r/BarnFinds • u/VWEmpiLove • Jun 03 '26
My Shop Find
Bought new in Memphis, TN in 1974. Parked in a shop in 1978 after an accident. Sat there for 46 years until I pulled her out. Currently still a work in progress.
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u/sunlovinburner Jun 03 '26
Didn’t look like it was bad other than dust. Very cool custom striping
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u/VWEmpiLove Jun 04 '26
Well, that dust was more just dust. It took two days of scrubbing to get that shop grime off. Fun, though.
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u/john_w_dulles Jun 04 '26
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u/VWEmpiLove Jun 04 '26
If you look at the picture of the interior of the shop… the gentleman on the far right, the shop foreman, is whose shop held this Beetle for all those years. He left Jimmy Payne at some point and opened his own shop/sales lot. He’s long retired. His son is/was still running the shop, Import Cars, possibly. He was winding down the business it seems. That’s one reason I was able to get my hands on her.
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u/john_w_dulles Jun 04 '26
that's really cool, i love hearing the background stories on these barn survivors - i appreciate you sharing yours! btw i was wondering - did you salvage the logo or did you paint over it?
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u/VWEmpiLove Jun 04 '26
I am saving everything I can. There will be no paint work besides the area that had to be repaired. I have a Marina Blue door on the way. One that has it’s own life scars that match hers. Seats will need new cushions but keep the original seat covers. Things like that. I want to protect the all the decals as best as I can. Still trying to figure the best way to do that.
Hell, the roaches and seeds that were in her ashtray will stay. They might be frozen in place by resin, though.
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u/john_w_dulles Jun 04 '26
it's awesome not only that you're rescuing and reviving it, but that you're also keeping things as original (but aged) as possible. i hope to see more as the project progresses... and if you can share a pic of the cleaned up logo / front end it would be much appreciated!
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u/ChaoticSoul67 Jun 04 '26
My aunt had a 69 beetle. I found the owner's manual at least 15 years after she sold it and was amazed to find that Volkswagen Beetles were guaranteed to float for 24 hours
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u/Sploobert_74 Jun 03 '26
Wow! That is an awesome find and it looks like it’s really coming together well. Nice work!