You may be asking yourself, “why is there a mention of something other than the ’67 Beetle here?” Well, the crew over at Circle The Wagen are personal friends of 1967beetle.com. Their fantastic film about the vintage Volkswagen will be shown to the world on June 9th. You can get your tickets here. Sounds like the perfect road trip for a ’67 Beetle. Congrats guys on all your hard work; looking forward to seeing the film. Check out the trailer below.

“Circle The Wagen is a feature-length buddy/roadtrip/docu-dramedy that follows Dave, an idealistic adventurer and automotive ne’er-do-well, and his convivial co-pilot Charlie—on their journey down Route 66 in a baby blue ’72 VW bus. Through mishaps and murals, gasoline baths and breakdowns the two discover a teeming underground of vintage VW diehards willing to help save “The Croc” from the scrap heap and rally her beleaguered owner on to California.”

Circle the Wagen marks the first feature film for both director Ryan Steven Green and producer Charlie Pecoraro (Dave’s co-pilot).

Both graduates of the University of Southern California’s school of Cinema-Television, Ryan’s filmic background started with short subjects such as his award-winning short documentary Between the Upper Lip and Nasal Passageway, and has recently found him directing commercial projects for the likes of PowerBar, NASA, and Torani.

Charlie is a working actor and drummer. He hosts musical colloquiums and a collective of working artists in the greater Los Angeles area committed to sharpening thought and work through discussion and critique.

Other notable members of the crew include:

• Cinematographer Lawson Deming has lensed three features in addition to CtW. His VFX work can be seen in shows such as CSI: New York, Ugly Betty, and Body of Proof.
• Multi-talented Jeremy Graham created the exquisite hand-made stop-motion animations that appear throughout the film.
• Original music for the film was composed by Long Beach-based Seth Shafer and includes a special contribution from Allessandro Allessandroni, the “whistler” in the soundtrack to the classic The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

The filmmakers are pleased to have made a film that is unrepentantly optimistic and that celebrates both the unique place these iconic vehicles enjoy in American culture, as well as that lifestyle devoted to helping those in need, even complete strangers.

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My beloved L282 Lotus White ’67 Beetle has been in our family since it was purchased new in Phoenix. It has only been an Arizona car. It’s never been in an accident. Everything works except the wipers. (Easy fix) It has four brand-new quality tires. The original HO case engine was rebuilt less than 2,000 miles ago. It starts up immediately and runs great. The last paint job in ’04 wasn’t great and is flaking in a few spots. It has one small dent in the rear. My grandmother replaced the front seats and steering wheel.

Status: For Sale
Mileage: 89,448 Original miles
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Price: $7,000 OBO
Contact: Jim Wagner  |  (623) 418-5918

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Congrats to 1967beetle.com reader Mike Buettell on winning the ’67 Beetle quiz. Enjoy your 25% off in the 1967beetle.com boutique store. Now, let’s talk about how Sarah was able to start her car.

Sarah sat in the driver’s seat for a moment, thinking. She pulled the hood latch, exited the car and removed the jack and tool pouch from beneath the hood.

She chocked the driver’s front wheel.

She popped off the driver’s rear wheel cover, then inserted the jack into the jacking port and raised the car enough so that the tire was off the concrete.

Next, she put the transmission into third gear, pressed the accelerator once to set the choke and turned the key to the “On” position.

Using the jacking bar and the lug socket from the pouch, Sarah began to turn the rear wheel counterclockwise.

Soon, the engine chugged to life. Sarah put the car into neutral, lowered the jack and stowed the tools. After replacing the wheel cover and removing the chock, she got into Schultz and happily drove to work—a little late and sweaty, but happy.

(The Limited-Slip Differential gearing allows the wheel with the least resistance to spin. The wheel on the ground provides too much resistance and will not turn)

Early history
In 1932, Ferdinand Porsche designed a Grand Prix racing car for the Auto Union company. The high power of the design caused one of the rear wheels to experience excessive wheel spin at any speed up to 100 mph (160 km/h). In 1935, Porsche commissioned the engineering firm ZF to design a limited-slip differential that would perform better. The ZF “sliding pins and cams” became available, and one example was the Type B-70 for early VWs.

