Number 744,810

Since my return to Sri Lanka this last week we have taken it out to assess the damage of being idle for three years. Apart from a few spots that have rusted out it is not too bad. There is however quite a bit of work to be done.  We did give it a rinse and I have included some pictures for you to enjoy.  The interior is black right now but I am not a fan of dark interiors so we will be going gray.

The mechanic took a look at the engine and after a little cleaning up it did roll over but the petrol pump was leaking and in need of a new seal. So that’s been refurbished right now. The picture of the engine below is as it is and is just missing the petrol pump.

While doing some research online I found that 1955 was the year that the one millionth Beetle rolled out of its factory in Western Germany. This special beetle was painted gold and now sits in the VW museum. So I wanted to know when ours was manufactured and found that the chassis number indicates the number of Bugs produced since the end of the war (1945). After 1967 they added two digits in front of this number to indicate the model type. This Beetle has the 744,810 etched on it. A little more research showed that although it arrived in Sri Lanka in 1955 it was actually manufactured in October of 1954. The pictures below show the etched number and also the plate that bears all the details of the car and also the ‘Made in Western Germany’ tag. This will need a little cleaning up as it has been painted over it.  

 

Until I do get her running it is Adios from warm, sunny and cricket crazy Sri Lanka!

An introduction to the project

I have a 1955 VW Beetle (Oval Window) which I intend to restore. I hope to keep a blog detailing the progress that I make. It is actually my dads car and he has had it for a very long time. As the picture of him and me as a toddler in the car shows.
It is of course a right hand drive as it is in Sri Lanka and it has the 1200CC air cooled engine and all the electronics run off a 6V battery.
During my time in the states I have managed to collect a few things that will help me restore this beautiful machine. However it is engine parts that are harder to come by for these older bugs with the 6V batteries and even more so in Sri Lanka. All the same I hope to make some progress and share my progress through this blog.
I have also started following Chris Vallone on www.classicvwbugs.com and he does a really good job restoring them and he also has some clips on youtube with instructions on how to do some of the more tedious tasks. So I highly recommend that you take a look at that site. His cars are masterpieces! I however am on a much tighter budget and it is also the first time that I am attempting something like this so I intend to learn as I go.
If you have any ideas or advice do feel free to leave a comment. I would love to hear from you!
Until I do actually make progress worth talking about it is good bye!