This is really where the car starts to near completion. This is the exciting time of any project, because, at the end of this story, the project is as good as done. Provided we had a battery and the coil was hooked up to the distributor (and a couple of other small things we'll cover in the final installment next month) we could drive away, knowing we have a perfectly restored 1971 Super Beetle.

A lot has to happen when you step on the brake pedal in order for your car to come to a safe stop. Levers, pneumatic pressure, cables, cylinders, springs and friction all play critical rolls in the process, and we place a lot of blind faith in this system, considering how important it is. Braking is indeed a life-or-death science and should be treated as such, that's why brake fade, ever-increasing pedal travel, dragging brakes or ones that lock up while traveling are serious symptoms of a faulty system. If you have any of these problems, it is time for an overhaul.

Once everything has been removed from the front end of your Super, it'll look pretty barren, as there's nothing under there but the frame head and the body. Be sure that you can keep your Super up on blocks while you secure the correct parts you'll need.