Formalities :-
Make - Volkswagen
Model - 1200 Beetle Saloon
Colour - White
Fuel - Petrol
Cylinder Capacity - 1600 cc
Date of Registration - 26th September 1973
Adoption to the Bicknell Family - 26th March 1990
Having had 4 former Foster parents
| Date +Photo Links | Event | Mileage |
1990 |
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| March 26th | Bought for £1,395 from R G R Turner | |
| March 30th | Rubbed down front bonnet & re-sprayed | |
| April 7th | Stripped & re-sprayed front bumper | |
| April 13th | Changed broken clutch cable | 154,513 |
| April 17th | New 8 Spoke white Empi wheels & tyres | 154,986 |
| April 24th | M.O.T test, passed first time | 155,308 |
| August 2nd | Drilled out vent holes in engine lid & fitted pancake filter | |
| August 3rd | Sprayed & fitted engine lid spoiler | |
| August 18th | Removed and stripped engine | |
| August 19th | Rubbed down engine parts & re-sprayed | |
| August 26th | Engine re-fitted with new cylinders & heads | |
| August 27th | Finished engine - now 1600 cc, Twin Delorto Carbs, 009 distributor. Ran first time! | 158,439 |
| September 5th | Sprayed new running boards in white & Fitted | |
| September 18 | New Chrome dipstick | |
| September 22nd | Fitted new Degree Pulley and Generator wheel. | |
| October 18th | Engine tuned on Rolling road | 160,690 |
| October 22nd | Back end badly bent by the idiot behind me - 'not' stopping. Grrrrr... | |
| November 24th | Back from workshop following Insurance repair. New rear panel, wings, engine lid and Bumper |
161,214 |
1991 |
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| January 1st | Changed O/S rear brake drum & new shoes. Oil change & full service |
162,140 |
| February 16th | Fitted front fog lights and twin tip exhaust | |
| March 27th to April 1st |
Stripped out front end running gear and resprayed all parts red & White. Fitted new white Lowered Front Beam, Shocks and wheel cylinders. Front N/S wheel fouls wing. | |
| April 4th | Changed windscreen wiper shafts and overhauled the motor. Replaced front number plate | 164, 222 |
| April 24th | Failed M.O.T :( | |
| April 25th | Fitted new Top & Bottom front ball joints on both sides | |
| April 28th | Replaced Front to rear brake pipes and fitted caster shims to front axle. | 164,417 |
| April 31st | Failed M.O.T - Front O/S brake imbalance! | |
| May 1st | Failed M.O.T again! Rear Brake imbalance? & headlight reflectors tarnished ?? - Fitted 2 new headlights & Adj'd brakes. | 164,517 |
| May 2nd | After trying 3 different testing centres, supposedly failing on different items, GAWSH Passed his M.O.T - Hurah!! | |
| June 8th | Removed engine & replaced all gearbox mountings. Renewed Clutch, pressure plate & Pad. | |
| June 9th | Refitted engine. Lubricated both window winder mech's. Fixed front O/S speaker | 166,186 |
| July 8th | Changed Front O/S inner wheel bearing. Replaced oil pressure sensor | 166,558 |
| July 29th - September 2nd |
GAWSH off road for body strip and respray. Respray by my own fair hand in my garage. |
166,846 |
1992 |
||
| January 4th | Adjusted free play in steering box. Rreplaced fule pipe throughout. | 168,422 |
| February 2nd | Fitted uprated 100w fog lamp bulbs, new Coil, Fuel pump, distributor cap and plugs | 169,405 |
| May 5th | Passed M.O.T | 170,710 |
| May 18th | GAWSH goes to Monti Carlo - French holiday | 173,626 |
| June 6th | Fitted new Oil filler & cap | |
| June 20th | Fitted new Fuel Filter and Front N/S outer bearing | 173,894 |
| July 7th | Fitted new Front O/S outer bearing | 173,924 |
| July 16th | Fitted new Steering Damper and re-painted front axle parts | 174,247 |
| October 30th | Stripped & reprayed both rear inner wings. Replaced swing arm bushes. Lowered rear by 1 spline. Fitted new rear gas shocks. Fitted anti-camber kit. Fitted new rear lights. | 175,560 |
1993 |
- N.B. I got an office job, so from September 93 Gawsh was seldom used. | |
| June 12th | Failed M.O.T. - front brake imbalance & steering bush. | |
| June 26th | Passed M.O.T. | 177,410 |
| September 4th | Replaced N/S strap on Anti-camber kit. | 177,618 |
| December 11th | Major service. Fitted new sump plate & Drain Plug | 177,681 |
1994 |
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| April 26th | GAWSH laid up in garage. Up on axle stands, all brake &
wheel components removed & greased up. Engine removed and 'filled' with oil. Body heavily coated in wax. |
178,593 |
1998 |
After 4 years in hibernation! | |
| April 5th | Re-fitted wheels and put on Patio awaiting his re-birth | |
| April 15th | Taken by flat-bed to Beetlelink to start the re-build | |
| August 17th | New interior fitted. Existing rear seat re-upholstered. Driver & passenger Reccaros re-upholstered and all door panels replaced | |
| September 25th | One very white beetle, looking fantastic, collected from Grant Eggleton at Beetlelink. | |
| October 11th | Fitted longMill Prophet Amplifier, 2x150w Pioneer rear, 1x300w Pioneer Sub-woofer & 2x80w Pioneer front spearkers. | |
|
2003 |
The last project - the Engine | |
|
June 21st |
Engine removed and sent to Volkspares Highgate for uprating. | |
| Most of July | Stripping engine bay & underbody panels. Repraying and undersealing area. | |
| August 3rd | Gear box stripped, re-conditioned, primed and painted. | |
| September 14th | 2.0 Ltr Stroker Engine rebuilt with Porsche style smoked carbon fibre fan kit. Twin 44 IDA Webbers.....WICKED :) | |
| October 12th | GAWSH back home again looking just amazing |