On The Road With Johnny B ..How My VW Dementia Started

I fell in love with Crusty VW Beetles at an early age. My Grandfather Anthony Attanasio had a black 1964 Bug. He would drive me to Brooklyn to the old neighborhood and to baseball games at Shea Staduim. From that point on I was a lifetime Mets fan and a Crusty Ole Bug Nut. At that very young age I got my first whiff of oil fumes coming from the heater vents(like there was heat) From that point on I was hooked with the “Luft Cooler” VeeDubs.

My first VW Beetle was a 1966 in "Slimer" Green. Well to be honest I did not even know it was Java Green till I scrubed the layer of brown mold off the paint and interior. The combo of Rust and Mold would become known as "Rold" for years to come. Trust me over the past 3 decades I have owned many a vehicle covered in Rold.

Years of sitting under a pine tree had turned it green paint into strange shade of baby poop brown. My mixture of Mr Clean,bleach and dish soap worked wonders to de-slime the paint and interior..My own words “Holy crap it’s green!!!”

Getting it running was easier than the de-sliming but I learned a valued lesson my 19 year old mind would never forget. Never put a 12 volt battery in a 6 volt car. I didn't know 1966 was the last year VW used 6 volt systems. The meltdown was almost Three Mile Island in its scale but I managed to not turn the De-Rolded Beetle into ashes.

Up and running and on the road I had plans of driving millions of miles in my VW. About a week after my VW adventure began I noticed my brakes were g