4-H Club Bug Project

This is not a story about a 4-H Club project involving an ant farm or the life cycle of a honey bee. It’s about a 1966 Volkswagen Beetle that was beautifully restored by a young man from Iowa.

It also involves Grant Davidson’s father, who helped him with certain aspects of the restoration, although he let Grant do his own thing most of the time. With Father’s Day just around the corner, it’s always neat to hear stories like this one about two generations teaming up on an old-car project.

Grant started on the restoration of his 1966 Beetle sedan as a 4-H project in 2000. He began working on the car when he was in the eighth grade and finished it in 2013 when he was a high school senior.

Grant’s father is an auto body man by trade and helped him straighten the sheet metal. He taught Grant the ins and outs of restoring the car’s body and let his son do most of the other work involved.

As we all know, there’s lots more to a car restoration than simply straightening out dents and removing rust. The car has to stop and go, which entails mechanical work, electrical trouble shooting and rebuilding the brake system. Then, there’s new paint to worry about and upholstery and trim.

As you can see from the photo of the car at the 2015 Volkswagen Funfest, Grant did a great job of making the ’66 Beetle look new again. And, in case you’re wondering, he says the car isn’t completely finished. Now that he’s older—22 years old in 2016—he wants to take care of a few more issues and make the vintage Volkswagen as good as it can possibly be.

So, who says that the younger generation doesn’t have the enthusiasm for old cars or the talent and drive it takes to restore them? Happy Father’s Day to all out readers. Now, head out to the garage with those kids of yours!.