"Now you know, and knowing is half the battle" – GI Joe

Some big steps are looming over me and this has induced the stark realisation that up until now I have been idly ‘tickling’ the car without any clear idea or structure on how to transform the rusty old girl into a gleaming low-rider. If I am honest, I guess I have been ignoring the scary stuff! But no more I tell thee! I am determined to steer this project into a more focused direction, so with a ravenous lust for knowledge I have been immersing myself in books, magazines and instructional videos. An unhealthy amount of spare time has been spent scouring the internet to learn from the experiences of other car restorers. I have also been progressively equipping myself with the proper tools and together with a confident state of mind I have developed a plan of action for separating the body from the chassis over coming the coming weeks.

I will be using Rick Higgin’s technique to accomplish this daunting feat, which I have learned by religiously watching and re-watching the ‘Bug Me, Vol 6’ video. Truly essential viewing for simplifying the intimidating processes involved in restoring a Bug. I got this and ‘Bug Me, Vol 7’ off eBay for the combined bargain price of £7! Good old low cost / low quality VHS!



Step 1: Disconnect the myriad of parts that run between the shell and chassis. Locate and remove all the relevant bolts (for any that will not budge I will liberally apply WD40 and leave it to penetrate for a few days). Take exact measurements of my garage to determine the dimensions that I need to build the saw horses on which the body of the car will be sitting on whilst I focus on restoring the chassis.

Step 2: Purchase wood and brackets for making some sturdy saw horses. Cut to all pieces to the required size and partially assemble.

Step 3: Finish assembly of saw horses after transporting them ‘flat packed’ to the garage. Beg, borrow or steal a large floor jack that will provide enough elevation to get the car onto the saw horses. Enlist the help of a friend to !GULP! assist me in splitting the car in half!

Step 4: Strip chassis down and transport back to my house to begin repairing.