Andy Holmes Story: Restoration of a 1965 M344
So far I have run three T34s prior to this one and have broken (parted-out) six others to stop valuable parts ending up in the breakers yard and sold these on in the late-80's & early-90's. I'd realized that the previous three T34s were not the condition I wanted so after a couple of years I started to search for a better one. I wanted a 1500 S model and didn't mind the 6 Volt lighting, instead preferring some of the earlier features. I spotted my Roulette Green & White 1965 M344 in an advert and went to see it. It looked tired and in need of some tender loving care but it was very complete. It was clear it would need a small amount of bodywork during the next 12 months or so, but nothing too major. It came with a full service history and had been owned by the same family for most of its life. I parted with my money and got it home and drew up a list of about 35 small things that needed mending to or replacing. Soon, with the help of my spares collection, I had a very clean car that was an absolute pleasure to drive daily to work over the next six years.
During this time it went to KGOC-GB club events including trips to the Karmann factory and in 1988 my wife & I went on a 1500-mile holiday tour of Germany in it, pulling our heavy trailer tent. Fuel consumption averaged 28mpg without a single problem with the car. At the end of 1988 the push rod seals on the engine leaked in a big way and I decided that an engine rebuild would in order so my friend & I reconditioned it. When I put the engine back in the car I started to think it was time for the bodywork to be brought up to the shining condition of my new gleaming engine. Whilst I'd done some work on the inner wings (fenders) of my wife's Type 1 Convertible during its restoration I wanted the end result to be better than I could achieve and so I looked for a good bodywork man to help with the work. Eventually I settled on Francis of Tuthill's VW & Porsche workship in Banbury, England and I delivered the stripped out body shell to him in August 1990. The body was removed from the chassis, very little work was needed to the chassis and it was quickly stripped, detailed, and stored away.
The bodywork did not have any full panels replaced but needed work in small patches to most areas with the major work being the rear of the car where the body bolts to the floor pan in from of the rear torsion bars. The sills had been replaced shortly after I had bought the car and had been done very well with original VW panels. Some of the other small repairs made at the same time however had not been done as well and caused a lot more work than expected during the rebuild. Whilst all of this was going on I was stripping the seats and re-spraying the frames, having all the chrome replated and cleaning all the rest of the fittings ready for when the body returned.
I collected the bodywork, by now refitting the chassis, in February 1991 and started the enjoyable task of refitting everything. I stripped down all the suspension and steering, stripped & replaced new copper pipes, master cylinder and brake cylinders/shoes went on. The engine trim and engine were then put back and all the wiring was checked or replaced as necessary. The petrol (gas) tank was stripped and sprayed, along with the wheels and a new fuel line fitted. My wife Theresa made up a new headlining in correct material and all the interior trim was put back. Finally in went front & rear screens (windows) and the exterior trim.
WOW, dare I drive it? I had never worried when it was my everyday car some four years before. This feeling didn't last for long and whilst it has won a number of show awards and appeared in books & magazines in the UK I can say that driving it is still the most fun part of owning my T34. Work got in the way of using it a great deal for a few years. I did consider selling it at one time but I think it is with me for life now, especially after an hours great drive round in it now & then.