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I'm not afraid to say I own a new beetle and get the normal, "Awwww...I bet it's CUTE," whether from a guy or a girl. I usually smile and just wait for it because by the time they realize I'm the one that owns the bagged new beetle with the abnormally bright wheels, the response changes. The best part of owning something that looks a smidge out of the norm is the responses, good or bad. I would have to say my favorites are the kids (boys) that ride their bicycles down the street gasping, "That's the coolest thing I have ever seen!! I love your bug!" LOL!! Anyways, my name is Tara, but I also go by TJ. I'm 28 and my husband and I live in Kansas...the BFE in regards to shows in decent driving distance with insane talent and collaboration. LOL! We lived in the PNW long enough to realize that moving back to Kansas wasn't such a great idea. The scene there, the people and everything we grasped a hold of are something we think about on a daily basis. We both realize that having jobs in the body and paint fields were a dream compared to what we do now. We'll get back there eventually...and that's somewhat where this build started slowly but surely.
In 2009, I bought my silver 2002 Turbo S 6 spd. New Beetle in Washington; trading in my ‘06 MKIV GTI after having it shipped to the northwest a few months before hand. My suspension, among other things, was never right after getting off the hauler. My husband saw the Turbo S in a Wheel s For You catalog and showed it to me. I told him I couldn't go look at it because I knew I would buy it. Fast forward two weeks later and it was still on my mind. Having owned a 2.slow NB before, and loving the over priced/expensive Turbo S when I bought mine new in '03, we went for a test drive and by the end of that rainy day it was mine and the GTI was a sad looking individual. Mind you I hadn't had much experience driving a standard and anyone living in the PNW can attest that the hills would do just fine in breaking me in, well, that and my boss at the body shop forcing me to back standard vehicles in and out of the shop. A few good laughs were had.
So onto the past, present and continuing future.
At this state, it had 52,000 miles on it. In a few months, I bought a set of Koni coilovers and had it chipped with APR Stage I by the awesome guys at Achtuning. I bought the coilovers from someone on Vortex brand new for a great deal, but it still didn’t lower the car as much as I wanted it to.
About a month later my husband bought a '04 PG Jetta GLI and he wanted to see what the Delta's would look like on his GLI and what the RC's would look like on the bug. (I still like the RC’s on the bug =))
At the beginning of July 2009, we said farewell to the PNW and moved back home. (Sad sad day) I didn’t do much to it until December 2009 when I ordered the Mattig spoiler from Germany. It took over a month and a half to get here. I had wanted the exact one since for my first new beetle, but couldn’t ever afford it and the bug was traded in for the GTI. A few months later, I found a set of 1018 monoblock style wheels with brand new tires for sale on a forum by another new beetle owner for a crazy deal. I didn’t know if I would like them on the car, but they were priced too well to pass up. I held onto them for over a month before test fitting. The week before our annual gtg for the Midwest club, Wetdub, my husband got the spoiler painted..getting that thing mounted didn’t happen without some frustration during and after LOL! The monoblock wheels didn’t get mounted until late the night before either….needless to say, I wasn’t expecting to like them as much as I did.
And there it remained in the same state. We replaced the clutch, slave, and master cylinder twice in a year and a half from failing parts, had the roof drains fixed after it ruined my headliner, rebuilt half shafts and just general maint. We both knew I didn’t want it to stay the way it sat. We both have the ability and know how, and have great friends to help where we don’t, so we began to secretly piece an idea and color scheme together. These next photo’s are stages…it’s not complete.
We had preordered for the first set of 5x100 18” Rotiform BLQ’s from 1552 and bought a Thule roof rack from another Turbo S owner. We waited several months for the BLQ’s, but it was so worth it in the end. I have this theory that everything happens for a reason. I have loved these wheels since I saw them on the white MKIV R32 in PVW. I knew I wanted them, but my husband is the one that pushed me to purchase them. As we were deciding what color scheme to paint the bug, we were given an opportunity to powder coat the BLQ’s. In doing this, it would lock us into going forward with the color scheme. At the same time we were waiting on the wheels, we also ordered 13mm spacers and bolts for the rears. *Side note: I can’t say enough about the guys at Rotiform. They have gone beyond our expectations. *
We test mounted one of the BLQ’s before a KCH2O meet in Kansas City, MO, and at first I wasn’t overly excited…they didn’t seem to fill the wheel well like I thought they would. Dang coilovers…bags were a must. My husband took it to work and mounted all 4 wheels before the meet. I didn’t know what to expect reaction wise because they technically weren’t supposed to be on the car yet and really…NEON YELLOW WHEELS???!! WHO DOES THAT?!!! BUT he showed up and I fell in love with them. To my surprise people seemed to like them with the silver.
