Bertie Beetle the VW bug Story

Details

Published: Wednesday, 19 June 2013 20:07

Written by Ben Quirk

Introducing Bertie Beetle, a 1973 1303 VW Super Beetle.

 

 

Michael Snowdon

Bertie Beetle was purchased last month as my first car, I have been wanting a VW for the last 7 years, due to the fact I am such a fan of VWs. Bertie was found on Volks World and was listed for £400 and was exactly what we were looking for.

The bug was complete and in addition came with many more parts included. We picked him up from Pershore where we met the previous owner who had owned Bertie since 1994. Like myself she got Bertie on her 18th birthday, and she had driven the car till about 2009, however the work had got too much, this included large amounts of body work repair and a range of electrical problems. Bertie's previous owners biggest concern was that Bertie was going to a home where he would be restored. We knew first hand that people were buying Volkswagon bugs like Bertie and the immediately being stripped down for parts and sold on eBay within weeks. Bertie came with many other Beetle parts from her sister beetle, same year and model. The parts included two new doors.

Once we got Bertie back home he refused to start. After fixing some electrical problems and an issue with the fuel line, whilst doing this the fuel tank was removed, cleaned up and repainted as well as the fuel tank mounting brackets being replaced on the rear of the vehicle. We believe the parts had been taken off when the left heater channel was replaced.

Bertie is now running, and runs like a dream. We put this down to the engine being rebuilt 10 years ago, the same story as the Planet Auto MK2 Golf GTI 16V. Bertie has been driven on 3 test drives.

Currently Bertie is undergoing bodywork work.

The project starts

The colour scheme will be staying the same inside.

We want to replace lots of body work panels including new wings, doors, bumpers, hood and what ever weneed.

There are also plans to have him fully resprayed in a dark powder blue. Despite this not being a original colour for a beetle we do think it will look awesome also we expect to add some custom electrical features, all mods will be tastefully done, this way Bertie will maintain his original iconic look, which is really important to me.

As of today that is as far as we have got with Bertie Super Beetle.

more updates soon...

Michael Snowdon, Planet Auto Car Reviewer and owner

ABF Conversion Mk2 Golf Volkswagen

Details

Published: Tuesday, 13 March 2018 23:04

Written by Ben David T Quirk

It's been sometime since our Mk2 Golf GTI has had a mention, well last week I recorded a short video explaining what the plan was with our Mk2 ABF conversion and how far we'd got. The video shows some footage of the car and explains what we've managed to do, and what we hope to start in the coming weeks.

We chose the ABF engine route as it's a strong engine with great specs and pretty much is identical in resemblance to the KR 16v, the only difference being a 1cm taller block.

Hope you enjoy the video and watch out for Part 2. 

MK2 Golf GTI restoration Battery tray

Details

Published: Friday, 22 November 2019 12:24

Written by Ben David T Quirk

The Volkswagen Mk2 Golf project is no longer at a standstill, thanks to Triple M Roadside Assistance.

Christian turned up in his trust Ford Transit Connect to assess the Valver, after a look round, he said yes im up for it, great news for us.

Triple M is a mobile mechanic local to our area with a wealth of knowledge and vast automotive skill set - Typically, our garage door failed, fixed that with block of wood...after that though, we cleared the car bit, bumper and other bits and other things that were in front of the Mk2 Golf GTI, giving Christian room to peruse.

The video is a first taster at what's going to happen in the restoration of the classic Volkswagen, the battery tray was quite bad, rusty and holey.

On inspection the rust hadn't penetrated the inner wing meaning there was good metal that he could work with, it was in the chassis leg, however not as much that could compromise the integrity of the chassis.

Christian started by cleaning up the area, then cutting out the rot with a grinder until he hit solid metal.

Then it was just a case of cleaning up the area with a wire brush, and placing the battery tray over the top, aligning it and drilling holes for the weld.

The whole job took around 3 hours, including spraying and rust treating.

The Mk2 is well on the way to being back on the road!

Next Tuesday, it's the start of the engine conversion, which will require an engine crane.

First is change the timing belt whilst it is outside the car as this far easier, and it is a lot quicker.

As you can see, the VW project forges on and ChickenPig our Mk2 Golf may well be ready for spring - yay! then it's the Mercedes W124...

Mercedes 230CE W124 project car

Details

Published: Wednesday, 14 March 2018 22:36

Written by Ben David T Quirk

This is the car we've just purchased as a collective as Planetauto, the car is a W124 Mercedes Benz 230 CE, 4 cylinder 2.3L Petrol.

Read more ...