New Project, My Daughter's VW Thing

My youngest has gone to Cruisin' the Coast every year with my dad and I since she was 5. She went before but at the age of 5 when she would actually ask to go and found enjoyment going. For the last 7 years or so she always points out VW Things and we usually see 4 or 5 of them among the hundreds of the usual cars. About 4 weeks before Cruisin' the Coast I seen one local (35 to 40 miles away) in New Orleans. I thought about telling her because I knew she had at least half the money set aside but is also a 1st year college student and besides they aren't my cup of tea and don't know much about them. Two weeks before Cruisin' the Coast, after talking to wife, we decided to show her the ad and give her the choice, it is a car she has consistently stuck with wanting. I show her the ad and she gets excited everytime I show her one then I asked if she wanted to go look at it and I would put whatever money she didn't have with it if we bought it. She got really excited and told me she would but after her 4 years of college she would have to start paying her student loans back and that's what she was going to do with her money. She told me she dreamed of owning a Thing one day but is more worried about her student loan. I told her if she finished her education in 4 years when she graduated her mom and I would pay the loans. I've always offered my kids that so, she now owns a VW Thing that needs plenty of TLC but it's coming along. Mechanically it has had clutch, carburetor, CV axles done. In last year brakes, shocks and tie rods. Runs good just needs minor mechanical work. Needs more cosmetics but has a new top. We built duck boards like offered with them and ordered most of the bright work for it for after paint. She plans on going Orange, painting the steel wheels white with her new chrome hubcaps and wrapping it in a 185/75R14 White wall tire (I picked out custom VW wheels, she wants the original steel wheels and WW and it is hers)
Couple pictures from hauling it home until now.

 

Aw, man, behind Mom and Dad's '66 Bug Cabrio, I definitely have a soft spot for Things; we kids almost had Dad convinced in buying one and trading in the Cabrio, but it didn't happen. I saw a fully-restored one several years ago in olive green, and I have to find the pics to post here.

 

That is so cool!

 

I know it might not be your "thing" (pun intended ) but it's awesome to see you supporting her and her love for a classic car.

 

IT really warms my heart seeing a young person take to an Old car. It makes me feel they may have a future. How nice for you to help her with it. She’ll have even more of a soft spot when she drives it and or sees another one.

 

That's cool you're helping your daughter with a nice project on the Thing! Not to get off subject but how are you riding out the bad weather down there 1tireman?....Longroofs Rule!

 

Fortunately this is the only storm we've had to deal with this year but still have one that is supposed to enter the Gulf this week. Zeta was the shortest storm I ever been through in my life, started at 2pm Wednesday with rain and 25 to 35 mph winds at 6:15 loss electricity, 6:30 90 to 100 mph winds for 10 minutes...then gone.
Left us without power for 3 days and a mess to clean up. 2 trees fell but we're further out on my property so all and all, we did ok but that was one powerful little storm as far as Hurricanes go. Thanks for asking, wagoninsane.

 

Good to hear all's well....Longroofs Rule!

 

Morgan decided to stain her duck boards with a dark oak. She will put some polyurethane on it in a few days.

 

This is the restored Thing I mentioned previously:

 

Looking good Morgan! A little at a time.

 

We made a little more progress this weekend on Morgan's Thing and she got to learn everything she never wanted to know about tires. A before and after of her wheels after painting them white and turning the WW out with her new hubcaps.

 

Is she painting it white? Or will just the wheels be white?

 

She wants to go Orange with it but not the original pumpkin orange, a lighter shade of orange. So far it looks as if the GM Hugger Orange is the shade of orange she likes but that's subject to change by the time it's ready to paint, she may find another shade of orange.

 

Awesome to see her getting into the work like that! Has to make you proud.
So, if I am looking at this correctly, she's going to run the whitewall tires with the shiny Vee-dub caps?