TheSamba.com :: View topic

Wed Jan 27, 2010 11:55 am

I just bought a '52 standard split which is now my daily driver. It was restored in the mid '90s and a few modern touches were added that I want to redo back to original. Thankfully, all the body parts seem to be original. The seats were changed to reclining high backs and back seat fit so that subs could be fit behind the back seat. Are the low back seats for a '52 one of their own kind or would later model low backs work fine? I am going to post pictures tommorow so hopefully you experts can pick at it and tell just what is not og to the car.

Thanks

Wed Jan 27, 2010 1:03 pm

I thinks it been covered in the forums before that the late 50's early 60's lowbacks will fit on the seat tracks but fit tighter then proper era seats. Post pics I think this will be a fun one to watch the progression !

Thu Jan 28, 2010 6:38 pm

Graysvws wrote: I just bought a '52 standard split which is now my daily driver. It was restored in the mid '90s and a few modern touches were added that I want to redo back to original. Thankfully, all the body parts seem to be original. The seats were changed to reclining high backs and back seat fit so that subs could be fit behind the back seat. Are the low back seats for a '52 one of their own kind or would later model low backs work fine? I am going to post pictures tommorow so hopefully you experts can pick at it and tell just what is not og to the car.

Thanks

Congrats on the 52. Dont know the answer to the seat question.Did you buy the one in Greenville?
Drew in Cola.

Thu Jan 28, 2010 7:10 pm

Seats up until early 55' would be correct for your car. Late 52' to early 55' If I remember correctly. Unless its an early 52' than 49' to 52'?

Fri Jan 29, 2010 12:19 pm

Yes it was the car in near greenville in gafney, sc. Did anyone else check out that car?

Sat Jan 30, 2010 8:19 pm

Standards don't have seat tracks. They're held in with wingnuts and clamps.

Tue Feb 16, 2010 1:57 pm

Do I have correct doors, fenders,hood, etc. I know interior is not correct obviously. And what trim is suppose to be on the car

Tue Feb 16, 2010 3:54 pm

No outside trim on standard models. That means no horn grills and no wolfsburg emblem on the hood, unless dealer installed.

Incorrect items from the pics appear to be....
Headlights
Tail lights
Horn grills
Wolfsburg hood emblem
Semaphores
I would have to say all 4 fenders
Windshield wiper
Front bulkhead and heater channels

The rest of it is hard to tell from the pics besides the obvious. Doors could be correct, but hard to tell with the door panels on. It does appear to have the correct curved door glass. Should also have cable brakes, and this car has a master cylinder in it. Either a pan swap or conversion? All of the standards I have owned never had an ashtray in the dash.

Either way it's still a cool cruiser and most people wouldn't even notice. I like it and hope you have fun with it. 8)

Tue Feb 16, 2010 7:16 pm

Wrong heater channels
Wrong gas tank

And I agree with what Joey said above :wink:

Tue Feb 16, 2010 8:56 pm

I thought all zwitters were deluxe? maybe im mistaken but i know i read it somewhere when i done research when i was buy one

Forget that i thought this was a zwitter the photos didnt show when i first looked
sorry

Wed Feb 17, 2010 2:32 pm

LongMooie wrote: I thought all zwitters were deluxe? maybe im mistaken but i know i read it somewhere when i done research when i was buy one

Forget that i thought this was a zwitter the photos didnt show when i first looked
sorry

Also the so called "zwitter" was available as Export or Standard.

Wolfgang

Sat Feb 20, 2010 3:36 am

Boy, if this all should go back into original, it´ll be a whole lotta work...and $ $ $....
I would tear this baby all apart and put it back together again with authentic/original parts, just my two cents.
Get a mid 60´s bug for cruising around and do this one right, it pays off in the long run.
restored standard splits are rare, so bring this one back to life !

Sun Feb 21, 2010 7:23 pm

What can be told from my vin 10351004 ? Also with it being a standard, is it suppose to have glove box doors? I've seen other '52's with my same heart tail lights and gas tank, are mine just not correct for a '52 standard or just completely not split parts? Are my fenders not split at all? As I said this is my daily driver/ project and I want to do it as correct as I can realistically afford to. Not meaning i'm going cheap on it just don't have 25k to sink into it. Thans for all the help and pointers, I have learned a ton already about these splits

Mon Feb 22, 2010 8:00 am

From the VIN you posted, it would be an early/mid April '52 manufacture. As such, it is not a zwitter. It should have the round split taillights. The heart taillights on your split are probably worth almost as much as the correct ones (if they are originals). They were used on zwitters (Oct '52 and later)

Glove box doors were an accessory and not installed by the factory, but by some dealers or owners. So no split sedan "should" have glove box doors.

