Cape Cod Bugs and a Life of Passion - Josh Ellis Ep43

0:32 To learn more about this class-leading VW magazine. Welcome back to Dub Life Diaries. Today's guest is a dude whose story feels like it is straight out of a movie. I am not kidding. So imagine this, guys. You're five years old, you're sweeping floors in your uncle's body shop, you're breathing in paint fumes, and you're watching classics come back to life. While most kids are playing with Hot Wheels, Josh Ellis was building them. So fast forward now a couple decades, and he's an arborist by trade. Some of you that don't know what that is, it's basically a specialist that dedicates their life to the carrying of trees, which, I mean, only real straight-up people can do that, right?

1:15 Who cares enough? Josh Ellis does. He's a craftsman by nature, one of the most hands-on VW guys in the scene up in the Cape Cod area. He and his wife are chilling on the beach one day when she says, if I could have any old car, it would be a Beetle convertible. And where most people would scroll Craigslist, Josh says, nah, I'm going to build one for you from the ground up. So we're talking full restoration and actually a new life and a new obsession. So since then, he's done three full builds. He paints his own cars, builds his own engines. He camps the hell out of his 77 Westie named Forrest. He's turning his next bus into a rolling photo booth for weddings and events.

1:58 Again, turning passion into a business. You guys know how I feel about that. I love that. That's my favorite type of business. This is one of those conversations that reminds you that craftsmanship, patience, and heart, what it looks like when they collide. So grab a cold one if it's in the evening, or maybe if you do that in the morning, or grab a hot one if it's early and get ready for some serious VW soul. Josh ellis welcome to dub life diaries thanks for having me on joe i appreciate the opportunity that's probably the the best introduction that anybody's ever said about me so i'm gonna make sure we save that yeah man you're worth it dude looking at the pictures of your work and just seeing you and talking to you and hearing your story i'm excited for this one man but before we get rocking let me shout out to a couple of my sponsors and uh make sure i show them some love and support.

2:50 First up, Volksmania Magazine. You guys know how I feel. These guys are the flyest VW Magazine on the face of the planet. Best quality, best people. Volksmania.com. Use Dublife10 at checkout. These are US subscribers only. Dublife10, D-U-B-L-I-F-E, the number one zero. We'll get you 10% off your subscription. Also, shout out to the Salty Dub. From the beach to the bay salty dub is tearing up the vw scene with epic never before seen vw events and swag check those guys out saltydub.com same discount code applies dub life 10 use it at checkout this only works for merch all right man back to you man back to you it's this is all about you from this point forward okay.

3:39 Appreciate it. Thanks so much. Yeah, brother. All right, man. So let's go back to the beginning. You're pushing a broom in your uncle's body shop. You're five years old. Most kids are playing in sandboxes. You're pushing dust and paint fumes. What do you remember about the early days that made you kind of fall in love with the craftsmanship side of maybe even dealing with the smell of paint and metal? Well, that's just it. I mean, first and foremost, let's go right to the smell of it, right? So So, I don't know, I heard somewhere that the sense of smell is so in tune with your memory. And God, I couldn't agree with that. I couldn't agree with that more. So, there's days even today, you know, where at work, so in the wintertime, when my guys are done for the year, I'm laid off.

4:21 Well, the guys are laid off, but I stay working in our shop and I paint our trucks. And, you know, it started out as, you know, just doing a little bit of rot work here and there. And now I just fix everything. Um, but so there's days, especially more so in the wintertime, cause that's when I'm in there the most is I come in there. I'm usually the first guy there. I open the doors and, you know, about quarter past five in the morning. And when I walk in there, lights are off and I open that door and I smell it. It, it brings me right back to 1988. I mean, I don't, I don't know any other way to describe that. I can still, I can still see the, you know, the, the markings on our old shop when I was a kid, I like it was yesterday. So yeah. You know, those days were probably some of the most formative of my entire life.

5:05 I mean, my uncle, so we'll get, I'm sure we'll get to talk about him a lot. His name is Paps. Well, his name is Wayne, but we call him Paps. And that man, he taught me how to be a man. He taught me pretty much everything I know, the core values. So, you know, going back to that question, yeah, I would say that, you know, when I was there, that's the only place I really wanted to be. I looked up to him so much and that's all I ever wanted to do was just own my own body shop someday so truly you know my next question really you you kind of answered it already but that's that's really what shaped your your mindset your patience and your obsession for the work that you do now a hundred percent yeah sounds like it so do you remember the first time that you you know as a young kid that you realized like man I can actually fix stuff like this is you know i can make it look better than new yeah all right so let's let's step back in time a little bit here i remember the first time i i he taught me how to weld and i was on his 40 ford coupe that well he's no longer with us but my son still has and you know i then fast forward a little bit at the time i was i think i was about 14 i had bought a monte carlo supersport off of my cousin and it was back in those days we used to buy stuff from the from the auctions and fix them and sell them as used cars and so i got that i was i don't know i started giving him 50 bucks a week or so when i was probably around 13 ish 12 13 wow i think i was about yeah i think i was about 14 when i painted it and that was

6:35 the first complete paint job that i had ever done. So that one probably that one probably really meant the most to me in the beginning, So the shot must have been probably like a playground of chaos. Any stories that you have from back then that shaped you that might even still make you laugh to this day? Yeah, I'm talking about them as I'm thinking about some. So perhaps my cousins, Richard and Steven, those were his boys. And Richard had about 11 years on me and Steven, nine. So when I was, you know, eight, nine, ten years old, those guys were getting into trouble. You know what I mean? So, like, some of those stuff, and not bad trouble, just, you know, just staying out late, all that kind of stuff, whatever.

7:17 We used to tow for the police departments, and we'd get a lot of wrecks that would just sit around forever. And sometimes we'd play a little bit of Demolition Derby in the bad part. That's amazing. Yeah. I mean, it's stuff that kids do. I mean, nowadays, you don't really hear that stuff. But, yeah, those were the good days, man. Just a completely different world. Completely different. nowadays there's cameras everywhere and we can't know it we can't have that kind of nobody's looking fun anymore right because everybody's looking right so did your parents think that you'd stay in the car world or did you just kind of naturally end up you know balancing what you do now which is essentially trees and volkswagons.

8:00 So it's, I mean, so my career really, it's not just trees. We're a landscape company by, you know, we do everything from house demolition, site septic, and then I run the maintenance division. Yeah. So I have about 25 employees that I manage the crews and where they're going and what they're doing. We work on really high end residential estates. So yeah, we get to work on some of the most pretty places here on the Cape, which is really cool. Down here. It's a sick business too, you know, down in Florida. Yeah, the landscape guys, you know, they're the artists of the yard, especially a lot of the zero scape and a lot of the, you know, turf type yards now. Oh, man, they're high end, high dollar. They're looking great.

