Life and cars of Gustav_t

First heartbeat since 1979

2010-06-04T05:40:00.001-07:00

Yesterday my friend Guller and I visited "VW-arne" who is a guy with many years of experience as a vw mecanic. I bought the NOS 30 hp engine for the Split bug of him about five years ago and we agreed to start it up together when the time was right. So we hauled the floorpan to his house and had the ceremonial ignition and she fired right up - the car has been silent since 1979 when it was disregarded by it owner and left for dead in a farmhouse. I do need a 25 hp distributor - I want my NOS 25 hp cap on to make it look somewhat right.

Goodbye to the swiss cheese

2010-06-04T05:31:00.001-07:00

Michael became a father a month ago which meant he had more important obligations than being in my garage looking over my shoulder while I was welding. So I took the last few sessions over a long weekend and got it done. I delivered it at his home adress just as his new little family got back from their first drive together. Man was he pleased to see a rotfree oval in his driveway. I am really happy with the replacement of the mangled quarterpanel inner-fender. The new used one ,who besides being pink, looks completely at home was a fun and challenging job to do. Now of to the sandblaster then paintshop.

Always wanting more...

2010-05-27T07:58:00.001-07:00

Like a moth to a flame I get drawn to vw´s that are nothing like you´ve ever seen before. I find my self keep wanting more weird vehicles when ever I see them. I´ve made the comparison before. I am indeed an addict - a weekend drug abuser seeing a new flourescent tablet must feel exactly like I did when I saw this freak of vw nature. I have yet to find out what lovely wolfsburg drugs are in the mix but I am confident I would get the rush once again when firing this perverted baby up.

The panelvan - please vote...

2010-05-23T07:11:00.001-07:00

I am currently refurbishing these old Cosmics alloys. I bought them because i think the price was right and I needed a little project (as if I was running out of things to do).
Im considering putting them on my panelvan instead of the 17" wheels. What do you think? Should I save them for the ghia, the splitbug or maybe even the fastback? Please vote in the sidebar.

I want one!

2010-05-03T05:44:00.001-07:00

Oh my god I need one of those! Its a Saab mobile home

Spa - here we come...

2010-04-06T04:52:00.000-07:00

Tiles are up..

2010-04-06T01:35:00.001-07:00

Springtime at Casa Negra

2010-03-15T08:52:00.001-07:00

Spring has finally arrived at Casa Negra. Saturday the ice on the slope leading to the house was gone. It was time to move Gullers bus. The final assembly has been delayed due to cold working facilities. Now theres shelter with music, tools and coffee.

Hunt for fuel...

2010-02-12T02:52:00.001-08:00

I think I just got lucky. I´ve been looking for one of these for ages. I finally found the stash...

Gullers Bus

2010-01-20T14:54:00.000-08:00

Finally a sneak preview of all Gullers hard work. He did all the welding himself. His original jobdescription was welder/joiner of stainless steel, but this is still new ground to him. I think he did extremely well don´t you?

Michaels "swiss cheese"

2010-01-18T06:19:00.000-08:00

Almost rot free after 7 grinding and welding sessions. The swiss cheese is no longer full of holes. Until now we have changed the following parts: Rear valance (keeping the H-panel), rear bumper hangers, rear fender fastener panels, End of heater chanels, the channels, the NOS vw firewall!, front inner fenders, and the entire spare wheel well in one piece. I can really recomend this part instead of joining the 5 parts yourself.

New Workshop • Drywall

2010-01-18T06:12:00.000-08:00

I finally got started on the drywall part of the process. I also got the lights connected. I put op 50 meters of wire rails in the ceiling. The workshop is actually just a side project from my real project - the main house - which now sports a brand new bathroom. On top of that I have my friend Michaels "swiss cheese" on vacation in the old garage. I weld on that whenever my own projects is not enough.

There is hope..

2009-10-07T05:36:00.000-07:00

What is it about auto-painters? After thinking for three months Gullers paint guy finally took the first step and stripped it to bare metal. I guess we´ll might be flying to Hannover in this baby after all?

Salvation 2

2009-09-30T01:09:00.001-07:00

I got all the dirt and sadness out of "Der schweizerische Agent". I lowered her a bit and added some nice parts. 1968 personal steering wheel, NOS rear light clusters, Genuine red US lenses (different from the repro ones), some good bumpers, Porsche 914 Pedrini wheels, new fuel system and more. She is already an "L" model which means right side mirror, pop-outs, red interior, two back up lights. She will be for sale soon.

