I have had a dream to restore a VW beetle for over 30 years.  The dream has come close to reality when I bought a POC (Piece of Crap) 1971 VW Beetle for $80 two weeks ago from a guy in Packwood, WA.   It’s not much but it’s perfect for what I need it for. Too start this project from the ground up.  All I got is a body, a chassis, three rims with tires (all flat), and a lot’s of rust and junk in it.   For the most part the frame looks sound, all the body parts are there, and the next challenge is to tow it out on December 7, 2015 when it’s scheduled to be towed back to the house.

The Inspirations

The major reasons why I have decided to take on this restore project are:

1. When I was at WWU in Bellingham, WA in the early 1980’s. I took a number of classes from Dr. Seal who headed the VRI program back then.  I learned a lot a lot from him and finally want to get my hands dirty ably what I have learned then and since then.

2. I was the garbage man up at Young Life’s Malibu Club in Canada and found a lot of cool stuff that was often considered trash and I often could fix it with some new parts and a bit of common sense.  My best find was a laptop which I restored and use today.

3. I am a big fan of the TV show called “Wheeler Dealers” which is an export out of the UK.  I have learned a lot from this show where I keep saying to myself “I can do that”.  Now I get to prove it and this show is stable on my DVR.

4. I followed a series of articles written in “VWTrends” magazine back in early 2003 on how to restore a 1971 beetle which helped fuel me on doing this type of project.

The Goals

The goals for this project is simple:

1. Find and restore a VW Beetle that will function and look better then when it came out of the factory (i.e. I am the factory).

2. Fix what I can, replace if needed, or build if necessary.

3. Go for used or recondition first before buying new.

4. Develop better skills at auto mechanics and have fun doing.

5. Network with other VW people and groups and bring friends along for the ride too

6. Have a set budget to work within (TBD) and be as inexpensive as I can for money is a limited resource but time in not.

The Next Steps

The next steps for this project are to:

1. Get four used tires that hold air and rims used to move and hold the car up right when I tow and work on it.

2. Schedule the towing service.

3. Clean up and organize garage

4. Get a grinding stand and another pair of jacks.

#VWBeetle #WWU #VRI #ylMalibuClub #WheelerDealers #VWTrends

After the talk concluded, we were all invited to participate in communion which is a very traditional way to celebrate Easter. Honestly, it was a bit of let down for me after all that had I had experienced the previous nights. I have been through this ritual a number of times before and felt this was going to be no different.   Although this act was created and has been practiced for a thousand or so years to represent the blood and body of Christ sacrificed for our sins and I knew this by heart like an old rock song. Yet my thinking changed when I realized this was a ceremony and not a ritual. Similar to the Japanese tea ceremony where the involvement and preparation of the tea is as important than just drinking of the tea.  At that instance, I was showered with the most incredible feeling of love that I have ever felt in my life.   I was consumed with love that was so unconditional, so indefinable, so patient, and so overwhelming that I could only handle a second of it.  I knew this was of God. There were no words, no sounds, or sight but within myself.  I now understand that everyone and everything is infused with this pure love.  My understanding of God is now beyond what I knew of my faith in Christianity, religion, the church, and other aspects of faith and philosophies I have been taught all of my life.  We as people are connected with this love regardless of what we believe in or profess for it is available to all (Colossians 3:11 comes to mind for some reason).

This brief and incredible experience has left me changed.  I am no longer just a Christian, or just an American, or just a human being but someone who has been touched and knows God is deep within me and that part of him resides in me always.  Again, I have experienced something at Malibu that has left me changed for the better and I am grateful to have experienced this gift from God at all times during Easter.

It is six days of work and fun. It is open to all adults and their families (including kids), singles, or couples.  If you every wanted to return to Malibu, have never been there and always wanted to come, or have a skill (i.e. construction, electrician, etc) to help the camp.  This is the week to come!

To register click on this URL http://sites.younglife.org/camps/malibuclub/open content pages/tool and tackle.aspx

It was a huge success with many new Dewalt tools going toward the use of maintenance to the camp and for new construction.  Because of the constant use these tools are starting to wear out and are past their warranties.  I do try to fix and repair what I can but most of the tools are beyond repair.  Again I am requesting for funds to help with Malibu concerning the replacement of tools.  This year a need for shop tools like the replacement of the band saw and planner is high on the priority list.   You can give by giving on-line at

https://giving.younglife.org/dp/register/controller.cfm

Select the Malibu Club as the area to give and then select the “Operations” fund options.  In the comments and notes field type “Malibu Tool Fund”.  This way, the money goes into a secure account and you can get the tax donation form per your donation from the YL organization

On a side note, the pickup used at the Malibu Hydro station completely gave up the ghost and another donation of a 4 wheel drive vehicle is needed.  A used Ford Explorer is something that is needed when traveling up to the dam.  So, if you have a used Explorer that works and want to make a donation then please send me a note.

Remember, it’s all about the kids!

