So the Beetle was bought and the transformation work has taken a rapid turn within 4 weeks. I haven’t messed around! The weather being against me is probably the reason why it has changed so much or so quickly for my liking but changes have happened.
It’s too cold to be driving it with poor heating and sorting out the”bugs” (sorry about that) and with itchy fingers, many parts have already been purchased from Coolair VW https://www.coolairvw.co.uk who I’ve been using for 10 years now. Big Rich is the man l go to.
With the exception of the few that came to the workshop, I’ve been away from Beetles for almost 30 years, so I was having to refresh my mind again as to what would fit and what wouldn’t. And discovering what had been changed on my 66.
Turning a Beetle into a Herbie isn’t as straight forward as painting it white and slapping on some stripes and gumballs. That is the easiest way but to stop ardent fans and my friend Richard Gooding (twitter @richgoodingcom) from wincing every time he sees it, I’ve had to set about making it right. The stakes are high. The ardent enthusiast, unforgiving!
Going Full Herbie
Enthusiasts will tell you their favourite but generally from what I have seen in the fan clubs, most people go for the Monte Carlo look. Love Bugs are the simplest to replicate but can look unfinished. Did you know the tri-colour stripe was not continual over the car? Next time you watch it, check out the engine air vent.
Rides Again had complete stripes, black running boards and a bonnet spot light. This was fitted to give the hidden driver the ability to see where he was driving.
Monte Carlo had all of the above and wider wheels. For authenticity, in romantic scene, Herbie had the much talked about hybrid deck lid made from a 63 and 68. It looked dreadful.
Goes Bananas looked like Monte Carlo and all cars had grey interiors for cinematic use because white wasn’t a good colour for filming or some such thing.
I’m going for a Monte Carlo look. I like the more purposeful look with the wider rims. And thanks to @motoringguruUK on Twitter, I now have a period Carello spot light. At the moment I have fitted a Hella lamp and stretch fit Carello cover.
But what else have I fitted?
The main change and most expensive outlay to date has been for the US style towel rail bumpers. They don’t come cheap at just under £600 for the stainless steel set. For £100 less, summer chrome bumpers are available but summer chrome is the most pointless metal in land of automotive. Let’s put it this way, its equivalent in housing would be to fit cardboard roof tiles and call them ‘summer tiles’.
The only other major change so far has been the fitment of 6×15 wheels on the front now with Firestone 195/65 tyres. Originally it had Nexen 155/65’s. This has highlighted a steering geometry issue with rubbing on the O/S but it has also raised the front by almost 2 inches. The bug now sits around its original height.
This has also been made possible by raising the front beam adjusters. Not the best thing you can do with a VW front beam but it is easy to alter the height quickly. When I got Douglas, he was set to his lowest setting. As a result, his front anti-roll bar is bent and not attached on the O/S.
All In The Details
There have been a few other detail changes made. With the use of Tamiya clear red paint, I’ve been able to darken the UK amber indicators but still keep them amber. I’ve also bought a few stickers for it. Silly things like the Thorndyke Ltd window sticker and Monte Carlo stickers just add to it. I’m also working on a sticker of Peter Thorndyke to cover the glovebox lid.
For the moment though the spending for the visual parts has stopped. I need to start repairing the bits underneath and returning the Bug back to a solid useable vehicle that he once was.
And you remember my dislike for the Beetle? I really did discover this when we went shopping along with the first drive but it’s also growing on me. Just don’t tell Johnny Smith from The Late Brake Show. A big Beetle fan, I challenged him to a Beetle-off. I still think they are terrible vehicles.