Newbie from Michigan

Hello! I'm a newbie to this website and looking forward to seeing what is going on with the Aircooled VW scene! I had a 1966 Beetle in high school and a 1963 Baja Bug back in the day, so I am familiar with the cars. I got into Dodge trucks and played with them for a number of years and am currently working on a 1970 Plymouth Duster.

My dad built a Meyers Manx back in 1969 or 1970 on a shortened 1969 floorpan. My sister will be getting that from the estate.

However, I am getting a 1971 Beetle from my father's estate. Very interesting car, as it was totalled in an accident with only 1,045 original miles on it! It got hit on the driver's side front, taking out the fender, hood, quarter panel, bumper, door and A pillar. 15-20 years, it was pieced together, using an A pillar from another car and what aftermarket sheetmetal was available then. It still wears its original paint, albeit very scratched up and has accumulated a few dents along the way! So, I am on a mission to get it back on the road. The original motor is currently in the Manx, so not sure I will rebuild that or not or just go bigger! LOL! My dad was going to build another fiberglass buggy with the floor pan from it, but never did. So, the car has been garage kept since 1972!

An interesting point is that this car has blue and black (houndstooth type pattern) CLOTH seats from the factory. Was this a not so common option? I've never seen a factory car with cloth seats, only the vinyl ones! Car is very basic, as the window rubbers don't have the chrome strip on them either - kind of Cal Look before it was called that.

So, I'll be looking for some parts and ideas! Pictures to come!