I possess this Jeans beetle since January 2004. I found it in announcements of the Flat4ever.com website. It is my third VW and second... Jeans ! I transformed my first Jeans in Cal look (sorry, I would not restart anymore... promised! ) I participated in many VW meetings in the first half of the 90's with this car. Between the two beetles, a 67's Split accompanied me from 1996 to 2001.

Yes, it was a Jeans beetle ! what did it become???

My 67 Split. 

My Jeans at the "Vintage Classique"  Rambouillet.

I bought my Jeans beetle in January 2004 in the Loiret. The bodywork and various works had been made in 2003 by a VW Shop near Paris. Some Jeans parts were missing, as the headlights trims, door handles and handle for bonnet and replaced by chrome elements. The rear lights are smoked "German Look" model. Various other pieces have been given me with the car. 

The beetle at its former owner

I am the third owner of this car. Its first owner kept it during 28 years ! the second owner only kept it one year. I have all the papers of the car since its purchase in 1974. Among these documents, there are the invoice of purchase, the invoice of the 10000 kilometers revision and the maintenance notebook with all the tampons of the agents that worked on the Beetle. Interesting element, there is also the factory card giving the details of the car like the list of its options (M-equipments called M-Codes)

the invoice of purchase in 1974.

revision of the 10000 kilometers

the maintenance notebook.

the factory card.

On this card, the equipements of the beetle. They are defined by the M-codes.

 These two notes come from my first Jeans beetle and are dated of August 1973.

The birth certificate of my Jeans beetle

My first objective will be to give back him its original look. After a small mechanical revision, with a complete revision of the ignition and the carburetor, I began my research of the missing elements. 

I searched for, on the web or among VW specialists, the reproductions of Jeans's stickers , but without success. While searching for in my archives, I recovered a tracing and all measurements necessary to the reproduction of these stickers. One of my friends, Jeannot, had restored one Jeans beetle in the beginning of the 90's, and had asked me to redo him of the strips in black adhesive. 

The macadam scraper Jeannot's Jeans beetle.

I had made a copy of the logos and taken all measurements of the stripes before he redoes the bodywork of his Jeans. I was able therefore to redo me the stickers with a copy of original elements. This operation is described in detail in the page "Files." 

It is after I found a shop that produced some stickers. One even finds some in N.O.S (New Old Stock), but I don't know if one can again use them on a car, they have already 30 years... 

Pursuing my quest of original parts, I find the front indicators and the door handles at the Super VW National in 2004. It is also the that I buy specifics Jeans's mudflap and 2 hubcaps with the Jeans motif. The mudflap are probably new or have not very often been used.

hupcaps and mudflaps 

NOS  headlight trim

Big luck, at the Cap d'Agde VW meeting, I find a N.O.S headlight trim , with its V.A.G reference again in place ! I would recover in my old parts stocked in bulk, another headlight trim belonging to my first Jeans beetle. 

I had bought new rear light to replace the "German look" models that were in place at the purchase of the car. Unfortunately, after 2 or 3 months, they filled themselves of water to the least rain (and I live in Normandy...) and lost their colors quickly. Fortunately for me, at the VW meeting of Trun, Orne, a participant proposes me N.O.S rear lights, for 35 euros the pair. An very good opportunity ! While replacing my rear light some days later, I saw the difference of quality well between the Brazilian parts and original VW parts ! the calculation is quick: 50 euros for "made in Brasil" parts of very mediocre quality and 35 euros for original parts... I can only counsel you to make Swap-meets to find original parts. Our Jeans are "recent" beetles and parts for 70's beetles are not again too difficult to find . 

Finally, and to finish with the outside elements, I bought to the VW Nat 2005, a pair of new door handles from Mexico. 

Inescapable element in the restoration of a Jeans beetle: the upholstery . As on a lot of Jeans Bug, mine is used, opening, torn, faded.... and in addition, front seats come from two different 74 Jeans and are not the same color. the passenger seat comes of a "PhoenixRot" 74 Jeans and the cloths used on these Jeans is gray bluish with the orange sewings and the black pipings . 

The difference of the cloths

Door panels are pierced to receive some loudspeakers, the headliner is loosened and carry its age... the sun visors are as used. To finish, the carpet, in good condition, doesn't correspond to the original look.... brief ... lot of work in perspective. 
someone contacts me for seat covers in jeans cloth . These seats covers are new and made by VOTEX that provides some upholstery for VW. They are of good quality, but unfortunately, they don't have the pocket on the backrest, pocket so characteristic of the Jeans seats. Besides, the chrome buttons are either in place on these seat covers. I abandon this option therefore, to make a interior that either nearest possible of the origin.

The old cloth of the seat and the new cloth that will serve me to redo the seats. There is a light difference (accentuated here by the flash) but to find one cloths identical must not be easy thing (and I looked for well....)

the seat bottom ready to be put. The blue piping comes from the old seat.

The seat bottom, seen of underside, with the understudy. There is a layer of cotton wool between jeans and the understudy.

the seats disassembled, I benefit from this to scrape the floor and to redo a little paintwork. Then, door panels, found to the Trilbardou meeting, to undergo a cleaning. To note that the rear panels come from my first Jeans and have again the colors of the first version of my first Cal Look beetle ! It was the graphics years !! And that doesn't rejuvenate us ! ; -)

Then, the new headline takes place. It is a short model that come from Auto-Passion. The sun visors are replaced by new from TMI.

wheels receive new hubcaps bought a few days ago at the local VW agent !

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