| [ Total Views: 1109 | Total Replies: 12 | Thread Id: 99744 ] |
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 my66vw
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| posted on November 19th, 2012 at 04:21 PM |
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Restoration Help!
Hi guys!
I have a 1964 bug in very original condition. Complete with all original papers & keys. He runs very well & I haven't had any problems with
him. But I'm interested in doing a bit of restoration/alteration work on him.
I just don't know where to start!
I would like to keep him clean & simple looking both inside & out with not to much 'clutter' I would also like to keep him running &
sounding well.
Anyway, I thought I would create this post to see if anyone had any tips, thoughts or suggestions. I'm open to anything!
Here is also a list of things I was looking at doing. I think with a bit of assistance I can manage any cosmetic adjustments, but the mechanical side
of things is a whole new world for me, but I am eager to learn! So please send me some of your advice or feedback I'd love to hear from anyone!
- 6v to 12v conversion?
- engine rebuild? Does this mean the gearbox & exhaust change as well if a conversion is possible?
- white wall tyres?
- new interior, still stock style, just a different colour?
- re-chrome bumpers?
- new exhaust
- pop out windows
- cleaning and re-spraying under the car for rust?
- engine bay?
- small rust patch in the front compartment where the spare is kept?
- new headlining & carpet?
- new exhaust?
Also I don't know if anyone has heard of these devices that you hook up to your battery & they are supposed to send electro-magnetic pulses
through the car that repel rust? I probably sound mad & these details probably aren't 100% accurate, but there was a guy at Repco telling me
about this?
Anyway, thanks to anyone for taking time to read this essay! And I look forward to hearing any feedback.
Cheers, Emma & her DON'T WORRY BE HAPPY BUG!
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hus22l
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| posted on November 19th, 2012 at 06:22 PM |
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Hi Emma, there is heaps of info on here! You may not get a detailed answer to all your queries? Scour the forums, there are many answers on here
already. I am new to this too, I would sUggest you really take your time, you learn a lot about the car by just poking around, get some rust
converter to stop the spots with existing rust and then read some more on here and on the samba.com. You will find answers. research and ask. Shop
around etc. You may find some old bumpers 2nd hand heaps cheaper than the cost of re-chroming (for example).
Good luck and welcome!
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ian.mezz
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| posted on November 19th, 2012 at 06:31 PM |
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you have listed a lot of stuff there how many thousands and you going to spend??
$10,000 to start Id say.
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Paulc1964au
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| posted on November 19th, 2012 at 06:48 PM |
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Emma,
Where is Sydney are you, we do try and have a get together now and then , lots of good people to give you advice
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BiX
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| posted on November 19th, 2012 at 07:50 PM |
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I think your list is a great list for general refresh of the car, though as said above, it will add up very qucikly.
The key items to think about are
Engine, why rebuild? is it tired, or do you want more performance?
With the exhaust if the rebuild is just a stock one, then a stock exhuast is fine, if you want more performance select this to suit the enginer
rebuild
Fixing the rust you know about is a good idea, and if there are no other signs of rust thats great. Preventative measures (ie spraying a protectant
such as fish oil, lanolin or other synthetic material , opens cans of worms, see other posts) is a great idea, but make sure you include the heater
channels as this is a rust prone area.
I have no sympathy for my car, only the wallet that pays for it!
Go hard or go home!!!!
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LUFTMEISTER
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| posted on November 19th, 2012 at 08:55 PM |
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Hi Emma good to see more females getting into classic VW's. Congrats on your purchase. Rolling restorations can be a challenge but with good planning
and some elbow grease anything is possible.These are simple cars compared to today computer controlled machines. As for your list (approx prices with
you doing the labour) 6 to 12v = recommended for a daily makes it easier to source parts. $300. Engine rebuild = do a compression test first to
determine condition of yours before laying out hard earnt money. White walls = genuine expensive, Flappers = cheaper. Interior (carpet,headliner,door
& rear cards & seat covers) =TMI kits are the best option = $1200 to $2000. Bumpers = good used are much better option due to brazilians and
their rust issues. Pop outs = $400 not too hard to fit with 2 people. Exhaust = std $200 sporty $400+ . Look in magazines and pick the style you like
and follow through on it, as changing your mind will ad extra expenses. Good Luck and Happy Beetling. My2c
Customer service is not dead in Australia.