Next victim!

2009-09-04T03:47:00.000-07:00

Michaels Swiss Cheese is blasted. I have promised him to weld in some new panels during the winter. I actually look forward to get some welding burns in my shorts again..

What the fuck?

2009-08-18T04:11:00.000-07:00

Beutler type 2 - I want it!

Salvation

2009-08-16T03:49:00.001-07:00

I got a new little project. I bought this squareback from my old friend Frank. It sat unloved beside his house and had lost its former glory. The car itself is extremely solid, but at some time the engine was removed and some steering parts, lights and so on. It also got some patina, that I personally don´t care for. It will be up for sale sooner or later so if you wan´t the patina let me know before I have it repainted. The car is originally from Switzerland and has never seen salt. Those are original Revieras, but sadly they weré promised to someone else.They would suit this car perfectly.

I´m back!

2009-08-13T12:59:00.000-07:00

Been a long time since I posted. I decided it was time to gather some exiting pictures and words again. The outside structure of the shop is almost done ready for winter and i´ve returned from Spa. Tell me if you´ll still be looking our if you´ve given up on life-and-cars-of-gustavt.blogspot.com?

Michaels swiss cheese

2009-06-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

Michael can´t find any more detailing to do on the pan of his 57 oval. He has done a really great job and now its time to tackle the body. As you can see we have some work to do. But I can´t believe that this car was discarded as scrap after being used as a donorcar. We found all the correct parts again and bought a few panels.

I think this car will rock!

Danish Busmeet #3

2009-06-17T15:42:00.001-07:00

I finally took part in the annual danish busmeet. With 36 hardcore busfans you don´t need a lot of gimmicks to have a good time. From Tonny´s old barndoor to a T3/T25 van all years of aircooled busses was present. I joined 4 other busses for the long drive. All except mine were 67´s. I fell in love with the Velvet green "Freedom Camper" of Søren and Susanne.

Pentecust fun

2009-06-03T06:56:00.000-07:00

Pentecust was blessed with the best weather ever. We finally got Gullers Bus ready for paint. Gullers good friend Michael helped him align the doors and generally do the final finishing. On friday we loaded the bus onto the trailer and headed for the painter. Just before the paintshop we ran into our good freind Finn who has this cool two tone bus. He turned around and followed us to check Gullers bus out in detail.
On sunday we got the second wall of the shop covered with wood. I hope to be finished for the return of Gullers bus. Nothing like assembling a clean car in a clean workshop.

Amusement park-ing

2009-05-21T03:18:00.001-07:00

A business trip to Copenhagen delivered a nice surprise: About 100 Porsches in the world known Tivoli amusement park. Jesper Danborn and his friend Peter was the hosts of this event and took great care of us. Oh how I would have loved to leave in that topless one..

Chain of events...

2009-05-05T01:15:00.000-07:00

My friend Norbert send me this picture he found somewhere on the internet. What is really interesting is who´s in the background. In the first car its me and Guller, next car is Henrik (that we brought for the first time last year) and a couple of guys he brought along in his 1960 ghia. The third car is Jan and Michael that we invited this year. If you want the scene to evolve you should bring in new blood every year. Don´t be afraid to talk to people that may need a little help. Next year they will be cruisin to Hannover with you having endless amounts of fun.

I quit...

2009-04-01T04:22:00.001-07:00

You may have noticed my absence from the forums, the blog, and the vw meetings in general. I´ve lost interest and decided to pursue a parttime career as a showdancer. I´ve decided to keep the red car as it will still look good on me. The others I no longer care for and they are for sale. I might be back here once in a while with dancing tips and fabolous fashion statements. Stay tuned.

The dream is alive!

2009-03-04T15:25:00.000-08:00

Sadly it is in another mans garage!
http://thebusbarn.skynetblogs.be

Winters gone..

2009-03-03T05:59:00.000-08:00

Winter is over!The days are longer and your insurance is on again! So a few rainy days and the salt is gone from the roads. Before you know it you are cruising to a friends house to see if he is in front of the garage washing his ride. The summer is magic..

New workshop • Walls 3

2009-02-20T00:35:00.000-08:00

A bit longer in the wall process now. Snow has made me stop working, so maybe there is a few days before the next update. Next week i think I´ll go get my fastback from Johns new storage unit. Again thanks a lot John. I owe you one..

