1960 Drag bug, pressed back into street duties.

[jamiep_jamiep]

I have over the past 18 months been working on turning my 1960 Bug into a street car again.

The reasons for this are pretty simple, I miss driving a bug more than 5 or 6 times a year only at the track.

A little of the background of the car - I've owned the bug for 4 years now, which is quite unusual for me as I normally get bored and sell on after 12 months. I really love this bug though. I originally restored this car with my brother back in the mid nineties for a friend, turning it from a resto cal into quite a potent cal looker. It was painted bright red, sat on fuchs and we fitted a used 1914cc motor on 44's in there (if my memory is correct at least). Not long after it was complete, our friend lost interest, and put it up for sale. I tried to get the funds at the time to buy it, but with a young family I couldn't quite stretch to it.

Fast forward a good few years, and I spotted it on a forum, in the process of going through a few changes on a readers ride thread. I got in touch with the new owner and followed progress on the car. By now it was blue, and had been back halfed with a ladder bar setup by Daz Chandler at Aircooled Performance at Northallerton. At the time I was running a 54 Bug with a turbo setup. Not long after it was modified by Daz it came up for sale, and I knew I wasn't going to miss it again! I got in touch with Steve and a deal was struck, I had moved on the 54 and the 60 was soon sat on my drive.

This is how it arrived with me, perfect for what I had in mind, a little cosmetically tatty, but sound in all the right places with a lot of hard work put in by the Steve. It is 3" narrowed at the rear, and has a 2" gearbox raise, had steel wheels all round and the stock VW front seats, no motor, and a pro street box:

[jamiep_jamiep]

I put in my 2276 motor out of my old 54, and went racing, and just generally had some fun in the old girl. I put the turbo setup together myself, with the aim of running it into the 11's, which I did eventually!







I had a lot of fun and ran it like this for a couple of years, gradually tweaking things here and there. After a while though it was starting to get a little tired, and after a brief flirtation with a late model bug I decided that the time had come to turn the bug back into the street car that had got me hot under the collar twenty years previously.

[jamiep_jamiep]

So, last winter (2013) I stripped the car down ready for the small bits of welding it needed and to start getting it ready for paint.

I had a rough idea of how I wanted it to look



And started to collect a few parts for it. The turbo setup was sold, and a set of Empi 51.5's bought, a pair of front seats and other odds and sods, then I pulled it apart and broke out the sander.



And that is how it stayed pretty much right through 2014 - it stayed up at my brothers workshop as he was going to be doing the welding and bodywork for me in between jobs and I pretty much forgot about it!

[andy198712]

Nice story!
What's are your plans for the big hole in the parcel area? Leave as is or panel over for quiet road use?

[jamiep_jamiep]

Cheers Andy Its already panelled in out back, with alu. sheet

[jamiep_jamiep]

In the run up to Christmas I had just about accepted that I wouldn't have time to finish getting it ready for paint, and made the decision to pick it up from the workshop, put it back together and just use it ratty for a year, so I could at least drive it.

So I told Lee that I'd be around to the workshop after Christmas to collect it.

When I got to the workshop I was blown away to be greeted by this:










I had been well and truly had by Lee and Dave at Kraftwerk who had given up their Christmas holidays to get it painted for me. I was (and still am!) absolutely overwhelmed by it tbh...

Dave and Lee(my brother) are at the far left of this picture standing next to me. To the right of me is Peach and my other brother Mark, who both played a part in the deception, and my son leaning on the bonnet (get off!).



SO that's up to date, I'm heading up to the workshop to colour sand and buff in mid Feb, then its a case of trailering it back down to my home (the car is in Staffordshire, home is 220 miles south in Devon) and starting the rebuild. Lots to do, and can't wait to get stuck into it.

At this point I'd like to say a massive thank you to my brother Lee and Dave at Kraftwerk VW, and Peach & Mark.

I'm a happy bunny!

