Well here is my new bug, its a '55 Oval which I picked up on Saturday after a 20hour round trip and only 4 hours sleep. It seems the bug has bitten so to speak. I love my 59, its style and looks with the whole rod period mods and thats the whole reason I wanted another for a different look. I've always wanted and oval since I picked up my first VW magazine back in 1995 and lately really wanted a rat/Hoodride style bug and this one is going to be my ratty project, bit more of a traditional rat/Hoodrider. A few pics below from the tow trip home, and thankfully it fits into my garage, with about only 2 inches to spare between it and the 59!

Its pretty straight, rust free, and all the parts are in place, its been sitting for 2 years but was a regular driver prior to that, so now just to get it running, regoed and drop it!





The interior is pretty tidy, dirty but decent condition and all there


The 2 together happily in the garage


and a quick bugselecta of how it should look first stage of mods which will take a month or 2 while I save some more $$$$.



[ Edited on 10-5-2007 by dvs_vw ]

[ Edited on 14-5-2007 by dvs_vw ]

Nice pickup mate - loved looking over your 59 at dubs by the pub....can't wait to see the 55 in the flesh!

nice, looks like my 54 but in better condition. good luck with it.

wow sweet find dude

thanks guys, VWFOOL - your 54 is something I've been keeping an eye on as inspiration for this one, hopefully it can be just as ratty one day

Das, was a few cars back from yours on the cruise up there, very nice oval, kept having a good look at yours aswell!!!

thats very very nice just as it is!

Excuse the pun, but I am green with envy. That is a beautiful machine, congrats on the pick up, awesome.

yeeeaa! sensational find - unreal interior - looking forward to seeing this on the streets of brisbane!

nick

Sweet

very nice very very nice if it were mine id ditch the funky indicators, hook up some og semi's, straighten and respray in orig code and drive it like you just got it back from being stolen.:blah awsome find:bounce

yeh i recon a polish and a clean up will bring it closer to stunner than ratter. too nice

looks tight - good find!

Have fun with that beasty! Are you going to get the semaphores working again? Hope your chequebook or wallet doesn't take too much of a beating...It would be worth it anyways Nice Bug

thats very nice, you have to be happy.

has anyone noticed all of the early ovals coming out of the woodwork lately?

Supposedly the semaphores still work, or did when he last drove it but the wiring in the whole car was a bit dodgy he was saying. I'll most likely be getting rid of the tragic indicators, some new 135/165 tyres, pintripe whitewalls, paint the stockies satin black with no caps, slam it, get it running nicely and give it a bit of a clean up and just cruise it in that stage for a while!

I'd like to do a pretty full original style resto job on the exterior/interior and 36hp, but with a few nice little mods thrown in later down the track, but we'll see what happens!

Its a bit rattier in real life than what it looks in the pics, not so much rust wise, but dodgy paint, primer and colour thinning in places, wobbly bumpers etc etc, but I won't be trying to make it any more ratty by doing anything dodgy!

thats a seriously nice project, you got there! :thumb

Great score. Inspiring find. What's the story behind it - i.e where'd you find it?
Enjoy.

I found it in the Trading post actually, I'm sure some of you on here saw it aswell...he said he had heaps of calls! It was down in Taree, or Old Bar actually, a nice 20 hour round trip in a non-turbo diesel chug-a-lux....good road trip though, they are always fun!

Now, another thing, I don't want people misunderstanding my intentions with this car, basically I've always loved the rat/hoodride look, and my 59 is a bit too good to go down that path. So this 55 will start its life with me as that style. Simply lowered(alot), cleaned up with a few accessories, black stockies with no caps and some new tyres with whitewalls, the interior cleaned up a little, get it running nicely and cruise it, same as my bugselecta pic. I won't be intentionally be trying to make it any rattier than it is, its in too good a shape for a 52 year old car for that. After being in that state for a while, if I'm over it, I'll sell, if I'm in love, I'll do a resto/mod makeover!

mate. right out from under my back door! damn it!! i will have to start reading the papers again, as obviously my word of mouth tecnique is not working sufficiently!

geez mate, i am happy for you. but as i look at the pics... its like a stab in the heart. :cry

[ Edited on 21/2/2007 by twoguns ]

Is that Rosie's car?

Nice find

who's Rosie?

yeah pity you missed it being so close to you, especially in a small town....but things always pop up, keep your eye out!!

Thought I'd chuck up a few very small update pics on the '55.

Got the tyres taken off the wheels and sprayed the smoothies in satin black, cleaned and refitted the 2 decent 165s that were on the rear and put them back on the rear and some new 135s put up front ready for the slam job. Fitted my new RAT:055 plates ready for rego and stuck a few little accessories on, its looking a bit better now, its amazing how much better clean wheels and tyres make a car look. I got it running, but it has a small fuel leak, so I need to get that sorted, and the wiring for the lights is a bit dodgy, so I'm going to have a look at that too.

Maybe another few weeks and I'll have it roadworthied and regoed, then I'll have the beam narrowed 2-3 inches and the front will be dropped and the arse will get a slam aswell!!! Maybe some 1/2in white walls and chrome rings, and I am on the prowl for a few ratty old accessories too if anyone has any!?!?!?







Thought I'd chuck in another interior pic, which will stay as is for now because its in pretty decent original condition except for thr roof liner which needs some help to stay stuck to the roof with some pins and tape but overall its still pretty ratty....and one of the engine too.

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yep that'd be the one, I got in a couple of hours after the ad went live on the net, and I hadn't looked at the trading post for about 2 years!!! It is pretty solid, a few tiny little rust bubbles, otherwise clean and dry and was a good price and I think he knew it when he said he had about 40 odd calls after me and probably could have gotten more....but don't worry I'll treat her well!

[ Edited on 17-3-2007 by dvs_vw ]

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Another minor update, got it roadied and regoed yesterday and took it for a small spin. Totally different to drive to the 59, seat position, rear view is not real good, and the gear stick further forward and straight is odd, and the gears/neutral are in totally different positions. Runs really well, got a slight shudder in the clutch, and a decent gearbox leak but all good otherwise.

Should be about another week or so, and she'll be slammed on a 2in narrowed beam, and dropped in the rear, then I can chuck a few more pics up.

nice ones! look forward to pics

nick

Looking forward to the narrowed beam pics. What colour is it, it looks awesome. :thumb

well picked it up this morning, pretty happy with it, not quite as low as I wanted, but it looks pretty damn good at this height, but I will do something about that after I cruise it for a few weeks and enjoy it. May get spindles and come down another spline in the rear later on.

Sat in peak hour for 1 hour and didn't miss a beat, pretty good for a car that hasn't been driven for 3 years and just a new battery and some fuel.

2in narrowed adjustable beam, pretty much all new steering and suspension components all round, rides pretty nice, now just to chuck a few accessories on it and cruise.

Only one quick pic as my battery died, will take more later!