Nostalgia you win again!

[Jon]

It all started when I was fourteen in 1989, I got hold of that book by Colin Burnham!
Outside sat my newly bought 74 1303S and begged for a touch of Cal-look...  I learn how to weld on that car by plugging the trim holes and shaving the engine lid, there was no rust to weld on it as it came from the cold Norwegian inland region... where it get so cold that salt doesn't work on the ice and snow. I spent silly amounts on cal look rubbers, tinted windows and one-piece conversion, new running boards four new fenders of 1302 spec to get the more pleasing rubber grommets, and of course I exchanged the rear fenders and lights for the earlier style... all with John Dean's car in mind. I made the rear apron detachable ad gave the engine a header and a double hideaway (rusted out in one year)). But most importantly I bought adjustable front strut and lowered the car to a serious rake    In 94, after two three years of driving I got my bus and started to work on that, so I sold the bug for 12000,- Norwegian... pretty close to the worst deal ever.
As it would happen the guy that bought it newer got the driving license so he sold it to a collector who just had it sitting in a garage until somtime in 2002, when he sold it to the current owner. The current owner started to drive it this summer after some brake work.

Last week I got a SMS form a longtime VW friend who recognized the car from a online car listing site:

This is how it looks now, the paint isn't any good, but all the parts are there and the adjustable front struts to.

Boy I hate that license plate, and my US lenses are gone to...

I knew that the car used to be VERY solid, so I passed on the tips to a few people but no one stepped up...
So this morning I went out there (still in my home town) and looked it over, looks descent, and there are only minor rust issues... easily the best 03 I have seen...

So I bought it...
I got some fuchs in storage with brakes... they will find their way on I think.... and some other fixes...
Rolling restoration and a fun runaround town car, at least that's what Im thinking now 

 

[Sarge]

Cool story... hard to turn your back on an old friend.

[jick]

thats a cool story!

 a dude i vaguely know now owns my old 66 beetle that i got in 1987 as my first car and then kept for about 10 years....he's promised me first refusal if he decides to sell.

i haven't driven a VW since selling that one.......but always had one or two in the garage

must be a nice feeling to get it back.

[speedwell]

cool stories and buy jon

here's for you more info if you want to made a copy of DUMPER
 

fabs

[Jon]

For what it is, I'm probably TO happy  

You are right Sarge, it's the only aircooled project that I ever sold (guess that's why the barn is filling up  ).
I never did miss it much, but it's something completely different when you are face to face with it.
And it's a great base for a late looker... wee!  

[Jon]

Thank you Fabian! I guess I will have to pull out my polisher and do some fuchs polishing soon.
Not to mention the car... the color has faded quite a lot, its painted in the stock color SenegalRot. Nice when new but now sort of boring pink.

When do you start on your old "67" Fabs? 

[speedwell]

Thank you Fabian! I guess I will have to pull out my polisher and do some fuchs polishing soon.
Not to mention the car... the color has faded quite a lot, its painted in the stock color SenegalRot. Nice when new but now sort of boring pink.

When do you start on your old "67" Fabs? 

good question jon  .... no idea for the moment

[Diederick/DVK]

wasn't it a 74->66?

[JS]

Cool story Jon, happy for you! 

[Jon]

Thanks Johnny!
Tonight was all about getting the car home, but the stars didn't quite line up fot that to happen. My Transporter was with my friend for a tech inspection 20 minutes north of my workplace, and I live 45 minutes south of work... no problem there, but wile I was there a good friend of mine called to inform me that he had wrecked his car in Drammen, a further 20 minutes north of where I was. He asked if I could come up there with my trailer and get him... "sure". Also he told me that it was snowing where he was, so I went 1 hour back home, fitted snow tires to the Transporter and hitched on the trailer, and went up to Drammen to pick him up. Oh, there was another problem, my friend don't know his way around Drammen so the information he gave me didn't add up, this meant I spent 40 minutes looking for him in all the wrong places, with the help of fellow Screwdriver "Rocket" and the Yellow pages online I found my friend... 10 km from where he thought he was... on the other side of the river... don't ask Once loaded it was now snowing heavily and I dropped him of at his home 1,5 hours later and drive 1 hour back home to get the bug. It was still there even though someone had outbid me since we made the deal this morning, but he was a man of his word and gave it to me for the agreed price. In addition the seller gave me a couple of golf/bug seats and a black backseat he had in storage, what a nice guy! After a long night it's now sitting outside in the yard, I  have had good time to think today and I have figured out that its twenty years since I first bought it this year.. and 15 years since i sold it...  what goes around comes around I guess 

[Trond Dahl]

Cool thing Jon,
I assume your original intentions will now be completed with this car?