Benefits
The main advantage of a limited-slip differential is demonstrated by considering the case of a standard (or “open”) differential in off-roading situations where one wheel has no contact with the ground. In such a case (with a standard differential), the non-contacting wheel will receive 100% of the power, while the contacting wheel will remain stationary. The torque transmitted will be equal at both wheels, and therefore, will not exceed the threshold of torque needed to move the wheel with grip. In this situation, a limited-slip differential prevents 100% of the power from being allocated to one wheel, and thereby keeping both wheels in powered rotation.

Basic principle of operation
Automotive limited-slip differentials all contain a few basic elements. First, all have a gear train that, like an open differential, allows the output shafts to spin at different speeds while holding the sum of their speeds proportional to that of the input shaft.

Second, all have some sort of mechanism that applies a torque (internal to the differential) that resists the relative motion of the output shafts. In simple terms, this means that they have some mechanism which resists a speed difference between the outputs, by creating a resisting torque between either the two outputs, or the outputs and the differential housing. There are many mechanisms used to create this resisting torque. The type of limited-slip differential typically gets its name from the design of this resisting mechanism. Examples include viscous and clutch-based LSDs. The amount of limiting torque provided by these mechanisms varies by design.

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Now and then, we like to try some new things here at 1967beetle.com. Below is a ’67 Beetle quiz. Know the answer? If so, you’ll get 25% off in the 1967beetle.com boutique store. The first person to chime in correctly below wins. (You’ll be notified and receive a special coupon code) Good luck.

Sarah arrived at the office a little late. Since she was such a stickler for arriving on time, her colleague asked the reason for the delay.

Sarah explained that when she opened the garage and got into “Schultz”, her ’67 Beetle to go to work… the battery was stone dead.

After glancing from the window and seeing Sarah’s Volkswagen in the parking lot, her buddy began to quiz Sarah about how she had managed to start the car.

I must tell you that Sarah could never have push-started her car because she and her husband live at the bottom of a hill.

As well, her husband already had left for work. To make things worse, she had no spare battery or battery charger.

How did Sarah start her car?

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A quick mention about this fantastic (and very correct) ’67 Beetle engine currently being built by Matthew Boyce. 1967beetle.com will be listing the engine for sale for Matthew in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.

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I’m selling a set of polished stainless steel beetle hinge covers from Aircooled Accessories.

“These are identical reproductions of a very hard to find accessory. Originally available through Perohaus of Europe, they neatly fit over the hinges on all years of the Beetle to give that finishing touch.”

Unfortunately, they don’t quite fit on my car. The space between the hinge and the pinch weld on the drivers side is a little to tight for the covers to slip in as they are supposed to, due to a front end collision my ’67 had years ago.

They came shipped in a nice box along with an AAC logo sticker and an AAC logo air freshener to hang from the mirror.

Status: For Sale
Location: Providence, RI
Price: $40.00. Shipped Priority Mail
Contact: Jody Sauvageau  |  401-744-6798

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Perhaps one of the most frustrating experiences a vintage car buff can have is not being able to locate necessary parts. As you’ve worked on your “second love” Volkswagen, invariably you’ve run against the brick wall of “that part is no longer available”! “What??? Now what am I going to do?” That’s probably putting it mildly. In my more than 36 year experience with VWs, I’ve had this problem hundreds of times. My two children and I made a regular habit of visiting salvage yards in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Then, things changed. Government restrictions began making things difficult for the salvage people. Yards were moved or closed. But, don’t give up! There still are some salvage yards located around the Country. Here’s the unique story of one salvage yard oasis; Don’s Bug Barn. As told by Dustin Carter, Don’s son.

How did you get all of this!?!
I have answered this question many times. My answer of “It is my father’s 36 year collection” never seems to satisfy.

