1960 tail lights, snowflakes/semaphores/50/50's?

hrastovica · 2013-05-07T13:41:44+00:00

Ok so i've got a 1960 bug, and i'm planning to get snowflake tail lights. However, it occoured to me that with snowflakes, i would have no rear indicators (from what i can see the car has no semaphores... unless they were bogged). I was under the impression that the 1960 beetle had snowflakes. If this is the case, did the 1960 snowflake taillight beetle originally have semaphores? If no semaphores, how did they indicate or was it like US which flashed red... what year did they have flashing snowflakes in USA? When exactly did the 50/50's kick in?? Can the chassis number help me identify correct parts (1960 is a very confusing year indeed!) If anyone can shed some light on this would be greatly appreciated.

Canni. Wolfsburg Wizard

471 posts · joined Sep 2003 · 9 May 2013, 9:58 pm

#954960

hrastovica wrote:I have real feeling the same happened here. The car was obviously in a prang at one stage with all the wrong guards and lights out back. This possibly encouraged the owner to install the 3 point seat belts bolted into the pillar (which are also on their way out), and im hoping i find semaphores were there once upon a time also.

Haha I wonder if ours were done in the same shop - mine also had the fantastic 3 point seatbelt through the pillar install too. I also did the same thing - fixed the semaphores and the seatbelts at the same time. 150% improvement 🙂

Heidi - 1960 White Beetle
'65 Kiwi Ghia

HappyDaze Superannuated

2,887 posts · joined Jun 2009 · 9 May 2013, 10:05 pm

#954963

Fact.......I bought a new Beetle in January, 1960, with semaphores and 'snowflake' tail lights.

Fact.......My Dad bought a new Beetle in July, 1960, with blinkers and 50/50 tail lights.

I'd rather wear a Beetle out by racing it than by polishing it!

hrastovica Officially Full-On Dubber

361 posts · joined Apr 2009 · 9 May 2013, 11:20 pm

#954982

Canni. wrote:
hrastovica wrote:I have real feeling the same happened here. The car was obviously in a prang at one stage with all the wrong guards and lights out back. This possibly encouraged the owner to install the 3 point seat belts bolted into the pillar (which are also on their way out), and im hoping i find semaphores were there once upon a time also.
Haha I wonder if ours were done in the same shop - mine also had the fantastic 3 point seatbelt through the pillar install too. I also did the same thing - fixed the semaphores and the seatbelts at the same time. 150% improvement 🙂

Oh God i can imagine the ad...

"Don't drive around with silly semaphores, make your old beetle new again with advanced indication technology. Order today and receive 3 point seatbelts free" 😂

hrastovica Officially Full-On Dubber

361 posts · joined Apr 2009 · 9 May 2013, 11:24 pm

#954983

HappyDaze wrote:Fact.......I bought a new Beetle in January, 1960, with semaphores and 'snowflake' tail lights.

Fact.......My Dad bought a new Beetle in July, 1960, with blinkers and 50/50 tail lights.

I reckon i'm somewhere on the cusp.

Do you remember if they had the same fuel tank, or if the 50/50 had an upgraded fuel tank?

dangerous 23 Windows of Awesome

5,901 posts · joined Jan 2005 · 10 May 2013, 8:38 am

#955005

HappyDaze wrote:Fact.......I bought a new Beetle in January, 1960, with semaphores and 'snowflake' tail lights.

Fact.......My Dad bought a new Beetle in July, 1960, with blinkers and 50/50 tail lights.

That's pretty cool Greg!

My first beetle was an Aussie 1960 with 36hp, split cased tranny and 50/50 lights.

Any of those lights are not rare.
Like a lot of things, they can be had for a fair price.

It may be rare that they go for 2 or 3 dollars,
but that does not make them rare.

westi wrote:That's mad Alan.

HappyDaze Superannuated

2,887 posts · joined Jun 2009 · 10 May 2013, 8:51 am

#955006

hrastovica wrote:
HappyDaze wrote:Fact.......I bought a new Beetle in January, 1960, with semaphores and 'snowflake' tail lights.

Fact.......My Dad bought a new Beetle in July, 1960, with blinkers and 50/50 tail lights.
I reckon i'm somewhere on the cusp.

Do you remember if they had the same fuel tank, or if the 50/50 had an upgraded fuel tank?

Apart from the above mentioned , different paint finish, and a couple of minor items [such as different head-lining material], the two cars were identical.....including the fuel tank.

I'd rather wear a Beetle out by racing it than by polishing it!

Camo Custom Title Time!

1,936 posts · joined Oct 2007 · 10 May 2013, 11:00 am

#955027

Not sure about the early 60's but my 61 has the bonnet release on the passengers side. I know the next model went back to the right side, but as I said not sure about 59 & 60 models.

Also my fuel tank filler is on the passengers side, which I believe is correct for a 61. Not sure about models on either side.

Kev

I thought rebuilding a VW would be cheap - Shit I was wrong, just don't let the wife know !!!!

Click here for my (slowy) modded 1961 Beetle build.