How I Acquired My 79 Beetle Convertible...the Drive Home.

I imagine by now most members have read the posting regarding Clancy.  In one of the many personal e-mail exchanges I had with Clancy over the last 10 months or so...I thought that I would share the experience I had acquiring my 1979 Super Beetle convertible (that I purchased 5-6 years ago) with Clancy...hoping that he would find it interesting, and would bring him a little extra "bit of sunshine"!

After Clancy read my story...he mentioned that he liked it...and felt that it would be an interesting story to post on Volkswebbin.  It's a pretty long story...so I was concerned that it would put folks asleep before finishing it   So to honor Clancy's suggestion that I post the story here on Volkswebbin...here it is...don't blame me if you fall asleep!

Nick (Bug In My Nose) to Clancy:

"I'm not sure if I ever shared my story on how I acquired my 79 Vert....I may have posted part of it on Volkswebbin at some point.  Before the Vert. I had a 1971 Standard Beetle...but I had always wanted a convertible Beetle.  I had been watching e-Bay for quite a while...and I was mostly looking for a "desert beetle" to get some solid pans & minimize any hard to repair rust areas like the heater channels, or rust behind the "B" piller.  In any case...I bid on & was the high bidder on this 79 convertible.  It was located in Las Vegas (I'm in Ohio), so my plan was to purchase a 1-way airline ticket from Cincinnati to Las Vegas...and drive it home.

Well as some of us cautious Volkswagen people are (having purchased this beetle "sight-unseen") I knew that it would be a good idea to bring along a bunch of tools, zip-ties, duct-tape, alternator belt, spare parts (plugs, points, condenser, plug wires)..including a distributer & carburetor.  Well this was like 2004-2005...with the increased rules for airline flights...so I was really careful to get all gasoline out of the carb.  Well of course I didn't do a good enough job...and the "dogs" smelled gasoline in my checked bag...so I had to give the carb. to my wife to take home!

Anyway...I arrived at the Las Vegas airport on a nice warm sunny blue-skied day, was picked up by the seller of the beetle, and went to go where the beetle was located.  When I got there (having not seen it...other than e-bay photos...or touched it before)...I started to inspect it.  With my primary goal being safety (more than appearance) for the long drive home.  It started up & ran ok...and the only real problem I found was when I was shaking the front tires from side to side (to check the tie rod ends, and wheel bearings)...that the drivers side was going...CLUNK, CLUNK, CLUNK.  So from where I heard the "clunking" sound coming from, I suspected a loose front wheel bearing.  Jacked it up, removed the wheel, loosened the retaining nut, snugged it up a bit...and put everything back together.  Paid the seller, drove off, and filled the tank before leaving Las Vegas for home. After driving north (from Las Vegas) to route 70...I basically drove Interstate 70 all the way to Indianapolis, then 74 to Cincinnati.  My plan was to drive straight home, no hotels...and take quick "catnaps" at rest stops.

Over the course of the trip home I found that:

- The gas gauge didn't work properly, and being new to the car I didn't know what the gas mileage was like to guesstimate the range.  So I bought a 5 gallon gas can in case I ran out of gas somewhere.  Turns out it was only getting like 20 mpg or less!!!
- The windshield wipers didn't really work...and of course the whole way home wasn't going to be like warm & sunny Las Vegas...especially since it was the month of March.  It of course rained half of the way home!
- The main leaks in the convertible top were the rear window.
- It had no heat...so going over the Rockies in March was cold!  It was a Las Vegas car overall...where they really don't need much heat.
- The headlights were weak & mis-aligned.  And as you may know...some parts of route 70 out West (Utah, Colorado, Kansas) can be pretty dark at night...and not much traffic...or anything!
- The horn was weak & actually hardly worked.
- The radio barely worked...not much entertainment for the way home.
- The F.I. engine was converted to carb, and the "Woodpecker" electric fuel pump was mounted up front...so I could clearly hear it TAP TAP TAPPING all the way home.
- The engine had an aftermarket 4-tipped "Monza" exhaust on it...which was kind of noisy.
- And I had lots of fuel odor from the old "leaky" fuel lines up front.

