The Classic VW Beetle

Well - it happened, and just in time for summer driving.

I found a new antenna for my Type 1 VW Beetle. This had to be one of the easiest things to install on the bug.
It was so easy, I almost felt guilty for waiting so long.



Every time I open the front hood, I cringe at the spaghetti-like mess of wires.

Yes, I have the plans to upgrade the electrical. While I was at the Mid America Motorworks Funfest this summer, I bought the 6 volt to 12 volt upgrade kit. I also have new wires and a new harness sitting on the shelf. That will be the project this winter.

Anyhow, back to the issue at hand - the new antenna.

Getting to the antenna bolt was the main issue - the air hose had to be disconnected in order to have easy access.

After that, it was as simple as unscrewing the nut, pulling off the old broken antenna. Pop the new antenna on the outside, and then screw the nut onto the new bolt. Easy stuff.

Now I can enjoy the full experience of driving to single speaker AM Radio bliss.

And yes, for you VW aficionados, that is an original 1964 AM radio. Not to brag, but how cool is that?

One of the award-winning vehicles at the Funfest was this awesome Safari Thing:

Check out all of the accessories that have been added and restored:

Dual external Air filters

Entrentching tool

Headlamps, top-side spare, and water bag

This orange Thing had the original woodwork, which was all stripped and hand-restored.

The Mid America Motorworks VW Funfest was held June 2-3, 2007. The theme of this year’s event was the 50th anniversary of the Oval Window Beetle’s.

The pictures here are from the large turn-out of oval window VW’s. Many were completely restored and beautifully done with custom interiors and engine modifications.

A beautiful two-tone restoration of a 50’s Beetle.

Convertable oval window.

I loved this two-tone style.

This was one of my favorites. Restored by Tim Hall, it is a 1955 restored oval window. I love the rear wheel covers and the bright red paint.

Another restoration by Tim Hall, this one was still in primer. However, it is a 1947 beetle. there is a hand-crank in the rear of the car to start the engine. It had a very sparse interior, but beautiful for the history.

Another one of my favorites. I guess there is something about a bright red VW Beetle that just grabs your attention. This engine was immaculate and covered in red and chrome.

The interior was just as amazing as the engine. The custom red and white interior just popped and made everything clean and well-organized.

Another nice Beetle interior. The exterior was a seafoam color with a red interior - interesting color choice, but it seems to work on these cars.

This was a fun find. An original Firestone “Car Cooler.” So they DID have air conditioning, eh?

Coming up in the next post - VW Campers and Buses

Great news! The schedule has worked out and I will be heading out to the Midwest Motorworks VW FunFest, on June 2 & 3. The past events have been a great gathering and I’ve been wanting to go to one of Mid-America’s events for some time now.

I also have a budget that my wife has imposed on me. Why don’t I do that when she goes shopping? Right. Like that would work.

The theme this year is the 50th anniversary of the oval window Beetle, and looks to be a great event. I’ll be reporting on the FunFest, providing commentary on the tech sessions, and publishing pictures of the Beetles on display.

My Beetle driving has been much more than last year. The weather has been awesome and I have been taking the bug on many errands and appointments. It’s just a blast to drive, and the kids love riding along.

Well, one trip to the store can change all of that, especially when the engine decides not to start. The bug has been starting up fine. Even after a week in the garage, but when it gets to the store, it decides that the battery doesn’t have enough juice. Fortunately, I wasn’t that far from home and someone brought the battery booster and we were able to get moving again. I think that will be a permanent part of the toolkit from now on until I get this figured out. A few hours after getting home, I started the beetle with no problems at all.

This is getting weird. The battery was recently charged, but these “ghosts in the machine” are hard to track down. I think I may have to move up my plans to upgrade the electrical system to a 12 volt system. It’s hard, as this car has all original ‘64 parts and systems, but I think I would feel a lot safer.

Plus, the brake lights will be a little brighter . . .

Getting the beetle out of winter hibernation is always fun.

Amazingly, everything started up fine and the spring has been very nice for getting out and making short trips. Memorial Day was a beautiful day for a drive.

VW Beetles in news and comedy.

A nice summary article about the history of the VW bug was published on the American Chronicle website. While hardcore Volkswagon afficianadoes will know most of the informtion, those who have only recently caught the “bug” might appreciate the simple article about the Beetle.

In other news, comedian Jeff Allen posted a short comedy routine about his first car, a 1967 Volkswagon Bug. He talkes about what’s “under the hood”, defrosters, the “happy” horn, and the infamous Beetle heating system.

Or, the “hippie” bus, as Sawyer, one of the main characters, referrers to it.

The writers of the hit show LOST took a break from the intense, drama-driven episodes to bring a refreshing funny episode. In the episode, Hurley is searching for signs of hope on the island and finds an old bus in the jungle.

Enlisting the help of Sawyer and Jin, he rolls the bus upright, finds a stash of beer, maps of the island, and then pushes the bus over the side of a hill.

They couldn’t get it to start so the hill allows Hurley to pop the clutch and start the van in time to miss a pile of boulders in their way. The episode ends with the four island castaways joy-riding across the island in their new-found ride.

USA Today noticed that VW Busses have been getting a lot of attention this year, as Little Miss Sunshine and LOST have utilized the vehicle and created a new generation of fans.

Here are a few ideas. Some may have you laughing, some may just have you shaking your head, depending on how “holy” the Classic VW Beetle is to you:

First, the Beetle “garden” for all of the horticulture types:

Then, the extreme VW Beetle helicopter:

One of my favorites, The VW Beetle ‘57 Chevy modification:

The Hot Rod Beetle:

The VW Beetle “spider”:

The VW Beetle limo:

The Beetle Tri-wheel:

and finally, the matching VW Vespa carrier:

I settled into the seat to take a nice leisurely drive. It was warm, not a cloud in the sky, and perfect for a nice country drive. The engine turned over, turned over again, and again, and . . . nothing. The engine usually catches very quickly, usually within a few seconds. Even after sitting for a few weeks, it never turns over more than this.

The problem wasn’t electrical - I had plenty of juice. I’d even had it out for a drive the week prior. It was fuel - had to be. So, I checked the engine, and sure enough, there was very little fuel in the line and the fuel filter had some crud in it.

Luckily enough, the new MidAmerica Motorworks catalog arrived, so I went through it last night. There are a few options, both of which i like, so now those options have turned into deliberation. They offer a 10-pak of fuel filters, similar to the one in the picture. However, they also offer a stainless steel one with a washable filter. The lines are also a braided stainless steel. Hmmm, pure functionality v. attractive functionality.

I’m putting together an order from MidAmerica this week, so I’ll have to figure out which option soon - especially if I want to drive a little more before the end of the summer.