This project started a long time ago, when my old 1971 S Bug was beyond the point of no return. It was decided that terminal cancer had killed this body shell.
Not knowing what to do next, a lot
of time was spent thinking about the options; will I build another one, or will I just buy
a Holden or a Ford? NO WAY! With VW blood bred into me (thanks Dad), a close inspection of
the chassis gave the green light that this piece of German engineering was going to live
again. So, a search for another Superbug body shell kicked off. Little did I realise that
a good shell of that era was nearly impossible to find.
Then somebody (thanks, Birchall!) said to me, "why don’t you use your existing chassis, chop off the bulkhead and stick on a 1500 body?" Good idea. So the homework started, factory measurements, legal hassles, etc. With all that bullshit out of the way it was time for the gas axe and MIG welder, and then came the hunt for a good front end. With the help of Vintage Veedub Supplies one suddenly appeared. Then came a complete disassembly of the chassis and a trip to the bead blasters, followed by the powder coaters (hence the factory look).
While all of this was
happening, a body shell came my way. Bingo! A basically rust-free ‘68 body shell was
mine. We carefully checked the shell panel by panel, and then came the difficult problem -
what colour? Being a painter and decorator by trade, a vast knowledge of colours that
reflect on sizes and shapes etc. was readily at hand. After sussing out nearly every make
and model for paint codes, Hyundai’s Vivid Yellow came out the winner.
The body then went to Campsie Smash Repairs, where the poppy brown stuff and slight hail damage was slowly massaged away. With the purchase of the Aero guards from Boris and the boys at Vintage Veedub Supplies, the body then went to Swaverlys Smash Repairs where the two-pack enamel was applied. With the bank balance subsequently looking a little flat, the whole project spent a while on the back burner. Assembly finally commenced with every moving part being replaced with new genuine items to make sure that this Bug would live as long as I will.
Confused?
I was, because while all of these stages of the project were happening, the power plant
was also being considered. Reliability and grunt for a reasonable price were the main
objectives, so after a few sample drives in Berg-equipped Beetles the configuration of
2007cc was chosen. Probably by now many of you who know me will be familiar with the herbs
and spices that went into this donk, but for those who don’t here’s the rundown.
Bugpack 78mm crankshaft, Berg 310 cam with 1.4:1 rockers, Berg shot peened and relieved conrods, Berg lifters, oil pump and stock valve heads.
The fuel system consists of a facet electric pump pushing the petrol through an OMC (boat) water trap/filter, up to the dual 45 mm Dellortos. At the other end of the equation the gases pass through a Berg extractor with J-pipes inside the heater boxes and out the Genie Turbo mufflers. The transmission in the mongrel of a car is basically stock, the only difference being a 4.37 ring and pinion.
The interior consists of Aerotech seats and a complete custom retrim by Scotts Trimming Services at Silverwater. A full compliment of VDO gauges fill the custom dash panel, painstakingly wired up with the help of Darryl Donald.
Many
of you might gloat about how you single-handedly built "your car", but this
little package would not have been possible without the help of Vintage
Veedub Supplies, HELLBUG Engineering, Muller and Muller
Volkswagen, Thad Nakao and Ma and Pa for putting up with the temper tantrums at home in
the garage.
Bob Jurgensons.
Many people would agree that this is the best modified Beetle in Australia (ED)