Our friend Joe Gilmore took these photos for us and Rotiform . We sent Rotiform a picture of this shoe and they matched the powder coating nearly perfect….also my new tattoo at the time. =)
We decided that the coilovers weren’t going to work for where we were going with the idea. So, yes, we decided to bag it. We ordered the Airlift XL Slam series from SoCal Stance Shop and in two weeks we had the kit. We ended up trying to install last minute before another large gtg and had some setbacks with the kit. 2 weeks went by and we received parts to fix it and continued with the install. Here are some random pictures from the install. This was to just get the car bagged and out of our friends, the Ashley’s garage. LOL! The interior and setup for the air ride is still not complete, but there’s been progress to this date.
Back seat removed:
Marley the D.O.G…keeps an unwatchful eye:
Had a serious fight with a nutsert…hence random hole.
Installing the rear bags:
Fed the lines through the rocker panels:
Make your own templates for the front towers. It will save you a lot of heart ache in the end:
We had to take some finish off for the front towers to fit:
Installing and messing around:
Delta’s back on just to make sure the wheels would tuck and not scrape anything…didn’t want the BLQ’s messed up.
BLQ’s on and rockin:
Took the bug down to Drew Dorbritz of Dorbritz Designs in Allen, TX, and he C-notched the frame:
We are still working to get the gauges and the switches mounted differently than they are now although we would rather go with an autopilot system. We did however put the back seat back in and ran the airlines under the back seat and through the carpet. I think my next plan of attack is getting the lines and wiring up through the floor board and through the dash. =)
As of 3 weeks ago, we had a small issue on our hands. The back bumper of the bug fought a 1ft tall camouflage crub. The back bumper assembly for my car (bumper, diffuser, backup light), are over $1200 brand new. Remember how I said I believe things always happen for a reason? I had heard that a fellow Wetdub member knew of a Votex Kit for sale. It had been months since we had talked with him about possibly buying the kit just for the build beforehand. We were in a situation at this point where I could both claim insurance and lose the original back bumper, which I wanted to keep and fix, and the rates going up….oooooooooooorrrrrrrrrr we could buy the WHOLE Votex kit for a price we couldn’t pass up. The whole kit comes with the front bumper, the side skirts, the bumper and diffuser. The diffuser and the side skirts are by far the hardest things to come by for the first body styles of the new beetle…they don’t make them anymore. I’ve wanted this kit since I had my first VW. Now, you might be thinking, “You have Turbo S bumpers…why would you want to replace them?” Well, rhyme and reason…the Votex back bumper and diffuser do not have cutouts for exhaust and the tow hook which means a smoother cleaner look overall. We picked up part of the kit in Tulsa and fit them in the back of the bug…weird nearly 3 hr. drive home. LOL! Dedication over comfort…
Damage:
New parts!
Of course we always seem to do things, or it just pans out, that it’s last minute. My husband painted the pieces two nights before we were to leave for Eureka Springs, AR, for a show with other members of Wetdub. The following evening, I started the remove/ install of the bumpers. We also cut the exhaust tips so they would be a turn down style as to not melt the bumper. And as always, aftermarket parts rarely ever fit as well at the OEM original…I didn’t think it would really be much of an issue because it was a Votex kit. HA! Riiiiiiiiiiight…here I am taking a dremel tool to the side marker opening because the material of the bumper was thicker on that side than the other. The cutouts for the side markers are not exactly the same for some reason…one sits under flush and the other sticks up above the bumper. NICE expensive kit and I’m grinding on it…hmmm…oh well. =)
We couldn’t get a backup light replaced in time, so we took a medallion we had from The German Car Club of Kansas and put it where the backup light went. It turned out pretty cool, but of course it will be replaced.
These are the shots of the bumper installed…really really don’t want to drill into this bumper for the plate. It’s so nice and smooth! It’s in the back window for now, but we are going to try and come up with something for the tow hook under the bumper.