Okay? But… but how did you get all this?
I tell the story, which always elicits smiles, that since we are in Texas, it is not uncommon that our story begins with horse-trading. In 1974, my father, Don Carter, got his first Volkswagen from my grandfather, who traded a horse for a dune buggy. My grandfather had no use for the buggy and offered it to my father, who accepted, thus beginning the story of Don’s Bug Barn. Growing up, my father always was a car guy, and throughout the years he acquired all types of American iron and muscle cars. But Volkswagens became his ultimate love.

Once my father started working on the buggy, he realized that it was missing the carburetor. In true Don Carter style, instead of purchasing one part, he bought a Volkswagen Beetle, complete with an engine, for the cost of the carburetor. From there, one Bug led to another, and another, and so on. His first Bug was a 1959 Semaphore Beetle, which we still own. He says he was drawn to the simple, yet sophisticated engineering of a VW. He also liked being able to work comfortably on the engine, while having the ability to pull and reinstall an engine by himself. It did not hurt that VWs also were an affordable hobby at that time.

My father is a collector of things, and when he becomes interested in something, let’s just say he is hooked. To this day, when asked, he is not able to pinpoint the exact reason he built the Bug Barn; other than that he needed a place to work on his VWs. He purchased land from my grandmother, and the foundation for the main shop was poured in 1977, with the help of friends and family. It was also around this time that my father made his first appearances on the local VW racing scene. He had been involved with drag racing for years, so racing VWs was only natural. The Bug Barn owns two VW race cars, a ’61 Ghia and a “slightly” modified chop-top ’67 Beetle, both of which my father named “The Bad Habits.” His hopes were to run the Bug Barn as a repair/parts shop in order to fund his racing.

With his shop operating full time, and weekends spent racing, my father was living his dream. When in 1979 he became a father, my grandmother and mother told him to “get a real job”. It was at this point that my father took a job with the State as a social worker. But that did not slow progress at the Bug Barn. Since my father’s weekdays were spent working at his “real” job, he hired people to run the Bug Barn for him. Through the ‘80s till the mid ‘90s, the Bug Barn flourished. Several excellent VW mechanics operated the business while my father was working. During this time, my father never stopped purchasing VW cars and parts. On the original Bug Barn business card it read: “I buy VWs any condition”. My father had the forethought to know that even a totaled VW still had good parts. He also realized the importance of one-year-only parts, which is why he regards the ’67 Beetle as the best year built. Over the years he bought several ’67 Bugs; we still have 15 of them today.

Growing up, I did not know anything other than Volkswagens. Both of my parents drove Volkswagens, and on the weekends, if we were not buying VWs, we were camping in one or were at the races. My father’s hobby had turned into a successful business. However, the good times could not last forever. Around 1993-94, the Bug Barn lost one mechanic to cancer and another decided to return to college for a career change. This turned the shop back into a weekend-only operation. During this time business slowed. It was only my father and I running things, and with him working all week and me still in high school, neither of us had as much time as we would have liked to devote to the business.

In 2002, when I left home to attend college in Louisiana, things stopped almost completely at the Bug Barn . At this point my father was retired, but his health was declining and his time spent on VWs became less and less. While he battled both throat and colon cancer, the hustle and bustle that used to occur at the Bug Barn stopped altogether. As my father was recovering, my grandmother became sick, putting him in the role of caregiver. I visited as often as I could, and every time I left town I would pass the Bug Barn, sitting there abandoned. It would make my heart sink. My life at this time, though, revolved around college and trying to establish my own career as a professional chef. Sadly, this kept me far from the Bug Barn.

After graduating from college, I worked in several fine dining restaurants in New Orleans, and then moved to help open a restaurant in South Carolina. My grandmother’s health was poor, and the toll of taking care of her, combined with his own health issues, began to affect my father. Nothing was happening with the Bug Barn and each passing year saw more tree and brush growth overtaking the VWs. While I was in South Carolina my father was hospitalized with an awful case of pneumonia. I rushed back to Texas to be with him. After two weeks he finally was able to return home and I returned to my own life in South Carolina. Only a few months passed and he once again was admitted with pneumonia even worse than before. This time I was unable to leave work to be with him, which was extremely hard for me.