[leec]

What a fantastic thing to do
Car sits so nice
Lee

[jamiep_jamiep]

What a fantastic thing to do
Car sits so nice
Lee

Cheers Lee The rear wheels are actually on back to front right now so are a bit too tucked, as they are currently on adapters and catch on the wings the 'right' way around. When they've been cut for wide 5 they should hopefully sit a little better, and not look like I'm running wide wings.

[richie]

Jamie

can looks great, that has to be the best resto ever, drop it off with your mates and come back & its done , have they got room for another one?   

cheers Richie

[Neil Davies]

Looks great Jamie, and a great surprise too. It's very similar to my plans too, with the exception of the ladder bars, even down to the colour!

[dannyboy]

good stuff mate really nice when shit like this happens 

[jick]

That's a damn cool story ..... And a great looking end product!

Really like the colour.....

[Rocket Ron]

Loving he colour Jamie

Roll on drag day 

[flatfire]

Awesome story

[jamiep_jamiep]

Cheers guys

[jamiep_jamiep]

My favourite time of the day during a project... the postal hour! Delivery man dropped off my Oil Pan from Donald at DTH.... hopefully it will never be needed, but better to have one and not need it than to spill the guts of my engine onto the track and ruin everyone's day...



I also found a couple of old pics of the bug when I knew it first time around. Seems a long time ago.

[jamiep_jamiep]

One of the things that bugged me that many cars pick up over the years, was the many drill holes in the under bonnet area.

These were welded up and tidied by Dave before paint.

[dannyboy]

jamie its a shame that this lovely car will be covered in gaffer tape and scotch clips to finish off the loom and engine mounts...

[leec]

jamie its a shame that this lovely car will be covered in gaffer tape and scotch clips to finish off the loom and engine mounts...

Pot, kettle.....

[jamiep_jamiep]

jamie its a shame that this lovely car will be covered in gaffer tape and scotch clips to finish off the loom and engine mounts...

I've got to make it my own Danny!!!!

[BossHogg76]

Looking great, awesome colour and what a great bunch of mates. Hopefully get to see this at the Cal Look drag day if i can make it doon south.

[dannyboy]

jamie its a shame that this lovely car will be covered in gaffer tape and scotch clips to finish off the loom and engine mounts...

I've got to make it my own Danny!!!!

im with you on that mate gaffer tape is a perfectly fine bespoke solution to most jobs on a car 

[peach_]

What a fantastic thing to do
Car sits so nice
Lee

Cheers Lee The rear wheels are actually on back to front right now so are a bit too tucked, as they are currently on adapters and catch on the wings the 'right' way around. When they've been cut for wide 5 they should hopefully sit a little better, and not look like I'm running wide wings.

The backs took about 3 hours to polish each! so there as shinny as the front side now 

http://youtu.be/JxXk0MhfzeQ

Heres a Link to Jamie (kaferboy) gets "Overhauld" by Me, Mark, Lee and Dave 

[jamiep_jamiep]

Looking great, awesome colour and what a great bunch of mates. Hopefully get to see this at the Cal Look drag day if i can make it doon south.

Get yourself down and I'll get the square sausage in!

[jamiep_jamiep]

The dash was quite badly damaged around the radio, so that was filled - I wasn't too worried about losing some of its factory look, as I wanted the car to be a proper cal looker anyway, and a modded dash seems like it was de rigueur in the Cal Look days, and in its place is now one of only a handful of dash plaques we had made for the very first Cal Look Drag Day. I think the manufacturer of these has some stashed away and I keep intend on calling him to find out.

[karl h]

nice colour!

[BossHogg76]

Get yourself down and I'll get the square sausage in!

With an offer like that i'm going to have to pull my finger out!!

[dth]

Get yourself down and I'll get the square sausage in!

With an offer like that i'm going to have to pull my finger out!!

I,d better get moving then;)

[BossHogg76]

Get yourself down and I'll get the square sausage in!

With an offer like that i'm going to have to pull my finger out!!

I,d better get moving then;)

Well i couldn't be expected to do the work myself DTH, i might scratch something, or get something stuck....then what would happen 

[dth]

Sayn nothing