Always after HAZET & MATRA & VW factory tools
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 helbus
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| posted on November 19th, 2012 at 08:58 PM |
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Most importantly first is to do what has to be done, and will permanently be a fix
I would do the rust first and rust oil, being many products available, and oils/ wax of many kinds are good. I would find a mechanical minded fried
who is prepared to spend a day removing the trims and spraying the oil/ wax. The product could cost $100, and the labour is dependant on what beer
your friend drinks, or about $500 for a workshop to do it.
The 6 to 12V conversion is a good idea, and can be done by many VW workshops.
Everything else listed is not as necessary, so I would concentrate on those first.
The headlining would be done at the same time as the pop outs, as all windows have to come out to do the headlining
White walls can wait until you need some new tyres if you are cash strapped.
Bumpers can be done by any mechanically minded person in a couple hours. The actual bumpers can be bought new or yours can be rechromed.
Engine bay should be done when the engine is out. The whole engine, exhaust, bay job is thousands, so if your engine is still cruising, then the more
important things may be worth doing first.
Pete
- 6v to 12v conversion?
- engine rebuild? Does this mean the gearbox & exhaust change as well if a conversion is possible?
- white wall tyres?
- new interior, still stock style, just a different colour?
- re-chrome bumpers?
- new exhaust
- pop out windows
- cleaning and re-spraying under the car for rust?
- engine bay?
- small rust patch in the front compartment where the spare is kept?
- new headlining & carpet?
- new exhaust?
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my66vw
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| posted on November 19th, 2012 at 10:01 PM |
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Thank you to everyone for your wonderful & very in-depth responses, I greatly appreciate it! You have all given me some really good tips &
ideas to get me started. I would love to be part of a get together to talk to other VW enthusiasts at some point. I will have to keep checking in to
see when they're on, always up for a bit of a cruise to! I'm from the Northern Beaches in Sydney. My bug has been my reliable daily for the past 5
months. Mechanically, he runs fine. Turns over every time first go so I don't think the engine is in that bad shape, it just looks a little rough
back there! My last bug had a conversion & I am pretty keen to have it done to my current bug because I did notice that parts & new globes
were hard to find & the ones I have on there now are very dull.. I have saved up roughly $10,000 to put towards him, so with the advice I have
received I should be able to cross a few things off the list. I'll get onto that rust work first for sure, the price I pay for living close to the
beach! It's actually amazing (terrible) how rapidly it has started to appear since I bought the car from Melbourne..
Thanks heaps everyone!
Emma
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waveman1500
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| posted on November 19th, 2012 at 10:06 PM |
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I would encourage you to look after the rust and do whatever preventative maintenance is necessary. After that, just drive it and enjoy it as it is
for a while. Get used to the car as it is and let it grow on you. Take plenty of time to decide whether you really need to restore it, or whether you
are happy to enjoy the car as it is.
If you go down the path of restoring the car, it will soak up many thousands of dollars for tiny improvements. If your trim, paint and chrome are
already in presentable, usable condition, then leave them alone. In my opinion, it really is not worth spending several times the car's value, when
you will not improve your driving experience proportionally. Not to mention the fact that the car is only ever original once.
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my66vw
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| posted on November 19th, 2012 at 10:17 PM |
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Yeah this is true.. I think that's what I am kind of coming to terms with as well. It being so original it would almost be a shame to completely
change it all when it was fine to begin with. Can't say I love the brown interior though & I think some venetians & some white walls would
make him look a bit fresher, I am a girl after all! I will look into the conversion still & go with that. But attending to the rust seems to be
top priority. Seeing as every car I've ever owned/own currently is from the 60's it's probably going to work out in my favour to be able to combat
rust work myself.
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h
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| posted on November 20th, 2012 at 06:43 AM |
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welcome to here
nice score
you are lucky to get such a gem in its current condition
rust issues as others have said would be no. 1 on my list to sort
look forward to your progress info and pics
cheers pauly
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vwo60
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| posted on November 20th, 2012 at 08:13 AM |
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There are some very good restoration books available, you must remember that the largest cost will be the labour for the work you cannot do, research
what you want to have done so you know the basics, this way you cannot be taken advantage of and remember not all the advice given on the forum is
correct. also check out the cost of importing the parts from overseas against purchasing them in Australia, to date i have been able to import all my
parts cheaper this way with no exceptions.
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benny_acko
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| posted on November 26th, 2012 at 08:52 PM |
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Hey Emma looks good. I'm in a similar boat with my '67 (except it doesn't run right now)...im just learning on the go and doing a bit each
weekend.
I too am also around the beaches..
Goodluck
Ben
1967 VW Beetle Deluxe
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