION4-inch narrowedPuma beam;dropped spindles;notched springplates; Koni redshocks all round

The love-at-first-sight encounter wasnt, in fact,the first time Kerri had seen the 74, it had once livedjust a few miles down the road in one of her fellowRSVP club members garages. The story of this carbegins in 2006 with Colin Pace buying it in Walsallfor the pricey sum of 300! It was too cheap to turndown, Colin remembers, but it needed a bit of workto make it solid and useable. I bought it with theintention of sorting the bodywork and tweaking the

stance a bit. Four new wings were ordered as theoriginal were shot, and some quick welding repairswere made where necessary before a fresh coat ofL54D Marina Blue was laid on by Gonzos Autos inBromsgrove. Once the car was back in Colins hands,he promptly added the Pacey touch to the 74.

The Pacey touchIf you dont know Colin, or have never seen any ofthe cars he has owned, one thing you would neversee him behind the wheel of is a stock height motor.Every VW he has owned (and we are talking a lot!)has been slammed to the max. So, as was customaryat the time, he removed four inches of steel fromthe centre of the beam and brought the ride height

down to a more acceptable level. He next turned hisattention the choice of wheels it would be rollingon. Being a 1974 meant his choice was limited toeither 4 x 130 PCD rims, or converting it to Porschepattern 5 x 130 PCD. As this was a budget build andnot a keeper, Colin didnt see the point in swappingall of the brakes so the hunt was on for somethingsuitable. After much consideration, Colin set hissights on a set of Marathon wheels because theywere a bit different. It was then used like this for ashort period before being part-exchanged with RossMacDonald for a white 67 Fastback.

Ross drove the 74 daily, but not for long, ashe was moving to Scotland and didnt need thehassle of taking it up north, along with all his other

belongings, another car and a pregnant wife! Soit was sold on to Craig Roberts from Gloucesterand, from there, to the eventual seller whom Kerri

0 2 0 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

1974 BEETLE


21/100

Volksmag Turtleback rims are unusual and a bit Marmite, butcustom-machined Wolfsburg crest centre caps are a nice touch

Engine has been upgraded to a 1600 twin-port, and then further still with twin Kadron40s, and pushes this blue beauty along nicely

Stock and all as it should be for a late1200 base model, with the only accessorybeing a parcel shelf

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 0 2 1

1974 BEETLE


22/100

To provide Kerri with many miles of trouble-freemotoring, a good secondhand 1600 engine with twinKadrons was slotted in, and a 1500 gearbox coupledto this so all of those ponies could earn their keep.

Inside, the original basket weave seating, carpetsand floor mats were still in amazing shape and justrequired a clean up before being reinstalled into the

freshly reunited body and chassis. With that, the 74was finished, bar four key elements the rims

Extra oomphOne of the most striking elements to this Beetle, andone you cant fail to notice, are the wheels. During thefinal stages of the restoration, it was decided to ditchthe Marathon wheels and go all out to find a differentfour-stud rim with extra oomph! What Kerri and Petedecided upon was a set of the uncommon VolksMagsaka Turtlebacks, manufactured by Superior Industriesof Van Nuys, California in the early70s. This set of 4.5-inch rims werebought from Kinky Mick Tattersalland then sent to Spit and Polish(www.spitandpolish.co.uk) in Kent totransform them. The faces were shotblasted and matt clear powdercoatedbefore the lips and ridges aroundthe cut-outs were polished. Theawesome finish articles are shodwith 135 and 165 tyres and suit thelarger curvature of a late modelperfectly, explains Pete, continuing,We didnt have any centre caps withthe rims when we bought them, sowe commissioned Good Turning inRedditch to make a set incorporatingthe Wolfsburg crest. They did a

superb job and finish the wheels offa treat.With all the work completed

and a fresh MoT in the bag, KerrisBug finally made its first properouting in four years to the 2013 DTAend-of-season BBQ. Shortly after,Ross MacDonald comes back intothe picture. He always regrettedselling the 74 and recalls how his

two-year-old son cried for weeks after the car hadgone. Hed kept in touch with Kerri and Pete andoften enquired about buying it back, but seeing it ondisplay in the March sunlight on the red brick areaat the 2014 VolksWorldShow made him even moredetermined to own it once again. Unfortunately forhim, Kerri had no intention of selling it at that point,

but that all changed when she saw a gnarly, originalpaint, RHD 65 Sea Blue Beetle for sale. A quick callwas then put in to Ross and the 74 was soon off to anew home in Scotland. Needless to say, he (and hisson) are very happy.