8:43 Right. Yeah, I don't think there was ever a question in anybody, in any one of my family members' minds whether or not I'd still be in the cars. My older two brothers, they didn't really have, you know, they could have really cared less about the shop. That really wasn't their thing. Right. But for me, it's always stuck with me. And, you know, I'd probably be doing it full time, you know, when I was around. See, 18 or so, 19, I was doing it for myself out of a buddy's shop. And, you know, then things got a little sparse, so I ended up crawling back to the body shop and working for Pabst again. But, you know, for the last 20, 25 years or so, that's what I've been doing. It's, you know, landscaping during the season. And then in the wintertime, to either do my own thing or work now for our company doing our stuff.

9:29 But I've still always, I mean, I've had projects that they, it just never stops. I mean, I always have to have some kind of a project going all the time. Is there a switch that needs to be made? You know, do you, so arborist by trade now, professionally, how do you go from, you know, body filler and metal and, you know, cars to chainsaws and trees, same? Yeah, it's all the same. I mean, it's just really attention to detail. Right, you may wrong. Yeah, that's, you know, I think that statement's kind of a broad one you could use even in life, Right. Attention to detail. You get what you put in. So the harder you work for something, the more you're going to, the more you're going to appreciate it.

10:10 Yeah. I wrote that down when I, when I thought about the parallel between the two of them, both take an eye for structure, for balance, for detail, like you said. And I think you have to care about the outcome. Oh, for sure. Right? For sure. It can't just be something where you're like, well, I'm good at this. I work great with my hands. Yeah. This is different. You've got to actually care about the outcome. So, yeah. Right. That's pretty cool, man. And at work, so some of my favorite things to do is, you know, we'll build these huge projects. The guys are on for months, sometimes more than a year. And then once it's finally done and it gets turned over to me, I have to maintain it. But there's, you know, there's always, there's irrigation is usually our number one foal, right? A lot of the landscape architects, they'll plant high water need plants next to low water need plants.

10:56 And I mean, the irrigation guys, they're just trying to keep everything wet. So I have to, the first year is usually like a balancing, you know, balancing act, trying to keep these plants happy, that plant happy. And literally I mean some of the the biggest joys I get from work are it's not so much the clients it's more so that like hey this this this tree's in decline and I notice it right away and I augment whatever it takes whatever I see and you know seeing the trees still live after a year or two that's some of my favorite things yeah well sure because you care like that that that's kind of what I was saying so let's touch on this you know you made a comment you said you know I'd love to be doing it full-time. To me, I feel like it's a hobby for you at this point, but is it something that you would like to push more towards as far as reshaping, recrafting Volkswagens?

11:50 Is that where the heart's at these days? I think it's really, that's like a dream job, right? So I don't know if. And I don't have a crystal ball, but would I be content if this is what I was doing every day? Sure. Yeah, I mean, look, what I have to deal with at work with clients and expectations, and sometimes those are hard to upkeep. What do I have to be upset with a Volkswagen? It surely isn't the sandpaper. You know what I mean? So, I mean, if you get a faulty part, whatever. So, I mean, I think that, you know, there's a possibility in something like that. And I guess that would really depend on how hard I pursue it. I like the idea of it.

12:32 Although I'm treated well at work and I'm happy where I'm at. Sure, sure. I like to think that there's a future down the road there as well, too. Yeah. Um, but, uh, in the, in the, you know, immediate, I loved, I love working on these things. I mean, to me, it's like I said before that, you know, when I was growing up, my, my dream was to have my own body shop. I don't like the idea of doing any of that stuff. Um. For like nowadays cars, you know, there's just too much involved in it and too much schooling. And, and, and I respect those guys that have to do all that, you know, that's, that's, that's a lot. Right. And I don't, I don't really, I, I'd, like I said, be content just working on these old cars because they're, they're just so simple and they're such a blast.

13:17 And you guys, you'll get Josh's contact information in the show notes, but wait till you see some of this guy's builds. I mean you know he deserves to be doing this not just for a hobby so that's that's awesome true craftsman you know and there's appreciate that Joe thank you yeah no man you got to give credit where it's due man you have to again that's one of the reasons why I did this this podcast is to celebrate these guys like you who are you know on the outside or from what everybody sees and every day you know Joe I say that because that's my name but I could say an everyday Josh or an everyday Tom, and you're not. You're like the top of the top, man, like some of the most skilled craftsmen out there.

13:59 So let's go back to this moment here on the beach in 2020. Your wife says, if I could have any old car, it'd be a Beetle convertible. What goes through your mind when you hear that? Your Chevy guy? It's funny as we're talking about it, because, and my wife will have to agree with a lot of this, that maybe it's selective hearing. I don't remember any of the conversation prior. But all I remember is her telling me that if she could have any car, it would be a Beetle convertible. Because that's all she's ever driven is Beetles. Our parents got her, I think it was a 98 hardtop Beetle when she was 16. And after that, she had an 08 Beetle convertible. And she's only had three cars. Now she bought her 17 brand new.

14:42 And that car's got, God, almost 190,000 miles on it. So, I mean, when she said if she could have any old car, it would be a Beetle convertible. I said, okay, I'll build you. And I literally said this, I'll build you whatever you want. You just need to pick out what you want for colors and upholstery. And it was literally, I mean, I don't know, I swear the stars kind of just have to align at some point, right? Because maybe like a month later, we were on our way. It was a Sunday morning. We were on our way to go pick up my kids. And she said to me, she said, hey, did you see that thing I sent you on Facebook this morning? I said, no, I didn't even look. So I happened to peek at my phone, and I'm like, oh, no way. Right? So this is the best story. It really is. And hence why we call the car Lucky.

15:27 So fast forward a little bit right we get the kids and and we're on our way back we were coming back to the cape and we were going to take him to the beach for the day and i asked her i said because the guy was there were there were two cars listed there was lucky right and at the time it was orange it was a i mean absolute basket case and there was a 73 for a parts car and the guy was asking eighteen hundred dollars for the two of them so i mean my wife does a lot of little odd side jobs here and there, and it's common for her to have. God, I don't know, a bunch of cash in her pocketbook. And I knew that. So, again, I was wearing shorts, you know, bathing suit and flip-flops, and we were on our way to the beach. And so I said to her, I was like, how much money do you have in your purse?

16:10 And she, you know, she goes through it. She says, I have 1,050. I'm like, all right, I can work with that, right? So I messaged the guy, and he calls me right away, and he gives me the address. And I'm like, man, does that address sound? That's so familiar. Why do I know that? So anyways, as we're pulling up, it's not even an eighth of a mile from my shop. And in fact, the owner of our company, the previous owner of our company, used to own that property. It used to be his tree farm. Yeah, man. See, this is where the stars align. Yeah. So, all right. So we show up. We get in there, and I'm looking at the car. My kids, nor my wife, neither one of them, none of them get out of the car, out of the truck, right? And I'm walking around the car, and I'm looking at it, and it was in tough shape. And I knew nothing.

