As an introduction.....

So, there he sits at the end of the driveway with a tarp over his head. Today, I give you an overview of the current state of this vehicle, and an idea of what needs to be done.

From the inside you can see that there is considerable rust in the side panel on the right side, no floor under the drivers feet and well established surface rust on the passenger floor. The spare wheel well is also well rusted. Other than that, the interior seems to be quite good.




On the outside is a little more involved. Both doors are too far gone, so replacements will be sought, lower doglegs and lower nose panel, inner and outer (mostly falling off in little rust chips on to the ground whenever a door is opened or closed) will need to be cut and replaced.

Sections of gutter on the right side and the right rear corner will need to be replaced, and both lower rear corners also. There are some bumps, knocks and wear and tear here and there, but they may not present too bigger problem. And of course there are those large holes in the centre panel to be cut and replaced.

With time and much patience, all these things will be sorted out.

You can see that I have already been poking around at him, and "the more you look, the more you see" rings so true here. I will give more detail of the surprises I have found in future posts, but this time i wanted to give you a brief overview of the state he is in and what challenges I have set myself up for.

The first ever VW I owned was a $300 early beetle. I didn't have a lot of mechanical, carsy knowledge, but put it in the garage and pulled it apart anyway. I learnt a lot and I learnt it fast by doing that. My knowledge is much improved now, some years later, so I am looking forward to this challenging journey.

Hopefully one day I may be able to slip the board in the back and head for the coast, with all the work behind me.

Welcome......

I am pleased and excited to present this adventure to you.
I have high hopes and excessively high expectations of my own abilities in regard to restoring the van.
VW's have been a part of my life on and off over the years, so this one was no real surprise. A project like this has been on my mind for some time, and now it is a reality. There will certainly be a fair share of challenges along the way, working without a shed for one. This means any real progress will be subject to the weather, rain, hail and hot hot Adelaide sun. It will also be seriously governed by the surf conditions, and where my loyalty lay on any given day. All sort of normal variables I suppose.

This van came home around August or September 2011, so there is a little bit of catching up to do here. He arrived on the back of a truck and was pushed and shoved until he sat in his current spot at the end of the driveway.


First Day

There he sat while exams loomed and passed. Work was to begin at the beginning of summer, but festivities, time away and beach days seem to get priority. As the next year of study commitments comes close, I have had a burst of energy and enthusiasm. The van is finally getting the attention he deserves.

In following posts I shall post pictures of the progress so far, the challenges his age and condition presents, the highs and lows, the successes and the failures. Hopefully you will find it entertaining and informative.