Not Model A, but I think that you guys will appreciate this...

[KGBnut]

My youngest daughter was only 11 years old when we got our Model A. She actually learned to drive on it...yes, when she was only 11. She was always the one that came with me to the car shows, hanging out and chatting with the old men, and scavenging the vendors for antique typewriters, metal dial telephones, and old license plates to decorate her walls. She's got her dad's taste in junk.

She is about to turn 17 and it is time for her first car, and this is what she chose. I know it is not an 80 year old Model A, but to her it is ancient. I agreed because it was incredibly simple and a great car to learn how to fix it up and maintain it. Also, like the Model A, parts are readily available.

The car is mechanically pretty sound, but needs a little TLC. The interior is trashed, and will a perfect starter project for her. I'm incredibly proud to have a kid that is excited by hard work and am looking forward to having her parked next to me at the next Caffeine and Carburetors. Perhaps there is hope for the next generation.

....Now I just have to find the BeetleBarn and pray it is as good as the FordBarn.

[KansasRick]

Thanks for sharing a personal life story about passing on a passion to your kids. I bet there are lots of other similar stories here on the FordBarn. It would be cool if others felt comfortable to share them too. We all have someone or something that happened in our life we can all say was the reason we ended up in this unique hobby and love for tired iron and cool junk. Nice story.

[bobbycoke]

Yes I loved that story, I can relate as my daughter was always Dad's right hand guy when wrenching on the old cars.......her daughter is a car "geek" and my son in law has a gear head so all other habits are fogiven.......this is exactly where that story belongs.....bcoke

[Bob C]

.Now I just have to find the BeetleBarn and pray it is as good as the FordBarn.

Try here http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/
or here http://volkswebbin.net/
Bob

[Ken Anderson]

I found this "barn" on FB https://www.facebook.com/thevwbarn/... to bad I don't speak German!

[C26Pinelake]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Dont you wish it was an A ! Wayne

[Keith True]

Look for the Samba site.Lots of experience there.There are a few German-engineer types there that will tell you to buy a $200.special tool instead of using a tape measure,but but even those guys are nice about it.My interest was/is pre-68 VWS,and really pre-67.

[aonemarine]

I so hope she gets rid of those bumpers!! LOL
(but replaces them with something more cosmetically appealing)

[zzlegend]

Looks like she's got the bug............... Good for her...

[C26Pinelake]

A VW is better than no car at all., Not much but a little. Wayne

[holdover]

Good luck with your daughters project..
" Perhaps there is hope for the next generation." Yes there is. I have a 9 yr old grand son who at 7 helped me restore a '29 A coupe, last year we restored a '82 CJ7 and right now we are doing a complete restoration on a '30 AA. He is there every step of the way doing what he can. I am amazed at his interest, which is greater than his dad's at that age.

[Brad in Germany]

How about adding an accessory front hood like this:



....to give it a little bit of a Model A feel....

Brad in Maryland

[Mike V. Florida]

My daughters favorite as well.

[Cornishman]

It's a classic alright but I'm not sure they are simple. For any mechanical problem much beyond changing the plugs the engine needs to come out.

[coupe1942]

My daughter's first car was a '62 Falcon, but her second car was a '72 VW with the suto stick tranny. She has always taken interest in old cars and has piddled with everything from Legend cars to my old '42 Chevy business coupe. Her first year to go to church camp was a hoot, as she signed up for auto classes when there. Most girls took that class just to be with the boys, but Ginger had quite a following of boys, as the impressed them in actually knowing how to weld and which wrench to use on what at the time. We had a '54 Chevy station wagon we restored back then, so she always had the boys coming by to ogle over what she was helping me to work on at the time.

I found this speedster really interesting as to what the components were in making it. I always enjoyed the unusual or unique.

She continued to enjoy old cars on up til the time she finally went off to college and the got married. Some of the best father/daughter years ever were spent around old cars. I can still remember he sitting out in the old '42 coupe and playing with that big, oversized steering wheel as she dreamed a million make believe miles. "Baroom, baroom, baroom........ she would utter as she pretended to race that coupe. She and I would discuss things as boys and such and she really made my day as a helper back then. :-)

[Ted Duke]

Originally Posted by Cornishman

It's a classic alright but I'm not sure they are simple. For any mechanical problem much beyond changing the plugs the engine needs to come out.

True, but if you have done it once, two people can remove it in a half hour with two jack stands and a floor jack! And reinstall it in a half hour.

Don't ask me how I know!