16:55 About Volkswagens at the time. I mean, not anything, right? So I'm looking at it and I'm thinking to myself, in my head, my wheels are already turning. Okay, I need to do this. I need to do that. Like, how am I going to fix it? Whatever. So I said to the guy, and I had taken her $1,000 and I put it in my pocket. I said, well, would you take an offer? And you know the same story like everybody. Long story short, I ended up taking $1,000 and said, waving it around like it was a Winners grass ticket. And I'm like, hey man, I got $1,000 cash and I can have these things out of here by the end of the day. And he said, All right, let's do it. So we go into his office as we're signing the papers. We come out, whatever. Somebody pulls up and says, hey, are these the Beatles for sale? And the guy says, yeah, he just bought them.

17:35 So then I go over to my wife in the truck, and I say, hey, you want to come out and take a look at your new car? And she comes out, and at first she was excited. Then she got up close to it, and of course she doesn't know what she's looking at. In my head, I already know what I need to do to fix it and how it's going to be. So long story short, she's like, oh. You know, I think she was a little apprehensive at the time, and maybe when we were leaving, she was like, are you sure this is a good idea? So that took a few months of me to, and literally, when I say a few months, I mean, we bought that car. It was September and by April I was driving it home. I mean, that was a complete body off restoration on that car. Yeah. I was going to bring that up. So you, you built a stand, you stripped it down, you let her pick the colors and the interior, you, you basically, you know, full resto.

18:21 So, you know, what, on that build, what was your challenging spots? What was the hardest part? I think just trying to figure out, now again, look, I've never done a Volkswagen. One, taking the body off the pan, that wasn't so hard. We got plenty of equipment at work. We got a few lifts and, you know, forklifts, big machines. We can do whatever there. So that wasn't the hard part. The hard part, I think, for me was once I had it on the stand, and again, being a body man, I know that when you take things apart, you lose all that structure, you lose the rigidity, is how am I going to cut out these heater channels and still maintain the structure of the car? Because realistically, I mean, when you think of how much you're cutting out of that thing, especially being a convertible, you end up with pieces, right?

19:05 I mean, when I say pieces, like the car is pieces. So I think that was probably my biggest challenge. And then, you learn things as you go, right? So I learned, because now that's the third car that at the time it was the first car, but I've had three cars on that stand, but I learned, okay, there's certain things about the stand that when you put it back on the pan, you need to kind of allow for certain differences in measurements till you get it on the pan and then you can kind of really get close. Right. So that was probably the biggest thing, the biggest hurdle, I would say. So you mentioned a few months done, you're driving it, right? So one, how long did the entire restoration take you? And two, take yourself back to, you know, really the first drive when it's It's a complete car.

19:52 What's that feel like? Describe that moment. Well, the first drive in that car. The first time I took that, it was the same day that I had taken it home. Elena came to the shop, and I took her down around the, we call it the beach route in Falmouth, which is like this road that just meanders along the coast. It's gorgeous. So I took her for a ride in that. Then on the way back, we stopped the shop, grabbed our things. And on the way home, I got thinking to myself, I'm like, God, I really love this little thing. I don't know what it is about this car. I mean, at the time, look, it really was, it's not anything special. It's just a super beautiful convertible. We call this getting bit by the bug, brother. Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's just a stock 1600. I mean, a tired one at that.

20:36 I mean, I think the thing had like 70,000 miles on it. What year was it again? Well, so Lucky's a little bit of a mix. It's got a little bit of 75, a little bit of 73. Okay it's re it's really a 75 okay um but uh i did away with the fuel injection stuff and and made it carbureted so right i put a the rear aprons from 73 so i still have the the 74 and 5 up bumper absorbers the bumpers that kind of stuff but i wanted a carbureted rear pan on it because it didn't have to fit that the catalytic converter from the the fuel injected ones underneath it right on was it at the same time or was it you know very close in proximity that you got the 1970 Beetle.

21:21 Yeah, so that's Ringo. So it was that day we drove Lucky home. Yeah, I really fell in love with the car. And again, yeah, getting bit by the bug. That's absolutely it. I mean, that's so true. Yes. Yeah, I drove that thing home. And that night, the only thing I could do, I was scouring Facebook Marketplace and found a couple that were up in New Hampshire and set up a couple appointments. And, you know, of course, New Hampshire from where we are, it was probably about a three-hour drive. We drove up there. the first one i'm like ah you know i mean again i could fix it you know but at the time i was looking at something between like four to six thousand dollars i mean with that kind of money to spend you're not gonna you're gonna get something that probably gonna be drivable but probably needs a lot of work right and that's where i found the 70 and you know thankful that i did because i love the older body style i love everything about 70 and down is really now like where, where we're at with cars, at least the Beatles.

22:25 Yeah. It was literally the next day after driving her car home, I, we went up there and we drove up to New Hampshire, looked at one, didn't like it, found the second one, found the 70 and gave the guy a deposit. And the next weekend, we went up there and picked it up. Yeah, man. Awesome. I've got a 62. My wife drives a 71 Carmen Ghia for fun. Yeah. Those are our, you know, but here I wanted to touch on this because, You know, interesting kind of background and story because not a lifer as far as, as, you know, being into Volkswagens, your entire career slash even as a hobby. And that's very cool. And the reason why I say that is because there are a lot of times that I take somebody that's never been in a classic Beetle and they go for a ride in one for the first time.

23:12 I always hear this. Well, damn. Yep. This thing rides a lot better than I thought it would. And I'm like, what'd you think? You were getting into a fricking wagon from the 1912s? Like what? Right, right. It's yeah. So what I wanted to say to that was. To you, can you believe how well these little cars drive and how well they're engineered? It's pretty insane, man. Everything about them. Yeah, everything about them, I love them. Yeah, me too, man. You too, I'm locked in. The simplicity of them, the idea that they were built for the consumer to be able to work on. And you literally can't.

23:53 I mean, that's why nowadays I got that 73 Westy I'm doing here in my house. And, you know, again, just doing it right at home. That's what I love about them. You know, I really do. So you've done three full restorations now on classic Volkswagens. I know we touched on this a little bit, I'm sure. But I want to, you know, just hear a little bit more detail. The process from the first time all the way to now with how much you've learned on doing three cars, what does the process look like now that it's evolved? Well, it's funny because I just literally bought a 60 ragtop Beetle. I haven't gotten it yet. I should be picking it up right after Thanksgiving that weekend.

