Last Edition Beetle Datasheet
LEB number:
204
Registration:
XAH 389S
Chassis number:
118 200 8112
Engine number:
D1421390
Mileage:
28,180
First registered:
13th January 1978
Owner's name:
Dan and Elle Turney
Location:
Buckinghamshire
Last heard of:
August 2022
1977
2025
Additional information:
March 2021 update from Dan
Bought as a wedding present in 2018. It was my dream to have a Beetle growing up as my parents had various VWs. Not just ownership was the dream, but to learn to restore and maintain one was too.
I have done my first service on Berti this year with the guidance of John Muirs ‘How to keep your Volkswagen Alive.’ Items serviced included:
April 2021 update
My intention was to do just the disc brake conversion. One thing led to another, and my father in law and I have ended up rebuilding most of Berti's front end !
Whilst removing the spindles/steering knuckles (one of the lower ones was a real struggle involving some heat from a blow torch !), we noticed the tie rods and top mounts for the shock absorbers had seen better days.
Unfortunately, we're now stuck and off the road as are waiting for the top mounts for the new shock absorbers to arrive, but they may not be with us until the end of May...
In the meantime, I'm focusing my efforts on the carburettor. Berti is definitely running rich. When servicing him we cleaned his jets and tried to tune him up again. With the air mixture screw fully wound in, he was still running. We suspect that the issue lies in the automatic choke. I now have a rebuild kit and some instructions on how to set this, so hopefully will have him all back in one piece soon.
February 2022 update
Whilst overhauling the brakes on Berti, further inspection underneath revealed that his heater channels and the floor pans had seen better days. After some research of local garages, we settled on booking him into Underwoods in Berkhamsted for some well needed TLC. They had a six month waiting list, so we spent the time focusing on tidying up Berti’s engine bay and some general tinkering.
July 2022 update
I have exciting news that we're seeing light at the end of the tunnel!! (and not through rusty holes!). Unfortunately, things did get pushed back as the team at Underwoods all caught Coronavirus. But I made the opportunity to get involved myself by cleaning up the chassis! Further excitement came this week as the body is now in the bodyshop next door for paint! Hoping to have Berti back by the end of the month if all goes to plan! 🙂
August 2022 - Restoration complete !
LEB number 204 is now back on the road. Congratulations to all involved in a job well done. It's always good to see one of these cars brought back to good order, and this one looks fit for another 100,000 miles easily. Hurray! 🎉
Bought as a wedding present in 2018. It was my dream to have a Beetle growing up as my parents had various VWs. Not just ownership was the dream, but to learn to restore and maintain one was too.
I have done my first service on Berti this year with the guidance of John Muirs ‘How to keep your Volkswagen Alive.’ Items serviced included:
- Fuel hose and filter replacement with R9 rated fuel hose and hose clips.
- Valve clearance (tappets) set.
- Oil and oil strainer change.
- Plugs, leads, points and condenser replaced.
- Static timing set.
- Carburettor jets cleaned and mixture tuned.
- Rear brakes replaced/reconditioned along with rear hub seals.
- Front brake conversion to discs.
- Door and rear window seal replacement.
- Tinware tidy up.
- Internal airbox/ventilation duct replacement (currently parts missing/held with duct tape ☺)
April 2021 update
My intention was to do just the disc brake conversion. One thing led to another, and my father in law and I have ended up rebuilding most of Berti's front end !
Whilst removing the spindles/steering knuckles (one of the lower ones was a real struggle involving some heat from a blow torch !), we noticed the tie rods and top mounts for the shock absorbers had seen better days.
Unfortunately, we're now stuck and off the road as are waiting for the top mounts for the new shock absorbers to arrive, but they may not be with us until the end of May...
In the meantime, I'm focusing my efforts on the carburettor. Berti is definitely running rich. When servicing him we cleaned his jets and tried to tune him up again. With the air mixture screw fully wound in, he was still running. We suspect that the issue lies in the automatic choke. I now have a rebuild kit and some instructions on how to set this, so hopefully will have him all back in one piece soon.
February 2022 update
Whilst overhauling the brakes on Berti, further inspection underneath revealed that his heater channels and the floor pans had seen better days. After some research of local garages, we settled on booking him into Underwoods in Berkhamsted for some well needed TLC. They had a six month waiting list, so we spent the time focusing on tidying up Berti’s engine bay and some general tinkering.
July 2022 update
I have exciting news that we're seeing light at the end of the tunnel!! (and not through rusty holes!). Unfortunately, things did get pushed back as the team at Underwoods all caught Coronavirus. But I made the opportunity to get involved myself by cleaning up the chassis! Further excitement came this week as the body is now in the bodyshop next door for paint! Hoping to have Berti back by the end of the month if all goes to plan! 🙂
August 2022 - Restoration complete !
LEB number 204 is now back on the road. Congratulations to all involved in a job well done. It's always good to see one of these cars brought back to good order, and this one looks fit for another 100,000 miles easily. Hurray! 🎉