Ted

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Ted, I know a retired vw mech in CT who said his best time, with tools ax ND a lift, was 20 minutes to remove. Had a customer once disbelieve he changed the clutch whole the customer went to a restaurant and returned a little over an hour later.

Great first car, will no doubt lead to a lot of cool memories.

[Ted Duke]

My son and I rebuilt one. Took forever to take it out, easy rebuild, took forever to put it in. Drove it two blocks for a late lunch and it was "ticking". Yanked it in less than 30 minutes, pulled the head, found out a spark plug ring that had been dropped had bounced in the hole ) I know, but it's true). Reinstalled head, reinstalled engine in 30 minutes and was home for dinner.

[KGBnut]

Thanks for all the supportive comments. My daughter asked to read the post and her first comment was "everybody is so nice." She right.

We've started tearing the Beetle down and I am finding her to be in better condition than I initially thought. How often does that happen? And, we are having a great time working side by side.

Thanks again, guys.

Ken

[aonemarine]

Aww shucks... you are one lucky dad

[Smurkey]

Bugs and "A"s go hand-in-hand. Great to see...

[C26Pinelake]

The car is ugly but the daughter is very pretty! Wayne

[burner31]

What year is that VW?

In a related story, we sent our Daughter to Senior prom in our '57 Chevy, and ya, with her lead foot and her Dad's sense of "fun"...she was the bell of the ball.
Doing burnouts in the parking lot just to get things started...and honey...if you're reading this...yeah...you're friends told me all about it.

[SeaSlugs]

Originally Posted by Ted Duke

True, but if you have done it once, two people can remove it in a half hour with two jack stands and a floor jack! And reinstall it in a half hour.

Don't ask me how I know!

Ted

or do what my dad did with his VW Ghia : cut the rear bottom back out so he could undo the 4 bolts and slide it out wiht a floor jack - then bolt the body chunk back in

biggest problems with VW's is rust - rest is about as simple as a model A if not a bit easier in some aspects. they didnt stop making the old VW bug in brazil till 2003 so there are oodles of parts out there.

[C26Pinelake]

Originally Posted by burner31

What year is that VW?

In a related story, we sent our Daughter to Senior prom in our '57 Chevy, and ya, with her lead foot and her Dad's sense of "fun"...she was the bell of the ball.
Doing burnouts in the parking lot just to get things started...and honey...if you're reading this...yeah...you're friends told me all about it.

Did not think a 57 Chev would do a burn out. Thought they were all show and no go! Wayne

[Tim Ayers]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Good for her. Those Super Beetles also drive a little nicer with the struts up front. Good luck and thanks for sharing.

Regarding taking the engine out, my personal best was 23 minutes.

[KGBnut]

It is a '74 Super Beetle. The body is pretty good with very little rust. The right side floor pans are rusted through, with a mediocre home patch...but will do for now. Everything else is solid.

I have yet to pull the engine, but I have a bad trans-axle mount, so it is coming out soon. You have to get inside the bell housing to replace those.

For those who are interested, here is a world record engine swap team:
Click Here - VW Beetle Engine change Guiness world record

Ken

[Ted Duke]

Originally Posted by KGBnut

It is a '74 Super Beetle. The body is pretty good with very little rust. The right side floor pans are rusted through, with a mediocre home patch...but will do for now. Everything else is solid.

I have yet to pull the engine, but I have a bad trans-axle mount, so it is coming out soon. You have to get inside the bell housing to replace those.

For those who are interested, here is a world record engine swap team:
Click Here - VW Beetle Engine change Guiness world record

Ken

Yeah, but it's already on jack stands! LOL

[Benson]

About post #13:

Green one has a mid to late 40s rear split window body!

My brother had a 47 split window.

I had a couple of Type IIIs with Electronic Fuel Injection (69 and 73).

Almost bought a Porsche 911S but insurance was too high for an E5 in the Army.

[Rene R]

^^^^
Actually, that's not a real split window VW body they used. The windows are not even the right shape. However there are several people who sell new split window sections that can be grafted into later VWs to mimic a pre-1953 body. I'm somewhat surprised that the fellow who built that VW Model A didn't use such a pre-made section rather than creating it from scratch.

[henry's 31]

It is great to see a young person interested in our antique cars. You can tell very often when they are going to become car guys, or gals. This is the future of our hobby. In our club we have a lady in her 60's that has the Model A She learn how to drive when she was 16 and still has the A. She has restored it 3 times since she's own it. We consider her one of the guys!