Bug in a Barn: Getting Going

First Road Test

11.27.2008
Happy Thanksgiving!

After walking the three mile loop around chambers Creek Golf Course this morning in preparation of today's big feast, I stopped in at David's and found him ready to make the first loop in Hulda. This was the much anticipated "driveway" test.

As we were cranking her over, she was sputtering pretty bad, not getting the right amount of fuel and air. I think she was letting us know that her carburetor, that has been sitting for 11 years, was in need of a rebuild. Since David had just rebuilt the one off his dune buggy, he swapped it out in a matter of minutes and had Hulda purring. Here's some video of our first test drive shot by David's son, Alex (thanks for helping us catch the moment!).

As David pulled out I wondered if all the gears would work? ... No pro-blem-o.

I was more tentative in my test drive -- no mirrors, no windshield, no brake lights... but what fun! Without the extra weight of little things like fenders, bumpers, or hoods I was surprised how quick this bug was (notice my hat flying off at the end).

Moving Day
12.1.2008
After two weeks in David's garage, getting patched, tuned and straightened, Hulda made her way home. Since we weren't quite street legal, she got towed, and had some friends help along the way. Here's David and his son, Alex, helping to load up the bug.

Now that David has his garage bay back, what will he do with all the empty space? Perhaps park one of his running vehicles in it? I didn't think so. Here's his current dune buggy project that he salvaged from the ocean's shore. His son Alex hopes to drive it one day (and he points out that the dune buggy is really faded red, not pink!)

Three miles later, we're unloading with the help of Andy (on the left) and Mark (on right). Mark and I split the cost of the trailer, and after parking Hulda, towed the car he is working on for his daughter to the next stage of its restoration (and being the Scotsman he is, he was delighted when U-haul erred and for his trouble, received a free rental!).

Hulda finally home, awaiting the next stage of her restoration (thanks David for the loan of the rebuilt carb and battery, or we would have never been able to drive it up the driveway!)

Radberry vs. Rockstar

12.1.2008
Part of getting this project going is deciding on what color of coat Hulda will eventually wear. While we are many steps removed from applying the color base, we do need to move forward with some primer coats to seal the bare metal patch panels and begin the body work. The color of primer affects your later top coat (gray for lighter colors, black for darker ones)... so we need some direction here. Julia was brought in to consult on color as she will be the eventual driver.

Here are some color samples used by Volkswagen on the Super Beetle in 1971. Originally, Hulda was Marina Blue (and her front clip added later, Canary Yellow), and then later she was sprayed a variation of Clementine.

I'll be using a paint product made by Auto Air Colors, which enables me to paint in my garage since it is a water borne product (no smell, less toxic, cleans up with soap and water).

I have had success with these products on both an old motorcycle and a VW Golf my son, Stephen drives (before and after).

We viewed the Auto Air Color palate and decided to keep it in the red family (partly because that was the color we found her wearing)... but the question remained, Auto Air Radberry or Rockstar red? The guys down at LDI on Center St. in Tacoma have helped me a ton. Big thanks go to Ben and Jay for coaching me through the steps. Here they are with one of the samples:

We decided to try a 4 oz. sample and see what it looked like on the spare tire. There often is a big difference between a sample on a printed page, and a 3-D object. Auto Air colors can also really "pop" when you get them in the sunlight. After taping the tire (no, its not a blue-wall) we laid down the white sealer, which acts like a primer, and tried five coats of Radberry.

While the Radberry was striking, it seemed a bit muddy for our liking. For comparison, we taped half of the spare and this time tried Rockstar Red (has some gold flake in it).