I struggled with deciding what to do. With my dad’s health questionable at best, my grandmother’s prognosis not improving, and being my father’s only remaining family, I felt I had a responsibility. Not only did I want to be with my family, but there always was the question in the back of my mind of what should be done with the Bug Barn. My wife, Cassie, and I discussed moving back to Texas. The choice was ultimately decided when the chef I was working for sold the restaurant, giving us the perfect opportunity to move.

With a U-Haul full of our belongings and three cats, Cassie and I returned to Texas in February, 2009. The original plan was that we would clean up the Bug Barn and sell everything within six months. Our time frame however was a little off. As we started the process we realized that it was going to take longer than just six months. The clean-up began with only a small tractor, but with 316 cars on two acres of land, the tractor proved inefficient. We quickly graduated to a backhoe and a forklift; overnight I became a heavy equipment operator. To organize, we had to keep shuffling cars from one spot to another to make them all fit. After many long hours and months of work we began to see progress, but at this point we still had not even opened the doors to the shop. Finally, with some order to the cars outside, we braved entering the shop and the two other buildings on the property. These buildings had not been used in over 14 years; they had been used to warehouse all of the engines, miscellaneous spare parts and the race cars. There literally was no walking room. They were full front to back with VW parts stacked everywhere imaginable. With the help of fellow VW enthusiasts and dear friends, Paul and Elaine Dill, after long hours and days of sorting and moving, we began seeing some small areas of organization take shape. To this day we are still trying to finish organizing, but we have come a long way since that first day.

My plan never was to re-open the Bug Barn. In fact, I had no idea of the state of the classic Volkswagen market at the time I moved back. I was not sure if there was a need for parts or if the hobby was still alive-and-well in Texas. Boy was I in for an education! The classic Volkswagen World was indeed alive-and-well, and people needed original parts now more than ever. Unlike when my father started his business, I had the advantage of the web, craigslist, and more specifically, TheSamba became our salvation. Then word started to spread that something was happening at the “VW Bone Yard” in Athens, Texas. People had all sorts of stories about why it was being cleaned up. Several people came out in the beginning and offered condolences to me on the death of my father; others had stories of the property being sold and siblings fighting over the will. With each story, I just smiled and corrected them, telling them that my father was still alive and that I had no siblings to fight with, and that we were just cleaning things in order to sell cars. People were shocked that after so many years something was being done; cars were being moved and someone actually answered the phone when you called. It was at this point, with the growing curiosity of the place, and the looming task of continuing clean-up, that we decided to stay at least a year to finish things. That year became two, and then three, and here we are on year four, running a business we had no intention of starting.

The demand for VW parts still amazes me. Now with the web, at least 40% of our customers are located outside the U.S. The first time we shipped parts to California, I laughed, because my dad used to order parts from California. Perhaps the biggest surprise for me came with our first shipment to Germany. Of all places, I never dreamed that our parts would be going back to their homeland.

The VW community in the Dallas area has been very valuable to our business. Many people who had tried for years to come to the Bug Barn were eager to finally get the chance when we re-opened. Now locals can come to look around all day, and in Texas the term “local” covers anyone within 200 miles. VW clubs enjoy planning day trips to come out to have a pick-and-pull. Groups from all over Texas and Louisiana have visited the Bug Barn. I try to stay active in the local VW community, and attend as many shows as possible.

Without the help of fellow VW enthusiasts we would not be as successful as we are now. One such enthusiast who has been a great asset to our business is Jay Salser. Once Jay learned what we were doing at the Bug Barn, he championed our efforts and has become our honorary public relations representative. He has helped and supported us while also becoming a very dear friend. Another person who has aided us from the beginning is Larry Moore. Larry and my father have been friends for over 30 years. Mr. Moore is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to the Texas VW scene. In fact, Larry was the one who put us in touch with Jay.

