Funkengroovin Wednesday - The Roof
Wednesday morning VB and The Boss Man head on down to "The City" for another two night stay. VB is really, really trying to be more mindful of her blogging, now that the election is over. So, she is posting this on a Tuesday afternoon, as she used to, before she became consumed by - the election.
VB mentioned at least once before, the fact that her '65 VW Beetle Convertible caught on fire. Well that was back in the late spring of 2005. The body work and a new engine install took place that summer. It took some time, what with trying to find a new trunk lid, having the body repaired and painted, and all the tinkering around with mechanics. We actually purchased another trunk lid, but found that our slightly damaged, but repaired lid fit much better, but not as well as we would like.
Last month The Boss Man spent wads of money on new upholstery, a new canvas roof, a new top liner, new carpets, and door panels. We drove the car down to Manchester, to Roger's Upholstery. He's not quite finished, but we're getting there, slowly but surely. Going through all the repairs, in one post, would take forever, so VB has decided to just do it step by step. Here's the rundown on the roof.
(Below): The rear of the car, just after the fire. Awesome Daughter and The Boss Man were out for a ride, with the roof down. Awesome Daughter heard a loud noise, turned around to discover the back end of the car was afire. They pulled over. Strangers from an apartment building, across the street, ran out carrying fire extinguishers, and took care of the flames. The poor Beetle had to be towed to Bob's in West Springfield for repair - mostly mechanical.
(Below): Even though the rear of the roof looks fine (above), you can see the extent of the fire to the interior of the car.
(Below): The damaged roof down, as it was when it caught fire.
(Below): Close-up view.
(Below): A view of the roof, almost totally repaired. The rubber around the rear window was burnt, and we have ordered a replacement. You can sneak a peek at the new interior (only the backseat is done) and new black carpet.
(Below): The front of the roof, just after the fire. That's the apartment building, in the background, where people ran out with their fire extinguishers in hand.
(Below): A close up view, taken last month.
(Below): An even closer up view.
(Below): What we have, so far, at Roger's shop. He said he had one hell of a time stretching the canvas to fit properly. He thought the lining looked a bit sloppy, but when VB compares it with old photos, it seems to look just fine. Ignore the "lipstick" red backseat - VB will get to that at a later date.
(Below): Another view, from the side. That stuff on top of the roof, will replace the metal that we had around the base and rear top of the roof previously. After the rear window is installed, Roger steams the roof. Then we need to wait for a nice warm sunny day, let the car sit outside, so the roof stretches properly, before we can put the top down. Right - the summer of 2009.
NEWS:
Ten Turkeys of Automotive Design
The Groove is in the Peace and Love at Barneys
"So Barneys decided to partner with Volkswagen to create a one-of-a-kind New Beetle painted with some of the era’s most memorable iconography. Doonan commissioned artist John-Paul Philippe to add a cool new touch to the car, which Barneys shoppers will have a chance to win if they donate $100 towards the Carbon Fund, which aids Volkswagen’s effort to plant trees in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley in order to offset the carbon footprint of their vehicles. "
New Beetle Highlights Hippie Holiday Window at Barneys
What’s Hot in Quebec? Stolen Snow Tires
Small Cars Are Nice, But Can You Have Sex In One? 4 Positions That Say Yes Yes Yes! (With Photos)
"Aerosmith may have thought having sex in an elevator was something to sing about, but what about sex in a green vehicle? Today's quest for low emissions and high efficiency has brought us yet another obstacle to overcome: How to have sex in a small green vehicles, such as the Smart Fortwo, Chevy Aveo, or Mini Cooper. These more-efficient vehicles are great, sure, but how can a couple fit so much, er, love into a cool-yet-compact vehicles? Generally narrow in the cockpit with an obtrusive shifter in the center and low ceiling height, it's clear these machines were not designed for this type of adventure.