Garage journal

2009-02-18T04:51:00.000-08:00

I am looking through the web for cool garages. This link popped up.. www.garagejournal.com/ man- those americans build big!

My name is Gustav and I am addicted to yellow...

2009-02-15T05:50:00.000-08:00

I have a weird attraction to yellow lights. I love watching old french movies, where all the european cars are fitted with yellow lights. Today I fitted 3 yellow bulbs on my panelvan. Its really hard to get on film but in real life these are really yellow. I would really like a set of h4 lights for my fastback with yellow glass in them. Or the special lenses you put in front of the light fixtures. I´m also still searching for the last 4" lucas yellow fog lamp for the ghia..

New workshop • Walls 2

2009-02-13T13:11:00.001-08:00

I took a couple of days in the bitter cold with the help of the usual suspects. I think it is starting to take shape. Looking forward to write about cars once again.

Now there is a "big window" I want!

2009-02-02T15:38:00.001-08:00

Recently this car surfaced on the samba. Oh - another battered big window car.. Look closer. Everything is wrong with this car. The squared-off edges of the decklid and bonnet, the brake light and license plate pressings, the weld seams at the doors. Leaf springs? Front engine? This is believed to be a pre KDF car. Named the vw38 or vw 39. It was found in Lithuania sitting on a front engined Volga Chassis with a front screen of a russian Zaz car cut into it. To put the model into a historic view, the vw38 model is the car Hitler drove to the laying of the cornerstone of Volkswagenwerk. That means it was probably build in mr. Porsches garage in Stuttgart.

New workshop • Walls 1

2009-01-29T01:40:00.000-08:00

Ive started building the walls, making holes for windows and such. Its a long way round, but as you stand, working in the dark, you imagine how comfortable the garage meetings of next winter will be. Slowly you start thinking about where to hang what and so on.

New workshop • The roof 2

2009-01-25T06:03:00.001-08:00

This weekend was spent laying out the steel profiles on the roof. I borrowed a "Hilti-Gun" which is kind of a scary, yet very effective tool. It is just like a regular gun - you put explosives in a champer, a projectile at the end of the barrel, pull the trigger an BAM! you shot an extremely hardened nail right through the I-beam. On one picture you can see the new windows and all the gear I used when climbing the roof.

Hello fasty..

2009-01-20T08:44:00.000-08:00

Just before new year I had to move the fasty from one storage building to another. She fired right up and looked as good as ever. Thank you so much John for letting me use your premises another winter.

New workshop • The roof 1

2009-01-20T08:13:00.000-08:00

Today the roofprofiles arrived. 12.250 meters of strength. 865 kilos of shelter from the rain. The guy with the crane had a really hard job getting the supersize truck close enough to lift the package. When we finally got the job done I invited him in for a cup of coffee. As we waited for the coffee to steam off he told me that he had a 25 hp motor standing in his garage. It was pulled from his parents barndoor bus in 1963. He said that he would love to part with it if it went to a good home. I told him "Thats exactly what i an building".

The coolest project I ever saw!

2009-01-14T15:38:00.000-08:00

Every summer I go to the local weekly vintage car meet and an old IFA is one of the regulars. What´s a IFA I hear you say. You know Audi? - before it was called audi it was called Auto union. The four rings symbolize four different brands getting merged: Horch, Audi, DKW and Wanderer. The DKW was, as many other western cars of the period, copied on the other side of the Iron curtain. In DDR the car was called IFA. I just stumbled upon this project on a blog. This car will be awesome! Take your time and try to envision what this guy is doing. A distant cousin placed on a type 1 pan. Porsche headlights are a straight swap, wide-5 wheels will look right. I will follow this project closely.

derluftboxers.skynetblogs.be

Contractors van

2009-01-13T07:53:00.001-08:00

Today my friend Guller and I got the iron crosses welded in the steel structure and got the special concrete at the bottom of the pillars layed. Roof will be delivered from France next week. I tried to get a good shot of our work but the contractors van kept getting in the way.