Mon Feb 22, 2010 9:31 am

I'm not an expert on Splits, but I suspect that it was a standard mainly due to the steering wheel and the black button in the dash. Everything else Standard about it seems to have gone. Interior handles have billet, dash pods look "custom", seats have been changed etc.

Here's what I would do. First, repair the inner quarters, where all those wires come out. Second, get a decent quality carpet, door panel and seat set. Third, replace all the billet stuff. Fourth, some decent dash pods that actually fit, along with glovebox liners, or properly fitting panels with stereo/gauges. Finally, a nice set of wheels (BRMs would be my choice), T-bars, and stance adjustment, and drive it around while you look for a better resto candidate.
I think it's going to be too much work (and money) to put it back to stock, just in chasing parts, so make it look presentable and drive it, all the while keeping an eye on the re-sale value of it. If it looks cool (read contemporary/ fashionable, whatever!), someone may just make you a decent offer for a nice, drivable Cal Look split bug, and you can spend the proceeds on an original bug from Beligium or Sweden perhaps. To put sback to 100% original is just not practical IMO.

Mon Feb 22, 2010 1:04 pm

thanks neil davies, you seem to have similar taste and interest in mind. Personally I like the cal look just fine, just don't want to have it so far away from og that its criticized by vw enthusiast. BRM's are definately going on it. I am trying to find the correct code for the olive green that some of the splits originally came in, I like that color with tan interior, brms and a lowered stance. What do you mean by t- bars?

Tue Feb 23, 2010 9:27 am

Graysvws wrote: thanks neil davies, you seem to have similar taste and interest in mind. Personally I like the cal look just fine, just don't want to have it so far away from og that its criticized by vw enthusiast. BRM's are definately going on it. I am trying to find the correct code for the olive green that some of the splits originally came in, I like that color with tan interior, brms and a lowered stance. What do you mean by t- bars?

Glad to help, and also glad you didn't take offence - when I read back what I'd typed I thought it sounded really "picky"!
T-bars are the T shaped bars that replace stock bumpers. Here's a pic on a friends Bug.

I'll be running them on my car as my stock grooved bumpers were bent and rusted, and they don't fit in with my plans anyway. They're now on another mates '52 ratter. My car is a Jan '51 deluxe, and although it could be restored, as I've said on here several times, it's been picked clean by the restorers (who had the wheels, fenders, lights, semaphores, glass) so they can't complain at me doing something a bit different with it!

Tue Feb 23, 2010 2:41 pm

Oh I got ya, I believe I am gonna put the blade bumpers back on. The car came with bumpers but loaded with surface rust. I've put a lot of thought into it, and I believe have decided to pretty much leave the body(fenders, hood, semaphores etc) alone, paint it the olive green I like. Then find some low back seats and attempt to find the correct dash pieces and just have a fairly stock looking split that I won't feel bad driving because of having soo much invested. Looking to have less than 12-13k invested once completed(and yes including cost of the initial purchase) Not to bad when I look at bare shells missing everything selling for 5-6k.

Wed Mar 03, 2010 1:16 pm

Graysvws wrote: Oh I got ya, I believe I am gonna put the blade bumpers back on. The car came with bumpers but loaded with surface rust. I've put a lot of thought into it, and I believe have decided to pretty much leave the body(fenders, hood, semaphores etc) alone, paint it the olive green I like. Then find some low back seats and attempt to find the correct dash pieces and just have a fairly stock looking split that I won't feel bad driving because of having soo much invested. Looking to have less than 12-13k invested once completed(and yes including cost of the initial purchase) Not to bad when I look at bare shells missing everything selling for 5-6k.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=930852

oh well, supply and demand...I guess. You might want to edit your post before you start accusing folks of thinking their stuff is worth more than anybody elses.

Wed Mar 03, 2010 5:50 pm

So what, I got a real deal on my car, and yes already sold locally in less than a day. Obviously I know what my cars worth and YOU don't since 9 months later yours are still for sale!!!!! Don't be critical when you don't know what your talking about smitty. you say you have 10k invested, that doesn't mean they are worth that, '62 bug and '52 are totally different ends of the spectrum. Though I already greatly miss the split, times are tough like everyone else,

after having all other years with buses and bugs no other dub but a split is worth owning!!