After all these years of owning just the one car, Kerrihas recently gone on to buy yet another UK Beetle, thistime a Coral Red 58 and, to keep in with the story justtold, she bought it from Colin Pace. So it appears thatBeetles are very much like handbags, a woman cannever have too many

A 4-studrim withextra

oomph

Your axles arebroke mate

Late bugs maynot be considereddesirable by some,but when they lookthis good, whowouldnt want one?

0 2 2 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

1974 BEETLE


23/100

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26/100

www.volksworldshow.com

28th - 29th March

SPONSORED BY

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27/100

Dontmiss

Quality hi-top from The NetherlandsEvery year we receive show car applications from all round Europe, but Erics hi-top lookslike it is going to be something very special indeed. With a 2.4-litre Porsche 914 engineand a 3-inch narrowed Dogback beam, it is sure to be one of the stars of the shownext March. If you are building an air-cooled VW, or have one you think makes thegrade as a top show car, send pictures and a brief specification in the first instanceto [email protected]

60 years of the Karmann Ghia2015 is the 60th anniversary of the Karmann Ghia, and we wanted to celebratewith a special display of cars to illustrate the evolution of this iconic sports coup.

We are pleased to announce that the guys at VW Heritage, the world classVW parts supplier, manufacturer and show sponsor, will be leveraging theirconnection with VW Classic Parts to bring over some amazing cars from theKarmann museum in Osnabrck. The cars include the 1953 Karmann Ghia Type 1prototype designed by Luigi Serge at Carrozzeria Ghia, still with its original leatherinterior, and a 1962 Karmann Ghia design study. Also on show will be a 1965 Type34 Razor Edge fastback prototype. This one never made it into production, butcome along to The VolksWorldShow and vote yes or no if you think it should have.VW Heritage founder, David Ward: Thanks to our relationship with VW Classic, we

have access to these amazing cars from the museum. To get them here in the UK forthe first time ever will make the 60th birthday of the Karmann Ghia so memorable forthe UK scene.

Book your camping spot now before we sell outWe have had a massive pre-Christmas rush on camping tickets for The olks orld Show and are starting to run short of places. Make it one of your New Year resolutionsto book your camping tickets for the show and avoid disappointment. To make yourcamping as comfortable as possible we have lots of toilets, hot showers with powerpoints for hair dryers and for charging mobile phones. A family bar will be servinghot and cold food all weekend and laying on some music for your entertainment onthe Saturday night. Arrive from 13.00 on Friday and stay all weekend for just 27* forthe whole tribe.*Show entry tickets need to be purchased separately when buying a camping ticket.

International swapmeetOne on the highlights of The VolksWorldShow is the Karmann Konnection

swapmeet. Situated on the first floor you will find over 100 private

individuals selling hard-to-find parts, lots at bargain prices. If you arerestoring a classic VW, put a must-attend note in your diary. If you area private individual interested in booking a swapmeet table, call Andy atKarmann Konnection on 01702 340613. Sorry, no trade.

Clubs from all round EuropeAll club display areas on site are now fully booked. It is good to

see so many facets of the scene represented and special thanksmust go to those travelling from mainland Europe. They bringan international flavour to the event that few other showscan match. Several clubs are putting on special displays this

year, including the Surrey Air-Cooled Owners Club, who arecelebrating 30 years as a club in 2015. The main club areaon the grandstand apron will have live music playing allweekend so make sure you take in the atmosphere and chillwith a beer. Clubs attending are now listed on the website,take a look to see if your favourite is coming.

CampervantasticNew for 2015, and for the first time ever, Campervantastic

will have not one but two VW Californias on display in theirshowroom in Surrey Hall. The display will include the mostrecent edition to the VV factory Campervan range, the VWCalifornia Beach, with the option of up to seven seats andsleeping for four or five good friends. The Beach will be displayed

with the addition of the ingenious removable tailgate kitchen unitfrom leading German manufacturer Van Essa. Of course, the line

up wouldnt be complete without what has become the benchmarkfor the modern-day Campervan, the VW California T5.5 GP.

Campervantastic will also be displaying and demonstrating the new 2015 range ofKhyam Quick Erect drive-away tents and Areo Tech tents on the Summer Lawn and willbe offering exclusive show offers for all orders placed at the show.Are you a VW California owner? If so, Campervantastic are looking for VW California

owners to sign up the VW California show n shine stand. Places are strictly limited, socontact Heather on [email protected] now to add your name to the list.Further details about Campervantastic offers and activities at the show can be found onthe Campervantastic facebook page, Twitter feed and at www.campervantastic.com

Awesomedebutvehicles

CheckouttheprototypeKarmannGhias

Swaptilyou

Campwithyour buddies

Orjust hang outandtakeit allin

ThebestshowcarsfromtheUKandEurope


28/100

Words ike PyePhotosMichael Whitestone

heres a fine line between

a just right and an overrestored VW, but Phil Davies

59 sunroof treads it perfectly

Walk the

line

y first VW was a Baja with 345son the back, 13-inch Skodawheels on the front and blackand flamed... laughs Phil Davies,the owner of this meticulously,sympathetically restored 59Beetle. But the last three or fourIve had Ive put back to stock. I

guess then you could say that Phil has grown up withthe UK VW scene and, like the rest of us, learnt a fewsalutary lessons along the way.