Ready for paint

2009-01-12T04:37:00.001-08:00

Having a spanner in your hand is a great thing. The sense of accomplishment - the feeling of being able to help your self. But have you ever taken time to appreciate the "mates", "buddies" you share your shop with? Or the effect they have on your progress? My friend Lars have been kind enough to lend part of his workshop to long time compadre and beetleowner Ole who in return has rubbed some of his enthusiasm on to Lars. The result is that Lars has got the 356 ready for paint and is currently looking at swatches and websites for inspiration. And how about those wheels? A few months back Lars has lost his fire. I now the feeling and if you ever wonder where i get my energy from it is indeed from friends with similar interests. Maybe they need a helping hand or your oppinion and suddenly you feel the urge to fix up a car again. Keep your friends happy.

Wanted...

2009-01-09T10:20:00.000-08:00

I am looking for one of these batches.

New workshop • Tons of steel..

2008-12-28T14:00:00.000-08:00

More progress on the workshop. The steel structures were done for the holidays and after a breathless drive through my hometown with the overriders we could finally start assembly. Next is the roof..

Bugs Funny video

2008-12-17T16:55:00.000-08:00

Please find the biggest marker you´ve got and circle the date of the next Bugs Funny. Its all smiles, I tell ya!

Merry x-mas from Air-mike

2008-12-17T13:04:00.000-08:00

Sometimes checking your mail box is not all boring. Sometimes there is a fresh copy of Ultra VW in postman Pats van, sometimes new parts. Sometimes your e-mail box is full of Viagra and Rolex but at other times theres a hallo from nice people. Today I got this christmas card from Air Mike who is actually the guy who inspired me to do this blog originally. On the Gustav_t-scale-of-cool sending a bus christmas card is way up there.

King of kool! to me anyway...

2008-12-16T10:05:00.000-08:00

Hannover 2008

2008-12-15T16:56:00.000-08:00

A feeble attempt at video making. You know I love Hannover. Its less than 150 days away, you know.

Vwe miss Skagen 2008

2008-12-15T16:53:00.001-08:00

I loaded a tripod into the lugage area of the type 34 and overtook the entire convoy of v-dubs on their way to Skagen. You should come next year.

Are you getting bored yet?

2008-11-26T12:00:00.000-08:00

I admit things have come to a grinding halt at my blog and in my vw life in general. The cars are all put away where I can´t reach them, the garage project is waiting for the steel structure to be delivered. I saw them a couple of days ago and they are huge! While waiting I have bought a couple of small things for the cars. I have a thing for yellow lights and have bought yellow foglights for the ghia. I also purchased a set of NOS yellow 6V bulbs for the splitbeetle. In genuine vw boxes. The NOS rev counter in box for the fastback is sitting on the mantelpiece. I would love to put it in the car but its standing in a storage unit somewhere waiting for better times. Due to the financial turmoil the garage project gets cheaper/more expensive from day to day. Follow your dreams through today and save money!

Freezing fingers? No more

2008-11-01T14:26:00.001-07:00

Please find me one of these? I will be your friend for quite some time, then.

Happy Birthday Peter!

2008-10-26T13:56:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I attended my good friend Peter´s 30 th birthday party. The party gave me access to his stash of parts. Looking at all the nice stuff got me thinking. Not one of the neat parts Peter own is younger than himself. In fact most of the parts are twice his age and highly desirable. I thought to myself that when Peter will be an old man and has to part with the stash many of these parts will be way beyond 100 years old. I will off course attend that party too and have lots of dollars ready.. On the picture is also Barndoor guru Tonny Larsen. Picture is taken on one of our many cross country raids for parts.

44.000 hits

2008-10-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry about all them girls - no time for any vw-action at the moment..

43000 Hits

2008-10-22T15:39:00.001-07:00

Hopefully soon..

2008-10-11T03:19:00.000-07:00

I sort of stopped buying parts for cars, as long as i´m building the new workshop.
But something tells me i´m about to let this one fly under the radar.

New workshop • Floor it!

2008-10-06T07:15:00.000-07:00

New workshop • The series...

2008-09-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

Well, so far so good. The base of a building like this one costs as much as a very nicely restored volkswagen. But getting the cars under one roof is top priority. Two concrete trucks with 10 minutes apart layed out the flooring. Thanks to Scooter and Lasse for their expertise.

Busy buzzzzy buzzy buzzy

2008-09-14T03:03:00.001-07:00

Sorry for not posting in a while. Tomorrow the concrete truck will lay out what is going to be the playground for hopefully many years of v-dub tinkering. As you can see i´ve been a buzy little bee.

