A long time ago, I was married to a lovely Scottish lass, we met as students, and eventually got married.
I always loved older cars, and used to keep a modern for her, and a banger for myself, to play with, had amongst others the 1963 Beetle, a 1959 Beetle, and a 1967 Ford Anglia 1200 Super.
Bought the Beetle for R1000 = £100 at the time, after I sold the Anglia to a fireman who had bothered me for more than a year to buy it.
Thinking I would clean it up, and T-Cut it before doing the MOT, or COR (Certificate of Roadworthiness, known as a Roadworthy) as it was in great nick, with everything working as it should, I started out cleaning it etc.....
One thing led to another, and I had just taken 3 weeks leave, as I was about to change jobs, to become a Drug rep in Cape Town, but I ended up respraying it, and getting only the upholstery and carpets done by an outside company (Belonging to one of my former patients, and alcoholic lady, whose sons were then running it)
I was about to leave Nursing after 8 years, which I had done after few years in the Millitary in special forces, weird career path , I know.
My wife had been under the impression that we were going to go up to Natal, about 800miles from Port Elizabeth where we lived at the time to visit my parents..... OOOppps !
Anyway, other than when we really got divorced (amiably), that was the closest I ever go to getting divorced.
I had never done bodywork etc, so everything was a learning for me, I used to call a guy with a bodyshop who guided me telephonically on what to do when I did cock it up. Lucky for us my dad used to encourage us to do stuff for ourselves when we were kids)
My Workshop, and Spraybooth was where you see the car parked on the pavement in the open ;D
I also did a colour change, from the yellow tone you see, to Merces Benz SL Red.
I removed and replaced the windows that I could do myself, and used some electrical flex in between the window rubbers and the body to lift them away, and get the new paint in , after masking it properly, people could not tell it had been colour changed.
The guy from the body shop who had seen the Beetle before, was stunned that I had been able to pull off the job I did with just his telephonic advice.
12 hours a day, for 3 weeks, and some time in front of the telly at night polishing bits of trim saw me finish it pretty much the last day of my 3 weeks leave.
Below are some pics I have scanned, hope they came out alright.
Now I am again ready for the Grizz Mobile.
I always loved older cars, and used to keep a modern for her, and a banger for myself, to play with, had amongst others the 1963 Beetle, a 1959 Beetle, and a 1967 Ford Anglia 1200 Super.
Bought the Beetle for R1000 = £100 at the time, after I sold the Anglia to a fireman who had bothered me for more than a year to buy it.
Thinking I would clean it up, and T-Cut it before doing the MOT, or COR (Certificate of Roadworthiness, known as a Roadworthy) as it was in great nick, with everything working as it should, I started out cleaning it etc.....
One thing led to another, and I had just taken 3 weeks leave, as I was about to change jobs, to become a Drug rep in Cape Town, but I ended up respraying it, and getting only the upholstery and carpets done by an outside company (Belonging to one of my former patients, and alcoholic lady, whose sons were then running it)
I was about to leave Nursing after 8 years, which I had done after few years in the Millitary in special forces, weird career path , I know.
My wife had been under the impression that we were going to go up to Natal, about 800miles from Port Elizabeth where we lived at the time to visit my parents..... OOOppps !
Anyway, other than when we really got divorced (amiably), that was the closest I ever go to getting divorced.
I had never done bodywork etc, so everything was a learning for me, I used to call a guy with a bodyshop who guided me telephonically on what to do when I did cock it up. Lucky for us my dad used to encourage us to do stuff for ourselves when we were kids)
My Workshop, and Spraybooth was where you see the car parked on the pavement in the open ;D
I also did a colour change, from the yellow tone you see, to Merces Benz SL Red.
I removed and replaced the windows that I could do myself, and used some electrical flex in between the window rubbers and the body to lift them away, and get the new paint in , after masking it properly, people could not tell it had been colour changed.
The guy from the body shop who had seen the Beetle before, was stunned that I had been able to pull off the job I did with just his telephonic advice.
12 hours a day, for 3 weeks, and some time in front of the telly at night polishing bits of trim saw me finish it pretty much the last day of my 3 weeks leave.
Below are some pics I have scanned, hope they came out alright.
Now I am again ready for the Grizz Mobile.
.
