For Mike Silk, restoring vintage cars has become a labor of love.
The 47-year-old Adams Township resident said when he was a kid he and his father would work on Volkswagen vehicles in the family's driveway.
At any given time they were fixing or replacing parts on a 1966 sedan,
'68 convertible, '71 bus and '74 Squareback.
"It was a father-son hobby and became a passed-down tradition," said Silk, a sixth-grade science teacher at Greater Johnstown Middle School.
It was on a trip to Pittsburgh in 1980 that Silk spotted his dream vehicle on the side of the road with a "for sale" sign on it.
It was a green 1960 VW Bug with a sliding ragtop sunroof, chrome wheels, a stinger exhaust and a leopardskin interior.
"I see it sitting on the side of road, and I knew it was valuable," Silk said.
"My dad saw the leopardskin interior and said, 'No way.' But me being 12, I said we needed to get it."
After some persuasion and $1,200, the VW had a new home with the Silks.
"We did as much as we could to it on a limited budget, and I built it as best I could," Silk said.
To help rebuild the engine, they contacted Bedford resident Walt Miles, a lifelong VW enthusiast and restorer.
"I have an analytical mind and I like to know how things work, and I like to build and figure things out," Silk said.
"If I can't do it myself, I like to get the right people who can do it."
When Silk went off to college in 1987, the Bug was put into storage and eventually ended up sitting outside, exposed to the elements.
He was able to secure a garage spot thanks to a woman from his church, and that's where the VW sat for the next 23 years.
But in 2010, when Silk found himself with some extra money, he decided it was time to get the VW back into running shape.
"I wanted to do this for myself but also for my parents because I wanted them to see it," he said.
Once again Silk enlisted the help of Miles, who was eager to take part in the restoration.
"When we pulled it out, a lot of the rot had gone through," Silk said.
After tossing around some ideas on how to proceed, the decision was made to gut the vehicle for parts and use a '62 body from Virginia that was rust-free.
Over the course of a year, the Bug was rebuilt from the ground up.
"It has a bigger motor in it now and a racing transmission; it's a go-fast car," Silk said.
The restoration was a multi-person project, with Bill Ross and Gary Wingard painting the VW its original agave green color. Friends Fred Wenderoth, Ed Dierling and Robert Scott also contributed to the project.
"This was a high-level build, and it's done to the nines," Silk said. "I'm always looking to see it there's anything else I can do to change it up a little bit, but I think this one is done."
In the April edition of hotVWs magazine, the Bug was featured in a spread that detailed the work done to restore it.
From day one, the plan was to drive the vehicle and not let it sit in a garage collecting dust.
"Any nice day I'll drive it," Silk said.
"I don't put a lot of miles on it, probably 600 since it's been built."
The Bug has won numerous awards at car shows across the state and in Maryland and Virginia.
Silk said his plan to is enter the vehicle at Keystone Raceway Park in New Alexandria, Westmoreland County.
"I want to see if I can get some decent times," he said.
Silk also owns a 1959 VW Single Cab that he's started working on.
"I just got that out of San Diego, California, and trailered it here, which took about a month until I finalized everything," he said.
"Probably next year I'll have some pennies saved and start doing more work."
After that, Silk would love to restore a Porsche 911.
"This is a therapeutic passion for me, or maybe I need an intervention," he said.
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