42.000 Hits • Alpenhoch!

2008-09-01T14:55:00.000-07:00

My favourite bunny

2008-08-19T14:46:00.001-07:00

Robert Hagens 48 as seen at Bugs Funny #2. Oh how that car kept me awake in my tent that night. Gazing at the stars in the tentopening thinking how cool it would be to cruise in one of the oldest beetles in Denmark.

NASTYback

2008-08-19T14:40:00.001-07:00

That is just plain nasty!

41.000 hits

2008-08-14T15:01:00.000-07:00

More Morten Mellemseter...

2008-08-11T07:01:00.000-07:00

From the Morten Mellemseter collection

2008-08-11T06:48:00.000-07:00

I live in a tourist-town. When winter comes nobody is around and people stay inside. At summer the little towns population grows to that of a metropol. Every summer I run into people that has been on vacation for weeks without seeing a single vw in Ebeltoft allthough there are quite a few in the area. Local people knows the good sense in staying away from the mainroads and to shop elsewhere when tourist season is here. But in the weekend I needed to clear the lot in front of my house for the concrete truck to be able to get in there. My friend Michael let the bus live in his driveway even though he only likes beetles, hyundais and handball (dont ask). A norwegian guy stopped by and told him that he to had owned quite a few v-dubs. He got my mailadress and this morning 50 pictures of different cars were on my desktop! Splits, notches, early pick up and Porsche powered 412´s! Ghias and zwitters - late vanagons and early golf 1s you name it Morten has owned it. I hope you still have a stash somewhere Morten? A shame we didn´t meet..

New workshop • The series...

2008-08-10T12:32:00.001-07:00

We finally got going on the new workshop. I wont bore you with dimensions of beams, concrete and stuff. Just to let you know why wrenching, blogging and cruising is a bit on hold. You would think I was over the moon building this big garage, but to me its like a junkie buying a bigger purse for needles, spoons and his stash. I would love to be able to live with one car in a single garage, but i am indeed a very sick man.

More of the same...

2008-07-27T12:31:00.001-07:00

Today I had my special "Lasagne A la Siberia"
Cold and nothing green in sight.
But I did get some work done. Starting to miss company besides the dog.

When the cat is out...

2008-07-26T14:01:00.001-07:00

I am left alone for an entire week. Besides cheap pizza, absolutly no vegetables and dirty underwear I have used my newly aquired hermit life to get the last panels grafted into the split. Credit for the middle piece above the engine belongs to Jesper Vang. I showed it ages ago but only got around to fitting it today. The yellow panels are Hookys and the side panels are NOS vw parts given to me courtesy also of mr. Vang. I fitted everything with self-tapping screws before spotwelding everything in one session. The engine compartment of a split beetle is 1,5 cm. smaller than other beetles, which was a bit of a headache.
A comment would be nice (good or bad) - now i finally actually did something..

Bugs Funny #2

2008-07-24T10:13:00.001-07:00

Bugs Funny was once again like visiting family. Copenhagen Wings make you feel really welcome. I have no idea how many cars, but beers were cheap as dirt. We also visited a cool workshop near by. Morten Friis and his freind "Søgård" was kind enough to let us walk among thir rows of split buses, ovals and the odd Alfa. Their neighbours were Mette, SørenJ and Thomas Gearhead, Here we saw some cool Detroit steel and some vws too.

Are crusing abilities enherited? • Vol 3

2008-07-21T02:24:00.000-07:00

Sience is a lengthy task. You research, you test, you make reference groups and you check for the placebo effect. In all research material there is a margin for error. What if some of my family members have read the blog and wanted to prove the fact that cruising runs in our blood? My cousin Morten (who is btw a talented musician playing in a hill billie band) surcumbed to his latent cravings and bought this awesome 49´Chevrolet Fleetline. Morten is a busy family man and even though he moved to my hometown several years ago we haven´t been able to get together nearly enough. Now I hope to see him tuesdays at the Kalø meeting and maybe once in a while hear his thunder in my driveway. You are always welcome even in allied steel :·)

40.000 hits

2008-07-21T00:58:00.000-07:00

We just rollerskated into the 40 thousands. Keep coming back.

Bad news!

2008-07-14T10:13:00.001-07:00

One of my alltime favourite busses has suffered this horrible accident. According to rumors it will be rebuilt. I guess i´m not the only one with the luck of Donald Duck. Goog luck rebuilding the bus, the sun will shine again!

