Current Projects
Estimated day to drive the car again:

July, 2008

In Progress: Replace and paint passenger door and keys

My grandfather, bless him, would do anything for a deal on this car and he replaced the passenger side door after an accident with the wrong model year, so it doesn't close well (and leaks water when it rains).

This project is finished. I was very worried about it, because the car had a lot of body work on that side because of the accident. I was worried that no door would fit properly.

It'll be nice to put one set of keys with the doors. For that matter, it will be nice to be able to lock the doors with a key.

In Progress: Floor Pan repair
Est. finish: Late January

I have some rust and outright holes under my front seats. Before I can put rubber lining onto my floors, I have to fix it, especially to avoid having the rust expand. I also don't want to have to disassemble my car on a regular basis to fix this sort of thing.

Update: apparently, my grandfather used an old stop sign to fix a hole under the battery. Wow.

In Progress: Install hydraulic clutch
Est. finish: Late January

The clutch cable in my car broke about annually, and it's very frustrating to have that happen in a dangerous place, like on a freeway. Generally, you can drive without a clutch (just so far as to get it home), but one time it went out at the same time my starter went, and that completely disabled the car.

So the radically more expensive but basically indestructable option was to replace the cable with hydraulics. This means a new pedal, hydraulic lines, and a lot of body work, so it's not cheap. But it will be worth not grimacing every time I put down the far-left pedal.

Install double front and rear bumpers and
Increase front-end clearance
Est. finish: Mid-February
Front bumper (paid) + ~$200 (install)

Ernest and I went in together buying an old '64 hulk together - he took the frame and I got a fuel sender, brights switch, and double bumper. I'd just put it in myself, but for this style one must poke some holes in the rear firewall.

He's also sold me his baja's old front bumper, which is custom made from a back bumper and has a skid plate.

These will be covered with the white Herculiner, partly for appearance, partly to avoid dents, and partly to seal them from rust.

Body work
Est. finish: Late February
$?

The new passenger door has no holes for trim, and I've never been a big fan anyway, so they need to be filled in. There are also a few dents that need to be addressed. Finally, I need to figure out how to secure the headlights more effectively to the fenders.

Paint car
Est. finish: Late March (1 week turnaround)
$569 + Tax, etc.

While Earl Sheib did a great job painting my car (they gave it the current paint job), it hasn't been stored in the shade at all since I've owned it - and it shows. The car was also used in many moves, and has lots of chips in the paint. Don't get me wrong - with a wax job it still looks OK, but I'd like to have the interior painted the exact same color as well, and to just have a good job done.

I'm going with the Platinum package over at Scheib. It's on special right now in Tucson, so I locked in that price. They agreed to do the inside and outside (which normally they don't), since there will be no upholstery, windows, or really anything for them to mask. It also has a 6-year warranty.

Engine/Header Powdercoating & Chrome Kit
Est. finish: Late April (10-day turnaround)
$175 for the header (matte black)
$250 for the engine (red)
$90 for the chrome kit

Engines get dirty. When they get dirty, they get hotter, and uglier. Then they explode I don't like my engine to be ugly or explosive, so I'm going to get the thing powdercoated. That lets me make it pretty (along with the chrome) in a way that can be easily hosed off, and won't rust.

I had my first header (the tubes connecting the engine to the stinger exhaust pipe) rot away with rust, and noticed that my new one already has a fair amount on it. In an effort to curb this, I bought some white high temperature paint (i.e., oven paint) that cures with heat. This worked for about a year, but rust is still getting through. The matte black powdercoating offered by Perfection Powdercoating here in town should keep it perfect.

1776 cc Engine
Est. finish: Late April
$200 due

This wasn't really on my list, but Ernest convinced me to get it because I had some trade credit and a good (though smaller) engine on my car to trade in for it. The new engine has dual carbeuretors, and a lot more power than my current engine.

My mileage will go down a bit, but that's why we have the Prius. The other advantage is that we'll be able to take out the engine for when the car is painted. We'll also be able to paint, clean, and put chrome on the engine.

Replace wiring
Est. finish: May (same time as wiring)
~$300 (install)
~$170 (harness)

The wiring in my Bug is old. It's original, steel wire that's 46 years old. It's been painted, crossed, overloaded and burned. It needs to be replaced. And there's no better time when the whole vehicle is stripped out, anyway.

There will be a few deviations from stock parts. We'll add a kill switch for the battery, a few 'cigarette lighter' style power outputs, keep the starter button in the back, and add an extra fusebox for the stereo and so on. Finally, we'll add a solar trickle charger for the battery.

Replace all the rubber in the doors and windows
(& drive the car again!!)
~$300 (Volkswerks) + $360
Est. finish: June

The rubber - all of it - is completely shot. When it rains, water gets in and damages the paint and metal, the seals around all of the parts are cracking... everything.

I'll buy the complete kit from jBugs.

