BILLY-BOB — THE SWAMP THING

From the swamps of Idaho to the roads of Britain and Europe. Dave’s 1965 Beetle spent much of its life serving as an unlikely fishing platform before arriving at Limebug for a year-long resurrection. What followed involved rotten floorpans, unwanted residents, a rather memorable smell and a complete air suspension transformation.

Words by Limebug | Hall of Fame — Featured Builds

Some cars have a fishy past.

We’ve had our fair share of unusual Volkswagens arrive at Limebug.

Cars recovered from barns.

Cars with questionable repairs.

And the occasional Beetle that appears to have spent several decades attempting to become part of the landscape.

But Dave’s 1965 Beetle came with a history that was difficult to beat.

Originally from Idaho, USA, the car had somehow ended up in a patch of swampland.

Nobody seems entirely certain how it got there.

What we do know is that at some point, somebody decided the old Volkswagen was more useful as a fishing platform than as a motor car.

And that’s how it spent much of its life.

Parked beside the water.

Gradually surrendering its bodywork to the elements.

And, as we would discover later, providing accommodation for some rather unwelcome wildlife.

Years later, that same Beetle would end up in the Limebug workshop for a complete restoration and suspension conversion.

By the time it left, it was riding on a four-inch narrowed Jawbreaker, equipped with front and rear air suspension and ready for its second life on European roads.

The smell, however, was rather more reluctant to leave.

Born in Idaho. Retired to a swamp.

An unusual American history

Billy-Bob began life as a 1965 Volkswagen Beetle in Idaho.

At some point during its early years, the car found its way into the local swampland.

The circumstances remain something of a mystery.

Perhaps it broke down.

Perhaps somebody simply stopped using it.

Or perhaps it was deliberately parked there when its value had fallen too low to justify repairs.

Whatever the reason, it stayed.

Its next known role was certainly unconventional.

The Beetle became a place from which somebody could fish.

Not exactly the recreational activity Volkswagen had envisaged when it designed the Type 1.

But apparently useful enough to keep the old car around.

Fifty years of unexpected character

The effects of that unusual retirement were still visible when Dave eventually acquired the car.

The bonnet had lost almost all its paint, leaving a wonderfully weathered surface.

Elsewhere, the bodywork showed the accumulated wear of decades spent in less-than-ideal conditions.

The original trim holes had also been welded up during its earlier life.

None of this made the Beetle particularly attractive to somebody looking for an immaculate restoration project.

But to Dave, the appearance was part of its charm.

And the car had another unusual feature.

According to the information accompanying it, the Beetle had covered remarkably few miles.

The five-thousand-mile Beetle

Dave discovered Billy-Bob while browsing eBay.

Advertised with approximately 5,000 miles, it was an intriguing proposition.

Of course, a very low recorded mileage on a sixty-year-old Volkswagen deserves a little caution unless supported by detailed documentation.

But Billy-Bob’s history at least offered an unusual explanation for why the car might have spent so little time travelling on the road.

It had apparently spent an enormous portion of its life standing still.

Usually somewhere damp.

With people fishing from it.

The combination of low recorded mileage, extraordinary patina and distinctly odd history was enough to get Dave interested.

Before long, Billy-Bob had crossed the Atlantic and begun an entirely different life in Britain.

Welcome to Limebug. What’s that smell?

The restoration begins

When Dave brought the Beetle to us, the intention was to give it a complete mechanical and structural refresh while preserving the original exterior character.

It sounded straightforward enough.

Strip the car.

Assess the chassis.

Repair what needed repairing.

Install the suspension.

And put everything back together.

Naturally, things became more interesting once we started taking it apart.

Because the Beetle hadn’t been the only thing living in that swamp.

The former residents

Evidence of rats was everywhere.

The chassis had become a home for rodents, with the consequences you’d expect after years of occupation.

Rot.

Contamination.

And a smell that was difficult to describe without being unnecessarily unpleasant.

Let’s just say it wasn’t something Volkswagen had included in the original upholstery options.

The situation required rather more than a quick clean.