VB mentioned at least once before, the fact that her '65 VW Beetle Convertible caught on fire. Well that was back in the late spring of 2005. The body work and a new engine install took place that summer. It took some time, what with trying to find a new trunk lid, having the body repaired and painted, and all the tinkering around with mechanics. We actually purchased another trunk lid, but found that our slightly damaged, but repaired lid fit much better, but not as well as we would like.
Last month The Boss Man spent wads of money on new upholstery, a new canvas roof, a new top liner, new carpets, and door panels. We drove the car down to Manchester, to Roger's Upholstery. He's not quite finished, but we're getting there, slowly but surely. Going through all the repairs, in one post, would take forever, so VB has decided to just do it step by step. Here's the rundown on the roof.
(Below): The rear of the car, just after the fire. Awesome Daughter and The Boss Man were out for a ride, with the roof down. Awesome Daughter heard a loud noise, turned around to discover the back end of the car was afire. They pulled over. Strangers from an apartment building, across the street, ran out carrying fire extinguishers, and took care of the flames. The poor Beetle had to be towed to Bob's in West Springfield for repair - mostly mechanical.
(Below): Even though the rear of the roof looks fine (above), you can see the extent of the fire to the interior of the car.
(Below): The damaged roof down, as it was when it caught fire.
(Below): Close-up view.
(Below): A view of the roof, almost totally repaired. The rubber around the rear window was burnt, and we have ordered a replacement. You can sneak a peek at the new interior (only the backseat is done) and new black carpet.
(Below): The front of the roof, just after the fire. That's the apartment building, in the background, where people ran out with their fire extinguishers in hand.
(Below): A close up view, taken last month.
(Below): An even closer up view.
(Below): What we have, so far, at Roger's shop. He said he had one hell of a time stretching the canvas to fit properly. He thought the lining looked a bit sloppy, but when VB compares it with old photos, it seems to look just fine. Ignore the "lipstick" red backseat - VB will get to that at a later date.
(Below): Another view, from the side. That stuff on top of the roof, will replace the metal that we had around the base and rear top of the roof previously. After the rear window is installed, Roger steams the roof. Then we need to wait for a nice warm sunny day, let the car sit outside, so the roof stretches properly, before we can put the top down. Right - the summer of 2009.
NEWS:
Ten Turkeys of Automotive Design
The Groove is in the Peace and Love at Barneys
"So Barneys decided to partner with Volkswagen to create a one-of-a-kind New Beetle painted with some of the era’s most memorable iconography. Doonan commissioned artist John-Paul Philippe to add a cool new touch to the car, which Barneys shoppers will have a chance to win if they donate $100 towards the Carbon Fund, which aids Volkswagen’s effort to plant trees in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley in order to offset the carbon footprint of their vehicles. "
New Beetle Highlights Hippie Holiday Window at Barneys
What’s Hot in Quebec? Stolen Snow Tires
Small Cars Are Nice, But Can You Have Sex In One? 4 Positions That Say Yes Yes Yes! (With Photos)
"Aerosmith may have thought having sex in an elevator was something to sing about, but what about sex in a green vehicle? Today's quest for low emissions and high efficiency has brought us yet another obstacle to overcome: How to have sex in a small green vehicles, such as the Smart Fortwo, Chevy Aveo, or Mini Cooper. These more-efficient vehicles are great, sure, but how can a couple fit so much, er, love into a cool-yet-compact vehicles? Generally narrow in the cockpit with an obtrusive shifter in the center and low ceiling height, it's clear these machines were not designed for this type of adventure.
So what's a horny 'Hugger to do? Read on for our illustrated guide to doin' it well in a small car."
