Click here for July 2005 - October 2005

June 11th 2005, weather forecast bright and sunny, just the kind of day to bring Gertie home with her new sunroof... Pale grey to match the wing beading and seat covers and an original VW fitment at that... The bodywork, as always, has been amazing, you can't tell this wasn't factory fitted 40 years ago and the rag closes onto the roof to form a seal along the front edge. 

All that remains now is for Gertie's new wheels to arrive and the inevitable racing stripes and 53's to be placed carefully on the bodywork; just in time for the new Herbie film that opens in August...

part 1

Gertie got dropped off for the original Golde ragtop clip to be fitted this weekend, back in two weeks with pics...

Just wired up my iPod and an amp, pics here...

Just been for a good drive in Gertie... Over the hills through Bury, through Affetside and over Holcolme, through Edenfield past 'Owd Bets' then back home... She loves hills with the new engine and doesn't struggle at all anymore... Great few hours out...

She's also got her new stainless steel bumpers on, the front is a different shape from the old one, the towel rail isn't curved out and gives Gertie a slightly different look from the front...

She's home...

The new engine looks as great in the car as it did out of the car and runs like a dream, its so nice to be able to keep up with traffic and even overtake other cars... modern ones at that...!

The sound coming from the engine is - well, I can't really describe it other than as loud and very meaty, she certainly sounds like she means business...

Dusk arrived just after I got home from a run along the motorway so I took the chance to snap a couple of pictures with the Carello on under that fabulous deep blue sky above her... Big thanks to Chris Gilley Beetles  who did the work...

I do have to admin though that she did break down on the way home, nothing to do with the engine itself - I bought an Empi electronic ignition module and it burnt out after 25 miles... had to be towed off the motorway... Funny how a set of points/ condenser got her running again in a few minutes... Think I'll stick to old fashioned technology from now on...

part 4

Gertie was picked up as planned to have her new engine fitted, it looks great off the car here's hoping it looks great in her engine bay... Not sure what it will sound like with the twin carbs and exhaust though...

A nice surprise awaited me with the delivery of a pair of stainless steel towel rail bumpers; the quality is superb with no rubber grommets where the towel rails fix on the blades. They will be put on over the next weekend...

I got the garage just in time to see her new engine go in and snap some photos. I got a shot of the gearbox that used to reside in a Ghia, we replaced the original 1200 gearbox to allow for better ratios...

Only thing left to do will be a camber compensator bolted under the box...

part 3

Gertie is very excited about her new engine and sunroof so much so she can't wait to get to Chris Gilley Beetles on 29th March 2005 when the work will begin...A pair or original US specification headlamp lenses were picked up this week to replace the after market ones she has been wearing, you can't see the difference apart from the VW logo at the bottom edge of the glass and the Hella mark in the ridges along the top but they make all the difference...

At around 4pm on Saturday 19th March 2005 Gertie's odometer turned back to zero... great coincidence as the new engine is about to be fitted...

The pictures below were taken with camera phones while we were out and about, crap quality but never the less great pics against the scenery... and to think its only 5 minutes from the house...

part 3

Just got back from over the Pennines with a full Golde ragtop mechanism and I'm off to Wales to pick up the roof clip tomorrow (16/03/05)... Question is, can Chris Gilley Beetles fit me in to fit it when they replace Gertie's engine...?

Radio is now in, looks great...

part 2

Just got back from a drive over the hills, only 30 miles until she rolls back to zero on the odometer... 

There's a lot going on in Lobousland in March... Gertie's stock 1200cc engine is giving up, she's lucky to get 55mph downhill so in the last week of March Chris Gilley Beetles are fitting a 1600cc engine, with 009 distributor, Bosch Blue coil and twin Weber carbs, all mated to a 1600 Gearbox. It will so great to be able to keep up with traffic and even overtake...!

Also the sunroof leaks so I am in the process of sourcing an original Golde ragtop clip. The guys at Chris Gilley Beetles have said that it should be fairly straightforward to fit and that it won't affect the headliner as it can be dropped out of place for the welds.

I am hoping the wheels will arrive this month, stock smoothies widened to 6", powder coated in L87 Pearl White.

And finally the backing plate and chrome rings for the Saphire radio were just (literally) handed to me by the postman so the radio will be fitted today.

She's gonna look great, soon to be finished.

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