24:35 Nice. What a great year to be grateful and thankful. That's a great car. And it's a barrel green ragtop car. So, I mean, it's rare, right? What you going to do with it? But, you know, in the beginning I had, so I've got a 69 as well that somebody gave to me. That's a long story. I'll make that short and sweet. A friend of my wife's best friend, they had the car sitting in the yard for 30 years. It's kind of like a family heirloom, but it didn't move for 30 years. So it's like the ground came up around it. So the car is just too far gone and they just wanted it out of there. So I went and picked it up. Brought it back to our shop, pulled the engine out of it because it turned.

25:18 Actually, I rebuilt that engine, which will probably end up going in the 60. I rebuilt that engine. It was a 1500 single port. I made it into a 1600 dual port. But again, that was a free car. So I'm into it for what it cost me to build that engine. But yeah, that 60, I think will probably just go back to as close to the original as possible. and I'll probably put that 1600 in it just for drivability. Yeah. We've got a 64 Sandy, we call that one, which that's a gorgeous little car. That's a funny story how we got that one too. And I don't want to keep rambling here, but. You're not rambling, man. This is your time, brother. Let it roll. Let it roll.

25:58 I'll get into the next one. So Sandy, we took Lucky to a car show. This was, I don't know, five or six months after I finished Lucky. And we went to the car show parked next to a 64 10 beetle i talked to the guy for about an hour he was you know really cool guy i told him about the 70 that i had just gotten and you know we i had been driving that by the time that was two that i'd already gotten that thing running and going and it wasn't a bad looking car at the time so i was just driving it so we go to this car show parked next to this guy and his name's wayne really really good guy a couple months later it was right around thanks right around this time actually my wife says to me and she should know better at this point that you know tell me about these things but she says hey i don't know if you notice there's a tan beetle on facebook for sale and i i look at it and i'm like hon that's the car we parked next to it at at the show and she said no and i'm like i'm telling you it's definitely that car so i messaged him and he literally got right back to me he said i because my response to him was hey i don't know if you remember me but we had the blue and white super convertible that was parked next to you at the show, And his response back was a picture of our two cars together. Oh, cool, man.

27:07 Yeah, which is pretty cool. So he told me, he's like, listen, I saw what you did with your wife's Beetle. If you want this car, I'd rather see it go to somebody like you. God, two weeks later, we had that one. So in literally, in a matter of less than a year, we owned three Beetles, right? Wonderful. Yeah. And Sandy's that car, I mean, I'd done, you know, mechanical work to it. Nothing body work, you know, put a quick shine on it, buffing it up. But you know what I talk about? I talk about with a lot of enthusiasts and this happens, but we compare these old classics to almost like a cat because, you know, they say cats find you. I feel like these classic dubs are the same way, man. They just end up finding you.

27:50 Now, sometimes we're guilty because we're on social media. Yeah, we're always looking for opportunities. But that's still an example of finding us. I mean, you showed up in my feed. Dang it. But yeah, man, I think it's so cool to hear these types of stories where these cars just stars align and they find you. Any favorite paint jobs or any favorite colors that that you know resonate to you or have any stories behind them in the cars that you're building yeah ringo which is a 70 convertible that's the gray black one that's got the black two-tone in the hood and and on the deck lid so those colors are loosely based so a friend of mine growing up he and i have built so many cars together in fact we're still doing a 66 nova 320 327 car four speed really nice car, we built so many cars together over the years but anyways his his usual go-to it's always black like everything i paint for him is always black that's a hard color too isn't it it's such a hard color yeah man respect body where it's got to be spot on i mean right bringing the clear coat back to a you know that kind of show winning shine that just it takes time it takes patience it's all those things that you know that i learned really young none of the things that i have for patience.

29:12 Those are the colors that he would typically use. There's something similar. And then, you know, with the dark gray, that's actually a Volkswagen color. So I think it was 14 or 15, somewhere around there. They had a Beetle convertible that was gray with black. And my 70 is loosely based off of that kind of furrow theme. Got it. Got it. So for people that are listening who think, you know. About maybe not being able to take on a project like that naturally you you not only did but did well and then continued to take on more and more what would be advice from you for for somebody to start a project like that well if say so i would say that it would depend on which but which which model we're talking about right so if it's a beetle first i say just buy the car right i mean If the engine, if the engine turns over by hand, then it's likely going to run.

30:10 So if you get it running and you drive it that one time, you're going to fall in love with it enough to want to work on it. Right. So once you get to that point, I mean, if, if you're handy enough and you can, and you can weld or, or learn how to weld, MIG welding is not hard. You can probably restore one of these cars. I mean, I look at some of these people that are online and hats off to all of them. Right. Right. Annie, for one, Annie's VW, she's killing it. Our house. Yeah. Super smart. I watch her stuff all the time. Me too. Me too. I learn so much. Yeah, I give her a lot of credit. She's done some really, really impressive work. Amen, dude. And that's the thing. So you probably don't realize your own potential with these things until you get rocking and rolling on them. Yeah.

30:56 One of the favorite things that she said to me on when she did this podcast was to the men. And she said, stop taking the tools out of the hands of us women. I remember that. Yeah. When we ask a question and we want guidance, we don't want you to do it for us. Right. And I swear, man, that was such an impactful statement that I think means so much to so many people. Absolutely like yeah I mean if you're if you're if you're interested enough to want to turn wrenches on one of these things then by all means that's that's what you should be doing you shouldn't you know you I get asking for for guidance is the right word yeah I understand that completely Yeah But that's just it you they want to do it on their own so I think that was a very wise statement on her part for sure For sure and wow is she talented man makes it makes it look easy you know literally when it looks that easy It takes, you know, the average folks and it gives them motivation. They're like, wait a minute.

31:56 I can build this too. You know, it's all coming apart so easy. It's all going to back together so easy. Right. Yeah, man. She's, she's, she's amazing. Let's touch on forest. Oh yeah. Okay. So forest is, tell me about this Westie. Tell me about what year and you know, what, what, yeah. Tell me about the engine. Tell me about this, this, this bus. So forest is a 77 Westphalia. It's an automatic, which actually I kind of, I really come to like in that thing. And look, I've wanted to, but once I, once I got bitten by the bug, I'd love to have them all, Joe. I know, man. Hey, me too, man. Me too. I keep my eyes open for that stuff all the time. I want to switch back.

32:37 I want a notch back. I mean. Me too. Me too. Now, actually, let me touch on that. The notch has evolved to one of my favorite models because to me, you're a Chevy guy. It looks like a little miniature 57 Chevy. Yep. And I just, I think that is just the sexiest little dub ever. So that's become one of my favorites, you know, the type three notch back, but I want to pay. I want to split. I'm not done yet. I still want an early, very early, even a split or an oval window Beetle. The late 70s Beetles were great as far as drivability and comfort and everything else with AC.

