|
|
Special Projects - 1969 V.W. Bug"Emerson's Bug"This is a very special project for us. This bug was originally owned and customized by our Uncle John Emerson. He passed away before completing the project and the bug was eventually purchased and completed by another individual. During the completion of the bug it's new owner was able to track down members of our family and correspond with us about our Uncle and the current status of the bug. As a tribute to our Uncle for his initial customization of the bug, the new owner named it "Emerson's Bug". After completing the project, he enjoyed showing the bug for 3 years. When he caught the "bug" to do another project he needed to sell Emerson's Bug and offered it to the family. We were very happy to get Emerson's Bug back in the family and now we are in the process of our own customization project. Over the next several months we will be posting pictures showing our progress. We can't wait to show you the finished product.
These initial photos are of the bug as it was delivered to us in June of 2001. Mechanically the bug is in excellent shape as you can see from the engine photo. The bug has a 1776cc engine, power windows, cruise control, custom stereo system, and most importantly for those of us in South Texas - a R134A air conditioning system. The focus of our project will be on installing a custom interior with new sport seats, new exhaust, cleaning up of the body work, and fresh paint. We're still deciding on a color but rest assured, it will be something bright to go with the cool looks of this chopped, shaved, frenched, nosed, and decked Emerson's Bug. Tear Down
It is after the initial tear down on a project like this that you always question your judgement about taking on the project in the first place. Once you've got the vehicle torn down you really get a good look at the long road ahead. It is very difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The doors, fenders, deck lid, and hood have been removed and work on them will begin immediately. The body will be worked as time allows. There are several cracks in the paint that might be caused by problems in the areas where the top was chopped and welded. The electrical system will be inspected and repaired or replaced as required. We identified the steering rack as needing replacement so one was purchased along with a few switches and other small parts. Fenders and Floor
The fenders are being worked in the above images and the bumper mounting holes are being closed by welding in some metal backing plates. The fenders are a challenge because we don't want to mess up the custom body work that was done by Uncle John to "french" the openings around the lights.
The floor brought its own challenges. First there were many tiny holes in the floor pan from where the stock seat mounts had been removed. This allowed water to seep in under the carpets. After the surface rust was cleaned up by using a pneumatic wire wheel tool the floor was treated with One-Step and then painted with black paint. The underside of the floor was cleaned, scuffed, seam sealed, and then painted with textured undercoat material. The last images shows two of the eight bolts that were welded on the underside to allow the mounting of our Corbeau Seat Frames and Tracks. We purchased the Corbeau seats and hardware from John at http://www.vwparts.net/.
Because the bug has the top chopped we needed to do some customization on the regular Corbeau seat tracks. Basically we just heated up the mounting tabs at all four corners and bent them to a position horizontal to the floor instead of vertical. This gave us another inch or two of head room with our Corbeau Sport seats. The Body
Getting the body ready is taking a considerable amount of time and effort. These four initial images show the stripping of the old paint using razor blades. In some areas the paint came right off making it pretty easy. In other areas the paint was really adhered to the filler material and primer underneath. We eventually had to go after it with DA sanders with 40 and 80 grit paper. Before
After
Before
After This series of images shows some of the extensive welding and filler work that was completed when the top was originally chopped. We found that one of the reason we were seeing some cracks in the paint in these areas was the welds were high in relation to the natural contour of the roof line. The filler work required to compensate for the high welds made it very susceptible to cracking. The after pictures show the areas after cutting these welds down, re-welding as required, and grinding to clean everything up. Now the contour of the roof can be maintained without having to use an excessive amount of filler. This will make the area much more durable and the longevity should be very good.
The last two images show the left quarter with the new filler applied and the right quarter panel with the filler already worked and the primer coat applied. Next step. Block and prime the body as many times as necessary to get the panels ready for final refinish. Once the body and interior are refinished simultaneously, the electronics and instrumentation will be reinstalled and the bug will head to the upholstery shop for it's new custom interior. While at the upholstery shop the fenders, doors, hood and deck lid will be completed.
The body has been blocked and is ready for final priming. The first two images show the self-etching primer and the last two images show the final primer coat. The body is now ready to be wet sanded and refinished with the basecoat/clearcoat paint. Painting the Body
Finally! After a long pause in the action the body of the bug finally made it to final paint. Can you say Green? We really wanted a color that would stand out in a crowd and I think we found it. Now that the body is painted the new wiring harness and all the electrics will be put back in the car. When that is complete the bug goes to the upholstery shop for its new interior. While at the upholstery shop the rest of the parts will be prepped and painted. Project Complete - Mission Accomplished
Exterior, interior, mechanical, all complete. This turned out to be a huge project. Check out the images above to see a lot of the detail on the exterior and interior. You'll see the frenched lights and license plate area, shaved door handles, and awesome interior work performed by Mark's Custom Upholstery in Converse, Texas. All the billet and metal trim has been black chromed. The black chrome dash face plate was custom made. If you look closely you'll see the contact switches on the hinge pillar that were used instead of running wiring to the door for the door poppers and power windows. The Momo Competition steering wheel feels great, the Corbeau Sport seats fit like a glove, and the air conditioning system keeps you cool when cruising in the hot San Antonio weather. Thanks go out to all those who had a hand in the completion of this major project.
|
|