More photos taken by different people:
That’s it for 8/30/2011. We stopped in Tulsa and grabbed the rest of the kit after our trip to Eureka Springs, AR. Painting the side skirts, fixing the nasty drilled, scratched up bumper from before the air install, some shaving and audio work, sending the ECU in to be Stage II upgraded, installing the APR Carbonio intake, and installing new brakes and rotors will be the next thing's on the list. We are hoping to make a show in Dallas this Oct. and hope to have a lot more progress. It still won't be finished...
In 2009, I bought my silver 2002 Turbo S 6 spd. New Beetle in Washington; trading in my ‘06 MKIV GTI after having it shipped to the northwest a few months before hand. My suspension, among other things, was never right after getting off the hauler. My husband saw the Turbo S in a Wheel s For You catalog and showed it to me. I told him I couldn't go look at it because I knew I would buy it. Fast forward two weeks later and it was still on my mind. Having owned a 2.slow NB before, and loving the over priced/expensive Turbo S when I bought mine new in '03, we went for a test drive and by the end of that rainy day it was mine and the GTI was a sad looking individual. Mind you I hadn't had much experience driving a standard and anyone living in the PNW can attest that the hills would do just fine in breaking me in, well, that and my boss at the body shop forcing me to back standard vehicles in and out of the shop. A few good laughs were had.
So onto the past, present and continuing future. At this state, it had 52,000 miles on it. In a few months, I bought a set of Koni coilovers and had it chipped with APR Stage I by the awesome guys at Achtuning. I bought the coilovers from someone on Vortex brand new for a great deal, but it still didn’t lower the car as much as I wanted it to.
About a month later my husband bought a '04 PG Jetta GLI and he wanted to see what the Delta's would look like on his GLI and what the RC's would look like on the bug. (I still like the RC’s on the bug =))
At the beginning of July 2009, we said farewell to the PNW and moved back home. (Sad sad day) I didn’t do much to it until December 2009 when I ordered the Mattig spoiler from Germany. It took over a month and a half to get here. I had wanted the exact one since for my first new beetle, but couldn’t ever afford it and the bug was traded in for the GTI. A few months later, I found a set of 1018 monoblock style wheels with brand new tires for sale on a forum by another new beetle owner for a crazy deal. I didn’t know if I would like them on the car, but they were priced too well to pass up. I held onto them for over a month before test fitting. The week before our annual gtg for the Midwest club, Wetdub, my husband got the spoiler painted..getting that thing mounted didn’t happen without some frustration during and after LOL! The monoblock wheels didn’t get mounted until late the night before either….needless to say, I wasn’t expecting to like them as much as I did.
And there it remained in the same state. We replaced the clutch, slave, and master cylinder twice in a year and a half from failing parts, had the roof drains fixed after it ruined my headliner, rebuilt half shafts and just general maint. We both knew I didn’t want it to stay the way it sat. We both have the ability and know how, and have great friends to help where we don’t, so we began to secretly piece an idea and color scheme together. These next photo’s are stages…it’s not complete.
We had preordered for the first set of 5x100 18” Rotiform BLQ’s from 1552 and bought a Thule roof rack from another Turbo S owner. We waited several months for the BLQ’s, but it was so worth it in the end. I have this theory that everything happens for a reason. I have loved these wheels since I saw them on the white MKIV R32 in PVW. I knew I wanted them, but my husband is the one that pushed me to purchase them. As we were deciding what color scheme to paint the bug, we were given an opportunity to powder coat the BLQ’s. In doing this, it would lock us into going forward with the color scheme. At the same time we were waiting on the wheels, we also ordered 13mm spacers and bolts for the rears. *Side note: I can’t say enough about the guys at Rotiform. They have gone beyond our expectations. *
We test mounted one of the BLQ’s before a KCH2O meet in Kansas City, MO, and at first I wasn’t overly excited…they didn’t seem to fill the wheel well like I thought they would. Dang coilovers…bags were a must. My husband took it to work and mounted all 4 wheels before the meet. I didn’t know what to expect reaction wise because they technically weren’t supposed to be on the car yet and really…NEON YELLOW WHEELS???!! WHO DOES THAT?!!! BUT he showed up and I fell in love with them. To my surprise people seemed to like them with the silver.
