Post by Volktales on Dec 27, 2020 19:58:49 GMT -8
Sooo, this has been the strangest year ever for obvious reasons. With nowhere to go and nothing to do, lots got done on the projects, right??? Or not... Lets have a review of my 2020...
January: Covid had not really come to Canada yet, and it was business as usual for most. Having finished the Terseo project, I steamed right into working on the Ghia as my main 2020 VW project. Tasks included swapping out a better taillight, rebuilding the steering box, discovering the joys of corn head grease, playing with gluey weather-stripping, and installing a vintage Volvo mirror!
February: Continued on the Ghia with few interruptions. Spent most of the month rectifying paint issues involving lots of boring colour sanding with 2000 grit paper followed by hand polishing. Not high on the fun factor, but absolutely necessary...
March: A busy month at first. Back to mechanical stuff on the Ghia. Replacement steering box was installed, all the tie rod ends replaced, the cast 30MM oil pump was swapped out for a 26MM unit. March 11 was an important date, as the Ghia was test driven to see if the ongoing overheating had been banished. It kept its cool, but the ambient temperature was not very warm that day. As it turns out, this was the only time the Ghia was actually driven this year...
The orange Restfalia received a bit of loving, as I finally got around to changing ALL the fuel lines, and topped it off with an oil service and replacement of the disintegrated forward shifter bushing. All ready for a busy summer of cruising... The free Civic finally received fresh matching paint on the bumper as I learned a new skill. This inspired me to yank the windows and headliner out of the Ghia in anticipation of a quick repaint on the roof. Then Covid hit hard and many things came to a grinding halt...
April: Was mostly a write-off, although I did decide to try and put my "backup" 1600 dual port back together as it had been apart for close to six years now... This took MUCH longer than anticipated... Also discovered a half eaten bag of chips and Coke in my bus. Questioned my own sanity...
May: Again mostly a write-off, although I did finally start cruising around in the mighty Terseo. All car show events were starting to be cancelled however, and things looked bleak for the upcoming car season... All work essentially stopped on the Ghia for some time to come...
June: The Cars for Covid cruises started. Everyone was desperate for some type of event, and these cruises provided an outlet for some. They ran them every two weeks and initially the interest was strong, although definitely petered out as time went by. June 21 was an important date as I started the Fastback for the first time in two years. Moved it to a different position in the garage then successfully ignored it again... Also the old hulk of the Paseo finally left the yard and was weighed in for scrap. It was worth a whopping $8.75! I also helped my buddy Terry yank the old inline six out of his '62 Strato-Chief. Also finally found a Corvair that I wanted to buy. The right year, colour, model, price, everything. Actually phoned the seller and asked for more pictures. Then they arrived. Can you say Bondo Bucket? Sure you can...
Continued...
January: Covid had not really come to Canada yet, and it was business as usual for most. Having finished the Terseo project, I steamed right into working on the Ghia as my main 2020 VW project. Tasks included swapping out a better taillight, rebuilding the steering box, discovering the joys of corn head grease, playing with gluey weather-stripping, and installing a vintage Volvo mirror!
February: Continued on the Ghia with few interruptions. Spent most of the month rectifying paint issues involving lots of boring colour sanding with 2000 grit paper followed by hand polishing. Not high on the fun factor, but absolutely necessary...
March: A busy month at first. Back to mechanical stuff on the Ghia. Replacement steering box was installed, all the tie rod ends replaced, the cast 30MM oil pump was swapped out for a 26MM unit. March 11 was an important date, as the Ghia was test driven to see if the ongoing overheating had been banished. It kept its cool, but the ambient temperature was not very warm that day. As it turns out, this was the only time the Ghia was actually driven this year...
The orange Restfalia received a bit of loving, as I finally got around to changing ALL the fuel lines, and topped it off with an oil service and replacement of the disintegrated forward shifter bushing. All ready for a busy summer of cruising... The free Civic finally received fresh matching paint on the bumper as I learned a new skill. This inspired me to yank the windows and headliner out of the Ghia in anticipation of a quick repaint on the roof. Then Covid hit hard and many things came to a grinding halt...April: Was mostly a write-off, although I did decide to try and put my "backup" 1600 dual port back together as it had been apart for close to six years now... This took MUCH longer than anticipated... Also discovered a half eaten bag of chips and Coke in my bus. Questioned my own sanity...
May: Again mostly a write-off, although I did finally start cruising around in the mighty Terseo. All car show events were starting to be cancelled however, and things looked bleak for the upcoming car season... All work essentially stopped on the Ghia for some time to come...
June: The Cars for Covid cruises started. Everyone was desperate for some type of event, and these cruises provided an outlet for some. They ran them every two weeks and initially the interest was strong, although definitely petered out as time went by. June 21 was an important date as I started the Fastback for the first time in two years. Moved it to a different position in the garage then successfully ignored it again... Also the old hulk of the Paseo finally left the yard and was weighed in for scrap. It was worth a whopping $8.75! I also helped my buddy Terry yank the old inline six out of his '62 Strato-Chief. Also finally found a Corvair that I wanted to buy. The right year, colour, model, price, everything. Actually phoned the seller and asked for more pictures. Then they arrived. Can you say Bondo Bucket? Sure you can...
Continued...
August also was a milestone event for me as I actually sold a VW! Realizing I would never ever finish my '66 Beetle project that I owned for 31 years, I passed it onto Rob S who dived right into the restoration. I can't wait to see it back to its former glory!