These days my dad’s health is stable, for which we are very thankful. We may not buy VWs every weekend as he used to, but that has not stopped me from picking up a good deal when I find one. The business has no employees other than Cassie and myself. Cassie handles the Online ads, sales, shipping and, most importantly, keeps me organized. I spend hours each day talking with VW people while still working at the task of organizing cars, pulling parts, and doing my best to get people what they need to keep their VWs on the road. Although this is not the career I had envisioned, I really enjoy what I am doing; I am proud of the unexpected business we brought back. Perhaps my proudest moment so far, though, came when my dad recently brought me a new business card which reads “We buy VWs any condition.”

Contact:
Dustin Carter, Don’s Bug Barn
903-675-5891
TheSamba
Facebook

Thanks, Don’s Bug Barn, for sharing your story with 1967beetle.com.

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You just finished reading "Don’s Bug Barn — A VW Salvage Yard" on 1967 VW Beetle! I'd love to hear your thoughts about it!

Mud flaps were originally offered as a Volkswagen dealership accessory. High quality units are a bit harder to find these days. You can always tell a cheap quality set. The VW logo isn’t formed properly, and sometimes does not even include the “W.” Our friends over at Air Cooled Accessories have some of the nicest we’ve seen.

“Please note. Unlike others available, our sets include full heavy duty mounting hardware. This means heavy gauge brackets, backing bars, and all bolts and washers to enable fitting. They weigh nearly 2KG to give you an idea of the quality.”

They are available in both white and black. If you’re in the market for a set, AAC comes highly recommended for quality air-cooled VW accessories.

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You just finished reading "’67 Volkswagen Beetle — Quality Mud Flaps" on 1967 VW Beetle! I'd love to hear your thoughts about it!

Tell us about the history of your ’67 Beetle?
I’m always fascinated by the history of things. So I did some research, made calls, and pieced together a timeline of Fritzy III’s past life. Our ’67 Beetle was originally sold by Ellwood Motor Sales in Daytona, Florida. The first owner kept it until 1999, when he sold it to a guy who bought it for his wife as an anniversary gift. They split up a few years later, and she kept the beetle. She relocated and kept it stored in her garage, undriven for years. One day her mailman saw the VW and asked if she would sell it, and they agreed on a price. The car was inoperable since it had been sitting idle so long, so he had it trailered to his home where he replaced the starter, gas tank, fuel pump and carburetor, and got it running again. He intended to do more work on it, but was sidelined by a heart attack. He held onto the car, not wanting to give up on his plans to fix it up. Meantime, his friend’s 19-year-old son had taken an interest in the beetle, so the mailman sold it to him in May 2012. It wasn’t an easy decision for him, but I guess he thought this young man would make a project out of it. But as we all know, working on a 46-year-old car takes time and money … two things a college student does not have. Within a couple months, the bug was for sale. My husband happened upon it one day, and bought it for me as a surprise … one day I came home from work, and there sat Fritzy outside our garage. I’ve never been so shocked in my life! Funny thing is, not two weeks before I made the off hand comment that owning a vintage beetle was on my “bucket list.” Who says men don’t listen to their wives!

When did you start the restoration?
It took a couple months to really get into it. We wanted to enjoy driving it a little before taking it out of commission for restoration. Plus I was dragging my feet, dreading the process of seeing Fritzy dismantled and in pieces. It’s funny though … now that we’ve started, I feel much braver about it. It’s slow going, though, and I long for the day when we can hit the road again.

How long do you think the restoration will take to complete?
Wow. Who knows. It depends on how much we outsource. We plan on doing most of the work ourselves, but will outsource the media blasting and possibly the paint job. In the end, hopefully Fritzy will be part of the VW herd in next year’s Christmas parade.

What were some of the challenges you faced so far?
Rust, rust, and more rust. Plus the original owner’s penchant for fabricating homemade floor pans out of road signs. The original pans were almost completely rusted out, so rather than replacing them, this guy patched together a network of stop signs, “men working” signs, “no dumping” signs, “keep left “signs …. you name it. Layer upon layer of them. And under all that, he had some odd, perforated aluminum to which he applied undercoating. What a mess.