It helps, of course, if your day job is working onVWs, and Phils is just that, being a permanentfixture in the workshops of Swansea-based FBI VW

(fbivw.com). And having a hotline to Sweden, theguys at FBI are well versed in the difference betweena good and a bad VW. Phil: As far as Im concerned,youre better off with a Swedish car that needs acouple of days of welding work than a rust-freeAmerican car that needs all the interior doing. Thatswhere they lose a lot of their soul.

And soul is the one thing you cannot replace in acar. Patina may be the current watchword, but itsbecome an over-used, and frequently incorrectlyused, term. And theres so much faking going onthese days its hard to know whats real patina andwhat isnt. But you cant fake soul. Its somethingyou cant easily put your finger on, and somethingcars either have or dont have. When you find a carwith soul youll know it its in the way it looks, theway it drives, the smell it has and the way it feels.

All that jazzThis particular car originally came to these shoresfrom Sweden with well known VW importer, OwenWarlow, in 2003. Owen used it as a daily for a while,before selling it to Steve Newey in Birmingham.It was then lowered, fitted with some BBT reprosprint stars, a Flat4 GTV steering wheel and a fewother trinkets. As Phil put it, hed thrown all thetypical jazz at it, so I basically just pulled it all offagain. But thats making light of what turned intotwo years worth of evenings and weekend work,

starting almost immediately after Phil bought thecar in October 2012. I always intended to do thecar for myself, and wanted to keep it as original aspossible. It had such a great interior, and the full-length sunroof of course, but if it had been a rot boxI wouldnt have bought it, however nice the rest was.

Phil knew it needed heater channels when hebought it, but was confident the rot hadnt spreadtoo much further into the car. To make sure, the firstthing he did after driving the car from Birmingham

M

0 2 8 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

1959 RAGTOP


29/100

When youfind a car with

soul youllknow it

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

0 2 9

1959 RAGTOP


30/100

admire whatPhil has done

with this car.Having owned myfair share ofSwedish imports, Ifeel he has kept allthe best bits (itsinterior andoriginality) andre-done all the

bad bits (the tiredmechanicals and

poor blowover)and the end resultis a pleasure todrive and, in theright hands, willlast another 50years, far longerthan the currentpatina craze. MP

H OW IT WAS

Whats the betting most people that see this willthink Phil should have left the car as it was? I dont

TOO SOILED

This sort ofdiscolouration iscommon on earlycloth headliners,especially onsunroof cars. Philtried to save this,but it didnt makeit through theblasting process

THE REBUILD

Though thebumpers are whatcame with the car,the front and rear

light units and allthe exterior handlesare all new old stockunits, sourced atsome considerableexpense throughthesamba andpre67vw.com

BODY: 1959Deluxe sunroofBeetle in L358Garnet RedINTERIOR:Stock Exportcloth

ENGINE:Replacement 30horse, stockWHEELS AND

TYRES: Stocksteels withSwedish wheeltrims and 5.60x 15 Camaccrossplies

TECH INFOto Swansea was split the body from the pan. Thesecond thing he did was call Gerson at KlassicFab(www.klassicfab.com) and order a pair of correct-for-59 replacement heater channels. The only otherareas that required attention were the very bottomsof the rear quarter panels and the rear crossmemberswhere they join to the ends of the heater channels,but such is the demand for quality these days,correct repair panels are now available. I knew

Mika [Virtanen] in Finland (www.restorationpanels.com) was doing pre-55 crossmember repairsections, so I nagged him and nagged him to dosome that would suit later cars like mine. I hadhis prototypes, if you like, and now these parts areavailable for other people.

In the redOnce I had all the bits, I spent four days weldingand it was done, says a beaming Phil. Typical ofSwedish imports, the car had had an exterior repaintat some time, and not a great one, so Phil wasntbothered about retaining that, opting to have justthe exterior repainted in the original Garnet Red bya local company. It didnt all go quite to plan, and

he ended up having to have the wings repainted asecond time, but we wont dwell on that.