33:25 I'd like to have one of those all original convertible. Man, I could go on forever, but I'm like you. I want them all, and I'm always looking. Always looking for opportunity. So all right so kind of like a cat with forest i mean i've i've been keeping my i was keeping my eye out looking for a westy right and and i wanted a green one and it just so happened that i mean it's what a what a crazy year right i literally i told myself this was last year i'm like do not buy any more cars you have too many cars and then you know my wife and i we went out to dinner one night and so she shows me a picture of a pink 55 chevy and i just tell her i'm like We're not buying a 55 Chevy It's not in the cards So what I do find is I found that 57 Buick So I ended up doing that 57 Buick Which is a great car It really is So I had bought the Buick And then maybe six or eight weeks later I see Forest for sale And immediately I'm like And I saw the price I think the guy was asking $10,000 for it Which way more than fair for that thing.

34:31 I mean, it was a running, running, driving, reliable Westy bus. You can't find that anymore, right? No, man. Perfect. Lovely. Long story short, I ended up going up there that day. I offered him $8,000 for it. I got the bus for $8,000. He drove it to me the next day. Yep, he drove it all the way. It was down up near Boston. He drove it down the Cape for me, which was about an hour and a half ride for him. And I remember when he showed up, I was like, wow, she made it. And he looks at me like I was crazy. And he goes, hey, I don't know if you understand, but this thing's reliable. He's like, I was out in upstate New York with this three weeks ago. And he's like, I've gone to California and back with it twice. And I'm like, wow, okay.

35:12 Right. So, so, so that, that's the story on, and, and I call it Forrest. He had named it Horace, H-O-A, H-O-R-A-C-E. But the name just didn't fit with me. I think Forrest more for camping, something like that, and it's green. Yeah. No, I like it. I love it, man. Got Forrest. He had done some really cool stuff to it. It's got a little solar panel on the roof, and I put a bigger lithium-ion battery in there, so it's got 300 amp hours. I'll run my refrigerator for like a week. Yeah, and I camped the hell out of that thing this summer. It was a blast. I loved it. Yeah, so I saw that in your back story. So just this last year, you've been, you've been out camping in that thing several times, but five times more.

35:57 What's the, what, what are some of the best memories from the road? You know, I, as, as corny as this might sound, like just getting there. Do you know what I mean? The drive. I get it, dude. If trust me, you're on, you're on the call with the right guy. I get it. Sometimes I just take a video of myself just driving my cars, you know, because I'm, I'm, what I'm trying to do is capture the feeling that I'm feeling. And I just I can't right I watch the video later And I'm like why were you showing your toes Yeah right, Yeah like I mean for me it's whatever I'm listening to On the radio the mood that it puts me in Because I feel like in that In my Westie when I'm going somewhere Like I feel like it's.

36:43 Like I'm like, like I'm free, right? So the farther down Cape on Cape Cod that you go, the more desolate it is. And that's some of the most gorgeous coastal, you know, areas of the, of, of Massachusetts that they're just untouched, you know, and it's national seashore, so it can't be touched and God, is it gorgeous out there. So when you're driving out there and just all you're seeing is the dunes and stuff, and then you get to your spot and then, you know, unhitch my, my mountain bike and just, and just go. I mean, God, I love that. I mean, that's, it's just, it's, I've, you know, the off grid thing, I suppose. Yeah. I mean, I love that because I can be, you know, and in my bus, I've got a TV.

37:24 I've got every little creature comfort that you can think of. I put it in there so I could literally, there's clothes, there's food. I could right now go out there, turn the key and leave for a week. It's, it's, that's the way I want it to. And it's, it's a vibe, man. There's something magical about, about sleeping in a bus, you know, for sure. All right. So let's, uh, let's fast forward just a little bit then. So you're working on another Bay window bus now that you're turning into a photo booth business, right? Talk to me, I guess, just about maybe how this idea came to life and, and yeah, what, what, what your, what your plans are for this business. Here's my thoughts, Joe. I mean, we go to the, when, when it's summertime, my wife's a teacher, so she has a summer off. I mean, that's my busy time of year, but that's the time of year that I don't want to be turning wrenches on things all the time, right? I want to be enjoying the summer.

38:15 We live in one of the most beautiful places in the country where people come to vacation all the time. So I want to enjoy that, right? We have that in common, actually. And I want to enjoy the cost. So, you know, when we go to these places more so, I think it really hit me the most in September this year. We went to a certain beach. We really can't go too often because you need parking passes and we don't want to pay, right? So this time of year, you don't have to pay. Well, anyways, we had the 64 Beetle, the Sandy. And, you know, I put all the props on that car, right? I put the surfboard up there. I've got an old Coke cooler. I've got some old vintage suitcases and luggage. Oh, hell yeah. And it's got the year manufacturer plates on it so it really hams it up I parked that thing at the beach and we go sit and this was the first time I think we've actually been close to one of the cars at the beach and every single person that came on the beach that day was taking pictures with the car of course they were.

39:12 And then the following and I didn't really whatever I mean it is what it is I guess I kind of get numb to the fact of that that's what the car is right but then the next week we went back to the same beach and there was a woman sitting there on the parking lot she was an elderly woman probably had trouble walking through the sand but she wanted to be there, anyways she was close enough with an earshot she said to us she's like is this your car and i said yeah it is and she's like i feel like we should be charging admission for this stuff um i thought to myself i'm like you know what that's a pretty good idea right so not that i want to do that at the beach or anything i don't want that kind of attention but it's it's very you know i think it I think there's a big market for, you know, folks taking family pictures with something by the beach.

39:54 I just, I think that, I think there really is. There is. I've had other guests on the podcast even previously that do this as a family business. They've got several buses, you know, photo booth buses. So, yeah, man, I'm right in, man. Especially for me, it's like, you know, I said this in the beginning. when you have an opportunity to merge any type of a passion that you have with business, I feel like, the income that it can substantiate is typically almost ironic because it's, it comes so easy, right? You're like, wow, why didn't I do this years ago? Well, because it wasn't right. You know, now it's right.

40:36 Stars align the passions there, you know, now the, you fuel the business and it's just like, well, yeah, that thing's booked every weekend. You're like, what? Yeah. It's booked every weekend. Yeah. It's crazy. It's crazy. But I'm happy to hear about that. But I guess maybe explain the build for me just a little bit. Oh, okay. So God, you'll laugh at this, Joe. So again, my wife works way down. She's been about an hour commute to work every day and they were doing some road construction down there this year. So they had, they had a detour, right? And it's quiet down there. There's not, there's not too much going on. Right. So she comes home one day and she says to me, and again. Elena should know better when she, when it comes to this stuff, she comes home and she says, Hey hon, I think I, I think I saw one of those old Volkswagen vans that you like down on my detour.