Volkswerks and I will actually be experimenting a bit and using rubber paint to paint the seals white (to match the red and white scheme). They don't make the white rubber for my model year anymore, so we'll see how that goes. Worst-case scenario, we can ditch it and go with white, but hopefully it will work well.

At this point, I'll also replace the Grab handle ($30).

Floor lining (Herculiner)
Est. finish: July
$120 (ACE Hardware or online)

I'm putting down gray Herculiner on the floors to help deaded the sound, seal the pan from rust, and avoid ever having to have carpet to clean. I'll also get a pint of white for the bumpers and side bars. This is the DIY equivalent of Rhinolining or Line-X, and I'll be doing it by hand.

Sound deadening (Dynamat)
Est. finish: July

I am putting Dynamat into my car to quiet the (deafening) engine. I was going to go with RAAMmat or Second Skin, because of what this guy said. But I found a big bulk pack for $100 on eBay, and couldn't pass that up.

I'll be covering the firewall first, then the ceiling, then the doors. I'm pretty sure I have enough for all of that, but if I don't, I'll buy a small amount to finish it. The sound deadening will be wonderful for long trips, but also gives that 'luxury solidness' vibe you get in bigger, fancier cars. Also, I'll be able to hear myself yelling at other people on the road.

Everyone outside the car will still be deaf for a while when I go by.

Aluminum door panels
$145 (for 2 + 2 panels)
$100 labor
Est. finish: August?

All the effort I'm putting into this car is ultimately to make the car basically indestructible. Part of that is having interior uphostery that will outlast most of the humans that are currently alive. So rather than the black vinyl paneling (which gets wicked hot anyway), I'm putting in aluminum.

The major downside to these - apart from the cost - is that I'll have to cut them to make holes for the grab handles, window rollers, a map box, and a speaker.

Tint quarter- and rear windows
Est. finish: July
$150

All of the windows except the windshield will be done at the medium-tint 35%. I'll be going through Reflecto-Shield.

Interestingly, while I figured it would be easier do the tinting while the windows are out, that's not the case. They pretty much insisted on doing the job after the windows were installed. This is partially because it's easier to put pressure on the window when it's mounted, and partially so that if the tinting has to be replaced, they can remove the tinting without taking it out of the sealer.

Next up

Corbeau Special Edition (or A4) Racing Seats
$798/$598 Special Edition, $399 ea. or $598 A4's, $299 ea.
$138 - Mounting bracket (C380T, C381T) $69 ea.
$198 - 3-point retractable seatbelt $99 ea.
$49 - Inflatable lumbar for driver's side
Total: $1,183 or $983 + bracket install at Volkswerks

The Corbeau A4 seats are not cheap. They are, actually, extremely freaking expensive. But I had very exacting requirements: it had to be very thin (the Beetle is not a wide car), have the ability to recline/move forward (to allow back passengers), have a compatible bracket, be available in red, and have 4-point retractible seatbelts. These seats are just 18.5" wide, plus all of that and a bag of chips: steel tube construction, injection-molded foam, you name it.

I've decided that the back seat won't really have the dedicated baja back seat; there doesn't seem to be any product out there that does that and folds down. Instead, I'll install good belts and padding myself. That should be fine for mild off-roading and camping.

Steering wheel parts
$300

I actually managed to break my turn signal arm in half ... and it didn't even stay stuck on when I used it before. It's pretty much trashed. The steering wheel has a bunch of chips out of it, as well. They're low on this list because they are bloody expensive:

Steering wheel ($220)
Turn signal switch ($80)

New rims
$?

Bigger, baja-style 5-spoke rims. I really like the way they look, especially when they're white. These will probably have to get a powdercoat as well, though I'd prefer to bring it with a bunch of parts to do at the same time.

Stereo System
$800?

It's going to be one of the last things to go in, but the stereo eventually will be installed in my car. The amps will go below the back seat, and will be quite clear. I don't need it to be loud, but I want it to sound great.

I'll be making the fiberglass enclosures for mounting the amps and speakers.

GPS/Phone System
$400?

Once the stereo system is put in, GPS will be easy enough to integrate. All it needs is a power source and an antenna. Sattelite GPS will be wonderful for keeping track of where I am, especially when I'm off the road.

One thing that I didn't see coming that's also awesome is that many new GPS systems have integrated hands-free calling via Bluetooth, and music via MP3's in memory cards. That means that with basically no extra effort on my part, I can have hands-free calling and 8GB of music available in my car. How awesome is that in a VW?

Swamp cooler, internally locking trunk
$?

After I build the various things I'd like to build (air intake for am internal swamp cooler, LED light enclosures in and around the interior, a toolbox for the back of the back seat and in the trunk, and so on), I'll need to have them painted to match the car.

LED lighting
$?

Fiberglass paint
$?

Mere irritations & don't-forgets

Side bars
Hood shocks
Right rear view mirror ($35, mount $7)
Gravel guards ($30)
Windshield cleaner nozzle with seal ($10)