Get Beevis

Off to Alabama. Just a two-hour drive to Florence, Alabama to retrieve Beevis the Bug. Can’t carry two, so I’ll get the sedan and come back for the convertible. After arriving on the scene, and making contact with Wade, the previous owner (a nice guy), I took a little closer look at the convertible:

Looks rough.

Speedo for the 'vert.

May not be much to salvage here. There’s an engine and transaxle — that may be enough to make it worthwhile to come back and get it. It’s a shame, really. Looks like the car has been sitting in a junk yard, and slowly parted-out. Mother nature took her share, too. The ebay auction listing identified the bug as a ’65, but I checked the VIN number on TheSamba.com’s Technical Information page and saw that it was really a 1966. No big deal, either way. But after looking at the engine number, I can see the Volkswagen ‘recycle’ symbol, and the engine number ends with an ‘X’. I think that means the engine is part of the Volkswagen Exchange program. Probably had an engine swap fairly early in life. Not the original engine — too bad.

Engine number.

1300cc Engine
It didn't start out so badly...

So I load up Beevis (’cause the other one certainly looks like Butthead) on the trailer, and start to head back to Tupelo. Good sign to see him crank up and drive right up on the trailer.

Beevis looks like he has a tree growing out his head.

Across the dam we go….(I think it was the Wilson Dam?). Not sure. Also not sure if I supposed to pull a trailer on the dam or not.

Wilson Dam. Not a lot of room.
Are you following me?

While heading to Mississippi, I came through some town close to Corinth. I don’t remember the name, but there were signs up all through town that said “Welcome Home, Russell”. (my name) Maybe some soldier serving in Iraq? A contestant on Deal or No Deal? Don’t know, but it was one of those strange coincidences like opening up a fortune cookie and thinking that the fortune was a little *too* accurate or promising.

Welcome Home, Russell.

232.4 Miles. 17.86 gallons @ 2.76 per gallon = Add $49.28 to the Bug spreadsheet.

Bitten by the Bug(s).

Ok. I bought a bug. Two of them, actually. Off of Ebay, naturally. At 2 in the morning.

The auction listing featured a 1965 Volkswagen convertible, and “included” a 1963 Volkswagen sedan. The convertible looks to be in rough shape, and probably will be too much work and money to restore. (I’ll stop just short of saying it’s “not worth it” in case some VW-purist reads this.)  My winning bid was $1025 for the two bugs. I figure the convertible will be a good vehicle on which to practice my limited welding skills and practically non-existent bondo skills. The vert (I just learned that’s what you can call them) has a motor and transaxle, so they can serve as spares to my main object of attention — the ’63 sedan.

I didn’t know that Volkswagen apparently never made a car called a ‘beetle’ or ‘bug’ until the new ones came out in 1999, and didn’t even refer to the classic cars as beetles until some ads starting in 1968. The beetle/bug name was created by customers. Interesting? Marginally.

My first car was a 1970 Beetle. I bought it around 1982 for $1318 (including tax), sold it around 1985.  I think I sold it for $300. *gasp*.  I remember having a hard time selling it. And it ran! With no rust!  Oh, well.

Here then, without further ado, are my first and next project beetles (as seen in the eBay auction):

Beevis the Bug
1963 VW 1200
Butthead the Bug
1965 Convertible VW 1300