Another challenge was finding space to take the car apart. But Doug is a great problem-solver, and installed a hoist to lift the body off the chassis so we can start from the bottom up. We stripped the body of everything that would come off to reduce the weight, and voila: bug in the air! Then he made a frame for it to rest on so the trusses aren’t bearing the constant load. The chassis is underneath on dollies, and can be slid in and out easily. Pretty nifty.

Finally, Doug discovered damage to the passenger side door post caused by a minor wreck in Fritzy’s history. Repair will involve replacing the passenger door and right front quarter panel. Luckily, after much searching, we have been able to locate original ‘67 parts.

In your opinion, what makes the ’67 Beetle so unique?
It’s the perfect bridge between the old and the new. It has the cool, old school features of its predecessors (metal dash, towel bar bumpers, low backed seats etc.), but the bigger engine and 12-volt electrical system of the beetles that followed. The end of one era and the beginning of another rolled into one vehicle. And who wouldn’t love the 67-only parts, like those awesome backup lights? I could go on and on …

On a personal note, one of the reasons I love beetles in the first place is because my dad owned two when I was growing up: a ‘62 and a ‘68. They were named Fritzy I and II, respectively. So now we own the perfect hybrid of those two years: Fritzy III! The look, the unmistakable VW smell, the sound … it’s amazing the memories this little car has brought back. Too bad I’m too big to ride in my old seat: in front of the engine in the bread box (a.k.a. luggage compartment). Wish I had a nickle for every baby boomer who rode around in the cubby hole. Think of all the parts that would buy!

What parts have been (so far) the hardest to find?
Body stuff. So much is peculiar to the ‘67, and we want to examine each replacement part carefully to be sure of its condition. We’ve found everything we need now, but it wasn’t easy. One of the coolest aspects is some of the people we’ve met during the search. There’s an older guy who owns a VW salvage yard about an hour away, and he had remnants of a ‘67 with a usable door post/right front quarter panel. He was a real gem, and the couple hours we spent with him will be one of our fondest memories of this whole project.

What is your take on doing a 100% stock restoration VS non stock?
Everyone needs to do what they want with their own car. But personally, we’re big fans of keeping it as original as possible. Much of that is sentimental for me, since I grew up with these cars. But they also have a historical value. Everything today is so complex. Just look at our modern-day automobiles equipped with GPS, Blue Tooth, displays telling us how much MPG we’re getting, climate controlled zones … the list of options goes on and on. And everything in life is so immediate, so incredibly fast-paced that we’re all thinking and doing 12 things at once. Yet in the midst of this insanity, the best seat in the world is behind the wheel of a vintage bug with its minimalist dashboard. It gives your MPH (never very fast), and how much gas is left in the tank. From that vantage point, the world makes sense again.

Any ’67 Beetle specific tips or words of wisdom you would like to offer?
Know from the start that restoring these cuties is a labor of love. There’s always more rust than you thought, and lots of the parts are extremely difficult to find. But in the end, you will have something very special. These cars are slipping out of existence fast, and I feel so lucky to have one!

And of course, knowledgeable resources are essential. That’s where Eric and 1967beetle.com have been a real gold mine of information, guidance, encouragement and moral support. Plus, Eric kindly introduced us to Ron Bengry at Wolfsburg West. We truly can’t say enough good things about their quality and Ron’s customer service and advice. After seeing the caliber of WW’s products, they have become our go-to for new parts. Thanks so much to both Eric and Ron!

Thanks, Susan & Doug, for sharing your ’67 with 1967beetle.com.

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You just finished reading "Featured ’67 Beetle — Susan & Doug W" on 1967 VW Beetle! I'd love to hear your thoughts about it!