41:24 On my way to work today i said oh yeah take me a picture so she takes a picture the next morning on her way to work she sends it to me and immediately i'm like i wrote back at the 68 to 7 68 to 73 vw t2 westphalia bus and she goes oh is that i mean she's clueless when it comes a lot of that stuff right and she goes oh is that one that you like i'm like absolutely so i didn't tell her but there was a tiny little for sale sign in the back window and it was an older guy all it was was he apparently had a locksmith business it was his name and a phone number what i called i zoomed in enough and i got the phone number i called the phone number and i told the guys like look i could be down there later this afternoon love to come take a look at it and he says yeah sure it's not going anywhere it's been out there for years now so long story short i go down there look at it and it sinks it's wasted like i mean it's it's absolutely wasted And in my thought, I'm like, whatever, I mean, I want to paint for us at some point, so I'm sure I could use the parts.

42:25 So I buy the thing for $1,000, you know, it's got paperwork, it's got everything with it It's a complete bust, I mean, everything's there, there's a couple little things that we're missing, whatever, but it's all there So I get it back home, and it's ugly as hell, right? Somebody had tried to spray paint to make it look some kind of a hippie wagon or something I mean, it is ugly, just as ugly as it is. So, you know, I had already started acquiring parts for Forrest and had tons of stuff. So, I mean, it's just something that's just sitting over there in the corner of the yard. I'm like, ah, maybe I'll start picking away at it, right? So, tried to get it running. Had to put a distributor in it, distributor I had. So, I got it running. I'm like, wow, she don't make no noise. It actually sounds pretty good. And so, then it was on to the brakes and most of that stuff I had already started buying new stuff.

43:11 You know, I had a new beam for front suspension for Forrest. Anyway, so I started picking away at it. And now it's like, all right, well, if I've gone this far, I might as well keep going. And it's funny because it's, you know, the guys at work, they'll joke with me like, you don't like them unless it's an absolute toilet that needs to be junk. And that's the type of project that you want. Well, kind of. I like being able to do something that somebody tells me, oh, that thing's too far gone. It's like, oh, yeah, we'll see about that, you know? Interesting, interesting. Interesting. And the true craftsmen, true artistic type builders I've had on, they have that same mindset. Like, you know, oh yeah, they were going to trash this thing.

43:53 They said it needed to be scrapped, you know? And then, you know, all of a sudden you see it come back to life. You're like, man, you know, everybody said this couldn't be done. So cool. Cool to hear you say that. And it's three quarters of the way done now. I mean, I've, I've been flying around it. You know, I really have If I have any spare time That's what I want to be doing I want to be in the garage You know, working on that stuff But yeah, it's really moving along I anticipate painting it around Christmas time So, bit by the bug Last few years You know, kind of describe for me Maybe. What is your favorite part of the VW community, you know, now for you? You know, I got to admit that everybody that I've encountered in the Volkswagen community, it's different than any other community I've ever been a part of when it comes to cars.

44:40 I don't know any other way to describe it other than it feels more like a brotherhood or family-like than anything else. That doesn't just go for anybody who's a Volkswagen enthusiast, right? That goes right back to the beginning where every single person, if you're over the age of, God, say 35, if you ask somebody about a Volkswagen bug, their uncle, their grandmother, their mother, somebody's happening. Everybody's got a story about a bug. And for that, I think a lot of that is really probably my favorite part, the camaraderie, the brotherhood, because everybody's willing to help each other. Do you think anything's missing? More of them, I suppose. I mean, I'd be happy to see these things all over the place, you know, I, I just love the cars.

45:28 The more the merrier. So you're doing interior work too, right? Upholstery, you're building tops. Yeah. Where, where, where'd you learn all this stuff from, man? Is it trial and error or are you super? Yes. What's going on here? In short, yes. So when I finished Lucky, I had bought all the parts to the whole convertible top kit. I bought everything, but I was nervous to do it. I didn't know, I mean, never done one before. Just didn't know if I had what it took to be able to do a convertible top, right? So I started looking around, calling people, and nobody wants to touch that stuff anymore, right? You tell them that you've got the fabric, you've got everything for it, and they're like, no, won't do it, no, won't do it.

46:10 I even talked to some old-timers, some guys that, you know, retired that were still doing stuff on the side, and nope, won't touch it. And I was like, oh, man, like, what the heck? It really is going to be up to me. Yeah, and that's literally what it boiled down to. I said, you know what? I'm just gonna give this a shot and and yeah the first one i did was was mine i didn't want to do lucky because so let's just understand a little bit about lucky right that's that's mama bear's car, i mean it it literally gets driven three times a year maybe it's a garage queen and and you know she doesn't like it to go out she doesn't want anything to happen to me i love to drive them right so my my 70 ringo i mean i'm in that car all the time when we go to the beach we're in sandy Like we drive them Just not so much lucky So when it came time to do it in the first convertible top I figured you know what If I'm going to wreck one or I'm going to mess something up I can't have it be my own best car So I got to do my own first So I did mine Which I mean that was a pretty good crash course On convertible tops The older cars they have the wood bow in the front And I don't care who you buy that The wood bows from They all need work They all need to be You know fitted I did, God, 15, 20 times and checked and double-checked, and it's just time-consuming, right?

47:31 Where the supers, they're not as hard. But, yeah, so I did the first top on mine and thought it came out pretty good and then thought I was a hero, so we already had the stuff to do hers, so I did hers too. And then the next thing I know, like, a friend of mine came, hey, they just bought a super and they wanted a top-down. I'm like, yeah, sure, I'll do that. Then another guy, you know, yeah, so that's how it starts. That's exactly right. All right. So tell me this one. Unlimited time, unlimited budget. What kind of VW are you going to build? Bonestock square back. I'd also love. Yeah, baby. Oh, yeah. I want an oval. I mean, the old Beatles. I mean, there's something about those. It would probably, if I, if it was, if money wasn't an object.

48:16 It would be a very early Beetle, probably an oval, and just have it be as original as can be. I love it. And, you know, usually I get this vibe from a lot of the, you know, the true craftsmen's more of the purist, you know, type vibe. And, hey, listen, total respect to that. I think maybe, I don't know, my Miami roots, not saying that meaning I grew up there, but I'm a South Florida kid, you know, born and raised here in St. Pete you know miami was like the influence especially the car scene so all through the late 80s and the 90s man we were mini trucking we were low riding we had high drugs you know so for me it's like i don't care what year it is like if it it it's cool if it's absolutely slammed onto the ground as far as you go and you know so here's the thing i i love them all right and yeah yeah When I do a car for myself, in my head, I've already come up with a theme.