Our friend Joe Gilmore took these photos for us and Rotiform . We sent Rotiform a picture of this shoe and they matched the powder coating nearly perfect….also my new tattoo at the time. =)
We decided that the coilovers weren’t going to work for where we were going with the idea. So, yes, we decided to bag it. We ordered the Airlift XL Slam series from SoCal Stance Shop and in two weeks we had the kit. We ended up trying to install last minute before another large gtg and had some setbacks with the kit. 2 weeks went by and we received parts to fix it and continued with the install. Here are some random pictures from the install. This was to just get the car bagged and out of our friends, the Ashley’s garage. LOL! The interior and setup for the air ride is still not complete, but there’s been progress to this date.
Back seat removed:
Marley the D.O.G…keeps an unwatchful eye:
Had a serious fight with a nutsert…hence random hole.
Installing the rear bags:
Fed the lines through the rocker panels:
Make your own templates for the front towers. It will save you a lot of heart ache in the end:
We had to take some finish off for the front towers to fit:
Installing and messing around:
Delta’s back on just to make sure the wheels would tuck and not scrape anything…didn’t want the BLQ’s messed up.
BLQ’s on and rockin:
Took the bug down to Drew Dorbritz of Dorbritz Designs in Allen, TX, and he C-notched the frame:
We are still working to get the gauges and the switches mounted differently than they are now although we would rather go with an autopilot system. We did however put the back seat back in and ran the airlines under the back seat and through the carpet. I think my next plan of attack is getting the lines and wiring up through the floor board and through the dash. =)
As of 3 weeks ago, we had a small issue on our hands. The back bumper of the bug fought a 1ft tall camouflage crub. The back bumper assembly for my car (bumper, diffuser, backup light), are over $1200 brand new. Remember how I said I believe things always happen for a reason? I had heard that a fellow Wetdub member knew of a Votex Kit for sale. It had been months since we had talked with him about possibly buying the kit just for the build beforehand. We were in a situation at this point where I could both claim insurance and lose the original back bumper, which I wanted to keep and fix, and the rates going up….oooooooooooorrrrrrrrrr we could buy the WHOLE Votex kit for a price we couldn’t pass up. The whole kit comes with the front bumper, the side skirts, the bumper and diffuser. The diffuser and the side skirts are by far the hardest things to come by for the first body styles of the new beetle…they don’t make them anymore. I’ve wanted this kit since I had my first VW. Now, you might be thinking, “You have Turbo S bumpers…why would you want to replace them?” Well, rhyme and reason…the Votex back bumper and diffuser do not have cutouts for exhaust and the tow hook which means a smoother cleaner look overall. We picked up part of the kit in Tulsa and fit them in the back of the bug…weird nearly 3 hr. drive home. LOL! Dedication over comfort…
Damage:
New parts!
Of course we always seem to do things, or it just pans out, that it’s last minute. My husband painted the pieces two nights before we were to leave for Eureka Springs, AR, for a show with other members of Wetdub. The following evening, I started the remove/ install of the bumpers. We also cut the exhaust tips so they would be a turn down style as to not melt the bumper. And as always, aftermarket parts rarely ever fit as well at the OEM original…I didn’t think it would really be much of an issue because it was a Votex kit. HA! Riiiiiiiiiiight…here I am taking a dremel tool to the side marker opening because the material of the bumper was thicker on that side than the other. The cutouts for the side markers are not exactly the same for some reason…one sits under flush and the other sticks up above the bumper. NICE expensive kit and I’m grinding on it…hmmm…oh well. =)
We couldn’t get a backup light replaced in time, so we took a medallion we had from The German Car Club of Kansas and put it where the backup light went. It turned out pretty cool, but of course it will be replaced.
These are the shots of the bumper installed…really really don’t want to drill into this bumper for the plate. It’s so nice and smooth! It’s in the back window for now, but we are going to try and come up with something for the tow hook under the bumper.
More photos taken by different people:
That’s it for 8/30/2011. We stopped in Tulsa and grabbed the rest of the kit after our trip to Eureka Springs, AR. Painting the side skirts, fixing the nasty drilled, scratched up bumper from before the air install, some shaving and audio work, sending the ECU in to be Stage II upgraded, installing the APR Carbonio intake, and installing new brakes and rotors will be the next thing's on the list. We are hoping to make a show in Dallas this Oct. and hope to have a lot more progress. It still won't be finished...
we'll be in my wife's mkv jetta below.
Very nice!!!
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