Innehållsförteckning för October 2017 från VolksWorld

“what we were publishing each issue was the work of a metal fabrication genius” This is quite a special issue for me. Let me explain why. Having been called in to Kelsey’s Kent HQ in July 2016 to be offered the privilege of editing VolksWorld, I left feeling slightly overwhelmed at the prospect of continuing the work previously carried out by an entire editorial team – a group of people who had been working on the mag for ages. Nevertheless, armed with CDs containing photoshoots, the email addresses of various freelancers and a 24-hour hot-line to Ivan McCutcheon, I got busy putting together the September 2016 edition. Among a pile of paperwork were some details about someone doing up a 1950 Beetle that had been found in a field in…

We’ve seen some pretty impressive workshop kit in our time, but the new addition to Auto Craft’s already impressive machine shop takes the crown. In fact, it’s big enough to warrant having a room all of its own. It’s a new Hurco machining centre, which will enable the Nuneaton manufacturer to custom-make its tooling in-house, giving them full control over the entire process and making it quicker and easier to produce new products. Auto Craft Engineering Ltd (www.autocrafteng.co.uk) is now one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of high quality classic VW parts and specialises in repair panels for Bays, Split Buses and Beetles. They manufacture a range of around 400 parts in-house, using a combination of traditional and modern techniques to OE or better quality. Said the firm’s Karl Brown: “We…

For a lover of older vehicles, you could say that Matt Berry from Maldon in Essex, has the ideal job because for the last 20 years he has been a restoration technician – a posh term for a mechanic, he says – at JD Classics, a high-end car specialist nearby. Though apart from a couple of stock Beetles in the past, he hasn’t actually owned a string of interesting classics himself. He freely admits that seeing them every day meant when he clocked off for the weekend, he wasn’t that bothered about spending his spare time working on a car of his own. As an admirer of air-cooled machinery he did, however, hold a long suppressed desire to one day own a Karmann Ghia, this desire manifesting itself into reality…

Lloyd first told readers about the project in the September 2016 issue of VolksWorldand extensive progress reports appeared in the magazine in every subsequent issue right up until The VolksWorldShow in March 2017. Here’s a summary of how the project went from rust-riddled wreck to show winner… September 2016 issue With the body off the chassis, Lloyd sets about the arduous task of dismantling all the running gear and assessing what needs doing October 2016 issue The ’shell is sent for media blasting at Aqua Blast in Suffolk to remove the old paint and reveal the extent of the rust. Meanwhile, Lloyd makes a start on the extensive metal fabrication November 2016 issue The huge task of sourcing replacement panels begins, with Lloyd continuing to demonstrate the master art of…

“It had floors made out of dust and there was a bird’s nest in the engine” The old saying goes that if you choose a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. Matthew Turner, a mechanic at Surrey-based specialist Beetlelink, clearly loves his job, but getting this 1963 Beetle back from the dead definitely involved a lot of work. Not that he actually did much of it himself – he was more an observer who, by witnessing its transformation, slowly grew more and more in love with the idea of one day owning it. “It was a previous customer’s car that had been tucked away in our yard for well over ten years,” remembers Matthew. “My boss Grant Eggleton arranged for my fellow work mate, John…

“The car revved up to 8000rpm in second on the straights, and didn’t go pop” Although there was a steady trickle of letters to Safer Motoring magazine from disappointed Beetle owners who had suffered premature faults with their cars, back in the Sixties it was the numerous virtues of the People’s Car that were regularly extolled by both readers and editorial. Perhaps one of the most frequently praised features of the Beetle is its excellent traction, the engine-over-the-driven-wheels layout meaning that grip on dodgy ground was often superior to that of much more expensive models. Nowhere was that grip put to a greater test than in autocross – a form of racing on grass, which often turned to mud – in which Beetles proved outstanding, some being tuned to provide…

August VWFAB Festival Date:25-27 Aug 2017 Location:Strumpshaw Steam Museum, Norfolk Contact: www.vwfabfestival.co.uk September VW Action Date:1-3 Sept 2017 Location:Santa Pod, Wellingborough Contact: www.vwaction.co.uk TheVW Aircooled Event Date:8-10 Sept 2017 Location:Budel, Holland Contact: www.eircooled.com Busfest Date:8-10 Sept 2017 Location:Malvern Showground Contact: www.busfest.org Doncaster VWFestival Date:15-17 Sept 2017 Location:Parklands, Doncaster Contact: www.doncastervwfestival.com Grill-n-Chill Date:15-17 Sept 2017 Location:The Hop Farm, PaddockWood, Kent Contact: www.grill-n-chill.co.uk Keverdag KCN Limburg Date:17 Sept 2017 Location:Brunssum, Holland Contact: www.kcnregiolimburg.com Das Drag Day Date: 16-17 Sept 2017 Location: Koblenz, Germany Contact: www.autobahn.be Retro Dub Suffolk VW Festival Date: 22-24 Sept 2017 Location: RAF Bentwaters Parks, Woodbridge, Suffolk Contact: www.retrodub-suffolk.co.uk Splits at the Lake Date: 22-24 Sept 2017 Location: Strandbad, Nuenen, Holland Contact: www.spijlbustreffen.nl Vintage Waasland Show & Cruise Date: 24 Sept 2017 Location: Sint-Niklaas, Belgium Contact: www.vintagewaasland.be October…