49:17 I know what it's going to look like. I know what I want it to drive like. I know what I want it to handle. I know in my head, as I'm beginning the project, I know where the outcome is going to be. So with Ringo, I wanted to build my perfect Beetle. So my perfect Beetle was something that had a lot of power. Handled really well braked really well very reliable turnkey just get in it run the pants off and if that's what i want to do and that's kind of where that car is at so it's low it's got you know all kinds of suspension goodies underneath it and that car handles like it handles and drives like a very overpowered go-kart you're right and and that's i mean that's that's that's some of the most fun that you can have doing 50 or 60 miles an hour period i mean just just getting there right so yeah and about that car a little bit right so that's that's got an 1835 in it that's got cd performance ponchito heads and dual 40 idfs and angley 110 cam so i mean it's decent it's i think it's nine to one compression so it goes pretty good i mean there's not much to the car so yeah yeah she she moves along pretty good and then you got you got lucky Who's fairly stuck And then I've got Sandy Which is the 64 That car is still 6 volt And I don't want to change that You know I'm losing track man How many projects do you have right now Total.

50:43 Okay, so we got the 57 Buick's done. I still got to do the upholstery on it, but we drive that car. We've got the IROC. Then I got the 40 Chevy one-and-a-half-ton dump truck. Those are the GM ones. Then we've got Sandy, which is a 64 Beetle. Lucky, which is the 75 Super. Mine, the Ringo, is the 70. Then I got that 69 Beetle that was given to me. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it. Forest, which is the 77 Westy. I got the 73 Westie that I'm in the process of right now. And then just picking up that 60 beetle rag next week. Yeah. It's nine, nine projects, man. Yeah. That's cooking brother.

51:24 Good. That's a lot. It's a lot going on. Yeah. It's awesome. It doesn't maintain them. You know, it really is. Oh, I know it. I got two in the driveway and, you know, in all transparency, sometimes they're running. Sometimes they're not. That's it. You know? Yeah. In the 62, I find the six volt, the six volt 1200 has proven, you know, reliable for sure. But man, that little thing is picky. I mean, it feels like, yeah, if I don't have a trickle charger on that battery, I must have some type of amp draw somewhere. It just, it dies in a day or two. Yeah. And it's like, oh, so I keep the trickle charger on it. Then the starter wants to get a little cranky sometimes and it wants to get stuck. Yeah.

52:09 You know, so I've got to, I've got to advance it to get it from unstuck. And then the key switch will work again. I've gone through two key switch. I'm like, man, yeah. I don't think of Volkswagen. Yeah. I'm probably going to, I got a 1600, like, like you said, I've got a 1600 dual port that, you know, was a performance motor that came out of a trike and it's all, it's all chromed out like a Harley, you know, because it came off the back of a bike. But I've got it. It runs like a top. It's actually a new build. I'm going to put that 1600 in my 62, and I'm excited to make it a 12-volt. Yeah.

52:51 So, again, moving forward, thinking about that 60 that I'm going to do, right? So that I would like it to – I want it to look original, as original as can be. But I want the creature comforts that better brakes, you know, and just a little bit more power. Because that 1200 in Sandy, I mean, again, that thing is as reliable as the day is long. Yeah, yeah, that's what I'm saying. I haven't touched that car in probably five weeks, and this morning I moved it. And again, there's no trickle charging that or nothing. I just went out there, turned the key. It took a little bit of cranking, but she fired right up. Yeah, I love it. but that car i've got i've got service records on that thing for god 35 years that i got from the guy i mean just it's it's just an original it was a one-owner car before he had gotten it just just such a nice cool car and you know i know with that thing i'm fine going around town running to the beach you know 15 20 minutes away but like any more than that it's tough on today's roads because people just get upset. You know what I mean?

53:54 People go around you, honking at you, giving you the bird. It's like, it's a 60-year-old Volkswagen. What do you think? Right. But I would. I think that 60, probably that's going to be a 12-volt car with just a stock 1600 dual port and probably a little bit better braking. Yeah, that's where I'm headed. That's where I'm headed to. Yeah, yeah. All right, so I got some rapid-fire questions. These are questions that would demand a fast response. And like I tell every guest every time, if a story evolves out of any of these, so be it. But it doesn't have to. You can answer with one-word answers if you want to. Are you ready? Ready. All right. First car that you ever wrecked and or restored?

54:40 Well, that's two different answers. First car I ever wrecked was a Honda CRX. What year? I think it was a 90 or 91. 90 or 91, I remember those. I had a 96 Civic hatchback I bought off the showroom floor. Loved those little cars. Oh, yeah. For sure. Honda had their act together back then. Right, right. And let's see. And the next one was, what was it? The favorite one I've restored? First one you restored. First car I've restored or first Volkswagen? First car. First car I restored. Lord. Yeah. My father gave me a 78 Camaro for when I, when I turned 16 and, you know, it was a, it was a running, driving car. It was a nice car actually.

55:26 You know, a few things about it, but you know, again, I was in high school and I ended up selling that Monte Carlo SS that I had, I had done for the cash to build a motor for that Camaro. And I went right through that Camaro. God, I was 17. I think the first time I raced it in a quarter mile drag up in New Hampshire. Yeah That was probably The first one That I actually Really everything You know Engine Everything Right through the car And I was Yeah Well I hadn't even Graduated high school then Yep. Awesome, man. All right. Dream VW color combo. I mean, for me, it was what I did on my 70. But again, I loved all the old 70s and 60s colors that they had back then.

56:06 So I'm really excited to get into that 60 and that barrel green. I think there's something about those old, you know, late 50s, early 60s, those colors. You touched on something earlier when you were talking about black, but my favorite or my dream combo is black exterior, obviously black paint, everywhere paint goes, and then red. Yeah. Red on the big 17-inch or even above. Yeah. Big smoothies. I love them. Red, chrome center, red interior, red carpet, red doors. That's to me, that's just like, oh, yeah, I can dig that for sure.

56:51 Okay. How about this one? Favorite tool. In your garage right now. Favorite tool. This is going to sound my sanding blocks. Oh, man. I watch Annie sand with the block, and I swear it looks like you can just see the passion, man. She's feeling the car out, you know, like every single nook and cranny, and that's just so cool to me. So good answer. Good answer. Yeah, the sanding blocks don't lie. You know, as a kid, when you're learning the trade, you want to use the air tools and you want to be faster, and that's the name of the game. But if you want to be fast, you need to learn how to be good with your hands. And that's the first lesson. I can tell you the first time that I was actually told that. And I was about 14.

57:35 At 13, I was working on that Monte Carlo, actually. And my uncle came out, and he's like, I'm watching you. You're putting it on. You're taking it off. You're putting it on. You're taking it off. What's going on? I'm like, well, and he says, listen, just like this. He said, listen, if you want to be good with something, if you want to figure this out, if you want to do it, you need to find the feel with your hands first. That tool is going to lie to you. The block will not. And so I guess, yeah, there you go. There you go. Xanoblast. Yeah. So one car you'd never sell. One would be that 40 Chevy. And that's because Pabst was born in 1940. I learned to weld on his 40 Ford Coupe. And I remember the day I brought that up to him. And this was years after I, you know, grown man and had kids of my own.

