Hi, I'm a VW enthusist just like you. I didn't grow up with bugs or any thing like that, so it didn't hit me until I was on vacation. I saw the coolest Baja Bug up in Mears, Michigan at the Silver Lake Dunes. It was red and had strips of fire going down its sides. I automatically knew it was my kind of car. I bought the Dune Buggies and Hot VW's magazine, and I also found the VW Trends magazine, they were awesome magazines. It was finally obviouse I had been bitten by the bug.

I started looking for a junked bug to fix up, I was only 13 then so I had a lot of time on my hands. I heard from a friend, that a guy up the street had one for sale. I was not quite sure if there was actually one their, so me and my dad went to check it out. I got there, and I knew it was mine with out question, the sign in the back that said ("Its yours if you haul it")kind of gave it away. I called him up, and made a deal with him, 2 days later we pushed it home. with a little help from my friend Brad. I had heard it was like a '66 or a '69.

Tearing it down.

I started cleaning it up, reallizing the car had no floor boards, and that the engine was frozen (rusted shut) like a rock. I knew it needed alot of work and this wasn't any weekend project.  I managed to pry the glove box open, and I found its old licence plate registration forms.  I look at the year and it was a '59, I then realized I had a classic on my hands. Back then I knew very little about VW's, let alone any car.  I had been bitten by the bug, and there was no turning back, so I bought a manual.  It helped a ton, considering the one that came with the car was 59 years old and the pages were laying in the taped up binding.  I dropped out the engine with my dad and my brother one night, and I started to take it apart. I have a friend named steve he is so cool he fixed up and drove 6 VW's in his high school years. He told me that the engine was a 1200cc, I was discouraged I thought I had the original 1159cc engine in it. I had every original part, including interior.  I got the issue from Hot VW's of the green cal look bug and I loved it.  I want to have white interior with a purple coat of paint.  Sorry, lets get back to the tearing down stage. It was almost Christmas and I wanted an air compressure, so I could sand blast my car. On Christmas morning there it was, my 5hp, 20 gallon tank air compressure. I got made fun of for only wanting an air compressure for Christmas. I bought a lot of tools for it and have used almost all of them.

I have worked on that bug for a long time and am getting very far. I took the shell off and cut the floor pans out. I sand blasted, painted, and rebuilt the whole front end. I also took off the tranny, and I am almost ready to paint it.  I sand blasted and primered the pan(minus floorpans). But then my life took a turn for the better.  I found and bought a '68 vw bug.(O.K. dad bought it)  It was at a body shop in a local town and it was in a field. We asked if we could look at it and the shop dude said sure.  I saw it and looked at it and said "nice paint and interior", my friend matt said this is cool I want it, Then I jumped in and said um let me think about it............NO. Well the guy that owned it didn't do body work, and it needed new floor pans and heater channels. I said lets get it dad I can fix it, and for a price tag of  $500 I had to have it.  My dad and I went out to get it and there it was in the parking lot of the body shop, I said "they must have pushed it over here for us. Then a worker came out and said  is this yours, and dad said "yep". Then that guy said"I can't believe it started" I was like "what".  then the guy told us how he charged the battery and sprayed eather in the spark plugs and it fired right up. Well, we tried to start it but it wouldn't go so we loaded it up on the tow dollyand oayed the owner, and headed home, oh, yea all this time there was a lightning storm going on right above us.
    Well we got it home alright no problems thank goodness.  When we got home we got it off the tow dolly.  I said dad can we try to start it he said sure can't hurt to try. We got in and dad started it up(this means the engine works)I was yelling my head off I was so happy. But the floorpans were so bad I could see the driveway, and the seats were leaning against the door post so it was kind of scary, dad shifted into gear, I was freaked this car was in no driving condition. My dad backed out and we drove up the street this was my 2nd time I have ever ridden in a bug(with the engine running).  Dad said it was a little rough on the shifting so we turned around and went home. I washed the car in the rain and then pulled it in the garage, and shut the garage door and and worked on it till midnight. I got up the next morning to work on it and at noon, I was ready to take the shell off dad was surprised he didn't know it would be that soon.
    Well we got the shell off and we put the new floor pans in and new Heater channels, and all new brakes.  Did alot of painting and alot of welding and alot and a little of every thing.  The Bug runs great all this and this is my first 10 min. ride ever in a bug crazy since I've owned one for 2 years.  I love it!!!!!  The heater channels are a pain in the rear to put in!! Thats just a tip.

My bug has again gone under some huge cosmettic stuff. I have rebuilt and painted the front end and I welded in the floor pans my front end is put onand the pan is painted white top and bottom. The brakes are now the next thing on the list. I am still grinding down the shell and primaring it slowly, bit, by bit. The transmission awaits a full coat of pain and then it can return to the pan. I also rebuilt the pedal asembly and painted it white. I am still refusing the help of my dad he has offered but I want this to be my car and I want more skills