a bit of bad luck

Totally my fault, I lost control at a roundabout (sneezed) and demolished a flowerbed and ended up in the central barrier.

Result: one mashed '66, and a slightly pissed off me... At least I am alive, I very nearly ended up in a drainage channel :-o

If anyone in the south UK has a NOS front wing and headlight...

Off to the bodyshop tomorrow (aircooled specialists) to see what they have to say about the front quarter - I hope it can be fixed without too much trouble. The problem is that crease, and I can't get the spare wheel out now without deflating it (165 tyre was a tight squeeze anyway).

bugger bugger bugger :-(

-- Howard Rose

1966 VW Beetle 1300 Deluxe 1962 Austin Mini Deluxe 1964 Austin Mini Super Deluxe (cars on website)

..............I have a '70 bug sitting in my backyard that has an almost identical crease in the same left front quarter panel. Unfortunately, from what I've learned from others it is difficult to pull that panel forward and at the same time eliminate that crease. The impact that did this on my '70, also bent the axle beam assembly and the framehead. If I had known how difficult it was going to be to replace a framehead and a front quarter panel, I would have never paid what I did for that bug several years ago. Your '66 is well worth fixing though. Maybe the shop that you're going to do can give you a better prognosis. Just be sure that they don't try use plastic body filler to hide that crease. The only real fix is to either straighten that panel or replace it.

Glad you're ok.

href="

">Den's1977 Puma

Thanks, Tim... I will be sure that if the front quarter cannot be beaten back to shape, then it it will be replaced with a NOS one if I can find it... The shop that I am hoping will do the repair for me is the aircooled specialist who restored the car for me back in 1998, so they know how fussy I am :-) he he I am going to see them on Tuesday, so will see what they have to say about that.

I was really lucky, the beam and suspension do not appear to have been hit at all. Aside from a little leftward pull on braking the car drives just as it did before.

One of the most annoying things is that I had just spend most of my Easter weekend polishing and preparing my car to take to the first car show of the year. I was on my way to that show when I had the accident :-(

-- Howard Rose

1966 VW Beetle 1300 Deluxe 1962 Austin Mini Deluxe 1964 Austin Mini Super Deluxe (cars on website)

................Be sure that the axle beam and framehead are examined very closely. I missed the damage to them when I bought my '70. I didn't realise what had been damaged aside from the quarter panel and front apron until I placed a straight edge along the bottom beam and I still didn't figure out that the framedhead was bent until I installed a new axle beam and measured the distance specs from the front spindles to the same corresponding place on each side of the pan. The axle beam assembly and framehead are quite strong until they get hit frontally on one side like that. When I drove my '70 after I first purchased it, I didn't think that there were any major problems with the front suspension either.

Thanks... I've checked it as best I can (wheel centre to wheel centre on both sides), but I will get the restoration shop to have it checked too...

Fingers crossed.........

-- Howard Rose

1966 VW Beetle 1300 Deluxe 1962 Austin Mini Deluxe 1964 Austin Mini Super Deluxe (cars on website)

Oh sorry man. At least it looks mostly fixable. Good thing you weren't hurt.

Howard, sorry to hear about your misfortunes on your '66. Aside from your accident, our cars look identical, except for the right hand drive, European bumpers and my interior is red. I'm happy that you're getting her repaired. One my goals in life ,is visit Europe with my '66 Beetle, and my 1977 roadbike. I would love to drive Ireland and England, and ride my bike around France & Italy during the Tour de France.

Actually Tom, my '66 does have the red interior too - I just have the "winter" aftermarket covers over the seats at the moment to protect them :-)

If you do ever visit Europe in your '66 do let me know, it would be pretty cool to meet a "twin"! It is also something I have always wanted to do, one day I wish I can take my car back to the Wolfsburg factory.

-- Howard Rose

1966 VW Beetle 1300 Deluxe 1962 Austin Mini Deluxe 1964 Austin Mini Super Deluxe (cars on website)

Excellent! It's like looking at a mirror image. A lot of my friends tell me I should have purchased the '67, but I like the '66 with the glass over the headlights and the 1300 engine. 7.3 compression is perfect, gets the good gas mileage, and can burn the lower grade gas, with just enough power to enjoy the drive.

I have a friend who drives a 1966 Porsche 912, he claims it was the last of good Porsche's. Did you convert your '66 to 12v?

-tom

drive your mini until the beetle gets fixed. i sold my 2-1971 mini cooper S's when i moved to san diego,ca. 5 years ago.

Unfortunately both the Mini's are bare shells at the moment, completely dismantled for restoration... I only have a week and a half left before I am back to University, so I am hoping that the insurance company will let me postpone the repair until I finish my last exam in May...

1971 Cooper S? MKIII? Cool cars, mine is an 850 but still as much fun :-) Shame you had to sell it.

-- Howard Rose

1966 VW Beetle 1300 Deluxe 1962 Austin Mini Deluxe 1964 Austin Mini Super Deluxe (cars on website)

Hi Tom,

nope, my '66 is still 6v - I just took a lot of time and care to clean all of the contacts and earths up to ensure a perfect connection all around. And a new battery helps too! Projects for the summer is (was?) to rebuild the original dynamo (generator), I think the bearings are on their way out.

'66 really is a nice year, the classic looks with the updated balljoint suspension and 1300 engine. I recently read that the

1965-1967 cars where some of the best VW built...

-- Howard Rose

1966 VW Beetle 1300 Deluxe 1962 Austin Mini Deluxe 1964 Austin Mini Super Deluxe (cars on website)

Last exam is a 3-hour paper of "Internet Middleware and Applications" on the 23rd May 2005! At least, I hope so :-)

-- Howard Rose

1966 VW Beetle 1300 Deluxe 1962 Austin Mini Deluxe 1964 Austin Mini Super Deluxe (cars on website)

Glad you are ok. The car doesn't look too bad. The Side pannel has minor damage and can be easily hammered back in to shape by a bodyshop that knows their job. The impact doens't look severe to damage the beam. It can easily be fixed to like new condition. I've seen much worse than yours being fixed without any traces.

still sells original Hella headlights of very good quality if you're interested (but you will have to swap the lens with a RHD one)

Bill, '67 Bug.

Thanks, Bill...

I went to the bodyshop today (an aircooled specialist who I trust) and they seem pretty confident that it can be fixed to a high standard. They even have a NOS Hella headlight (RHD) I can use! The hardest part would be finding a mint original or NOS front wing, and that aftermarket spotlight will take a bit of finding too.

All I have to do now is battle with the insurance company to get them to do the work!!

-- Howard Rose

1966 VW Beetle 1300 Deluxe 1962 Austin Mini Deluxe 1964 Austin Mini Super Deluxe (cars on website)