Some steps forward or there is light at the end of the tunnel

As I mentioned in my last post, I dedicated an entire week to the project—well, to be honest, I spent about a week on it, but I also had to juggle some home office work, so my daily time was pretty limited. Still, it was incredibly productive and time well spent! We installed the other front fender, mounted the pre-assembled front bumper, and got the headlights in place. I made serious progress on the wiring too—the bug now has fully functional lighting, ignition, and dashboard. I also started tackling the doors, which turned out to be quite the challenge. The decklid got its finishing touches, and I managed to sort out the turnswitch, which needed some fixing and patching but now works perfectly and looks great too.

Up next: continuing with mounting the body to the pan and finishing up those doors!

Summer updates

 It’s been a busy stretch since my last post! Here's a quick recap of what we've been up to:

• Pulled the body off again
• Pulled the engine, too
• Swapped out the transmission nose cone (check it out here)
• Reinstalled the tranny
• Reinstalled the engine
• Mated the body back to the chassis once again

With that ordeal behind us, we finally moved on to the fun stuff. It was pretty awesome installing a front fender for the first time in years! The decklid is on, and I managed to pull a brand-new wiring loom into the car (shoutout to JBugs).

Next up: I’m dedicating a full week strictly to the car to make some serious headway. Stay tuned!

Just Married

Getting ready for a big day! I've been putting in some serious time on the weekends and after work to get the pan ready for its "marriage" to the body.

It's been a busy few weeks. I adjusted and bled the brakes, fixed the accelerator pedal and wiring, and with a little help, I even got the engine started and tuned. I also gave the pan a much-needed cleaning.

Last Saturday was a huge milestone. We officially mounted the body onto the pan for good and I connected the steering. It's so good to finally see them back together!

Next, I'll be fine-tuning some of the details, like adjusting the M10 bolts for a good gap around the doors, tightening everything down, and tackling the rewiring with a JBugs wireloom. I'm hoping to take it out for a test ride with my dad by the end of September. Wish us luck!

Preliminary check of a front fender

Shifter and emergency break are refitted

I installed the shifter and emergency brake this weekend. They were previously just sitting on the workbench painted. I also put the Waso shift lock back in its spot. The pan definitely needs a good cleaning, but I'll tackle that when we permanently attach the chassis to the pan.

Steering wheeeeeeeel

 

Test fit with the original bushing

Some polished and painted parts for the doors

The assembled steering wheel. I like the way it turned out. Not perfect, but way better than I anticipated.

L471

 A little painting and assembly. The handbrake and turnsignal are still left to do, but the rest looks stuning. I especially like the steering lock, it was fun to finally finish it.

A quick morning fix before the painting.

Test fit right before the base coat.

During assembly

The finished piece

From the front. It turns like a dream, the key is a temporary one, made by a locksmith since the original one has been lost ages ago by the previous owner

Slow weekend

 

Small steps forward

 I did not have much time in the last weeks so the progress is small but at least not zero. Hood is getting together fine, I mounted the lock and handle together with the trim and crest. I also started to put on the sealings.