Hey Dubbers, So at the encouragement of a few other members I am going to try and post some pics of my project over the last almost 3 years as I near completion of my Mothers car, owned from new in June 1973. Her original (and still kept) plate number - GKW-405.

So here goes trying to attach the first pic of her in original condition.

So here are some early pics of the strip down and body work on the car.

as the car has spent all of its life in inland NSW, Ive been pretty lucky with only a little bit of rust & some work needed to the beaver tail after once encountering a stump on the farm I think from memory...

So here she is post paint and panel….

Wow, I have to say even in original condition that sure was a nice type 3.

Good on you for keeping the old family wagon running

would have to agree with nils post looked great in original condition, but looking even better now keep the ball rolling.

Wow! Lucky to have such a good body to begin with. Looks amazing.

Custom headlining re-fit has recently been completed.

Finished headlining and some of the glass going back in

Meanwhile Ive been working on the chrome.

Front and rear bumpers with US rubber inserts complete

Today we completed all the work on the drivers and passengers door windows, felts, rubbers, scapers etc. What a bloody time consuming job that all was

So, my Mother bought the car new on July 6th 1973 from Lanock Motors when they had a dealership on Parramatta Rd, Camperdown. My parents had met and married in Sydney and moved back to country NSW where my Mother grew up, bringing everything they owned on a flat bed VW truck that was an ex PMG vehicle. That truck sat in the back paddock of our home for the next 20years before it was dragged away. Never did know what ever happened to that truck. Previously my father had a 1500 Type 3 Panel Van that he bought new in mid 1966. He bought the panel van version and had the solid sides popped out and replaced with glass to make a station wagon as this proved a cheaper way to buy the car new. I still have the books and original service papers for that car also. After its unfortunate demise in an accident that my parents survived but the 1500 did not; we had two beetles. An olive green one that I can just barely remember and an earlier beige or white one too from memory. I came along in September 1974 and we still had the green beetle along with GKW-405, and from then on this is the only family car we ever owned in my lifetime. So she technically has been in the family longer than me! Growing up in South West NSW and having a farm, the Type 3 was used for everything. It took us to all our country soccer games, delivered sheep to houses in the village to keep people's grass down, hauled bags of chook feed and grass cuttings during the droughts; and took my Mother to just about every country market day or fete within cooee of home! It was the car we were always sent home to get when any other vehicle got bogged on the farm, as only the VW had the torque in the gears to move anything out of the mud! Over the years she's had a few engines and has wound the original speedo back to 000000miles and started again. A few cosmetic facelifts here and there but basically the car is 100% original with her original NSW rego plate GKW-405 still attached to her. Sadly we lost our Mother in 2001, and the car has slowly been undergoing a rejuvenation that started in 2003/4 with a full ground up re-build of her 1600 twin carb engine on a NOS block that I got in from Germany. She hasn't done to many miles since then but sounds brilliant and goes like a rocket (better than I ever remember as a kid!) So thats our VW family story. Since becoming adults, my brother and I have also had a Kombi, a diesel golf and I had an amazing GTI VR6 when I lived in Europe that was the best car ever. Ive graduated to a Benz now as my daily driver, but as long as its still German, it passes muster. Hopefully GKW-405 will be out on the circuit in 2015 and Ill be as proud as punch to show her to you all.