Study Shows Drivers Feel Free to Ignore Speed Limits
"The study of 988 drivers in that county, where Purdue is located, found few people have any respect for speed limits, which they consider nothing more than vague guidelines they can ignore. Civil engineering and economics professor Fred Mannering says that means highway officials set artificially low speed limits because they know people will ignore it. He attributes our blatant disregard for the rule of the road to the much-maligned Emergency Highway Conservation Act of 1974 that established the 55-mph speed limit for political, not safety, reasons. "It decoupled the speed-safety association," Mannering told Wired.com. "Now, there are some roads where the speed limit should be posted as 45 but they end up getting posted at 35 because they expect people to go faster," he said."
"The phrase "speed limit" is something of a misnomer. Before 1974, the rule of thumb was to set speed limits at the 85th percentile: 85 percent of the cars should be traveling at or below the limit, while 15 percent of cars could be exceeding it. Speed limits could be used to accurately judge how safe it was to travel on any particular roadway.
Now, that black-and-white sign rarely tells you the maximum speed you can safely travel without wrapping your car around a tree or unintentionally modifying a guardrail. It factors in fuel efficiency, pedestrian safety and the concerns of those who live in the area. Drivers who get used to these artificially low speed limits begin to ignore them and end up routinely driving 5 to 10 mph faster than the number on the sign. Drivers also disregard speed limits when the police fail to enforce them."
Mark Wahlberg takes on Stig in Top Gear - exclusive
"He said: “Do I really want to beat Simon Cowell? No, it’s not one of my goals in life. But it was fun.” He first learned to drive at 13, dropping out of school and stealing cars.
He said: “I used to take my mother’s car when she was sleeping.” His first motor was a VW Beetle. “It was unlicensed, unregistered and not insured so I couldn’t bring it home.”"
VW California
"As for me, I've never had a holiday in a Volkswagen Camper before, and I knew I wouldn't enjoy it. For one thing, my family has more previous than the Krays when it comes to VW motor caravans. Three generations have owned the damned things, so I'm well aware of their deleterious effects, turning formerly sane individuals into obsessive-compulsive cleaners, camper anoraks or full-time grease monkeys. "The day I buy one of these horrible things, you're welcome to shoot me," I once said to my daughter, Scarlett, as we sat in the clashing chintz splendour of my brother's MkIII version."
Hack your VW's budvase for the iPhone
Keep warm this winter with a recycled Volkswagen
"Probably one of the most environmentally friendly and functional ideas is the Hotpod: a wood-burning (and therefore low-carbon) stove that incorporates recycled Volkswagen engine parts."
Since talk of a bailout for the auto industry is all the news these days, it's interesting to note that a unique car (one once owned by VB) was made by GM. Most likely it would be the only GM car VB would own. Actually VB and The Boss Man owned four different versions of this car (all used), one solely just for the parts. That's three Mantas and one 1900. One we called "The Silver Bullet" had a passenger side door that had the habit of flying open, while we'd be speeding down I-71 from Cleveland to Cincinnati (normally right outside of Columbus.) (Below): Our first dog, Shelby, jumped behind the wheel, while we were packing up for a camping trip to Red River Gorge, where, BTW, as we slept in an open cave, coonhounds howled, and our car was robbed. They even siphoned our tank of gas, which we had just filled before entering the park. Let's just say, we got the hell out of Dodge, while the gettin' was good. No desire to return to find the whole car stolen the next day. While we waited for the police at the toll booth, the female attendant, who rocked her office chair back and forth, while scarfing down a bologna sandwich said, "You know, there's bears and snakes up in them thar hills." Yes, and a gang of thieves too!
General Motors and Opel: An 80-year marriage for better or worse
"Twelve years later, a new Kadett was brought to the market in a bid to compete with the Volkswagen Beetle.
In the early 1970s, Opel held around 20 percent of the German market but was then surpassed by VW when Europe's biggest car maker brought out the Golf."