Tell us about the history of your ’67 Beetle.
My great-grandfather purchased a used 1967 Volkswagen Beetle, painted Volkswagen Blue, in November of 1967 (it was built in August of ’66 so I’m assuming that the previous owner had it for about a year). He drove it a fair amount until his death, when my grandfather inherited the car. It ended up at my grandparents’ house, and when my dad was in high school it was really never used (although it still wears the dents he made with a golf ball). When my dad went to college, however, he ended up driving it sometimes, because it was economical and he wasn’t too concerned about anyone breaking into it. Although my dad never hated the car, it just really wasn’t for him. As a result, in late 1986, it was put into the garage at my grandparents’ house. Aside from being rolled from one garage stall to another in the late 1990s, it was absolutely untouched, complete with a half tank of gas (yikes!) and the battery still connected. Over time, it was filled and covered with all sorts of things—used as an impromptu rack and an occasional cat toy.

Growing up I always knew about the car (we live next door to my grandparents), but I never really thought much about it. Around the time I was a junior in high school, however, I started to see dollar signs as I thought that maybe I could sell it and make a little money. I knew zero about cars so that began to fizzle. Right before senior year, a friend who likes cars started asking about it. We decided to start working on it, working sometimes only once or twice a month. Our goal was to get it started, because we knew that a running car is worth a little extra. We replaced fuel lines, got a new fuel pump, replaced spark plugs and the ignition coil, among other things, experiencing our fair share of misadventure along the way. I remember that every time we made a little change, we would sit there cranking it, praying that it might cough to life. Finally, in November, we had just replaced the ignition coil and I popped into the driver’s seat and turned the key. Instantly, it roared to life. Although there was still a lot of work to be done to make it road worthy, I knew at that moment that I could never sell the car. That day we made it up to a roaring 5 mph (the carburetor was in desperate need of a rebuild). In the months that followed, we got new tires, replaced the master cylinder and each wheel cylinder, rebuilt the carburetor, and performed other minor maintenance. Now I’m a freshman in college and the ‘67 has become my daily driver. It’s so cool to think that 30 years ago my dad was on this same campus with this very car. For the most part everything is completely original (and rust free!), aside from slightly larger tailpipes, a new radio (that was built to look like a period correct Volkswagen radio), speakers, and other very small items. Paint and interior, while not perfect, are 100% original.

When did you start the restoration?
I started the process in August, 2011, as a busy high school senior with zero mechanical experience.

How long did the restoration take?
Because of commitments to school, sports, etc., it was a slow process that wrapped up in May, 2012. We would sometimes be able to work only one weekend a month, so we made them count. It wasn’t a full restoration, either. The car was in good enough shape that it was more a process of making it totally roadworthy, able to be enjoyed daily both in town and on the highway. My hope is to perform a full restoration when I am out of college and on my own.

What were some of the challenges you faced during the process?
Not knowing anything about how cars work was a massive setback. Not only did it impact my understanding of what could be causing the car not to run, but it also made me worried that I might do too much to the car and accidently mess something up. I had to use a lot of resources and look to people who had worked with Beetles, in order to make sure that everything was tip top. A local shop that specializes in vintage Volkswagens was my biggest ally. Since I was without a car lift or many automotive tools, they were a great place that could do those few things not possible in my garage. They also were helpful in talking me through more challenging processes and helping to find parts.

It was not necessarily planned that the car would sit for a quarter of a century, and as a result it wasn’t prepped in any way. The fuel tank was nearly half full of ‘80s gas, and that had not been kind to most of the fuel system. We actually had an incident where the rubber fuel line that runs from the tank to the metal fuel line cracked open while we were working. Oblivious to this, we rolled it inside and called it a night. Soon, the garage floor was covered with a black mess. I’m just thankful that the car was garaged as long as it was. I have been told multiple times that my Bug has one of the most solid original frames/pans anyone has ever seen, and I plan to do everything I can to keep it that way.

Another large challenge was that mice had made the car their home. I found large nests in both the engine compartment and the front trunk area, and the headliner had been chewed through in a few places. I was very concerned about how the electrical components/wiring had fared, but in the end we lucked-out. I have yet to find any sign of rodent damage to these important components, and everything on the car works as it should.