On June 21, I purchased an old AM tube radio for $15 off of Craig’s list from a guy in Seattle. He sold this old Philco 610 which was his grandfathers, who bought it new back in the late 30s, had just retrieved from the old family barn somewhere out in Eastern Washington. This elderly tombstone radio was non-functioning and in very poor shape with over 70 years of dust, rust, and grim that had been built up over time.

I bought this ugly gem with the hope of restoring to its original condition and being able to play like it did when it came out of the factory some 70 years ago. My hope is to document the process of restoring this receiver through the many weeks and months or years I will be working on this. I will be giving myself a budget of $350 to get this radio reconditioned and it will be an enjoyable learning process for me.

The Front of the 610

The Back of the Philco

Through the Rapids book cover, originally uploaded by chaz_n2658k.

Unfortunately, there has been a problem with the sitka2.com web site and the Princess Louisa Inlet Web Cam is not accessible at least from Sitka2.com. However, the PLI Web Cam can also be viewed from this blog (thetophitz.wordpress.com) or from the Malibu Hydro site. Although this is a royal pain it is only temporary. A number of videos have been made by knitting together the images from the web cam and can be viewed from Youtube.com

This Hamilton Metalplane was used as a work horse in the film for the first half up to a crash scene where it faded into obscurity. That is until recently when the actual model/prop showed up on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow a few years back. It looked a little worse for wear but what would you expect after 70 years since it crashed and burned in the film. The owner bought it for $250 at a swap meet and it was appraised at $5000. Not bad for a destroyed movie prop.

The Hamilton Metalplane Model Prop displayed on PBS Antiques Roadshow aired on May 26, 2008. Image courtesy of PBS at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/archive/200706A37.html

Only Angles Have Wings Movie (Hamilton Section)

TheTopHitz Related Posts

https://thetophitz.wordpress.com/2010/02/04/who-won-the-hamilton-metalplane/

https://thetophitz.wordpress.com/2010/01/15/hamilton-research-donated-to-the-museum-of-flight/

https://thetophitz.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/auction-of-the-hamilton-metalplane/

Zeppelin Travel Poster, originally uploaded by chaz_n2658k.

I took an old Hindenburg travel poster I had found on the web and tried recreating it using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. It was a rather straight forward poster using blank, white, and gray with a few familiar shapes such as the Zeppelin/blimp, fog, silhouetted skyline (New York City), and parts of the visible Empire State Building.  I used Illustrator to create the skyline in solid black and then transferred it to Photoshop. In one layer I created a background of gray and Effects > Clouds to create the fog and then overlaid the skyline with about 50% opacity to blend it into the clouds.   The Zeppelin I created in Illustrator by tracing a basic outline and then sectioning each layer with different colors of gray to give sense of shape and gradient.  I used a spectrum of gray throughout the blimp with a light gray top layer to the bottom having a darker shade.  The original had the Nazi flag on the fins and I liked the idea of using the same color scheme like they did to accent and bring out the flag for propaganda purposes.  Instead of the swastika, I used the two cross, called the double cross, from Charlie Chaplin’s parity film on Hitler called the “The Great Dictator”.  I also renamed the Zeppelin with a fictitious name of the “Ludendorff”.  All I did was place it in the psd file and rotate it to fit. The top of the Empire State Building was created in Illustrator using a number of rectangle shapes, gradient, decorative vertical lines, and a radio tower.  I then merged with the skyline using the smudge tool in Photoshop.

Overall I am very pleased with how it turned out.

Since I am no longer going to school to learn Graphic Design. I still gained a good deal of education using digital graphical software like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. But I need to keep practicing with these software package to keep up with all the tools associated with these products.

I started out with the Corvette Logo for another illustration I am working on and also gave it to my mechanic who owns a Corvette Shop in Kirkland to be used on his business cards. I think I will be getting a deal on my next service as a result

I used Adobe Illustrator first to trace the logo from an image I found on the web. Here the steps I used to create this vector drawing:
I created the outer and inner circle (Shape > Oval). Then selected both paths and then removed the center space (Object > Compound Path > Make), and then used black to fill in the ring. I made the left flag first by using a heavy stroke outline and two rectangle shape (Shape > Oval) and arranged them with the Selection Tool. I copied and flipped (Object > Transform > Reflect) the other flag and filled it with red. I made the checker flag on the left (Object > Path > Split into Grid) and the other I used a chevy and other symbol that were centered and rotated to fit.

Next, I transferred the vector drawing to Photoshop were it was converted to a raster drawing. A bevel and drop shadow were applied to create the final result.

I am constantly search the web to find anything related to my research on Thomas F. Hamilton who was the builder of the Malibu Club at Princess Louisa Inlet and the name-sake of the Hamilton Standard (now Sundstrand) company. I came across this photo of Hamilton setting in one of his early aircraft that he and Ted Geary designed. This aircraft was built in Seattle WA around 1910 and was based on an early Curtis design. The location of this photo is in Seattle on the shores of Lake Washington in the Leshii district.