Ray's mini Beetle

The Featured Car section is to highlight a club member's car. We will accept any aircooled VW regardless of condition. We want to see all of your works in progress and learn more about them. Show off all that hard work by submitting your VW pics and detailed info on your car. Before and after pics are a plus. Add any stories that go along with the pics. Feature will run for one or two weeks depending on how many submissions. Submit pics and info to kustenkreuzers@yahoo.com

October 18-24 Featured Car

Ray Smith's Minibeetle

OWNER: Ray Smith

VW: 60's-70's children's electric beetle

ENGINE: 6v 25 watt

MODS: custom interior

I found this Beetle toy at Werner Panchenko's shop while talking with him about Theresa's Karmann Ghia. It was in pretty poor shape, but complete. After inquiring about it, I picked it up and immediately began a "restoration" process. I stripped the body completely down to bare metal and blasted the frame. The seat was shot so I tore it down to make templates and built a completely new seat with tan vinyl and white piping. The motor was completely dismantled, regressed and reassembled. The paint matches the original color very well: 3 coats of primer, 3 coats of color, 3 coats of clear, all rattle can. The plastic lighting was in very bad condition, so I sanded it all down with 1000 grit sand paper, and lightly coated them with clear to shine them up. This completed Beetle is a Christmas gift for my new nephew Tyler. He won't be a year old when he receives it, but I am sure he'll grow in his appreciation of it! Fun Project that turned out very well.