MIB Summermeet

2008-07-14T05:53:00.000-07:00

If you talk to vw enthusiasts outside Denmark if they know anything about the danish scene, chances are that they will answer that they do know MIB. Men In Bugs is a club based in Aalborg in the northern part of Denmark. Some of the finest examples of Volkswagen restoration seen in Europe belongs to the members of this club. You will find very few rat lookers and daily drivers in their rows of cars. Some of the members keeps emphasis on horsepower others on restocal and accesories but allways nuts and bolts restorations. When a club like this decides to put together a show you know the details will be just right. 120+ cars may not sound as much in european ears, but next year you and your friends should visit the summermeet and get the numbers rising. Among the cars were 5 type 34s, lowlight type 14s with and without roof, split and oval beetles, every possible variation of type 2s from double cab to samba. This meet was packed with quality rather than quantity. One of the finest barndoors in the world was also on display. The day was packed with narrowed beams and the night with a broad menu made by one of the members that happens to be the owner of a great catering business. Toilets was just as clean as the cars. For endless pictures check out http://vwnettet.dk/forum/topic/395474

300 posts

2008-07-07T04:09:00.000-07:00

To celebrate your every thousand hits I have smothered you with beautifull women. To mark the 300 posts my friend Ole Sunshine and I agreed a nice piece of music would suit the occasion perfectly.

39.000 hits

2008-06-30T14:08:00.000-07:00

Type 34 tool set

2008-06-30T12:30:00.000-07:00

I spend saturday putting 1000 of branches through a huge grinder. Loud outbursts of "Tiiiimbbeeeer" had been heard in my neighbourhood for the past days. When you build a big garage you need to clear a equally big area. I actually loath people standing in their suburban driveway dressed like lumberjacks. There must be better things to do than having treesap on your hands, sweating like a pig. But the thought of my cars standing together in one room, 3 feet away from my livingroom could actually make me put on the gear and do real manual work. I planned ahead.. Saturday: Backbreaking, knuckle-shredding shitwork. Sunday: Helping a good freind tow a huge pile of N.O.S. type 3 parts across Denmark. Ohh and as always I brought home a little something for myself. This complete toolset originally given to all customers buying a new type 34. Being red i think it just had to live in my car. Thank you Thorkild for the most exciting storys from the old days and for letting me drive your oval to the cash-machine!

Bugs Funny #2

2008-06-25T11:40:00.000-07:00

Please remember to register for Bugs Funny #2
www.copenhagenwings.dk/bugsfunny/

Back in black

2008-06-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

Theres progress to find in the Guller garage. Now the hull is basicly rotfree and the plan is to assemble the undercarriage before rolling it off to the painters. Guller needs a bus transmission nose cone. Can you help?

Drag-queen or trailerqueen?

2008-06-25T08:37:00.001-07:00

When the floorpan of Michaels "Swiss Cheese" was going to the sandblasters guess which trusted workhorse delivered the muscle?

38.000 hits

2008-06-16T09:16:00.001-07:00

Before any great movie there is a period of great anticipation. But in the case of my movie it is a matter of me not being able to upload in a quality I can accept. I guess I just have to get the hang of you-tubing before promising you a 8 minute flick. But as you know nothing says I´m sorry like a half naked woman with her ass in the air.

Remember this?

2008-06-09T16:27:00.000-07:00

I got a new computer! A 24" iMac extreme 3.06 with every tuning possible done to it from the shop. Its videotime.. I will post my first 8 minute video tomorrow. Until then - remember this? Those were the days. When time allows it I think I will have to visit my freinds in Angora.

Treasures

2008-06-09T00:46:00.000-07:00

I helped Jan dismantling his engine and lend him the tools to make it easy to put it back in the car. Jan kindly payed me with some treasures from his huge pile of vw stuff. I got a set of genuine axle boots with vw logo in them. A period "tuning" part also got a new adress. Both will go in my split beetle. Soon there will be no excuse for not painting it other than lack of money. Thanks for the parts Jan.

Highlight of my week

2008-06-03T06:37:00.000-07:00

The panel got out of hibernation wednesday. We left the fastback behind for later. Yesterday Guller called me suggesting that I came to his workshop in my bus. "We could mount your cyclops eye" he said. Driving the short distance with the huge lighthousing on the passenger seat was like driving to a job interview or a hot date. I was curious as to how it would look yet nervous about drilling the holes in the black roof. We did the dirty deed and I think it suits the workhorse look of the car perfectly. I never wanted this car to look like a samba bus with its windows welded shut. No safaris no waist belt trim - no frills. I can´t wait to hit the high beam of this baby on some boy racer.

