JANUARY 2009

2009 already !?!

Well, '08 passed in a blur of work, getting the new workshop fitted out just as I wanted, and some really good racing.

We had a steady flow of work through the shop from full restos to mechanics.  Many old familiar customers were shocked to find that, after years of moaning, I had actually moved.  And we had a good number of newbies coming in for the first time.  New or old, I still haven't lost the bug (sorry!) and enjoyed working on them all (OK, the air did turn blue occasionally).

All my long terms are completed or very near to:  the '65 Split is back home now; the beautiful and very rare '59 Luxe Samba is so close it's painful; and Neil's '64 Split is coming along nicely.  I've just updated the Restos section with detail on all of these.  Take a look - we are really proud of them all.

The rebuild on the pick-up engine got a bit stressful and I was late starting to race.  After a midnight gearbox overhaul trackside at Santa Pod, we were away and I ended the season second in the VW Pro Class.  Thanks must go to the wife who never even bothered to ask about bank holidays last year!

Racing wouldn't be racing without a bit of stress so I'm working on respraying the pick-up ready to start the '09 season with a great new custom paint job.  But work keeps getting in the way and it's not looking too hopeful at the moment.

Also this year I really need a new interior on my '66 Split and the '72 Bay wants some TLC.  My '55 Oval and the '74 Beetle will have to wait.  I really need to think about downscaling to make room for more paying work!!

Spring 2007 Newsletter

The season is once again upon us and I am busy trying to get my own rides up to scratch.  It surprises me that I have time for any paying work at all....but I seem to fit it in.

Paint at last went onto the '67 Split and the customer was well pleased with the colour and finish.  However, that's gone on the back burner now for a while to enable me to fit in a number of smaller jobs I've had on the books for ages.

I've needed to concentrate on keeping up with the mechanical and engine stuff for the last couple of months.  I'd been putting off a lot and have now blitzed some of the backlog. 

I have started to get stuck into the '64 Split project and will be adding more to the site about this soon.  Just received a nice set of aluminium popouts and safaris for it today which should mean interesting times ahead.

The convertible 1302 is now in primer and is waiting for parts for the hood frame before I can do much more on it.

So while I'm waiting I've replaced the fuel lines, had a couple of new tyres on, and beefed up the suspension on the race car by fabricating a new rear torque bar set-up.  Got to keep myself occupied somehow.

Still looking for a larger workshop....

Autumn 2006 Newsletter

Well it has been a busy year again for us, with at least two restos on the go at any time as well as the usual bookful of servicing, MOTs etc.

Early in the year I finally finished constructing my own prototype of the 'Split roast' an ingenious invention of mine which enables me to actually spin a vehicle full circle in the workshop in order to get to all those awkward places.  If you want a demonstration of this white knuckle ride for Bugs, please book a full resto.

In February Tricky Vikki the Volkswagen Hater came back to work for the first time since 1993.  It only lasted a few days as she was scaring the customers.  She is now back to 'working from home', computerising all my accounts and generally interfering.

Early in April, we were shocked by the sudden death of Colin Davis who started out as a customer a good few years ago and ended up a good friend.  His enthusiasm for Vdubs is sorely missed.

As usual, the racing has suffered as a result of the restos, but we have had a few good trips out and Bug Jam was great as usual, despite The Big Storm giving us a few problems and nearly destroying my awning.  I had just bought a new one but luckily had decided to stick with the old one for the Jam.

The search for new, larger premises goes on.  We are totally wall-to-wall in the shop at the moment and it's becoming a real priority to move to something bigger but there are a lot of dodgy workshops out there.  Maybe I'm too fussy...

We have been out and about in the camper, the kids are beginning to enjoy it now and my son enjoys the sudden rush of cred when I collect him from school in it.  However, letting the family and the large dog travel in your camper does take a toll.  It's showing signs of wear and tear on the interior and I shall have to find the time to put this right.

Looking forward to a busy winter, have a look at my In Progress to see what I'll be up to.  Pics will be updated regularly.