What he was very bothered about retaining wasthe lovely Export cloth interior. I tried to keep theinterior as original as possible paint, seat materialand initially I even tried to save the headliner. Imasked it up when I sent the shell to the blasters,but the shot still got in behind i t, so reluctantly I

had to replace it, Phil recalls, butDave [ Tattum] at Spirit Interiors(www.spiritofthe50s.co.uk) didan amazing job of matching theheadliner, carpets and ragtop coverto all the original stuff I took out.

Had any of these parts been re-useable, Phil would undoubtedlyhave kept them, but they were just

that bit too far gone, and the ideawasnt to end up with a fashionablepatina car, but a properly,sympathetically, restored car, justnot one that looks like a new car.Hence why the steering wheel hasalso been filled and repainted. Itwas way too cracked, and wouldhave looked out of place in thefinished car, explains Phil.

The seats are a story in theirown right. While the Export cloth

used by VW often survives remarkably intact, italmost always wears on the top outer corners of thefront seat back rests. It took me over a year, and

countless adverts, to find someone with the sameinterior. Eventually, I found a guy over here whodbrought a similar car in from Sweden years ago andwas re-doing the interior on it, so he agreed to swapthe front seat back rests with me. I had to pay as wellmind, but he had me by the knackers, eventhough the parts were worthless to him.To Phil though, they were the ultimate find.

He had me by the

knackers

1959 RAGTOP

0 3 0 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5


31/100

FULLON FLOORPAN

The original pan was in great condition,just needing new jacking points

BODY REPAIR

Its brave inverting a body withno heater channels

OE DETAIL

No polishedbolts or stainlesstrinkets here, justa nut and boltrebuild to stockspec. But wait, isthat an anti-rollbar we see there?

Door cards are the originals, just scrubbed up with a dilute bleach solution. Hsticker on dash was commonly fitted to Swedish cars in 1966 and early 67 toremind drivers of the imminent swap from driving on the right to driving on the left

This was what really drew Phil to this car in the first place.We all know VW used quality materials and components,but can you believe these 56-year old seats are unrestored?!

If youve never owned a full-length sunroofcar, this is what the fuss is all about. Clothheadliner was re-done by Spirit Interiors

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 0 3 1

1959 RAGTOP


32/100

PAINTING

Having the body upside down madepainting the underside a doddle

WELDING

but it makes doing the repair work much morepleasurable. All panels used are correct for a 59 car

MORE

WELDING

Where possible,all repair panelswere fitted asVW did whenassembling thebody originally

The rest of the seats are original to the car, as arethe door cards and even the sun visors (Phil actuallybought some replacement visors from WolfsburgWest but, when they arrived, he felt they were toowhite, so spent a bit more time cleaning up theoriginals). I guess thats the sort of salutary lesson Ireferred to at the beginning. Quarter light seals wereanother case in point. Phil bought the best qualityreplacements available, took one look at them and

set to work cleaning up the originals to re-use. Andthey say rubber has a shelf life! he laughs. Thatsanother thing thats nice about Swedish cars, therubber parts are often still soft and supple, whereason American cars theyre always hard and crusty.

When it came to the chassis, Phil was pleased tofind it as sound as he thought. The jacking pointshad been replaced with later ones, so furtherinternet searching turned up a pair of good, used,correct-for-59 parts, which were duly reinstated.The butchered front beam also had to go. I built upthe entire chassis to stock spec, using an NOS frontbeam and as many of the original parts as I could asthings like repro brake drums even the good ones just arent right. Instead, the original drums were

skimmed, while all the consumables were replacedwith ATE parts. And yes, its still single circuit.

Hang the expenseThe final piece in the jigsaw was the engine. Thecar came with a sweet-running 1200 in it, but a 62vintage one, and Phil had his eye on a 500-mile 30horse industrial unit his boss at FBI VW, GrahamClarke, had picked up as an NOS unit and had fittedfor a short while in his 56 Samba. Technically, thatwas probably the most expensive part of the wholeproject, says Phil with a smile, but no actual moneychanged hands. I just gave Graham the wheels andpop outs that came off my car, and the 1200 enginein exchange. All I had to do was strip it and paint the

tinware and ancillaries as they were all grey.With the detailed engine in place, the complete

body was then married to the fully built up pan, justas they would have done it at the factory. That wasquite an ordeal, and took a whole day, just me on myown and a four-post ramp, recalls Phil.

It doesnt sound like a lot was done for two yearswork, but then this was a meticulous restoration,when only the right parts would do. Phil: Old VWsare like antiques. You dont strip the old varnish andwax off antiques and replace all the screws, you workwith whats there. I could have gone to town and hadeverything new, but it wouldnt be that car any more.There are so many over restored Beetles aroundthese days and, to be honest, they bore me to death.

In hindsight, maybe I went a bit far, but Im soglad I didnt paint it inside. The original paint reallycomplements the rest of the interior, and the car stillhas the smell and feel of an old VW. In other words,this car still has soul.

