I've been busy, veeeeery busy.
Unfortunately not at all busy on the bug, all on 'Tater,...
If I haven't been at work and the hobby shop was open, I was wrenchin on my rig. It's been in there for nearly 8 months and now she's home again.
She needs some carb work, the bench seat is being rebuilt so I have a temp seat now, and I'm down to body work. She runs and everything works 'cept the speedo (have to get a custom cable made), not bad dammit!
Since those shots I have the grille painted, installed the hood grille emblem and buffed the paint a bit.
Here's the kicker tho. She tops out at around 50-55 and gets 6MPG. The idea of slappin on a flat bed & using her to haul the bug around is kind of weakened by that,...
SO, I'm thinkin about sellin her off and getting what a actualy need, either a tilt trailer, or a bit newer 1-ton with a tilt bed. No rush tho, I'm still enjoying tinkering.
Been feeling bad about the Bomber tho, take it out now & then for a ride, but I have to seriously get to work on the engine, the oil mystery leak is makin me nuts and I've drug my ass on the rest way too long.
Latest update, as she sits in the shop, getting to the final stages of fitting and assembly of the new deck lid. Right now just figuring how I want to make the vents, then building them and installing prior to welding all the seams and some creative hammer work to smooth it all out.
Note o self (& others), always remeer to keep wet songe on hand to quench welds on long curved pieces. Something about expansion & all that jazz,...
One seam is pushed in a bit coz I didn't wanna mess with the sponge. Now I have to do a LOT of hammer work to get that part flat. Joy!
I dig all cars, whether old, new, hammered out of Japanese tin cans, American iron, or German steel.
Rides:
70 Volksrod "The Black Bomber"
12 Jetta 2.5
56 GMC 370 "Tater"
07 Avalanche
20 Cherokee Trialhawk
05' Harley FLHTCUI
Took the Bomber and 'Tater to the Greenbank car show yesterday. Both entered in under construction class. The Bomber won 1st place, the fugly truck won 2nd,...
Whoda thunk it?
Just an update.
Still here, still have the bug, not made any progress on it since last update tho. Got job in CA, bought house, moved, lost job a week after economy tanked, searched in vain for work in CA, moved back to WA, house in forclosure, out of work for 6 mos, new job pays crap, what time I had for projects went to dump truck so I can make money with it.
Took the car out of storage last month for local city car show and one last week at work, otherwise it's been sitting in storage waiting till I have the dough to get it back in the shop.
Altho it was fun driving the Bomber around in CA with WA plates, got all kinds of attention there, not missing the desert heat at all. The big garage with a sizable workbench, that I do miss!
Contemplating selling the body and getting a fresh start. There's a few items that I'd like to do again, but require a fresh body. Not gonna happen anytime soon tho. The way things are going, worst case, I may have to sell one of the vehicles and my trucks are required for the small biz, the Bomber may have to go on the block,... Not a fun concept for me at all.
Been a little over a year since I posted on here. Hell, been about that long since I even logged on here! I've been too busy playing catch-up after losin my arse to the economy I haven't been doing anything at all with my VW. It irritates the piss outta me too, but that's how it goes sometimes.
However, another one of my hobbies is photography, and since I own most of the spendy stuff already I've been getting out and doing shoots with models trying to expand my expereince and find my niche. My most recent shoots have been using the Bomber and 'Tater. Did a shoot yesterday that I dont have p[ost-production done on yet, but here's a few shots from the previous two models with my little VW money pit.
On a more productive note: I've FINALLY gotten some room in my car port, should be able to get the car out of storage and to the house for some much needed engine work and some more welding on that rear end. About freakin time too!
I might even get around to mounting the permanent hardware to bring those brake lines up off the deck (I know they annoy some of you guys to no end. )
Some new shots with Melanie, the Bomber, and a car owned by VintageRaze from Volksrods.com
As far as car news goes, still no work done on the car. Been over 2 years now & it's makin me frikkin crazy. I'm a build it twice kind of person (1st time to figgure things out, 2nd to make the finished product), and I've hit the point where I have to decide whether to start over or drive on. I've also been tossin around the idea of selling it outright, or better yet, trading it for a newer Honda Goldwing. At least then I'd have something I can drive that's cheaper on insurance & gas than my current daily driver. That I & really miss riding,...
