Unfortunately the time has come….
Hi all, I’ve got a 72 (tax exempt) bug project for sale, I’m absolutely gutted i have to sell her – she’s my first bug!! I would love to keep her but i just dont have the money/space.
She’s currently on my drive (in Poole, Dorset) in a bit of a sorry state, due to a previous owner’s bodges. (the dreaded fibreglass!)
She needs heater channels on both sides and associated repairs to the areas where the channels attach (i’ve been told this is pretty standard when doing channels) and some attention to both rear corners where the channels meet the cross piece, around the springplate. Chassis seems pretty damn solid as far as i can tell, but needs a couple of 20p ish sized patches to the drivers pan.
Apart from the above, the body is in mostly ok condition, but will need a respray as its currently covered in patches of primer, and there’s some surface rust that needs some attention. The only filler I’ve come across is where i’d started to de paint/rust on the drivers side rear quarter and uncovered a fair chunk on the bottom edge (between the door and the rear wing) where its had a bottom 6 inches repair. Obviously there’s no filler there now, just primer, but i suspect its likely the other side has had a similar job?! The only other bit of filler i remember seeing was a skim over where the half moon vents have been welded up.
Its currently sitting with the wings off, and as I originally intended to repair it I’ve started to take the body off. Typically the driver’s side bolts had rusted out and were just spinning, so what was left of the channel got destroyed to gain access to their rear. Then i found that the channels had been welded to the pan, the passenger side was spot welded so peeled back pretty easy, but the drivers side was seem welded and seeing as it was already destroyed i decided to cut through the actual channel to free it rather than risking damaging the pan whilst grinding. I’m now about 95% of the way through chopping through the channel – so the body is almost ready to come off. (There are still enough bolts that can be refitted to allow for transport!)
The wings are all steel, fronts are mostly ok (bar a bit of surface rust) but the rears are in a bit worse condition, one would probably be usable with a bit of attention but the other is probably dead as the rear light fixing had rusted, and pulled through the wing. (that reminds me, you’d need a new rear light housing on one side cos its dead)
-Its got earlier wings and bonnet, one piece windows, blade bumpers, cal look rubbers, fibreglass smoothed dash from a wizard etc.
-It currently has a very decent gearbox, but no engine.
-It has a full set of original 3 point seats that are mostly in good condition, apart from a tear on the rear seat backrest.
-It also has some “smiths” centrelines that could go with it for some extra dosh that would need to be discussed, otherwise it’ll be sold on a set of steels that i’ve just ordered.
Here’s a link to a photobucket album with some of the pics i’ve taken of her over the last couple of years, including some of the work i had started to do on her. The ones of her without any wings, sitting on the drive are pretty much as she stands now, but were taken during the summer, so she’s a bit grubbier now!
http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y71/zmaricz/Beetle/
Link to my blog, with a more detailed account: https://beetleblogger.wordpress.com/2010/12/08/why-get-a-new-bug/”]https://beetleblogger.wordpress.com/2010/12/08/why-get-a-new-bug/
As for the price, i bought her for £1500 2 years ago as a “solid” bug so i’m gonna make a hefty loss. £500 ono
I’m back from uni on wednesday (15th Dec), so people are more than welcome to come view it from then, and i’ll be able to take picture requests! In the meantime PLEASE feel free to ask any questions-the last thing i want to do is screw someone out of their money like what happened to me 🙂
how she currently stands (pic taken in the summer)
How she looked not so long ago, and hopefully how she will do soon
Please note that I do not want to break her, and would love for her to go to a great home so that i can buy her back again in 10years time 😀
BeetleBlogger 