The Calypso my pride & joy eng
Ever since boyhood I have dreamt of having a VW beetle. At the age of 18 I got my drivers license, and the search for a beetle begun. The prices back then was approx. 30000 down to 5000. In early summer 1980, I found what I then believed was a good as new 1970 - 1500-beetle. It had 73000 km on the clock, the price was 10000 and the colour was Ford green. I enjoyed it the whole summer, but in late autumn I started to look for rust. I wasn't disappointed. There was a lot of it! . After wondering about the funny texture of the left inner wing, I found
that it consisted of fibreglass covering a huge rust hole. The firewall was also in bad shape and the floor pan and luggage compartment behind the rear seat was slightly but evenly rusted due to leakage. I think it was then I discovered what would become my worst enemy in the years to come, needless to say ...rust! . The first restoration started with changing of the left wheel arch and the firewall, both genuine parts. Then the whole car got the "Black & Decker wire brush treatment" and finally a dark red paint job. My mother and I sewed a new interior which I "still today" think was very nice. It was made of Saab 99 type red velour and matching vinyl. The style of the car was nowhere in the neighbourhood of cal look. It had dual chrome trim, a search light on the door mirror and to chrome compressor horns sticking out of the front wing.
But in 1983 I found out from a Swedish magazine that the style had to be cal-look. I stripped the car for all the "57 chevy-look" parts, welded the chrome trim holes and painted it bright yellow. Now it looked totally different, pre 67 wings, no bumpers and super beetle wheels with Pirelli low profile tyres, had done "the job".
My first real VW event was in Sweden, bug in Ratvik 84 and that was a great success. Ever since that time my beetle and I have travelled thousands of Km to VW events all over Europe. Because it was a B&D restoration, the battle against rust wasn't over. I had just forced it back in to the dark corners where it was fighting a guerilla war against all that was steel and paint. It was time for "blitzkrieg". This time there would be no mercy. So after VW action 89, where I had seen a quite nice looking cabrio kit, I started the big restoration task, the "grand finali". First the whole car was dismantled, then nearly all of the spot welds were drilled up. After several phases of sandblasting and metalizing, the car was now "with new heater cannels and cross members" ready for the angle grinder! . I could not use the English reinforcement beams so I had to get
something that was approved in Norway. I ordered reinforcement beams with the necessary documents from Nor Kit Cars. Now, With the reinforcement in and the roof of, I realized that this would be a big task if it should be done properly. The doors had to be totally rebuilt with reinforcements in both upper corners and a completely new setup for the side window. The front window frame which I was told I could by, was no longer obtainable.
Since it was most important for the overall lines, I decided to make it myself. I used a 1600TL front bonnet which I pressed using homemade oak dies and hydraulic press. With all the welding done, I sent the body to a firm which usually deals with rust proofing supply ships and oil rigs. They sandblasted and metalized the entire body inside and out using approximately 35 kg's Zink. Metalizing is roughly explained a string of Zink fed through a special spray/welding gun and when it hits the sandblasted steel its kind of micro welded together with it. Now the floor pan had to be taken care of. It was given the same treatment as the body and all moving and not moving mechanical parts were replaced with new genuine VW parts. As for the work on the body, the price of replacing all the parts on the floor pan, was heavily underestimated.
The body was now sent to a paint shop and here the story is similar to any other restoration project, a time filled with frustration and irritation! . But it seems to me that this is always the case. Anyway it was finished after six months and a lot of arguments. The yellow colour is RAL 1018, I chouse RAL code because it's also available as powder coat (for the wheels etc.).
Interior wise it's unorthodox, the colour is bright green and the fabric has extreme high quality. Seats are Recaro, instruments are vw412 the steering wheel is formuling France and gear shifter is Scat dragfast. The stance is original but with Pirelli 600 it's slightly lower then stock. Wheels are made by Mhale and are original Porsche 914 alloys (not the common Fuchs 2L wheel). They are powder coated yellow and have polished outer rims. Under the engine lid you will find a somewhat stock 1600 except for the carbs, After a three-year restoration period it is difficult if not impossible to remember all the modifications and things that have been done to the car, but I hope I've been able to cover a tiny amount of it. All in all and after been diving it a few seasons, (of course it's stored during the winter) the only thing I can say is. It has been well worth the strive! .
This article was written a few years after the final restoration. After this time there has been more than fifteen seasons with summer driving, mostly on English roads but also in Scandinavia and Europe. I'm glad I went for function instead of fashion when it comes to lowering, stiffening, tyres, etc because the car has always been a pleasure to drive
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