“when the car was new it was shipped from Germany to the Congo in Africa” Darren Claggett, 1957 Oval Window Beetle “My Beetle was previously finished in a ratty black colour,” grins Darren. “However, I’ve had it repainted Polar Silver, which is an original 1950s colour for the car. I’ve owned it for 14 years and it has been very much a ‘work in progress’.”The car belonged to a friend, who did some of the work, but when he had to sell it in a hurry, Darren was straight in there. “I believe when the car was new it was shipped from Germany to the Congo in Africa, and was specified with right-hand drive. I just love driving it and most weekends I am off in it travelling to a…

“you can’t put a price on the work that’s gone into this car” It’s a bit hackneyed starting a feature with a list of superlatives, hoping that some at least will describe the enormity of the task Lloyd Jackson’s achieved by completing the restoration of this 1950 Deluxe. But to hell with all that, because what Lloyd and his team at Deluxe Metalwork in Suffolk have done is basically do the impossible, work sheer magic and produce an end result that’s undoubtedly better than it was when it left the factory almost seven decades ago. But more than that, in a feat that’s put him close to emotional and financial meltdown, he’s not only rescued a car that was, to be honest, well past saving but, against all odds, he’s…

“The camper was loaded into a container and shipped from dry, sunny Texas to moist, drizzly Blighty” There are a number of weary clichés that you’re likely to come across when you embark upon a classic restoration. “If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing properly.” “Buy cheap, buy twice.” “Blood, sweat and tears.” “Chasing your tail.” The thing about such idioms, of course, is that they exist for a reason – not every project goes as smoothly as you might hope. Sometimes you have to retrace your steps, unpick what’s been done, and start all over again. This isn’t always the owner in question’s fault, however, and that’s certainly true of Adam Young, custodian of this rather nice ’63 Split Screen Bus. The original plan was to get the…

“There’s even a bistro inside called Hebmüller” The event, the eighth of its kind, was organised by a group of enthusiasts with a particular interest in early, original cars. However, while the emphasis among members of the IG Käferfreunde Pendelachse has always been on quality, not quantity, cars within their membership has broadened to include 1302s/1303s and even Mexican Beetles in recent years. The venue was Düsseldorf’s striking Classic Remise, a former railway storage shed built in the late 1920s which now, having remained derelict for over half a century, plays host to a number of classic car dealers, parts businesses and specialist workshops. There’s even a bistro inside called Hebmüller named to celebrate the proximity of where the Hebmüller convertibles were built. Beetle owners meet here every two weeks…

“VW Buses are simply indestructible. And when they do need repair, we can usually handle it ourselves” In early March, five Volkswagen enthusiasts said goodbye to their homeland in Malaysia and set off in three Buses and a Beetle. Their destination, two continents and 20,000km away, being Volkswagen’s Transporter production line in Hannover, Germany. Well, we’re pleased to report they made it without major drama – and even managed to take in a few shows on route. When Cliften Nathaniel (1978 Bay Window), Terence Moses (1967 Split Screen Bus), Stephen Pang (1967 Split Screen Bus), Monica Xavier and Udh Aya (Beetle) proudly drove their classic VWs onto the production site at Hannover, it was accompanied we presume by a roar of applause from all that witnessed it, including top production…

“EBI plays host to all the most important traders from across the globe… which is precisely why it’s become such an important event on the show calendar” It was my first time at Chimay. I had tasted the high-octane trappist beer, but had never attended the European Bug-In (EBI) that takes place in the Belgian town every other year. My plan, albeit briefly, was to drive there in my Beetle, but having discovered that the most direct route from my home in Brittany would take eight hours of fast motorway driving, I fired up my ancient Audi instead. If I was to avoid the motorways, it would have eaten into the best part of four days in the Bug and involve a couple of stops on route. Sadly, there just…

“There’s no point spending lots of cash if the engine isn’t in good working order to begin with” The problem with engine performance is you can never have enough. Even if you bolt a turbo onto a bombproof motor, you’ll inevitably get used to the power and want more. So, when it comes to modifying an air-cooled unit, you need to be realistic. Spend too much money and you might as well fit a flat-four Subaru engine instead. A worthwhile starting point when considering engine modifications is preservation. There’s no point spending lots of cash if the engine isn’t in good working order to begin with, so do a compression test to check its health, make sure it’s been serviced, and that the valve clearances and ignition timing are spot…