Shakedown: The Origional Pump (Hank)

Hey there folks, this is a section of the site where I will go over a car in a little more detail than just a few photos and neat verbiage. This will now be known as an Air Pump "Shakedown."This first Shakedown will be on my personal Pump, and daily driver a 1966 Volkswagen Beetle.

 I found this feller down in the Sun Valley Idaho area and was looking for a pre-67 at the time. With no further qualms I bought it for $500.00 and started the only real relationship I've had with a car. The first thing I did with him is dropped the engine and started a rebuild.

Making the emblem on the back of the car only a lie was a must, so with the help of a local Volkswagen guru in my hometown, I more updated the engine than heavily modified it during the rebuild. I slipped in four 1641cc cylinders, updated the rocker assembly and put in the works for bearings.

 I've spent hundreds of hours gazing into the abyss if this Pump, and the one thing that I have to say I love most is the personality that oozes from its pores.

 Early sometime in 2012 I backed The Beast up into a light-pole. As I got out and took a look, my heart broke. This was by baby that I had crushed into an unsuspecting light pole. But this is really just one example of the way the personality of  the car has evolved over time.

All I did to mend my broken heart and the messed up Pump was bang out the fender with a ball peen and replace the taillight assembly, and if I didn't tell you there would be no knowledge of the fact that that drivers side rear was once mangled beyond recognition. This goes to show that this little blemish is masked out from the body by all the personality it has grown on it over the years.

For instance last summer I was in dire need of a new exsauhst, the engine was running hot and deafened poor bystanders as I drove by. After being awarded worst car at my high school, along with a close friend and her banged up Subaru Loyal (Louie) I knew It was time for an upgrade. Now you might say.. hmmm I still see a rusty old muffler under that skirt pal...well this is were I pull the personality card again. What place would a shiny chromed out muffler have under a paint job like that or a set of dirty steeles like those. None. Simple. Absolutely zero place. So after I bought an EMPI quiet pack, and painted the header so it wouldn't get cancer I decided to leave the exhaust in the burnable black color you now see. And I can't say anything would work better.

Some other examples of the Pumps personality surge through the interior. Due to high theft rates in the global economy I put dummy labels on some of the switches in my car. This way a car thief who can't read (robbers can't read in this post) won't be able to tell which one does what, will have a panic attack and die, thus preventing any future attempts of robbery. Also I installed a Phantom deck, this really ads to the true soundtrack of the air cooled flat four in the back. I've never had a better sound system. Oh and every fire breather like this needs a shiny red extinguisher. "Check"

Further pushing the uniqueness and personality of the pump. We come to the seat. I installed this old school Scat racing seat along with the old-ish five point harness this summer, one... because last summer I went auto-crossing (More on that in a future post) and kept having the stock bucket seat flop back after a hard brake into and hard acceleration out of a corner. Therefore I invested in this bucket and the accompanying RCI racing harness, and two... because I got both of them super cheap on Craigslist and couldn't pass them up. Oh hey, and there's that gorgeous blue polish rag on the dash! Can't beat a deep blue polish rag..

Now you may ask. Whats the story behind the rack? Well, not much, I found it in our shop, it worked on the bug, so it stayed, and it works great for hockey sticks. As far as I'm concerned this car is very close to being "done". I want to still get some chamber compensators for my swing axles to reduce body roll in hard cornering, get some door panels and install a second bucket seat so I can share the Joy of Air with a buddy. and one thing I can say about this car is that everything I've done to it has had a purpose. this feller is all function, no form, and if that is what has sculpted the personality behind this Pump, I have no problem with that.

So now ends the first shake down on AirPumps. Let me know how I did, and what your first car was! I'd love to hear it! Thanks for sticking around.

Joshua Sewell

Instagram: josh_sewell_photo