That was quite anordeal just me onmy own and afour-postramp

While Phil has gone to great lengths to preserve as much of the original caras possible, he had no qualms about using a set of Day Mouldings wings.Theyre superb, they fit better than NOS ones, he says enthusiastically

1959 RAGTOP

0 3 2 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5


33/100

THE MARRIAGE

the almost complete body waslowered down onto it. Nearly there

FULLY

ASSEMBLED

The floorpanwas built upto a completeunit, includingengine, before

W

hile Philhas

donethe majority ofthe work himself,he did ask us tothank a fewpeople, so heregoes: Graham (myboss) for lettingme use his

workshop andtools; Keith Usher

at FBI VWs for thewelding; TimWilliams for beadblasting; TudorMorgan for theengineering andmachining workand all the guys atAPS Alloy Refurb

THANKS

BEHIND THE WHEEL

I

n 24 years of driving old Beetles, this is the best one Iveever had. Its as close as Im ever going to get to goingback to 1959 and driving a new car out of a showroom.

It just feels tight. Part of the reason for that is every seal iseither Vewib or made in Germany, theres nothing Brazilianon the car. I think that really helps with the final result.

Ive had a 50 as a daily driver, but it was a bastard to drive.Ive had Ovals as well, but even theyre a compromise, so I

thought an early big window would be the perfect car, andwith the quarter lights fully open, the windows down and thesunroof open its almost like youre in a proper convertible.

Ive since found a really nice Swedish 66 though andthats become my daily now, so Im going to have to let the 59go. It was a great project to do though and I love the car.

The fuel tank was repainted as close to theoriginal colour as Phil could get, and the jackrestored. Card liner is a Wolfsburg West repro

30-horse motor was bought as an NOSindustrial unit. All Phil had to do was detailthe tinware and ancillaries in black

1959 RAGTOP

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 0 3 3


34/100


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36/100 0 3 6 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

61 KARMANN GHIA

Words Ivan Mc utcheon PhotosStephen Hall

The makeover of this Karmann Ghia has enhanced

the car no end. The secret to its success is the

amount of thought that went into it

Improving on

perfection


37/100F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 0 3 7

61 KARMANN GHIA

he moment the 34-year-olddesigner, Luigi Segre, drew hisfirst sketches of the KarmannGhia it was destined to become aclassic. The car oozed style from

any angle. When you considerSegre came up with theseexquisite lines 61 years ago and

they are still complimented, you know he nailed it.To give you an example of the appeal a Karmann

Ghias possess, Id like to relay a story the owner ofthis car, David Mutimer, shared. Recently, a chap ina petrol station asked him, Do you own that car?David said he did and the guy asked, What is it,and how old is it? David told him it was a KarmannGhia and was 53-years old. The guy replied, Blimey,thats nearly as old as me. Ive never seen one before.Its lovely! Owning a Ghia, you learn to expect thissort of thing, as the average man on the street hasntgot a clue what they are.

So, now we have ascertained the fact the KarmannGhia was a great looking car, we need to addresshow you improve on perfection. To be honest, its apiece of piss. Please excuse my turn of phrase, butit is. The thing is, its probably easier to get wrong.When you see one at a show, in a magazine or onthe net, you know in a nano-second if its a winner

or a binner. From where I am sitting, its not rocketscience. You dont need to mess with the body.De-chroming is pointless. The badges are lovely, asare the bumpers. You may choose Euro spec onesover US towel rails, but both work. The right colour

choices, inside and out, are what really matter most,apart from the perfect ride height, the right rims andrubber! The thing is, what seems easy is clearly not,so cut and run to some. [Er, are we the only ones nowconfused? Is it easy or isnt it?-All.]

Having it largeChatting with 42-year-old David, you find hes beeninto VWs since the days of Global Hypercolourt-shirts and mix cassettes. He was having it largeat the Santa Pod VW festivals of the early 90s. Herocked a 73 1303 at first, and then a 71 1200, butwhat he refers to as a UK Cal Look Beetle saw himjoin the Back to 89 movement. But Damage VWClub seemed more appealing, and this is highlighted

by the fact the club is based in the Croydon area andto attend club meets entails a round trip of 90 miles.Shows are still high on his list and hes been a showcar judge at some of them. For work, he runsa franchise for Autosmart professional carcare products, so hes around cars all day.

