Chalk Bug - First Drive

Yesterday I drove the Bug for the first time in eight years. It went underwater during the Hurricane Harvey flood. However, it floated for about an hour before going under. That was a testament to German Engineering. In fact, VW advertised the Bugs as floating on water back in the day. I didn't believe that until I saw mine floating as the floodwaters rose. After we rebuilt the house and recovered from everything else, the last project was getting the Bug running again. I tore down the engine and decided to build a new one from scratch because of its age and the fact that it had spent four days underwater. The only part I reused is the fan shroud. I cleaned it up, painted it gloss black, and sent it to my nephew Jake, who painted the Big Dog Garage logo on the shroud. Everything else is new. It took me about two years to collect the parts and build the engine, given the limited time I have to spend in the garage.

The Bug was ready for the first test drive. Jennifer rode with me to video the event. I backed out onto the street, then drove forward to test the gears. All worked perfectly. The Bug creaked and groaned as I drove, working out the surface-rusted suspension. I tested the brakes; one tire locked up while the other three wondered why that tire responded to the brake pressure. We drove the circumference of our neighborhood, which is about a mile. We made it back home and parked it in the garage so I could continue working on making it roadworthy.

Test drives of a new build are like nothing else. Knowing I built the engine from a new bare block, or, in the air-cooled world, a new case, felt like breathing new life into an old car.

We plan to finish the paint in semi-gloss black and take the Bug to car shows so kids can draw on it with chalk. The Bug's new life is now known as Chalk Bug. In two weeks, we are trailering it to Kileen, Texas, for a church block party in an underprivileged part of town, where kids can draw all over the Bug. I'll keep repairing and fabricating what it needs to make the Bug street-worthy.

Next up in Big Dog Garage: LS Swap into the 1953 Chevy Wagon. I look forward to rebuilding the car that has been in my family since new. In fact, this is the first car I recall riding in as a toddler. I saw the chrome on the dash and have been a car nut ever since.

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