Besides these things, we never were blindsided. Sure there were nuts and bolts that seemed impossible to loosen, but that’s all in the fun of the process. When we first had it running, we had one of the brake cylinders apart because it was locked up. I couldn’t stand waiting until I had the time to replace it, so we spent a lot of time slowly and carefully trekking up and down the driveway, allowing it to slow to a stop or augmenting it carefully with the emergency brake (we were very careful not to damage or over work the e-brake). This was my first manual shift car (I’ll never go back to automatic!), and because I learned how to drive it without working brakes, it was weird to drive when first we had those repaired.

In your opinion, what makes the ’67 Beetle so unique?
I have never driven a Beetle with the 6 volt system, but it’s clear what an impact the 12 volts really has. This thing is so reliable. I have had zero issues getting it started. Everyone mentions this but it’s so true– you have the “classic” styling with more power and generally improved technology. I am able to easily and safely keep up with traffic, and I still turn heads everywhere. I also simply like the fact that there were so many “one-year-only” parts on this car. It’s easy for the many model-years to blur together, but the 1967 year stands out. It’s all in the little details. I love the things such as the little reverse lights on the back bumper.

What parts were the hardest to find?
Thankfully, almost everything was in great or at least completely useable condition. For the small things that needed to be replaced, there were plenty of WebSites with what I needed. The hardest part was that there are so many 1967 specific parts that it can be difficult to find exact replacements. For example, the tank that holds washer fluid on my Bug has a tiny hairline crack that leaks only when the tank is pressurized. I tried the ugly epoxy fix, but even that couldn’t contain the pressurized stream. Unfortunately, no one manufactures the tank anymore. There are usually a few on eBay, but not all are in good condition. It’s one of those things where you have to keep an eye out for the right item at the right price.

What is your take on doing a 100% stock restoration vs non-stock?
I really like to keep things as close to original as possible, if the car is in decent shape; or at least only make changes that don’t detract from the originality. For me, a decent sound system was important, but I used components that fit with the car and retained the vintage look. I also needed to replace my tailpipes. I opted for slightly larger ones that have an angled tip. They add a slightly deepened tone and look sharp, but don’t take away from the vintage appearance. Plus, things like tailpipes are very easy to swap out, so it really doesn’t bother me. The thing that I am generally not a fan of is altering the car permanently. These already are unique vehicles, and you can never go back from a permanent change. If you are adding a huge engine to a Bug, it seems to me that you would be better off spending your money on a muscle car or something like that. It’s that little putt-putt that gives these ’67 Beetles character, in my opinion. With that said, if the car is so far gone that restoring it to originality will require using more new parts than old, then I’m totally for having fun with it. No matter how nice reproduction parts are, they simply aren’t the “real deal.” It’s just getting harder to find these in good stock condition, so I prefer to keep them like that as long as possible.

Any ’67 Beetle specific tips or words of wisdom you would like to offer?
Take pride in your car! If you have to do a full restoration, or your car is in pretty rough shape, save as much (of its originality) as you possibly can. No reproduction part can perfectly replicate the original. When I first started getting into this, I was thinking of replacing everything I could with a new part just to make sure it was nice and shiny and perfect. I quickly realized, however, that it’s better to keep as much that was built onto the car as possible. Also, if you do need to find a new part, make sure that if it’s a ’67 specific piece that you find the ’67 style. A lot of these are harder to find. It would be easy to settle for a generic Bug piece, when the 1967 had some cool features that make it unique. Also, be willing to talk to others. I have a lot of people start conversations with me in parking lots, and it’s always really fun. You don’t have to talk for a long time or anything like that, but it is cool to be able to share the awesome thing that you have. These ‘67s are getting more and more rare on the roads anymore. Most importantly, have some fun! Cars are made to be driven, so be sure to drive yours.

Thanks, Rees, for sharing your ’67 with 1967beetle.com.
Article edited by Jay Salser

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