Hey, Besties!
This weekโs newsletter is all about the 1971 VW Squareback so if thatโs not your cup of tea โ๏ธ, you might want to skip this issue. I totally understand and will see you again next week! โ๐ผ
Hey! ๐๐ผ Thanks for sticking around. Letโs chat about car stuff! ๐
I ordered a door panel from JBugs for the back cargo door/gate. It was considered a โspecial orderโ so it took SEVEN WEEKS ๐คจ but Iโm not complaining. I am just happy it finally got here. ๐๐ผ
From what I can tell, the most common interior colors for the green Square were black and beige. The brochure photo (above) shows a black interior which is probably best for cooler climates considering this car has no AC and only the front two windows roll down. Our interior is beige vinylโฆ which is fine for Southern California except for the vinyl part. No one deserved hot, sticky legs stuck to the seat. And, I just donโt like it. SO, I rolled the dice ๐ฒ and ordered the panel in a sand-colored tweed and I FREAKING LOVE IT! It looks a million times better in person, if you can believe that. ๐
The install was easy. I pulled out the old rusty clips and the dry, brittle plugs and replaced them with shiny new pieces. Then, with one hand, I held down the door so I could line everything up before I pressed them into place. That was the hardest part until it occurred to me to wedge the screwdriver into the door hinge so I could use both hands to line up the plugs and clips. ๐กGenius!
I donโt know why but the tweed makes me want to go to the beach ๐๏ธ or go camping ๐๏ธ at the lake. Itโs just so versatile! ๐คฉ Now that I know I love the tweed, the plan is to replace all the door panels with tweed. Which brings me to the cup holdersโฆ
So, my original plan was to pull off the front two door panels, attach the cup holders, and then stick them back on. But then I actually pulled off the passenger-side panel and yikesโฆ
Backing up a bit, I have watched sooo many videos now about door panels that I am a pro. Like, I could put this on my resume. ๐ฉ๐ผโ๐ I am sooo proud of myself that I didnโt lose the springy thing that goes on the back of the window winder and that I didnโt break the finger cup thing for the door handle. They are both gross tho so I have to order new ones anyway but stillโฆ I am a professional. โจ
So, lots of rusty bits in there. I am now going to learn how to make Bondo patches. ๐ณ Iโm also going to finally get to use the DynaMat that I bought a million years ago to replace the sound deadener that is clearly past its useful life. I didnโt get a photo but I used a spatula thing (what are they called??) to pick at the sound deadener and big, brittle chunks came off with barely any effort. Ew.
Not sure what to make of the chunk of metal missing but thatโs above my pay grade. ๐ซก My plan is to clean it up. Put some rust converter on the inside bottom. Patch up that hole as best I can. Stick on some DynaMat. And try to replace the weather stripping there thatโs falling off. Maybe YouTube can tell me how to lube everything, too.
As for the panels themselves, I donโt think this guy is salvageable. I thought maybe I could patch the map pocket hole and reupholster it myself with tweed yardage but I think thereโs just too much water damage. The good news is that JBugs sells new panels without the map pocket which will make it easier to mount the cup holders. They are going to look awesome!
While I was tooling around in the car, I remembered that we wanted to replace the seatbelts. The problem with the seatbelts is that 1) I donโt know how old they are but I assume they canโt be trusted and 2) the cover on the latching mechanism is being held together with duct tape. That seems sus so Iโve been searching (without luck) for a new cover. After finally accepting that the cover is not being reproduced, I started looking for a whole new unit. Hereโs a pic of what I meanโฆ
So, the pic was take from the back seat. The latching part is bolted to the transmission tunnel with a U-shaped bracket which, it turns out, is also VERY hard to findโฆ for a reason! According to the special club of โstock or dieโ bros, these U-shaped things are very unsafe because, in the event of a collision, the weight/force of two passengers is not distributed and itโs too much for this one gizmo to handle. I feel like if the stock bros are making an exception here, itโs probably wise to follow their lead.
Side note: even though they annoy me, itโs nice to see these guys bully others over safety. There was one thread where some guy was like โif not for yourself, then think of your wife and children, you piece of shit!โ and thatโs kind of sweet. ๐ฅน
I ended up ordering what the bros recommended even though the color options were limited to black, tan, blue, or red. I was hoping for green or yellow but I went with tan and who knows? Maybe once I have new hardware, I can swap out the nylon later?
Last picโฆ
I ordered a bunch of upholstery samples and this is what weโve settled on as far as the color scheme. Beige German square-weave carpet (left) sand tweed for the door panels (bottom)โฆ and green and yellow plaid cloth for the front of the seats and light green vinyl (top) for the backs and sides of the seats where George is most likely to drool. I think itโll look nice when it all comes together. Baby steps. ๐ถ๐ป
If youโve made it this far, thanks for reading!
PUTTY KNIFE!! Itโs called a putty knife! I used that to scrape the inside of the door. Spatula? Stupid.
Be best!
๐ฏBetty
P.S. Someone asked why I write โBe best.โ and itโs because it makes no god damned sense. ๐คก
Great work! Youโre definitely a pro my pet! ๐ฆ
OMG, love the color swatches and can't wait to see the finished product!