1970 VW Bug Convertible

Gregg Silva


Here is my love story with my car “Freida”, 1970 VW Bug Convertible. I acquired her from a friend who acquired her from a friend. She had been sitting for over two years.

She didn’t run, flat tires, etc. My friend and I filled the old cracked tires with air and pushed her from my friend’s house down to my house. I began to work to get her running. My intention was to get her up and running, cleaned up, and sell her to make a few dollars. I had paid $1000 for her dead in the water.

After three days of tracing wires and replacing battery, fuel pump, fuel filter, voltage regulator I got her to fire up. Then I began going through all the wiring. Whoever had her before had spray painted the entire trunk area in black paint. I mean everything, including all wires going in and out of the fuse panel. I had to one by one pull each wire from the fuse panel and steel wool the first 3” so I could tell what color the wires were in order to match up to the electrical wiring diagram.

Electrical fixed after that, all lights, signals, flashers etc. operating as they should. I replaced the wiper motor and the mechanical armature to function at both low and high speed.

I replaced front and rear stock bumpers with ’54-’67 chrome blade (retro) bumpers, installed 2 ½” drop spindles, replaced front and rear brakes and all hardware along with all soft brake lines. Sound deadened the entire interior, replaced high back seats with 60’s low backs, installed new door panels and rear panels. Replaced all window cranks with pre-70’S black and chrome cranks. Installed Custom Auto USA-630 stereo with Rockford Fosgate 400 watt -channel Punch Boosted rail amplifier, 6 ½:” Rockford 2 way coaxial 100 watt front speakers, 6x9 Rockford 4 way speakers 75watt/150 watt peak, Custom Auto Blukit Bluetooth.

I took the stock SP 1600 and rebuilt it to a 17769(blueprinted) engine with dual 34 ICT carb kit, Engle 110 cam, big bore pistons 90.5x69, big valve 044 heads, Porsche internal oil cooler(inside fan shroud), external oil filter, full flow oil pump, external oil cooler with 11” fan, auto thermostat. Exhaust is a SS header with hide away SS muffler. 4” fog lights with low mount brackets, Empi 12” trigger shifter(Hurst look alike).

After starting to bring her back to life I decided that I couldn’t sell her and have decided to keep her for the long haul. I enjoy driving her and feel good when I see folks and they get that big smile on their face and the occasional thumbs up.

I enjoy going to all the VW shows and gatherings, making new friends and enjoying the company of fellow VW lovers. My wife says that Freida is my new girlfriend, she’s absolutely right.

I don’t take her out in the rain but, if it’s not raining I do make sure that I do not go to bed at night without taking her out for a 45 minute to an hour long ride. She is my 6th VW Bug in the past 30 years. My buddy, also a VW Bug owner and lover, and I usually get together after work or on the weekends. When he calls, he says, “want to chase the sun?”, the saga continues…………….