Still every time I think of that I take the Bomber for a ride & it's all out the window. Just too damn much fun!
Not a good place to be when you have no $$ to keep workin on your projects. Two frikkin years! UGH!
I dig all cars, whether old, new, hammered out of Japanese tin cans, American iron, or German steel.
Rides:
70 Volksrod "The Black Bomber"
12 Jetta 2.5
56 GMC 370 "Tater"
07 Avalanche
20 Cherokee Trialhawk
05' Harley FLHTCUI
I see Webshots went through and purged their users,... No notice, no email, just *poof!*, gone. Whatever,...
Progress on the Bomber: Have the engine out and started going through my parts. Have a good AS41 case I need to get machined, wanna get it decked & opened up to fit 1776/1835 jugs. Still have my custom built big valve heads, lap the valves and put them together and we're good. However, I found a coworker with a 1776 long block for sale, so I may just get that and do some parts mashing to get a motor back in her shortly and on the road again just in time for our improving summer weather (that and I have a couple models interested in doing some work with it, bonus!). From there it's to turbo, or not to turbo,... Putting more work into the engine since I can do that with the work space I have available right now. We shall see.
No new body work, still suckin for a place to work, esp. since local Navy base hobby shop chopped their days/hours so I have zero access on my current work schedule. I did do a little paint work with some custom VW/tribal stencil and a graphic on the hood. Just fartin around, nothin killer. Once I get this whole Webshots things fixed I'll add some pix.
New toys:
Picked up a '73 Super with a grenaded engine from a model friend for $250. The oil passage to the #3 rod bearing got plugged, spun the bearing, and finally blew the rod sending chunks out the top, busted out a couple lifters, destroyed the cam and three of the jugs, and one chunk got wedged between the crank and case so tight it was like it had been welded in place. Not a lot of salvagable parts in that mess,... The Bombers old long block is in it now, needs some carb work to get the engine running right, wiring fixes, and as usual, needs a full set of brakes. Aside from some cancer it's not too terrible looking, want to get it solid enough to use as a winter commuter since I drive 142 miles a day for work and cant always ride my bike with icing issues.
Which brings us to the bike. Last post I talked about trading the car for a bike, obviously didn't happen. I did find a great deal on a bike (buying in February is always good for that), picked up a 200 Harley Electra Glide Ultra Classic (FLHTCUI) with all the bells and whistles. Over all not a bad bike, not real happy with the comfort (I ride 4 days a week putting 3 hours a day in the saddle, with my broken down arse it matters) & I am so not a brand whore, so once it's got some equity on it I'm trading it for a Victory Cross Country Tour. Admittedly looking at the Can-Am Spyder as well, could ride almost year round on that, but I dunno.
Man, it is depressing when I look at how long ago that last post was,...
Oliver (the Super) has not been touched. Looking to sell it, haven't decided if the engine will go with it just yet, but it needs to go to a good home ASAP.
I'm also looking to sell my '56 GMC 2-ton, had to kill the hauling biz coz even at the lowest rates on the island these cheap bastatges didn't want to pay. Rather than let her sit and go back to hell after all that work,... Gonna let her go too.
Had to replace our dying truck which ate a large chunk of our finances so we are STILL in this little shack with no place to do heavy cut/weld/hammer/grind type work.
Which brings me to the Bomber.
Hobby shop has been pared down to oil changes and quick work only. Aside from metal work on a friends old Caddy S&S Hearse I haven't even drug the Bomber out of storage since I pulled the engine. Pretty bummed about it, but the benefit to it is I can let it sit till we move and I can work on it again, which if our current momentum holds, should be early in 2017 if not sooner. May be looking at a job change between then and now tho, I have reached my limit of stupidity and the dumbarses that perpetuate it. Kind of unerving when you take into account that I work on planes.
You started the thread back in 2004. Holyyy, you've updated it for 12 years! And I can't even jog for two days straight. Eh, I guess I'm not motivated enough.
Same job, same home, home collapsing, can't afford to move so that is focus.
Oliver has a new home with some dedicated VW people.
Tater (the 56 deuce) is still looking for a forever home.
My POS Harley ate another cuple grand, but should be good for a few years now.
The Bomber is still collecting dust. Once the house is fixed, gonna get her back on the road. May not finish it any time soon, but I need to drive that pig!
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