ZZ TOP AND WILLIE NELSON: She Loves My Automobile
"The study of 988 drivers in that county, where Purdue is located, found few people have any respect for speed limits, which they consider nothing more than vague guidelines they can ignore. Civil engineering and economics professor Fred Mannering says that means highway officials set artificially low speed limits because they know people will ignore it. He attributes our blatant disregard for the rule of the road to the much-maligned Emergency Highway Conservation Act of 1974 that established the 55-mph speed limit for political, not safety, reasons. "It decoupled the speed-safety association," Mannering told Wired.com. "Now, there are some roads where the speed limit should be posted as 45 but they end up getting posted at 35 because they expect people to go faster," he said."
"The phrase "speed limit" is something of a misnomer. Before 1974, the rule of thumb was to set speed limits at the 85th percentile: 85 percent of the cars should be traveling at or below the limit, while 15 percent of cars could be exceeding it. Speed limits could be used to accurately judge how safe it was to travel on any particular roadway.
Now, that black-and-white sign rarely tells you the maximum speed you can safely travel without wrapping your car around a tree or unintentionally modifying a guardrail. It factors in fuel efficiency, pedestrian safety and the concerns of those who live in the area. Drivers who get used to these artificially low speed limits begin to ignore them and end up routinely driving 5 to 10 mph faster than the number on the sign. Drivers also disregard speed limits when the police fail to enforce them."
Mark Wahlberg takes on Stig in Top Gear - exclusive
"He said: “Do I really want to beat Simon Cowell? No, it’s not one of my goals in life. But it was fun.” He first learned to drive at 13, dropping out of school and stealing cars.
He said: “I used to take my mother’s car when she was sleeping.” His first motor was a VW Beetle. “It was unlicensed, unregistered and not insured so I couldn’t bring it home.”"
VW California
"As for me, I've never had a holiday in a Volkswagen Camper before, and I knew I wouldn't enjoy it. For one thing, my family has more previous than the Krays when it comes to VW motor caravans. Three generations have owned the damned things, so I'm well aware of their deleterious effects, turning formerly sane individuals into obsessive-compulsive cleaners, camper anoraks or full-time grease monkeys. "The day I buy one of these horrible things, you're welcome to shoot me," I once said to my daughter, Scarlett, as we sat in the clashing chintz splendour of my brother's MkIII version."
Hack your VW's budvase for the iPhone
Keep warm this winter with a recycled Volkswagen
"Probably one of the most environmentally friendly and functional ideas is the Hotpod: a wood-burning (and therefore low-carbon) stove that incorporates recycled Volkswagen engine parts."
Since talk of a bailout for the auto industry is all the news these days, it's interesting to note that a unique car (one once owned by VB) was made by GM. Most likely it would be the only GM car VB would own. Actually VB and The Boss Man owned four different versions of this car (all used), one solely just for the parts. That's three Mantas and one 1900. One we called "The Silver Bullet" had a passenger side door that had the habit of flying open, while we'd be speeding down I-71 from Cleveland to Cincinnati (normally right outside of Columbus.) (Below): Our first dog, Shelby, jumped behind the wheel, while we were packing up for a camping trip to Red River Gorge, where, BTW, as we slept in an open cave, coonhounds howled, and our car was robbed. They even siphoned our tank of gas, which we had just filled before entering the park. Let's just say, we got the hell out of Dodge, while the gettin' was good. No desire to return to find the whole car stolen the next day. While we waited for the police at the toll booth, the female attendant, who rocked her office chair back and forth, while scarfing down a bologna sandwich said, "You know, there's bears and snakes up in them thar hills." Yes, and a gang of thieves too!
General Motors and Opel: An 80-year marriage for better or worse
"Twelve years later, a new Kadett was brought to the market in a bid to compete with the Volkswagen Beetle.
In the early 1970s, Opel held around 20 percent of the German market but was then surpassed by VW when Europe's biggest car maker brought out the Golf."
ZZ TOP AND WILLIE NELSON: She Loves My Automobile
Awesome coloured seat in the back there. Would not that look just wicked in my car.
ReplyDeleteThe rooftop looks fine to me too.