Nick and Sherri's 2 make 1 (65 Beetle) Restoration
Page 1 
Started December, 2001


                                       

March 27, 2002

It all started with an ad in the newspaper for a 65 Beetle that had been in the paper for several weeks. Nick was bored one Sunday and decided to go take a look at it. Of course, I had to go along to see it as well. We really didn't need another project but the price seemed fair.

The Bug was in the process of being restored by a teenager. His dad explained that this car had a history with the family from being passed from one relative to the next. Whenever one got bored or didn't want to deal with it anymore, they passed on to another relative. He explained this time they wanted to break that family tradition as he was tired of it coming back into his hands. His son needed money to go to college and that was why they were selling it. His son had ordered quite a few replacement parts and panels but just had never taken the next step to get the resto started. So my husband and I brought another Bug home that day in hopes of ending this family's nightmare (as they put it).

Well, the Bug sat for about a year while Nick and I were building our post frame shop in our backyard that fall and winter. We gave the Bug a stall in the shop and promised it that it would be worked on in the fall after our summer of VW camping, shows and fun.

Spring of 2001, Nick gave me the title to the 65 Beetle for an anniversary present. Now typically most women would beat their husbands senseless if they tried to do this but if you have ever met me you know I am a verified VW nut. So guys, don't try this on your wife or girlfriend. I'm still trying to figure out where the silk/linen or pearls are in the 65 since it was our 12th anniversary. HaHa!

Winter of 2001, Nick decides to start on the 65's restoration with hopes of finishing by the Michigan Vintage Volkswagen Show in May of 2002. Plenty of time to do a quality restoration. We started by taking the shell off of the chasis. The chasis looked pretty bad but Nick said that he could probably save it. He started on the chasis right away while I contacted the VW Museum in Wolfsburg to obtain the Bug's birth certificate. When the certificate arrived we were surprised to find that this Bug had been an export to Canada. That would explain the terrible shape it was in. Not only did it withstand the harsh elements of Canada, it had also spent some time down in Florida near saltwater. Not a good combination for this car. 

Pictures of Norbert - Click on the pics to enlarge.

With the chasis nearly finished, Nick decided to start on the shell. We knew there was some bondo on it, but we weren't prepared for what we discovered. We found that the bottom of the car was bondo nearly a foot high all the way around. There wasn't any metal to weld new heater channels to!! It was that bad. I was depressed and Nick was sick that he had spent all this time on the chasis only to find we would have to find another shell or start over on a different car.

So we put the word out that we were looking for a 65 shell. Not too many responses came back and the ones we did look at were in no better shape than Norbert. One of our club members did offer to sell the 65 Beetle he recently picked up. So Nick and I went to take a look at it to see what could be done with this one. To our surprise it was in wonderful shape. It was 90% better than our other candidates that we had looked at so it was hard not to say no. In Wisconsin, when you see a solid Beetle you better buy it before you're sorry. You will likely not have another chance at buying it.

We towed our new candidate home that day and parked it in the stall next to the shell of the other 65. I had recently named the other one Norbert since it had come from Canada. The new candidate was much easier to name as it had a sticker on the rear window that told me what it's name was - Harley. There was a sticker from the Harley Davidson Motor Company on the back window from the 1960s and another sticker on the other side that just said Harley.

Harley was originally sold in Kassel, Germany and then shipped back to the states. I was told by Dale that Harley was in California for several years and then driven to Washington Island around 1968. Harley stayed on the island the rest of his life until being sold to Dale. During the restoration, we have discovered that Harley had been restored once before and they did an excellent job of preserving him. Harley's engine has been rebuilt at least once, as well.

So we have begun the painful process of starting on another restoration without the enjoyment of completing the first one. This time we have less time to complete it if we  take it to the Michigan show in May. I'll keep updating the page every week or so. Check back to see what happens. Will we get done in time? I hope so. Enjoy the pictures of Norbert and Harley. Harley will be borrowing a few parts from Norbert so all was not lost for Norbert. He will live on by helping another Beetle be reborn.

Sherri

Harley - Click on the pics to enlarge.

Check out the bumper sticker.	1960's Harley Davidson Moto Co. Sticker	Harley - the before picture	Another before picture	Notice the steering column lock. A European option.
Looks much better doesn't it?	Harley's Chasis and bumper.	Harley's Engine	Harley's Body ready to sand.	The work begins, again!
Rear View	Side View

The rest of the story on these pages!
Page 2        Page 3    Page 4     Page 5    Page 6