58:18 And I brought that truck up to him and he walked around it with a big smile on his face and just told me how proud of me that he was. And I'll never forget that. That meant the world to me. Absolute world to me. So that and, and lucky Elena's, Elena's Beetle, because that's mama's car. That's the one that started it all. Yeah, man. Awesome. So looking back now at the work that you do, is it engine building or body work that gives you more kind of Zen? Yeah. 100% body work. Body work. Yeah. I mean, I can feel that. I love the idea of building my own engines. And, you know, I love doing it on the air-cooled stuff. I don't want to build V8s. I don't want to work on any of that stuff.

58:58 I want to work on these little air-cooled motors. And, you know, I've done a handful of them by now, and I got a 2276. I got the short block all together on my bench in the shop right now. Dang, man. Putting together a rocket. But, yeah, it should be pretty good. That'll be for Ringo. 70 convertible but that should be somewhere around 160 horsepower when i'm done yeah hey. But yeah, I mean, for me, it's body work and people, they laugh at me for that, but you know, the guys at work, they'll see me and I'll be covered in dust and still smiling. And they're like, I don't know how you can send that all day long. And I'm like, man, that's, that's the easiest thing in the world. I already know the outcome. There's nothing to be upset about. It's it, it, for me, it's simple.

59:40 It's as simple as folding a load of laundry, but I guess it's because I've been doing it for, since I was a little kid. Second nature. Yeah. It's crazy. All right, answer this one. If you could only pick one, are we picking Westie camping or beetle cruising? If I had to pick one, it's going to be beetle, mostly because that's what I do with my wife. My wife's not a camper. That's not her thing. She said to me right from the beginning, I'll go with you one time a year. And she's fulfilled that obligation, right? She's done it. She's gone that one time a year. But that's not her thing as much as I love it. That's kind of my thing. but I love the time spending time with my wife doing that stuff. Right. So I would have to say definitely Beetle. I'd probably pick the same.

1:00:23 And for the same reason, my wife is my rod or die. She's right there next to me all the time in the passenger seat, but she's not a camper either. We have a camper, but it has AC and all the rest of the luxuries of life that she's used to. Just not her thing. Doesn't mean she doesn't respect it, but just not her thing. What's one thing that people always get wrong about restorations with vws probably that they're hard i mean i can't tell you how many times i see on like facebook marketplace how many of these cars that people have like taken apart and and started to work on and then they just they lose the interest or i mean i get it i mean you know life happens right i understand that but these cars are really not that hard.

1:01:09 And if there was any bit of advice I could give anybody that wants to work on them, just start doing it. Just start working on them. And if you have any trouble, there's plenty of people in the Volkswagen community that will offer up advice and point you in the right direction. And again, like Gary Miller, talking about him, it was because of watching his videos that I said, yeah, you know what? I'm going to take one of these apart and I'm going to put it back together myself. Amazing. You know, the type of impact that some of these influential type people have online. And again, you know, the why behind, you know, what makes you even stimulated to want to teach people.

1:01:51 It's a similar feeling, you know, it's the feeling of, because it's not as difficult as people think. Right. And I just want to really prove that so we can continue this hobby, you know, in this lifestyle. So, you know, very awesome for sure. And like I said, in the beginning, man. VW jawbreaker. Fantastic dude. Yeah. If your VW could talk, let's say the one that you're keeping forever, what would it say about you as an individual? Dedication, probably, I would have to say. I mean, because no matter what, I mean, it's... You know, I, I want to be out there with the cars. I want to be, I want to be playing with them. I want to be even just, you know, sometimes I'll just pick a day, especially in the summertime, I'll pick a day and just clean them.

1:02:36 You know what I mean? Just, just enjoy them and enjoy the fact that they're mine, that I, that I've put them together with my own hands. I do the same. You know, I just like to look at them in the driveway. Some days I'll start them, let them run 15, 20 minutes. I'll shut them down. I'll look over everything, check the oil. It'll just, you know, kind of go over everything and then I'll wash them. I'll clean them, shop back out. I'm like, well, dude, you just did this a week ago and you don't drive them. Yeah. Same thing with wax. I mean, I could, that's another thing. I could wax these cars. I could do that every single day. It's like blocking them. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. The, the, the paint correction. I love that stuff. I mean, that's the stuff that when I was a kid, I mean, you know, I remember perhaps giving me certain things to do and, and I remember being, you know, being a young wimper snapper, if you will, and being like, we're not going to replace that fender.

1:03:28 And I remember him being like, are you a body man or are you a wimp? All right. Yeah, sure. All right. I'll straighten the thing. Yeah. So, I mean, but those are the things that teach you, right? Um, so yeah, I mean, I could, I could any day, all day. That's my, it's my comfort, comfortable place. So dedication is the word. I would say yes. That's what your VW would say about you. Probably say, thank you for being dedicated. All right, finish this sentence. You ready? Ready. Volkswagens taught me a redefinition of a love for a hobby that was already instilled in me, right? So, I mean, I love cars, and I've been doing cars since I was a little kid, and damn near raced everything with an engine throughout my life at one point or another.

1:04:16 But, you know, I don't think I was as in tune with cars again until we got lucky, right? And it was that car that really... Really made me love it again. You know, I mean, life happens, right? I went through a divorce, you know, 10 years ago, almost 10 years ago. And that kind of changed the course of direction in life for a while. It made me kind of rethink priorities and where I needed to be and kind of had to rebuild life. And the 40 Chevy was about the only thing I kept through it, to be honest. And just because I'll never sell that one. But yeah, Volkswagen really taught me the redefinition of the hobby that I already love.

1:04:56 It brought me right back into it with an intense love for it again, like I did when I was a kid. Fantastic, man. Fantastic. And where can people find you up in your area, your neck of the woods, if they want to, if they want to maybe reach out to you or hell, maybe even have a project for you to work on? Yeah, they can find me on Facebook, Cape Cod Bugs. If anybody has any questions and wants some work done around here, capecodbugs at gmail.com feel free hit me up i'm happy to at least if it's something that you need help with or i can help you or at least point you in the right direction you need parts or know somebody that needs something whatever it may be um hit me up with an email capecodbugs at gmail.com and gladly help any way i can and that's a wrap for this episode of dub life diaries thanks for riding along with us and diving into these incredible stories of the people in the doves that drive their dreams.

1:05:50 If you loved today's episode, don't forget to subscribe or hit that follow button so you never miss an adventure. Do you have a story to tell or know somebody else who's living the dove life? Awesome. Reach out to us. You can find us on all socials at Dove Life Diaries or shoot me an email. I'm not hard to find. DoveLifeDiaries at gmail.com. Until next time, keep the engines humming and the wheels turning and always follow the road that inspires you. This is Joe Person. I'm signing off. I'll catch you on the next ride.