Bugs grow on trees and I have proof!!!!

It's been a while since my last post.

I want to thank you for your patience and for following along.

Excuses I have many, been very busy, been dealing with fatigue from being so busy, sold the farm and needed to clear out years of hoarding,  more bugs( VW BUGS) and today is the first time my tablet has been able to get into my blog(????).

I'll go and see what I can add to catch everyone up with my summer here at home in Utah.

I've been thinking that bugs grow on trees, but know I have proof......

Here is a quick rundown on the bugs we got this year.......think we are done now.....ya right!!!!

Ok, this is a family thing that all started when Matt bought the 1st 61 for $150.00

My first thought was what a foolish thing to do......rust bucket piece of junk...

Then Sandy said she wants to retire and join me on my adventures......no more Bikes....

I told Matt I thought I might need to get a baja bug or maybe a dune buggy....so he took me seriously and next thing I knew I had a few bugs myself...

Along with all this I got a ton of parts including a professionally rebuilt engine and enough parts to build another baja and a dune buggy.

Then all the sudden Matt and the boys wanted to know how soon I would have a bug up and running.....all this while I was up to my neck working on the garage and selling all mu treasures from the farm and the garage whick was packed so full not even a bug would fit....

I had a solution pop into my head at the Thanksgiving Automotive Swap meet.....

I may have mentioned all this before, thought I did, but do not see it in my blog.....

The blue Bug is a world record land speed holder......it ran a small vw engine with a turbo and set the record ant the amazing speed of.........."WAIT FOR IT"......




83mph.......


It now has a big block 1600cc 40hp engine and I have photos of it doing about....

not a land speed record, but more than I'll ever need.

Then a guy Matt talked to showed up with a fist full of cash and bought my 26 Ford coupe, another salt racer...

 

I was not to excited to sell the 26, but when Matt told me of a 1956 Oval bug and I talked to Kit who told me she would sell the bug for about 1/2 what I could get for the 26.......well off went the Ford and in came the Oval.

The Oval is a whole other storey and I will do a post on just it......The drive was fun and I got the extra treat of having Randi along for the trip.....we do not get much time together theses days and I sure enjoyed it.  Randi's roll as my guardian and he job as a wife, mother and zoo keeper does not leave much time for us......life goes on!!!!

Next thing I know I'm off buying another bug.....64 rust free with another ton of parts including NOS running boards, boxes of small stuff and

  two NOS fenders that I need for the Oval.....score!!!!

Here is the worst rust on the whole car.......great patina......all for $300


Matt started talking about a better 61.......he wants a patina car, but one a bit better than his black 61......next thing I know I was off to Idaho Falls with Derrick and we picked up this 61...

There are tons more vw parts, pans, swamp buggies and boxes of parts we have not even opened yet....I have 3 running bugs....even took Sandy for a ride in all three of the running bug on the same day.

I have two good running road worthy bugs with the Blue Bug and the Oval.....so I plan to use the 64 to build a roadster pickup something like this...

Mat could have his up and running a a few hours, he got a rebuilt 1600 with his 61 and it is a good car..... looks like it would die any minute but that is what he wanted....VW's version of a rat rod.


So for us bugs do grow on trees.......money trees!!!


My next post will include trips visiting old friends, checking out a few new hot rods and more....

God Bless you all
Papa

Grandpa grandson project 1969 Bug

Well it's been so long since I updated my blog.

Today Derrick and I got the 1969 VW Bug street legal so I thought I would do a bit of an introduction of the car.

Burley Burlile traded a one piece baja nose for the car and built the car to show how bugs were built before the SoCal fade of the 70's and wide fender cars of the 80's.

I was about 15 years old when SoCal took over the VW world.....that was 45 years ago.

The car has a Porsche grill in the engine cover just like they did in the early 60's.

Here is Derrick with the car the day we drove it home....notice the Datsun Fairlady tail lites....bet there in not another bug with Fairlady tail lites.

The car was built to run on the Salt Flats back in 2006 and it did set a worlds record of 83 mph with a stock 36hp engine.

Burley put a 1600 single port engine in the car and that is what I got with the car.....believe me it will go much faster than 83 mph today with the help of a modified trans-axle and the bigger engine.

I must tell you do not do this on public roads.......

I did not get one of these toys.....yet!!!!

 Burley gave me a disc with 183 photos.....but I'll be kind and keep it under 20.

This is one of the photos used in the magazine article published in the Wolks World December 2006 issue........now I can say I have owned a car that set a world speed record and was featured in a magazine......one of the big items on my bucket list.

I only have one photo of the car with the nose adjusted to about 3 inches, the one used in the magazine article, but it sure looks good down in the weeds.

I have been rather busy since my last post......so I'll give a short run down of the last few weeks.

 Deno......we got to ride in both the Blue Eagle ( Burley's name for the 69 ) and the baja bug his dad picked up for us to play with........Deno shared a head cold with me and I have spent at least 15 days in bed sick as hell.

I got to see Elmer Fudd and was over joyed to see he remembers me and still sees me as one of his Buds.

Add caption

Derrick and I have spent some time together....here we went to check out a 40 Ford.

I could not believe how bad this piece of junk was!!!!!

I could not see one panel worth saving..........it did look good from 75 feet....lol!!!!


My friend Jimmy had lots of things to do as soon as I got home......Visiting our friend Jack was one of the first......I liked his chicken coop

And his car museum.......

It's always nice to visit with Jack.......he has to be one of the nicest old farts around.....Jack has tons of health issues and I doubt anyone has more to deal with than Jack, but he keeps a smile and finds a way to spend time with his friends.......



Jimmy also talked me into the swap meet at Thanksgiving Point...... one of Utah's biggest car swap meet....

 Jimmy had a old 1930  bike, but I just could not get him to sell it to me for my price.....he did sell it.

Not Jimmy's, but a girls bike like his

A Crosley engine....very rare. I have owned 3 Crosleys, but never one with a with the stock engine.

I love the cars at the swap meet and car show.....the chopped 56 Ford truck cab used to belong to me

I heard Burley was at the swap meet so I headed over to say hello and found out he was selling this.....lucky day!!!!!

I set up my table next to Jimmy and sold a lot of the stuff I want to rid my garage of so I can free up space for the next big project.....

I closed up my table at the end of the day and took a walk around to see what was there.......I found some VW parts and asked a question with out looking up to see who was selling......Doug Mead a good old friend answered my question by name.....I looked up and passed out to see him!!!

I have seen very little of him since my TBI accident and we spent hours catching up.

Doug introduced me to his friend Tom.....

Tom was selling his just finished Harley chopper....

I fell in love with this thing, I drooled over it for 2 days!!!!!

Tom and I exchanged emails and said goodbye.......

A few days later Tom emailed me and asked what my Crossfire was......guess what he showed up at my house asking to trade the chopper for the Crossfire.........so now the chopper lives in my garage next to the Triumph!!!!

 I got the workbench finished too!!!!!

Loading 3 of these bowling alley sections by myself onto my car trailer and turning them into workbenches was a big deal, but it is done.

This is where I put it