Took the bug in a while ago to get the suspension aligned, and now it drives much, much better. Even with the stock 165/85-15 it stuck to the road surprisingly well. I took some time to start blacking out the trim, starting with the bumpers and the mirror. I also shot the kamei spoiler I had squirreled away with some white to match the car. I thought it was looking pretty good and I was waiting to get some wider fenders for the 16x8's I got....

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...f.jpg~original


Until I found these.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...e.jpg~original

I just happened to stumble on these on craigslist, and I had to have them. I've always wanted a set of ATS wheels on a germanlooker but they are impossible to find in the states. They have 175/55-15 and 175/65-15 rubber on them which is a bit small for my liking, and I plan to put some sticky 195/55-15 on them.

Nice wheels, the black really fits the car.

You are as bad as I am with two project cars. It is a great way to stay broke and happy...

Good score on the wheels.

It's been a while since I updated Joy's build. A lot and not much has happened to be honest, most of the work performed since June last year has been maintenance.

Completed so far:
new seat covers
new seat belts
new interior panels
de-tinted and polished windows
new window seals
new glovebox
new battery
new generator brushes
new fuel lines
new fuel filter
tune-up
oil changed to royal purple 20w50

I'll get some picks up soon but from the outside she doesn't look any different. She's been a lot of fun, even with the stock lump, and turns heads even when she's dirty. In the next couple weeks while the gsr bug is in body/paint I'm going to give joy a plastidip paint job and finish blacking out the trim. It's something I've wanted to try so I'm eager to see the results.

I presume you're using the gallon cans through a spray gun, and not the rattle cans?

-Dave

I've had to make do with rattle cans for now, and yes I have a ton of them. :P I helped do a buddy's car with rattle cans and it came out fine. Next time I do this though, I'm getting a gallon and thinning it down.

After a week off, I got Joy stripped down, painted, and reassembled. I didn't get many pics because I was trying to make the most of the nice weather, and I got a bad enough sun burn to prove it.

It took most of an afternoon to strip the car down and mask off the windows.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...d.jpg~original

A couple things first, while the body and paint weren't perfect they weren't terrible either. The bug had a maaco respray sometime in the mid 80's and it was peeling in a few places. I sanded down the areas were the paint was peeling to level the surface, and on the fenders where i had rolled the lips. I hammered out the dents on the fenders as best I could and sanded the top side to level the paint. Even though theres still minor dents and creases you don't want any steps that could peel up later on.

It took about 16-17 rattle cans of plastidip to get on a nice thick coat. The first couple coats should be just a light dusting, then you can lay on thicker coats for coverage. You'll get different textures in the paint based on how wet you lay down your last coat. A wet lay up will run easier but will leave a smooth finish, while a lighter final coat will leave a rougher but more consistent finish. I used white plastidip which looks like a semigloss than a flat matte.


Here's the finished pics, minus the running boards and antenna.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...1.jpg~original

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...6.jpg~original

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...a.jpg~original

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...4.jpg~original

I'll see if I can get a few pics of the blemishes but it's hard to get a good shot of a bright white paint job. The is one spot on the hood that started to peel up and I'm going to see it I can repair it by remelting the paint with solvent and leveling it out, then hitting it with a light layer of plastidip once its dried.

I thought I had updated this build, but doesn't look that way... So here goes!

Here's the last time the car was in my posesion, that's right I had to sell Joy to make room for the GSR. She went to a very happy, eager, and over protective teenage girl who put more miles on her in 3 weeks than I had in a year.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...u.jpg~original

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...i.jpg~original


Rowan cared for Joy obsessively, and poured love into the bug right from the start. She installed a new stereo and took care of a front brake issue in the first couple weeks. But one afternoon on a trip down to LA Joy's motor made a few knocks and seized up. I got Joy back up to the house and got a hand from a friend to pull the motor. We were hoping for a cheap rebuild but the pictures say otherwise.

Back in the driveway with the GSR and the race bug (under the canopy)
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...m.jpg~original

Got the motor out in short order and started digging to see what went wrong.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...c.jpg~original

Pulled the fan shroud and intake only to find a pentroof case... that wasn't previously, not good.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...c.jpg~original

Started pulling cylinders and pistons, only to find banana'd wrist pins and a mangled connecting rod without a cap.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...b.jpg~original

It's hard to see in the pic but we found the cap... stuck through the right side of the case. Oddly without a nut on it...
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...h.jpg~original

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...p.jpg~original

When pulling the motor apart it had all the hallmarks of a bad rebuild, missing nuts/bolts, loose nuts/bolts, half-assed wiring and so on. On top of all that, the rear main seal was well on it's way out, and the clutch disk was soaked in oil. My best guess is the connecting rod cap for #2 had one of it's nuts come off which eventually led to the rod getting loose. The crank took the loose big end through the cam breaking it into 3 pieces, and popped the cap through the right side of the case. That wedged the crank stopping it dead but only after it beat the hell out of #2 and #4 pistons and cylinders.

The end result is the carb and intake is salvageable along with the tin and maybe the heads, but even those are suspect. At any rate a new long block is on order and here's hoping it gets here sooner than later.

Ouch. Did you find a good long block?

New long block with warranty was sourced, $1800-ish shipped w/ 12 month, 12,000 mile warranty. Not too shabby. I footed the bill up front because mom/daughter don't have the cash, and they really need to get the bug back on the road. Got the motor installed over the weekend and did the cam break-in. Double-checked valve lash, and did a quick compression test, getting ~130s across the board. Joy goes back tomorrow to a very happy teenager :)

Read this on my phone during my 'hiatus', and have to say...thats incredibly generous of you. Rare to find such good people these days, and you should be commended for being one!

-Dave

X2 this is the sort of attitude that make our community strong

I don't think I would have done it for a random stranger. They are friends of friends and part of the local vw family. She took great care of the bug and continues to do so with the new motor. I wish I had met someone like me when I first started driving my first car, and that's as good a reason as any to give the help :)