We spent hours pressure-washing the shell, trying to remove the accumulated dirt and lingering evidence of its previous inhabitants.

It was one of those jobs that makes you question some of your career decisions.

Especially when you’ve chosen to restore old Volkswagens for a living.

Rebuilding the foundations

New floorpan halves

Once the Beetle had been stripped and cleaned, the extent of the structural damage became much clearer.

The years spent in damp conditions had taken their toll.

The floorpan halves required replacement, and the remaining chassis needed extensive attention.

We removed the damaged sections and fitted replacement floorpan halves before continuing with the restoration.

It wasn’t simply a matter of making the car look presentable underneath.

The chassis needed to be structurally sound and properly prepared for regular road use.

Which was particularly important given what Dave had planned.

This wasn’t going to become a show car that travelled everywhere on a trailer.

He intended to drive it.

And drive it a lot.

The contrast between top and bottom

One of the most interesting decisions involved the difference between the bodywork and the chassis.

On top, Billy-Bob would retain its weathered appearance.

The faded panels.

The bare patches.

And the unmistakable evidence of its years in Idaho.

Underneath, however, the approach was completely different.

The chassis was thoroughly restored and detailed, with the mechanical components brought up to a standard appropriate for a vehicle intended to cover real miles.

The result was a Beetle with two very different personalities.

A body that looked as though it had been abandoned yesterday.

And a chassis that had been given a completely new lease of life.

The Jawbreaker transformation

Four inches narrower

With the structural work completed, attention turned to the suspension.

Dave wanted the Beetle sitting low, but he also wanted the flexibility to use it on the road without constantly worrying about ground clearance.

The solution was one of our 4-inch narrowed Link Pin Jawbreaker air ride beams, forming part of a complete Limebug Deluxe suspension installation.

The narrower front axle allowed the wheels to sit further beneath the original wings.

That was particularly important because Dave wanted to retain the car’s traditional wheel and tyre appearance.

The suspension needed to accommodate that combination without unnecessary interference beneath the arches.

The front installation also incorporated 4-inch narrowed Titan through rods and weld-on shock relocators.

Together, those components formed the foundation of the adjustable front suspension.

Skid ends down

The finished arrangement allowed Billy-Bob to settle into an exceptionally low stance.

Low enough for the beam’s skid ends to reach the ground when fully lowered.

Against the battered exterior, it created a remarkable contrast.

The car still looked like a forgotten American Beetle.

But it now sat with the sort of deliberate stance that required rather more engineering than its appearance suggested.

And crucially, Dave could raise the suspension again when it was time to go somewhere.

Generation I at the rear

Keeping the whole car adjustable

The rear suspension received Limebug’s Generation I bolt-on air ride system, paired with 2-inch swing-axle dropped air spring plates.

The rear setup complemented the narrowed front suspension, giving Dave adjustable ride height at both ends of the car.

It’s worth remembering that this was a Generation I installation.

The later Revolution cantilever systems represent a subsequent stage in Limebug’s development and shouldn’t be confused with the original components fitted during Billy-Bob’s restoration.

The complete suspension was controlled through Air Lift management equipment, allowing the car’s height to be adjusted according to the situation.

For a Beetle that had spent so much of its existence sitting in one place, the finished system offered a rather different way of life.

It could now be driven, raised, lowered and used as Dave intended.

Making the rat hotel habitable

A proper interior

The original interior had suffered as badly as you’d expect from decades of damp conditions and unwanted wildlife.

What remained wasn’t particularly inviting.

So after the structural and mechanical restoration, we turned our attention to making the cabin somewhere Dave might actually want to spend time.

The Beetle received new Deluxe headlining and carpets, transforming the interior without requiring a complete change of character.

It was a sensible approach.

The exterior could continue wearing its scars.

But the inside needed to be clean, comfortable and suitable for long journeys.

Particularly if Dave was serious about travelling to Volkswagen shows across Britain and Europe.

The smell that wouldn’t leave

Unfortunately, the upholstery and cleaning work couldn’t immediately erase every trace of the Beetle’s past.

