Finally got stock wheels & antique registration!

[KarenTheBug]

Just a couple of pictures ... my new stock wheels & antique plates are finally on the car.

The stock wheels mark the END of a two year ordeal to undo a lot of "pimping out" by a previous owner, in addition to general repairs:

1. Porsche 914 steering wheel
2. Porsche 911 leather bucket seats
3. Chinese knock-off Hurst shifter
4. EMPI eight spoke alloy wheels
5. EMPI chrome short stack foam air cleaner
6. Incorrect model 31PICT3 carburetor (too small for the 1600cc dual port engine, couldn't get a good tune on it)
7. EMPI exhaust header with glasspack side pipe.
8. Mechanical advance (no vacuum) distributor, major flat spots when accelerating
9. Bumpers had been removed & replaced with blades
10. Front end lowered on drop spindles
11. Headlamp rings had been painted to match the body color
12. Trunk lid emblem had been painted black for some reason

wheels.jpg

plate.jpg

[KarenTheBug]

A couple of original pictures from two years ago this month when I first bought her ... the previous owner took these.

I'm glad I could see past this to the potential she had

OR1.jpg

OR2.jpg

[Lotrat]

Congrats on de-pimping your ride. Any benefits or restrictions to having antique plates? They look good on your bug.

[KarenTheBug]

Thanks! Benefits and restrictions, yes - here are the broad strokes:

1. No longer need a yearly inspection (something passenger vehicles in VA have to have).
2. Can only drive it to the mechanic, to shows, and for pleasure trips no more than 250 miles from the garaged address.

Seeing as how I only put a few thousand miles a year on her (if that), I won't even notice the difference, and not having to deal with a yearly inspection is nice - she's in the shop at least a few times a year having this-and-that done, so it's not a big worry.

Here are a few before-and-after pics for the engine compartment & interior.

ENGB4.jpg

ENGAFTER.jpg

INTB4.jpg

INTAFTER.jpg

[Lotrat]

How do they define "pleasure trips"? I'm taking my baja to work today and it will be a "pleasure trip".

Stock radio and floormats... nice work. What's left to do?

[KarenTheBug]

They're pretty loose on "pleasure trips" - if I want to take mine to work to enjoy the drive & show it off, no problem - but if it's your every day regular commuter, the answer is no, mostly because of the no inspection thing. If I did the inspection every year they wouldn't worry, I'm sure (I may keep getting it inspected since I take her out pretty regularly, just on short drives each time). The other nice thing is registration in VA is $75 yearly I believe (passenger car), plus $10 for vanity tags (if you request them) - antique registration is $50 ONE TIME, and then just the $10 a year vanity tags (again, if you request them - if not, just the single $50 fee).

In the end, it's VERY difficult (if not impossible) for them to even prove you're not on a "pleasure trip" - I know folks with antique tags who drive theirs almost every day, use it to make short errands, go on long trips, take it to work, etc. The cops aren't going to pinch everyone with antique tags.

The stock Starfire AM radio was a nice touch, and it still works 100% (lights up and everything, I even have the original speaker for it, but never bothered to hook it up beyond testing since I don't use the radio). I've still got some rust in the usual suspect areas, but it's slowly being repaired one project at a time. When the driving season is over, I'm going to see how much rust repair I can get for $1,500 - $2,000 (my yearly rust budget) and put her up in the shop for a few months to knock it out ... I know my driver's side channel needs some love, as does the rear driver's side quarter panel (behind the card) & the door sill. The running boards are intact, but as long as one has to go to fix the channel, I may as well replace both boards just so they match. Passenger side door sill was already done once, channel is solid, and I had the framehead / bulkhead rebuilt last year. I've got a few small holes in the rear tray near the wheel wells, some tar smeared over the rear suspension (I'm sure that's hiding something), and a couple of holes in the rear passenger floor pans. The center tunnel could use a shot of rust converter end to end but it's not serious (so my mechanic says, just a preventive painting), and the trunk / engine compartment have a little browning here & there that could use a grind & paint. Just the usual, take care of the rust one project at a time & keep her on the road.

She's never going to be a full restoration (for example, I'm leaving the area in the back where the headliner has been removed from the rear vents, and when the door sill is fixed that will also cut into the liner on the lower B-pillar, and I'm also not going to repaint the interior, just touch it up as needed), she's going to age gracefully like a true People's Car should. I've seen some of these fully restored, and they're BEAUTIFUL, but I don't agree with it personally for my own bug - these are economy cars, and it's only a fluke that they last as long as they do (things that were done to make them so cheap - alloy blocks & simple design - are ironically the main reasons WHY they lasted this long), and they were meant to be used and driven, not made into museum pieces. Eventually when the window seals get replaced I'll be putting the type in with the chrome trim, but that's about it as far as "restoration" and it's more for cosmetics - she's really more of a "preservation."

Mine gets kept in a rented garage (I don't have a garage at my place) and driven on nice weather days only, so there's no reason why she can't last another 100 years or more as-is, if she lasted 40 years being driven daily & parked in the rain.