Life and cars of... puppy

2008-05-27T13:47:00.001-07:00

Its been ages since I added the T3d blog among my favourites. Paul Medhurst and his gang work through endless rows of buses and type 3s while they apparently are having lots of fun. Once in a while you´ll see a picture of a happy customer picking up their rides looking sweeter than ever. I wish there was a danish branch of the detectives. Then they could fix all the stuff I never get around to. Tomorrow my panelvan will go out of hibernation.

Wanted: Mirror, bits and bobs

2008-05-27T08:48:00.001-07:00

I am looking for a few things for the razor:

• Door mirror like the one on the picture
• Passenger hold-on-strap
• The airgrill inside below the rearwindow
• Radio block off plate 67-

And of course.. the trim parts for the rear louvres.

37.000 hits

2008-05-26T13:56:00.001-07:00

Fucking...

2008-05-22T13:14:00.000-07:00

Sorry - no vw relevance but it cracks me up!

Pssst...First fix is free!

2008-05-21T07:38:00.000-07:00

This is Jan. He smiles on the picture, but there is absolutely nothing to smile about. Jan is hooked on Volkswagens. Like a junkie he now needs a hit of v-dub juice in his veines now and then. Who talked such a nice guy into being a roaring addict? You guessed it. Old veteran vw-abusers with bad skin and crooked teeth told him that owning a vw would be heaven and it was not dangerous. Sadly Jan has a beautifull wife and well mannered kids that now will experience neglect from a father always in the garage or thinking about the drug. Today Jan will put on his freshly black painted engine tin, thinking that he could off course stop wrenching on that old bug anytime if he wanted to. Is that an incorrect enginepanel, there Jan? Shouldn´t that be an H-panel?

36.000 hits

2008-05-20T09:32:00.001-07:00

Smokey the bandit

2008-05-15T04:35:00.001-07:00

No further comment!

Good Bye Lars Vegas

2008-05-15T04:12:00.000-07:00

Parting with an old friend is never easy. But sometimes you have just outgrown each other. Lars had to say goodbye to his old pick-up. When I saw Lars for the first time he was living in a dorm room with his fine collection of cars and scrap sitting in the campus parking lot. Our history go back more than 15 years and we both got older. Lars has a family and still a lot of metal, but now in better condition. Lars and I talked on the phone the other day, about the fact that even though I´ve known Lars for that long I never saw him actually enjoy this fine piece of machinery. Maybe we should all think about what we are keeping for later. If you never get to use a fine vintage Volkswagen maybe someone else would? Does endless rows of restoration objects make you happy? Or is it the one thing holding you back from getting started on the first one? I remember visiting a car museum once. I got talking with the manager who kindly showed me the workshops. They had dividers between the future projects and the cars actually undergoing work. "If we could se how far we have left we would loose courage", he said "and the owner keeps buying stuff". Are you building a ghost town of cars and parts at home? and are you sure they are stored properly? Not to get all philosophical on you, but the budhist has a saying: Nothing is for keeps, everything is a loan.

35.000 hits

2008-05-07T07:35:00.000-07:00

35.000 hits - I never thought we would get that far together. The last week have been filled with cars. Lots of small stuff to fix on the razor before Hannover, a nice 16 car cruise to Mels Diner, a crazy last night at Kalø with well over 300 cars present. In Hannover the ugly "muss haben gespenst" showed its ugly head. original ribbed bumpers for the 51, SWF rearlight surroundings for the bus and a repro revcounter for the razor got in the bag. The super-mint-condition SP2 had to stay with the nice BBT man. My life cannot go on without such a beast..

What a blast!

2008-04-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

While some of us are making final adjustments to our rides before the 1. of may cruise madness, Guller is working on something to cruise in for years to come. This weekend he got the body blasted and primed. A step I always thought of as a milestone in a project. I know small welding jobs will always occure but it looks a lot better once its all in the same color. I would like you to use the comments box to cheer on Guller as he has had a long road to this point. Good work Guller!