Bearing this in mind, it may come as less

T


38/100

Red seats work with the paint

The interiordesign was Davidswork, and wasmade reality by LisaHibbard at StitchesCustom Automotive

Flat4 Banjo steering wheel

One-year-only NissanGT-R Titanium paintchanges with the light

61 KARMANN GHIA

0 3 8 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

of a surprise to you than it was to me when he cameout with this: It took a year of thinking and planningbefore I finally made my mind how I wanted thecar. And even then it was only with the help ofSpike, Russ and Lisa that I was able to do it. By this,David means the paint colour and interior design

and colour. Oh, Im guessing youre wonderingwho the hell Spike, Russ and Lisa are? Well, Spike(real name Andy Finch) you may be familiar withthrough his specialist classic car body and paintbusiness, Spikes Vintage Restorations (www.spikesvintagerestorations.com). The other two wellcome to in a minute. David and Spike used to hangout together in the early 1990s, but had lost contact,until David bumped into him out of the blue at theBattlesbridge VW show in Essex. At the time, theGhia was burgundy with a light grey and burgundyinterior and David had already done a resto on it.As he explains: In December 2009, I bare metalledthe body and, as Ghias were originally lead loaded,I taught myself how to do this. The nearside outersill and lower front wing section and a few generalrepairs were needed. All these panels were leadloaded. I had it repainted and it was colour matchedto the colour it was when I bought it. I added newrubbers, a Flat4 Banjo steering wheel and a VintageSpeed exhaust. The car stayed this way for about ayear before adding some upgrades a serpentinebelt system, DellOrto 36DRLAs and an SVDAdistributor. Then I bought a set of SSP Crest alloywheels, only to find itd been fitted with long axlesso they didnt fit. I had to change them back. I alsonarrowed the front beam by 39mm and added a setof five lug disc brakes.

In and out of loveBy the time David bumped into Andy in 2012though, hed fallen out of love with the car and wasthinking about moving it on, or re-doing it. Andychecked the car out and told David he felt the carwas, About 80% there. With a colour change anda few touches, itd be a really special car.This fired David up and he decided to go forit. After numerous brainstorming sessions,they came up with a list of subtle changes.


39/100F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 0 3 9

61 KARMANN GHIA

As Ghias were originallylead loaded, I taught myselfhow to do this


40/100

It took a lot ofwork to make theunder-bonnet areathis clean

The 1776ccengine was rebuiltby David and nowfeatures twin 36Dells, CB 044 headsand a serpentinebelt system

61 KARMANN GHIA

0 4 0 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

The vinyl dash top wouldnt bestaying, the gauges wouldnt bethe same, the brake fluid reservoirwould be relocated out of sightand numerous other tricks only ananorak would spot were conjuredup to make the end result gel.

David stripped the car to a bare

rolling shell in his garage readyfor his slot at Spikes in November2013. He sent the chromeworkoff to be re-plated and orderedcountless new parts, to the extenthis house was looking like a VWparts shop. David already knewwhat colour the car was going tobe. Hed seen a Nissan GT-R at oneof the car companies he provideswith Autosmart products. Theminute I saw it, I knew Id foundthe colour, he recalls. TitaniumGrey was a one-year-only offering.When it came to getting the paint,David had a right result. His goodfriend, Russell Jacobs, (the Russreferred to earlier) works for Sataspray guns and he got in touch withhis contacts at Glasurit, who agreedto sponsor the paint for the project.That sorted, Andy and Russ decidedit would be best to paint the car inGlasurit water-based, 90-line paint.

Home and awayWhile the body was at Spikes beingpainted, David stripped the enginedown to replace the pushrod tubes

and do some general service work.While stripping the engine downhe found what he thought was a 1600 was actually a1776, so he decided to change the gearbox for a GTBeetle unit hed picked up years before for peanuts.

By the time he was done, Andy had painted thecar, and repainted the wheels in what he says is acustom-mix colour that works with the body colour,though it looks like black to me! David: Due to theweather, I didnt get the car back until the second

BODY1961Karmann Ghia1200, repaintedin 2009 NissanTitanium GreySUSPENSION

Link pin beamnarrowed39mmBRAKES5 x205 discs frontand rearWHEELSSSPCrest alloys,painted incustom mixmetallic greyTYRESYokohama145/65R15 and175/55R15ENGINE1776ccType 1; twin36DRLA DellOrtos; SVDAdistributor;serpetine beltsystem; VintageSpeed exhaustINTERIORFlat4 Banjosteering wheel,Porsche 912 revcounter; Dehne-style fuel gauge

TECH INFO


41/100

Cars ground-scraping stance isthanks to a narrowedand lowered beam,a couple of turnson the rear splinesand a combinationof 145/65-15 and175/55-15 tyres

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 0 4 1

61 KARMANN GHIA

week of January [2014] and, before the car left, Andyhad fitted my new headlining and fitted the frontand rear screens for me. I had only just droppedmy designs for the seats and door cards to LisaHibbard (the aforementioned Lisa, in case you hadntguessed) at Stitches Custom Automotive (www.stitchesupholstery-essex.co.uk.) but she turned theinterior around for us in four weeks.