Other than that...everything was fine!!!  Ha Ha Ha!!!

The most interesting & scary part of the drive home actually happened in your neck of the woods.  The car had a heck of a time climbing the Rockies on the Western side of Denver.  I was literally in 2nd gear climbing some of the hills...and even in 2nd I was loosing speed & power.  And to add to that it was early morning, and had the Eastern rising sun in my face...and getting lots of road spray on the windshield (melting snow in March)...AND my windshield wipers didn't work!!!  Anyway...I finally got to the top of the Rockies...and started flying down the decent to Denver (remember this part for later).

I know that you're in the greater Colorado Springs area...so Denver is not too far away.   I go thru Denver ok, get on the Eastern side of Denver...and I start hearing this GRINDING noise up front.  So I'm thinking uhh-ooh what's this.  Well to make a long story short...I pull off at the exit for Bennett, Colorado (about 20-25 miles East of Denver).  I couldn't quite figure things out...so I drove into Bennett to check things out better, and maybe to use a phone.  This is 2004-2005...and I don't have a cell phone!!!  I find out that the drivers side outer wheel bearing is SHOT!!  In pieces.  The bearing cage is torn-up, and roller bearings pieces everywhere!

Well this is Sunday Afternoon in Bennett, Colorado.  Small town, everything is closed...the kind of farming & ranching community where you probably have to drive back closer to Denver to go to a BIG grocery store. And the kind of small town where everybody knows everybody.  The only store that was open was a convenience store.  Coincidentally...I was parked right across from a "closed on Sunday" auto parts store!!  Ha Ha!. Of course what was the chance they would have a 1979 outer front wheel bearing even if they were open???

Anyway...I go to the convenience store, and my thoughts are to call a Taxi or something to get back to an auto parts store back closer to Denver.  Of course being like 20-25 miles from Denver on a Sunday...I would be lucky to get a Taxi willing to come that far...and if they did come...man was it going to be expensive!!!  So I went to the "16 year-old girl" behind the counter (on the phone with a girlfriend, not paying any attention to me).   I was trying to be patient with her (even though I was really stressed out, worried, and a little scared...what was I going to do)...and of course I was a stranger in town...and needed all the help I could get...so I didn't want to upset anyone.  Finally she gets off the phone..and I ask her if there was anyone around that wouldn't mind giving me a ride back to an auto parts store closer to Denver...and of course I would pay them for their trouble.

Well the girl seems totally confused by the whole situation/strange request...but she does ask a few folks as they walk in to get something & I seem to remember she called 1 or 2 people...I'm outside sitting on the curb.  Finally a younger guy (early 30's) in a pickup truck pulls in, the girl asks him if he would be willing to give me a ride..and he says sure...no problem!!!  I'm like WOO-HOO!!!  Anyway...he takes me to an Autozone closer to Denver, they have the parts I need, I get back to my car, I install the wheel bearing, and I'm good to go.  I offered to pay the guy...but he refused.  I thank him a million times...and he takes off.

Remember before when I mentioned to remember the LONG speedy decent on the Eastern side of the Rockies heading into Denver...I thought to myself later...what if that wheel bearing had gone completely bad on the highway downhill going 65-70mph...and I lost my steering...hmmm.

The rest of my drive home from Denver to Cincinnati was thankfully uneventful!...other than some rain leaking thru the convertible top & my windshield wipers not working.

I will always remember the kindness of that guy in the pickup truck...out in the "sticks" of Bennett, Colorado on a slow lazy Sunday afternoon driving home in my "new to me" convertible beetle.  I don't know what I would have done otherwise!!!  So chalk one up for the nice folks of Colorado!!!"

Clancy's response to the story:

"Nick: Your email made my week! You really do need to post it on Volkswebbin.... a lot of folks will appreciate the '79's story."

Hopefully the story wasn't too long & it was a "good read"...and most of you were able to stay awake!

- Nick