As Dave later joked, perhaps a few years of strongly scented air fresheners would eventually make the lingering wildlife aroma bearable.

We’d like to say the restoration eliminated the problem completely.

But some Volkswagens are determined to preserve their history in ways nobody particularly appreciates.

Still, it was a considerable improvement on the original arrangement.

And with the new interior completed, Billy-Bob was finally beginning to feel like a car again.

One year later

Back on the road

The restoration took approximately a year.

By the end, the Beetle had been transformed.

The damaged chassis had been repaired.

The floorpan halves replaced.

The suspension converted.

The interior refreshed.

And the mechanical foundations prepared for regular use.

But the original exterior remained.

The weathered bonnet.

The faded paint.

And the unusual character that had attracted Dave in the first place.

Billy-Bob had been rescued without being turned into something completely different.

Which was exactly what Dave wanted.

Not a trailer queen

Britain, Belgium and beyond

Since the restoration, Dave has made full use of the Beetle.

It’s appeared at events including European Bug-In in Belgium and DubClub in Britain.

And rather than limiting it to occasional local journeys, he’s been putting miles on the car.

At the time of his original owner update, Dave reported passing 6,000 miles and had every intention of attending more events across the UK and Europe.

For a vehicle that had once spent most of its life serving as a fishing platform, that’s a particularly satisfying development.

Dave’s verdict

Dave’s enthusiasm for the finished car is infectious.

He described the air suspension as brilliant, although he admitted that after spending time with a Split Window Beetle, he occasionally forgot the limitations of parking an extremely low car.

On more than one occasion, he’d apparently lowered Billy-Bob a little too close to the kerb.

Then discovered there wasn’t enough room to open the door properly.

Not especially dignified.

But we’ve all had those moments.

And it’s a rather good problem to have compared with the ones the car faced when it was abandoned in Idaho.

The complete build specification

Vehicle and history

• 1965 Volkswagen Type 1 Beetle
• Owner: Dave P.
• Originally from Idaho, USA
• Formerly used as a fishing platform in swampland
• Approximately 5,000 recorded miles when advertised, according to the original account
• Nicknamed Billy-Bob
• Original weathered exterior retained

Restoration — Limebug

• Approximately one-year restoration
• Body and chassis separated
• Extensive cleaning and removal of contamination
• Replacement floorpan halves
• Full chassis restoration and detailing
• Original exterior patina preserved

Front suspension

• Limebug 4-inch narrowed Link Pin Jawbreaker beam
• 4-inch narrowed Titan through rods
• Weld-on shock relocators
• Deluxe front air suspension
• Beam skid ends capable of reaching the ground at minimum ride height

Rear suspension

• Limebug Generation I rear air ride kit
• 2-inch swing-axle dropped air spring plates

Air management

• Air Lift air suspension management
• Adjustable front and rear ride height

Interior

• Deluxe headlining
• Replacement carpets
• Cabin restoration and cleaning

Events and road use

• European Bug-In, Belgium
• DubClub, United Kingdom
• More than 6,000 miles reported at the time of Dave’s original update
• Continued road use rather than trailer-only transport

From the swamp to the showground

There’s something particularly satisfying about a restoration that gives a car an entirely different purpose.

Billy-Bob began life as an ordinary 1965 Volkswagen in Idaho.

Somewhere along the way, it ended up abandoned in swampland.

Then somebody discovered that the old Beetle made a reasonably convenient place to fish.

For decades, that was apparently enough.

The bodywork faded.

The chassis deteriorated.

And the local wildlife moved in.

By the time Dave discovered it on eBay, the car had accumulated a history that most people would consider a very good reason to look elsewhere.

Fortunately, Dave saw something worth saving.

And after a year at Limebug, Billy-Bob was back on the road with a fully restored chassis, adjustable suspension and a much more comfortable interior.

It still looks like a car that’s had a difficult life.

But these days, that’s part of the attraction.

A fishing platform no more.

Billy-Bob. Rescued from the swamp. Built to be driven.