It was summer, the bug was old, and I was a poor high school kid who bought his first car. I also needed that car to get to work and over to friend's houses.
Old Bugs have the battery under the rear bench seat
Bugs are NOTORIOUS for having rusty floorboards especially under the battery
My bug had a full internal roll bar
Getting the bench out was a massive pain in the bollocks
The first time I went to check the battery and see if it just needed water (does that ever work?) most of the floorboard started pulling up with the battery
I knew I needed to get in there with a wire wheel until I hit good metal (lulz), prime, paint, and then screw in aluminum roof flashing so the battery wouldn't drop out the floor. You also need the right battery because if you get a taller one, the metal "springs" under the bench can cross the terminals. So it took me a while to get everything I needed so I could knock it out on a weekend I didn't have work.