Once home, David started work on the wiring. Hereplaced all the tired wiresand replaced the endswith OE-style terminals.I hate to see a rats nestof wires under the bonnet,so I custom made a newloom to run down one sideof the inner wings, hetold us. Next job was re-fitting the rest of the glassand the brightwork, followed by the switch gear andgauges. I picked up a Porsche 912 tachometer froma swap meet and had a decal made to replicate anearly Ghia tacho. I then relocated the main batteryfrom the engine bay and put it under the passengerside of the rear seat and placed an Optima battery onthe drivers side with a split charge system. I used aVintage Speed Dehne-style fuel gauge and put this inthe ashtray aperture.

Sound as a poundingDavid has always run pretty substantial stereosystems in his cars, but having a modern unit ondisplay wasnt happening, as he explains: I dislikestereos under the dash, and the last thing I wantedwas an amplifier under the bonnet after I had tidiedeverything up. These issues were cleared up aftera visit to Audiofile Incar in Bishops Stortford, wherethe main man, Gary, recommended a JL Audio XDamplifier (which is about the size of a couple of

Smartphones) and a JL Audio TW3-10 subwoofer.David: I fitted all this behind the rear seat and Ialready had a set of component speakers in the front.Gary suggested that I could do away with the headunit and use an iSimple lead coupled with a RCA pre-out controller. David also purchased several sheetsof Dynamat and covered the floorpans, rear deck,front and rear inner wings and the whole enginebay, before covering it with stock-style tar boards.

Does it make a difference,you may be wondering?Well, we were too, soasked David. Yeah. Itdoes work somethingchronic! Even with thebig stereo, theres norattles or resonance. Itstop, a premium product.It makes 100 speakers

sounds like 400 speakers. The only noise I can hearnow is the urethane gearbox mounts, so Im going tochange them.

David had planned to debut his revamped Ghiaat The Freddy Files show in Ninove, Belgium, but itwasnt to be. I worked every night on the car andmost weekends, the equivalent of 10 whole days, butthe engine developed a misfire and one of the headshad dropped a valve, so Ninove was out. I ordereda pair of CB Performance 044 heads and, as the car

was already booked in for The VolksWorldShow, thisbecame its first event. Since then, the car has wona Top 10 at the Apex festival, Top Ghia at VW Actionand a Top 10 at The Players Show at North Weald. Allof which proves you can improve on perfection.

Thanks: Michelle for her support, Andy and his wife,Donna, Russ at Sata, Gary at Audiofile, Chris Neck,Mark Letts and all the guys and girls at DamageV-Dub Club.

I hate to see a rats

nest of wires underthe bonnet


42/100


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0 4 4 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

MEYERS MANXTER

Words ike PyePhotos Dan Pullen

Build a car in a weekend? Youve got to be joking.

Well, we proved it could be done at The olks orldShow last year by assembling this Meyers Manxter,

albeit with a bit of forward planning

Weekend


45/100F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 0 4 5

MEYERS MANXTER

Visitors to last yearsolks orld

Show will undoubtedly

remember the Beach Buggydisplay downstairs, and thepresence of Mr. Beach Buggyhimself, Bruce Meyers, but thosewith more than just a passinginterest in these machines will

probably have spent some time either watching,or talking to, the guys from Flatlands Engineeringthat were performing a live Buggy build in thedownstairs foyer. As, at the time, it wasnt possibleto buy a legitimate Meyers Manx Buggy in the UK,Mark Dryden and his band of merry helpers decided

it would be ethically correct to build an authorisedMeyers Manxter 2+2 instead.

As well as being part of the 50-year celebration ofthe Meyers Manx, the point of the demonstrationwas to give people an opportunity to see f irst handwhat goes into building a Buggy from scratch, andan opportunity to question some of the undisputedexperts in the field. When we were finalising thedetails before the show, one of our main questionswas could it be done in a weekend? Wed already hada short-wheelbase Buggy successfully builtat the show on a previous occasion, but thelong-wheelbase Manxter is a significantlymore complex affair.

