Here are some pictures of restorations, customizations, and results of cars that have been given the Metric Autohaus treatment.
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After: Rodney and Claudine were very surprised at the results achieved by doing a full restoration "the right way". Every single nut and bolt was replaced, and the body and chassis are 100% rust free; just as it was when they bought it back in 1970. The car was also brought into the modern era with a 2-stage white pearl with clear coat paint job, a high powered Kenwood sound system, an alarm system, 4-wheel disk brake system, and so on. Claudine now slips into her "time machine" and cruises up and down the roads of Washington, D.C. in style, while saving gas and being a stylish individual.
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Before: This poor Beetle had seen better days. It had been hit so hard in the front that the hood and apron were pushed 2" off center. The integrity of the original hood was maintained by metal working the dent out with dolly, hammer, shrink slappers, english wheel, and planiser. The fenders could not be saved economically, so they were replaced along with a front apron clip. The entire body was media blasted and sanded, then primed and painted.
After: In keeping with the original VW Beetle vein, an original paint code was used to shoot the car in single stage, correct VW colored paint. New bumpers, rubber, and a coat of wax helped to revive this old Beetle for more years of pleasurable driving and service.
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Before: This 1974 Porsche 914 1.8L came in tattered and in need of restoration. The body was as rust-free as they come, but the car needed more horse-power, suspension tweaking, and some polishing. A high-output 2.0L was built, with a 8.6:1 CR, polished rods, spun balanced/counter weighted crank assembly, 45 IDF Twin Carbs, loped cam, better exhaust, and too many modifications to list here. With the engine pulling like a reliable race car, the suspension saw 914-6 springs, and torsion lowering. Just the hoods and headlight covers were color-matched, and the entire body got a polish and wax sealant. The bumpers and top were done in a PPG DCC Gloss Black.
After: The tan interior was bumped out for a sportier black trimmed cockpit. The 2.0L Alloys were detailed in black insets with outer polished ribs and rim. The roaring 2.0L heavy breathed engine was housed in full detailed trim, tins, wiring, heater tubes, heat boxes and exchangers, and rubber. A new set of speakers were housed in new NOS 914 speaker grilles. The new Ansa Exhaust note sounds like a 914 below 3,000rpm, but opens to a throaty, Monte Carlo roar above 3,100rpms...all on pump gas. This car turns heads, and turns corners like it's on rails.
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Before: 1967 21-Window Deluxe Microbus; the bus seemed very solid until I looked underneath. The bottom 6" was completely rusted and crusted. The brakes were shot, the engine out of sorts, and the rust crept up around the windows and wind screens.
After: Cut out rusty chassis and welded all new metal on lower 6"-including new belly pans (which were previously missing), IRS Super Beetle transmission and IRS rear suspension conversion, 1776cc Heavily Breathed engine with twin 44IDF carbs/ported heads/cam/1.4 rockers/etc., Metric Autohaus Built 4" front ball-joint adjustable beam conversion, all new brakes and hard & soft lines, new steering box and all ties and control arms/ball joints, roof rack, CE Safari Window conversion with polished frames, Grey BRMs with big & small tire combo, KYB gas shocks all around, new window rubbers and side pop-out frames, new latches all keyed the same, electrical sorting and Optima Battery upgrade, Gene Berg "Metric Autohaus" custom bus shifter, factory option compass and accessories, vintage brake light salvaged from an old 40's Buick Sedan...the lines were so right on, entire suspension dropped 3 1/2" & 4", all new drums-bearings-casings, etc. etc etc. This bus rides like a caddy and rips up and down the highway like a sports car... only with more room and a view of the sky.
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Before: What started out as a crusty, yet rare 356 Drauz Roadster, has now culminated into our client's dream car. Only 1800 of these Drauz recreations were made. The idea was to have a 356 with heat, roll up windows, wipers, etc. that could be driven on a daily basis. People sometimes scoff at "kit cars", but who drives their real Drauz around; valued at over 300k? So, the stage was set when we pulled this car out of farm country in Virginia. It had been wrecked into the woods, smashed into a tree, then sat for almost 20 years falling into a state of decay. Few people saw the vision, as the front end was torn up, both sides were swiped, and the floors were non-existent. Our client had faith in us, so we took a year to completely restore the car to a very high standard. Porsche parts were sourced from Germany, Argentina, Greece, just to name a few. Countless hours went into mending and re-glassing the body, fitting new suspension, rebuilt transmission, rebuilt and tuned twin car engine, finishing the body, welding in new floors, replacing all brakes (disk brake install in front), replacing wheels and tires, then completely replacing everything in the interior; using Porsche history books and research online for guidance. I always wanted to really trim out a kit car to be every bit as detailed, if not more, than a 356 from that era. The pictures speak for themselves. I think I hit this one out of the park, as the client is still in shock over how gorgeous the car is. It drives and performs exactly like a 356 should, and the wide white wall tires pay homage to the 356 Continental Export line that the Drauz cars emulated back in 1959. We can't get enough of driving the car, as it is a time machine for sure.
After: Patiently awaiting the canvas top; many cool details to be revealed on that part of the project.
Although on an extreme budget, creative ideas allowed the interior to follow the Drauz guidelines almost to a "T". The gauges will be replaced with correct ones when they arrive from overseas. Yes, that is a crystal bud vase from the era, and yes those are real flowers.
You would never know this 356 was ever wrapped around a tree. All repairs were performed using fiberglass sheets, mats, and resins; all reinforced with steel rods and plates molded into the sections for a "better than new" repair.The bumper is the same, only after a few hours of work!
I can't wait to complete the next 4 cars we have back from paint. There is no feeling like it in the world, and it never seems to get old. The look on people's faces is priceless, the hugs are genuine, and the fact that their lives have become a bit richer... that just puts icing on the cake for us. I love my job, and my passion only grows deeper for these cars as each project rolls out the door. As for the nay-sayers... hopefully now you can see that it doesn't matter how shabby a car looks, anything is possible with a little imagination, a lot of creativity, and even more energy to see it through. Hopefully this will inspire you to get out of your slump, and actually finish something, because each time a project rolls out of Metric Autohaus, I gotta tell ya---the water is just fine. ;-)
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Before: This particular client wanted the original Diamond Green Metallic shot onto the car, without laying it too thick or looking like a second spray. The entire body and panel set was stripped of all traces of paint, rubber removed and all teeth and fasteners repaired, then hours of body massaging resulted in the paint you see here. Pictures do not do it justice.
I'll try to show you how correct Diamond Green Metallic changes color under different lighting.
It looks so much more dramatic in person, but you get the idea. The client is extremely happy and we will be posting up pics once the build is complete.
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