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Bryce's 1961 "Hood Ride" Beetle

Well the addiction, V-dubs that is, started at an early age. My mother was driven to hospital in a Beetle to deliver me so VW's are in my blood. A couple of years later my father traded a boat that we had for another beetle that had a short life with the family. Then as I became older and needed a car to drive for my first car, an opportunity arose for me to purchase a super beetle. It was lowered, dark purple with limo tint. We got the car running good and it became a driver. After a few months I purchased a 1968 Chevy C-10 short-bed step side and that was the end of the purple Beetle. It was sold with in a few weeks. Senior year in high school is usually a fun year and it was no different for me. Toward the end of the school year a buddy of mine told me about three beetles that were for sale for $350. I told him we needed to go look because at the time we both wanted a project car. Long story short I ended up with two of the beetles for $175. They both were 1971 Super Beetle's. One was completely blown apart and the other one was completely together, but a tree had fallen on the windshield. We pulled the dent out enough to get a window in a sold it for $500. The other one I just traded away for a 1966 Beetle. Here in the last two years I have really been addicted. I have bought a '74 Super Beetle autostick (for mom), '71 Super Beetle, '67 Beetle, two '66 Beetles (one for my girlfriend), '65 Beetle, '65 Beetle Roadster (for my dad), my '61 Beetle, '56 Oval, '67 13 Window Transporter, '66 13 Window Transporter, '66 11 Window Non-pop top camper, '62 15 Window Transporter, a '71 Ghia, '63 Beach Buggy, a couple of beach buggy bodies and two rail buggies.

My Beetle is a 1961 Hood Ride. It has a 1600 dual port engine. I acquired my '61 Beetle via a trade involving a rail buggy with no motor and a rail buggy trailer. When I got the car I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. I knew it had to be a Hood Ride. It really needed heater channels, pans, seats, wiring, wheels, paint job and a carburetor. First I rewired the car because wires were duct taped together. Then I put on a 30 Pict carburetor and got the car running. Then I put some low backs that I had in because I wasn't riding in the rigged up seats it had in it. Next I completely redid the braking system with new lines, wheel cylinders, shoes, spring kits, and parking brake cables. Next I spent the whole $15 in spray paint and went to work spraying my two tone scheme. After searching around junk yards I came up with a whole set of wide five smoothies for the car that I immediately painted red and had my wheels put on with the porta-walls. After a couple of weeks of working out the kinks the car was ready to be a daily driver and it hasn't been off the road since. Some of the add-ons have been the visor, the rack, the bumpers, and the fiberglass w deck lid. The heater channels and pans still have not been fixed, but it is on the list of things to do. Also on the list of things to do is to get the beam narrowed, finish the front pop out window and put it in, and red neon under the car.

Bryce Guthrie
Aircooled Airheads
GA VW Club