W


46/100

MEYERS MANXTER

0 4 6 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

One of the fewcomplaints Mark hasabout the Manxterbodies is the sizeof the front arches,

which he feels couldbe a touch widerto bring the frontwheels more neatlyunder the body

What you may not realise aboutthe Manxter kit, and why we say itis more complex than a standardshort-wheelbase kit, is that as wellas the opening bonnet, hinged

engine panel and four-piecedashboard, it has an integralrollcage structure that sandwichesthe body to the floorpan. Thisboth adds rigidity and a hithertounheard of level of occupant safetyfor a Beach Buggy, including theoption for proper mounting pointsfor inertia reel seat belts frontand rear. Being a long wheelbase2+2 Buggy also means theresno need for chassis shortening,which in a stroke removes a largechunk of cost and engineeringwork. More importantly, itmeans theres no requirementfor putting the finished Buggythrough a BIVA (Basic IndividualVehicle Assessment) test as nomodifications have been madeto the standard chassis. As such,all you have to do is send off yourlogbook to the DVLA notifyingthem of a change of body type.You may well find it comes backwith Light 4x4 utility vehicle asthat classification seems to be thenearest thing on the DVLA database

to a Beach Buggy but, no matter, the important thing

is a Beetle-based Manxter registered this way islegitimate and legal to drive on UK roads.In fact, so comprehensive is the rollcage structure

that you could drive a Manxter without the bodyfitted at all. In essence, its a sand rail with a bodyfitted, explains Mark. The only modification youneed to make is to weld a tab onto the stockVW steering column so it can be bolted tothe cage structure, and this is a servicewe offer on an exchange basis. Its not

If you buckled down, you could easilybuild one over the winter months

ENGINE:1914cc Type1; CB heads;

twin 44IDFWebers; ManxSidewinderexhaustGEARBOX:Stock VW IRSSUSPENSION:Stock balljointfront beamwith Sway-A-Way adjusters;stock shocks allroundBRAKES:StockVW discs anddrums, all hubsChevy 4.75 x5 PCD studpatternWHEELS:

Rocket Fuel, 6and 10 x 15TYRES:BFGoodrich RadialT/A, 215/65 and275/60

TECH INFOAs with all good TV car building shows, it was goingto require a little bit of trickery to pull it off, for noteven Mark and his team, with all their experience,can build a Manxter from scratch in a weekendwithout a bit make that a lot of forward planning.

Mark: If you really set your mind to it, I think youprobably could build a Manxter in a week, but youcertainly couldnt do it if you just had a rusty olddonor Beetle and a Manxter kit. More realistically, ifyou buckled down, you could easily build one overthe winter months, though Ive got one customerwho has been working on his for six years now...

Itll end in tearsIn true Flatlands Engineering style, that forwardplanning means having all the parts you needcleaned up, rebuilt where necessary, and ready togo before you even open the box on the project.Mark: These kits are very good, but if you startby painting everything and then try and bolt it totogether youll end up in tears. Because there areso many variations in different year Beetles, andso many bends and curves in the structure to lineup, theres always going to be a little bit of fettlingnecessary, so you really need to dry build the carfirst, then take it apart for paint and detailing. Andthats exactly what the guys did in the weeks leadingup to The 2014 VolksWorldShow. Give or take a fewbolt-on bits, the car was completely dry built soevery mounting point could be checked, every holedrilled and every part test fitted so there would beno surprises over the course of the weekend. Onlythen were parts sent out for painting, polishing andpowder coating. Naturally, no rusty or decrepit parts

were used in the final build, everything being eithernew or cleaned, painted and detailed original VWparts, many of which were pre-built sub-assembliesby the time they reached Sandown Park. To behonest, we dont use a lot from the donor car on thecars we build, explains Mark. Obviously theres thefloorpan, and a few items like the steering columnthat you cant buy new, but pretty much everythingelse is new. We wont cut corners on anythingmechanical, or safety-related.


47/100

THE 12-HOUR BUILD!

Its concentrationfaces all roundas the boys getto grips with themechanical partsof the build. Notethe side impactbars are already inplace here

Heres BruceMeyers signingthe laser-cutdash panelbefore fitting,while MarkDryden (right)watches on

Once the panis fully built up,the body tub isdropped down

over it and thehidden partof the rollcagestructure

Most US-built Manxters are fitted with chunky Beard-style seats, butMark wanted a more stripped-down look so used a set of lowbackbuckets, the rears mounted a little lower than is normal with Manxters

Wheels are as-cast Rocket Fuels, 6 and 10 x 15with, as Mark put it, tarty spinners on them

Tilt mechanism is typically Flatlands

Auto Meter Pro Comp Ultra Lite gauges

Suspension is virtually stock balljoint Bug,with beam adjusters to fine tune ride height

The laser-cut 50 years badge was a littleBrucie bonus Mark did for the show

Ram Flo air filters are neat, and work, tooThe engine is a 1914cc Type 1 with CB Performance heads, a mild cam,twin 44IDF Webers and a Manx Sidewinder exhaust. Bellcrank linkageis from GWD in Germany and all tinware detailing i

Volks World - February 2015

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Transcript of Volks World - February 2015