Waiting

To kick things off, I pulled the engine out last summer, an experience not quite like the one illustrated above, but close. (Instead of lifting the rear high enough to pull the dead weight of 40 horses under the bumper, take off one of the rear wheels, then inch the motor out sideways through the open well.) At this writing, the engine still sits in my garage, awaiting a buyer. No reasonable offer refused.

Later in the summer, we transfered the car via trailer 70 miles south to my father's house for more space, more tools and more know-how. Days ago, parts began to arrive, and with them this dream started to feel a little more like a possibility: that just maybe we could get this electric Bug on the road before the first winter snows.

But wait a minute--here comes a cold splash of reality: about the same time as the big, heavy boxes are dropping at my front door, Dad learns he has prostate cancer. He'll have surgery as early as possible--early December. And suddenly, his calendar has filled up with other, more necessary obligations than turning an old Volkswagen into an electric car. As a result and for good reason, right now the Bug sits in his garage, next to his highboy, powerless and waiting.

The truth is, there's another story going on here: Very early in the planning for all this, I realized it was not only an engineering project, but also a father-son project. It's been nearly a decade since I asked his help with a big piece of work, and I guess I've been missing the problem-solving and heavy lifting we've done in the past. Also I'm smart enough to know that right now I cannot do this by myself.

So VW, wait a little longer. First everything must be in place....