[nicolas]

very cool! i like dumper a lot as well. best 1303 ever.






and with all the snow and spare time you get with that...

 is it done yet? 

[Neil Davies]

I sold my first bug to my brother back in the late 90's, and last year I bought it back. He knew I'd kill him if he sold it to anyone else!

[ESH]

Cool story, looking forward to seeing it on some Fuchs. 

[Nico86]

That's awesome !

[Jon]

I finally got the time to touch the car a few days ago... it fired right up, and I drove it in to the barn. And I also found the reason for the awful performance, the throttle only moved 1/4 way before hitting the generator, once fixed it sounded a lot better. I will look around the barn for a set of studded snow tires to take it for a spin... we got 50 cm's /19" of the nasty stuff

[nicolas]

slip and slide before it gets repainted. 

i am curious to see how this car evolves. not the least by the high standard that you set yourself by taking dumper as an inspiration. 

[Jon]

If I get the car looking remotely like the dumper I will be happy, the quality will never be the same I'm afraid. Remember, I'm going to use this car for a daily driver for the summer months and it is by far the most important project I have...

[Jon]

Decided to move this thread over to the project section. I have be using some late nights on the car and now the little rust in the rear of the heater channels is fixed, to access it I removed the torsion springs. On mounting them I twisted 8 splines up on the inner splines and eight down on the outer resulting in 44 mm lowering, not quite as much as the Dumper because that car looks a little to low in some photo's.
I also changed to Porsche drilled drums at the rear and fitted some Fuchs with Dot slicks (great snow tires).
[ Attachment: You are not allowed to view attachments ]
Tonight I have been bead blasting and sanding/polishing some deep sixes I'm going to use in the rear, for the front it's getting "flat" dish 6"... all fully polished.
As soon as I get some rubber on the front wheels the front will come down about 10 cm, I just cant take how it looks now.
I will take delivery of some nice new running boards on Saturday and that will make a big difference in its real life appearance.

I'm doing some changes with the headlights too, I have kind of decided to get US sealed beams with painted rings, but they are hard to find over here. Does anyone have a set I could buy?

[fredy66]

cool car man
keep on posting I'm reading

[Neil Davies]

I'm doing some changes with the headlights too, I have kind of decided to get US sealed beams with painted rings, but they are hard to find over here. Does anyone have a set I could buy?

I got some Golf ones for my old Beetle - flat lenses with single screw adjusters. I think they're basically Mk1 Golf bits. The rims were cheapy plastic ones, which are easy enough to sand the chrome off.

[Jon]

Thanks Fredy66!

Neil, that's exactly what I got on it now, Golf inserts and plastic rims, I have already bead blasted of the chrome of one of them, but the other had much much tougher chrome. But I found another in the barn some days ago so I will try that next.

The thing is the flat lense, it looks totally the opposite of the US version since the US ones are very curved... I'd like to have the choice between them and see what I prefer.

[Neil Davies]

The thing is the flat lense, it looks totally the opposite of the US version since the US ones are very curved... I'd like to have the choice between them and see what I prefer.

I didn't know that! I thought all sealed beams were the same! You learn something every day!

[ESH]

... I just cant take how it looks now ...

There's probably a forum for that look too, don't knock it. 

[Jon]

True Neil, I just noticed the headlights on the super dumper on the last pic of Speedwell in this thread... that's how long I have known

You are probably right Mat, when playing with a super on the lounge, one should probably watch ones steps..

[wolfswest]

Keep the pictures flowing please. 

I just love these stories about finding your old love back.  Almost like the Doug Mische's ghia...

Dem

[LuftsickTero]

You are probably right Mat, when playing with super on the lounge, one should probably watch ones steps..

How about Lounge T-shirt; "Friends don't let friends buy Supers" 

It'll be interesting to see how it looks in the end, wheels and few details (like bumper mounted indicators or painted head light rims etc) make a huge difference.

[fredy66]

How about Lounge T-shirt; "Friends don't let friends buy Supers" 

thats funny 

[Wout]

Awesome story!

Never sell you're first car, you're allways feel bad after some time!!  (I still have mine  :Dj)

Good luck with the (re)bild!

gr
Wout

[richie]

True Neil, I just noticed the headlights on the super dumper on the last pic of Speedwell in this thread... that's how long I have known

You are probably right Mat, when playing with a super on the lounge, one should probably watch ones steps..

Jon

There are several sets kicking around that came of US spec cars when I changed them to RHD lights,I will see what I have got for you next week when I get a chance

cheers richie,uk