34.000 hits

2008-04-23T20:08:00.001-07:00

The watch is showing horrificly early digits - 5:10! Once again I have worked through the night to be able to go to Hannover on wednesday. I hope to get a little time off later today to get the last things done on the ghia. I hope you foregive me for not posting a lot these days but work is crazy.

Know your real friends...

2008-04-14T07:43:00.000-07:00

Soon we will be going on a road trip to Hannover. More cars than ever will surely join the pilgrimage and we have a policy that no one gets left behind in case of a breakdown that can be solved. I borrowed this flick of the T3D blog (se links) and the first 60 seconds got me wondering. Holy mother of jesus that is a lot of cars! what if one of those cars break down? I bet they just keep on truckin´. But no the answer is 1:36 min. down the line. I think its Rikki James with a cup of java on his knees and people buzz around handing tools trying to help out. So, if you never had a break down on the way to a show, remember that it is just a matter of time and you will appreciate those staying behind with you once you do. No matter how cool your car is some small part made in china can leave you on the hard shoulder with oil on your pants.

33.000 Hits

2008-04-10T02:43:00.000-07:00

Another hidden treasure

2008-04-08T07:33:00.000-07:00

I went to a meeting in the classic car club I recently bacame a member of, The Stray Dogs. The club is quite big and theres is still a lot of people there I have yet to meet. The guy next to me talked to another guy and my ears became as big as 1303 tailights when he talked about a vw cab that he had in his barn. When I asked him he told me tha he was living three houses down the road and he would love to show it to me. A 66 model in very good condition living in my neck of the woods and I didn´t know. I love how life comes up with new twists and turns every day. The guy, Morten, was an enthusiast in spe I think, and a very friendly man.

The blue hat blues

2008-04-02T06:31:00.000-07:00

In danish there is a saying: Sometimes you can´t see the forest for trees. I just discovered my longtime friend and vintage part detective Peters fairly new blog. Peters blog has substance. I really like when theres actually words under the pictures and I prefer pictures that has relevance to the blogger. Peter is lucky enough to have most of the superrare accesories that most "Blue hats" only dream about. If you want to actually learn more about the early days of vw motoring you should visit his blog. Find the link in my favourites.

New vw shop in Denmark

2008-04-01T06:30:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, my father travels frequently to tokyo, Japan and brings home parts for me. We have been planning for some time to set this practice into a bigger scale. I have decided to sell the advertising business to one of my bigger clients and follow my lifelong dream of owning my own vw shop right here in Denmark. We will await the first shipments of parts at the beginning of may and will operate out of this old Fiat dealership in my hometown. I would love to hear comments if you plan to use my shop who will off course also be internetbased. The daily phone orders will be handled by my first cousin Gatja, who is a really nice girl, and I hope this will work out fine. The name of the business is not decided yet, so ideas are also welcome.

1 month away..

2008-03-31T03:04:00.001-07:00

God knows I´ve been a persistent advocate for the DFL cruise madness. I just found this flick that shows the vibe of what I think is one of the best events in europe. The DFL has captured the spirit of the cruise night and not letting it get out of control. I have to say that the full "god touched my soul experience" can only be felt in a vintage car. Cruising the strip in your mothers golf 3 will not get you into heaven! Just yesterday I preached the DFL gospel to a guy I just ran into. He lives 20 minutes drive from me and owns one sweet 66 cab. I also saw a 54 oval on my own turf on saturday. I cant believe how many aircoolers are in my town compared to 5 or 6 years ago. Praising the lowered really helps.

32.000 hits

2008-03-27T00:26:00.000-07:00

Ancient history Vol. 3

2008-03-27T00:22:00.001-07:00

On the way to Bug Run on 3 cylinders and dubious registration. I was not responsible for the paintjob! It was extremely well done though. I later primed it, slammed it and drove it for 3 years as my daily driver. It was infact one of the best cars I´ve ever owned. If any of you have pictures of my former cars please send them.

31.000 hits

2008-03-25T07:30:00.001-07:00

To get started again I couldn´t let you down on the thousand-hit-sweeties could I?
Here´s some full bodied racers for you..

Back from Paris

2008-03-23T06:31:00.000-07:00

Sorry for letting 1600 people watching the same butts in front of a red ghia for a week, but I just landed from 6 nice days in Paris. I will post a lot of stuff next week, as I have stockpiled pictures of things happening before my vacation.

30.000 hits • In your face!

2008-03-01T10:28:00.001-08:00