Chalk Bug

I watch people at local car shows, and one thing I noticed is that when parents bring their kids along, the kids are bored. Looking at all the cool cars doesn’t appeal to some of the younger people. If we are to pass on the passion for cars to future generations, we should provide kids with activities that get them excited about cars. I have several car projects, including a 1973 Super Beetle. The Supers have less appeal to those who are into vintage VW Bugs. Why not use my Super Beetle as a fun thing for the kids?

I experimented with different paints and found that semi-gloss black makes a good chalkboard. A chalk eraser will remove chalk as easily as it does on chalkboards. This is where I got the idea to paint the car semi-gloss black and let kids draw on the Bug. I had my great-nephews and great-nieces try it out by drawing on the Bug in my driveway. They had fun and asked when they could come back to draw on it again. We counted that as a success.

I am almost ready to start the new engine I built for the Bug. It is a 1776 with dual IDF carbs. The Bug is not completely painted for this, but enough is painted for a good test run. We have a basket full of sidewalk chalk and erasers ready.

I will add more to this page as we take the Bug to local car shows and other events.

I edited this video to show how the engine was built, then installed and Bug prepped for the Chalk Bug events and ends with the first three events.