Oh Roxy Body Work, Primer and Blocking, Update #4

The last few months around the shop have been very busy. Work in the last few weeks on Oh' Roxy has included body working, rust removal, body realignment, and prepping for paint. Lately, We have been busy with blocking and priming the car.


Recent work on the car has included the rear passenger quarter panel which had been damaged in an accident and previously repaired by someone else. In addition, the door, the rear quarter and the interior structure had to be realigned and body worked.



We had perfect weather for priming on Saturday. The outer shell, hood and doors of Roxy are now in primer. Today he is blocking everything out and trying to find all imperfections and fix them before priming again.








Henry blocked and re-primed Roxy's body and doors before the moisture set in this morning. All primer has been epoxy primer. I've attached a few more pictures, but I'm not sure you can tell much difference in them.

Oh Roxy Exterior Tear Down, Update #3

As you can see we have started to disassemble Roxy. For now, we have left the hood, trunk, and glass all intact. They will soon be removed as well.

While working on the exterior of the car we have prepped it for further work by power washing the body and under the car to remove any loose undercoating, dirt, and debris.


After removing the fenders from the car, we have taken the opportunity to repair a small rust spot located on the driver's side left front inner fender.
The rust has been ground, treated chemically and repaired with metal. All rust that we have found to this point is now removed.

Oh Roxy's Update #2, Replacing Floor Pans

Here at the shop this week we finished removing and replacing Roxy's floor pans. The original pans were cut out and new ones have been cleaned, fitted and installed correctly by welding, bolting and seam sealing just like they were originally from the factory.

During the process of removing the old floor pans, we found rust on the heater channel/duct work beside the battery. This was more than likely due to leakage of battery acid over time. Thus, we have cut the rust out and reworked this with new metal.

Roxy is now one step closer to being finished. Check back often for more Roxy repairs!

Oh Roxy Complete Resto Motor and Front End Rebuild, Update #1

A lot of work has been done to Roxy, our current '68 Volkswagen Beetle complete restoration. We want to bring everyone in on what has been done so far and show how the work is coming along.

First off, we started with the heart and soul of this beetle, completely rebuilding its engine. Above you can see the motor's new pistons and cylinders.

Other work on the motor included a rebuilt Small Stull Case with Case Savers, rebuilt rods, a fresh turned German Crank, and OEM, Rebuilt Single Port Heads, a new Oil Pump, and OEM Stock Flywheel, a new Deep Oil Sump, new exhaust, a new Solex Carb, a rebuilt rocker assembly, a new Fuel Pump, and all new bearings and seals. After completion Roxy's motor fired up on its first start up, which can be seen on our Video page.











Pictured to the left is the fresh turned crank, short block and long blocking.

Next we turned our attention to building a new front beam for the bug. It has a brand new front beam (center section) with original German spring plates inside, all new bearings in the axle tubes, original German arms with new upper and lower ball joints installed, original German reconditioned spindles and all brand new seals. The whole assembly was sand blasted, epoxy primed and painted chassis black.



Having finished the front beam, we began our tear down process of disassembling Roxy. The cargo/package tray area is in perfect condition except for slight surface rust. In the pictures, you will notice the brown color. On first inspection we believed this to be only insulation that is stuck due to the glue that was used to secure the carpet; however, after cleaning we found surface rust. The metal has subsequently been chemically treated to kill the minimal amount of rust that was present.

As needed, we will have to replace the entire floor pan on the driver side and also the rear half floor pan on the passenger side. In the picture, we left the battery so that you can see where the rust actually extends to. Our next step will be to remove the old floor pans and prepare to install the new ones.

Now that the driver side floor pan has been removed we are ready to install the new pan. Upon removing the factory tar board from the passenger side front, we found more rust than expected. Roxy will now be receiving two new floor pans. Fortunately, the heater channels and center channel (backbone) are rust free. After installing the pans, her foundation will be 100% solid.










Look back for updates regarding the Roxy Restoration!

Big Bug Shoot Out

Well the Bugoholics Team decided to create a blog so everyone can keep up with whats happening at the shop, what we are up to, and anything we think you might find interesting. We hope to sometimes include small bits of advice and tips pertaining to our Volkswagen endeavors. We hope you enjoy!

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As of last week, in the shop we have continued our work on the complete restoration of Roxy the VW Beetle whose fresh built motor is featured on the Video Page of our website. You can check out the engine at www.bugoholics.com/bugvideos.html

Also during the week the Bugoholics sold a squareback which will soon be making the long trip to California where the new owner plans to restore it to its former glory.

This weekend the Bugoholics Team attended the annual Big Bug Shootout held in Ennis, Texas at the Texas Motorplex. It was a great day for seeing all the cool VWs, watching bugs fly at the race track, doing a little trading, and of course spending time with fellow VW lovers. If you are in the Texas area next year - we advise you to stop by. It's a great show!

Lastly, we would just like to take a second and thank all the people who have called or emailed us with interest in the Bugoholics. It's great to hear from you all!