More opinions on this 6v, '55 stock oval

[type1vwjapan]

first, I want to thank everyone that helped me out on my last post. I figured out I was just attached to the black color and oval window, and failed to realize the other details about the car. things that were missing that are very important to me. not even going to see that car now.

as I said a few days ago, I live in Japan so there's a shortage on good, stock, ovals in Japan. it's a huge risk importing cars here unless you are an expert and will result in over 10k getting the car here and road ready. so a 12k car easily becomes a 25k-30k dollar car. this car is about 25k.

yes I know it's steep, but not unusual here. have to get used to paying Japanese import prices, lol. get used to it after a while. I just smack my self in the face with cold water, scream a little bit in front of the mirror, and then open my wallet.

so, my option is to find a good one here. I've now been considering this '55 oval.

http://www.goo-net.com/usedcar/spread/0600834/15/700060083430140831004.html

again, sorry the page is all in Japanese. please have a look at the pics and let me know what you all think if you have time.

I know the tail lights have been raised slightly and there are indicators on the front fenders. thats a plus in my book for safety concerns. what about the interior? is it customized? looks damn nice though even so. how about that yellow on the wheels? does it look like all the body panels are original? hood, fenders, deck lid, etc. ? Wolfsburg bade original? no radio, I know.

does anything look cheap, carpet etc. ?

nit pick this car, please! is the gas tank supposed to be painted the color of the car? isn't is supposed to be black? I'm not trying to be picky about it, just want to know as much as I can before I go ALL the way out to see it. it's quite far away from where I live.

it's 6 v and pretty much as stock as I can get and afford. I'm inquiring a lot more details about the car today.

I've definitely got a case of the "bug" and love the 36hp motor! looks very nice and well maintained.

as long as I adjust the valves, inspect and service the ignition system regularly, adjust the carb, lube the chassis, change the oil religiously, check my brakes, should I be alright to drive this car daily? I drive less than 15 miles a day. what other SPECIFIC maintenance should I consider with these stock oval cars?

is the maintenance any more involving than a 60s or 70s bug? is the routine maintenance more costly with parts like points, condenser, brakes, etc. ?

and sorry i can only have one car in Japan. way too expensive to have 2 cars! way to much!

also, it doesn't get that cold, not much snow here, and they don't salt the roads! very good for me in keeping this car preserved the best I can. shouldn't have to worry about it not starting due to severely cold weather.

but I'm a little worried about the 6v system. I've heard that 6v is a little less forgiving in terms of shorts and runs dirtier. required the terminals and connections to be inspected and cleaned more often due to the higher amperage draw rate, as opposed to 12v. I don't mind about the slow wipers and dimmer head lights, more worried about my car shorting out all the time and my car not starting like it should every day,

how much and what do you estimate for a 12v conversion? takes quite a bit I guess.

but I don't want to covert to 12v...that is how sad I've gotten and original I want this car to be. any tips for keeping a 6v car's wiring safe and reliable?

thanks guys! I'll have much more questions later I'm sure.

[Karly]

I'm probably not the best person to answer on originality as I drive a early '60....but to me it looks like someone has done a quick tidy on the bug so the seats and carpet kit look good now but probably aren't the highest quality. For a daily driver I wouldn't worry about them and just replace as needed especially the carpet with square weave (cheap carpet kits generally don't have long lifespans). I'd be much more worried about any hidden rust or bog and that can only be found by a personal inspection.

For any car you buy estimate to spend at least 500-1000 fixing (particularly one that hasn't been driven that much). In terms of daily driving a 6v bug. I've been driving mine for 3 years now (11 years in total but it spent 3 years off read getting work done in that time). Let me say I don't do any mechanical work myself I have a VERY small garage and work more than full time - I'm sure I will one day but at the moment I'd rather pay someone and get it done and enjoy driving my bug on weekends.

In the past 3 years it's had a broken accelerator pedal (tow truck), a bad set of points (still drive able), a manifold leak (again still driveable but overheated on the freeway and put a end to a interstate roadtrip almost instantly), fuel pump died (tow truck), plus one speedo cable. I get it serviced religiously at 3000 miles and mine is modified with a Judson blower which does increase its maintenance needs. I'm not counting the other stuff that gets identified during the service and generally at each one there is something else that gets replaced or fixed before it even leads to a break down.

In terms of electricity 6v suits me just fine, it starts instantly, I noticed my head lights are a bit dim now and probably need some cleaning. I do have to be proactive in keeping a little stock of globes, points, distributor cap, points, generator brushes etc. as it can take 2 weeks to get parts since no one keeps them in stock here. Cost wise they are more than later bugs and with a daily driver you can't afford to get cheap crappy quality stuff.

So my answer is.... don't skimp on maintenance and your bug will be just fine, but remember its a 50+ year old car and you have to have a sense of humor to daily drive these things! I think this oval is much nicer than the previous one you posted.
_________________
1960 Beetle ''Heidi" daily driver
1964 Karmann Ghia project

[type1vwjapan]

thanks for all the tips, Karly! will take all of that into consideration.

on a quick note, where do you 36 HP folks get your regular routine maintenance parts? flat 4 in japan has a decent stock, but not everything. would love to have a backup source. I know the samba is great, but there has to be other vendors that sell parts for these engines too.

[type1vwjapan]

being I've only drive and am familiar with 1600cc dual port cars, can someone identify the parts they see in the engine pic if this '55 oval? carb, dizzy, coil, fuel pump, etc. thanks! have a rough idea what I'm looking at.

[Karly]

Wolfsburg West or CIP1 (when they have their discount codes) I tend to use when I need spares as I can do a big order and get it in 10 days and often cheaper than buying locally.

As for engine part identification - check out the technical section right here on the samba - it has the owners manuals for each year and all have labelled engine diagrams.
_________________
1960 Beetle ''Heidi" daily driver
1964 Karmann Ghia project

[txoval]

For parts: www.aircooledresearch.com or www.wolfsburgwest.com

Just know that some 36 hp parts cannot be quickly replaced, by that I mean the ability to go to the local VW parts store. 1600cc parts are available everywhere. Of course in Japan that may not be an option anyway. For instance the fuel pump, you can buy rebuild kits or restored units from a couple of sources...they are also expensive. The correct carb is no longer available, but like fuel pump, can be rebuilt or restored units can be found

Car looks clean, obviously repainted, the gas tank should not be blue. It has the original seat frames, stock vinyl, so that's nice. The stock front seats are worth a lot. Proper grooved interior door handles/window cranks. The carpet kit actually looks nice to me, not stock, but well done. Front Bumper overriders are in the wrong location, should be on outside hole. Rear lights look correct to me, snowflakes were used on some 55 cars and were higher than eggs/hearts. Engine looks correct...proper distributor, fuel pump, oil fill, voltage regulator, big nut generator. I only question the air cleaner...but could be wrong. It's definitely a 36hp air cleaner, just not sure if correct for 55.

Looks like a good car

[thebucket]

Yes 55's were offered with snowflakes. But only with bullet cars, never semaphore. This cars has semaphore's....

[txoval]

I'm by no means a VW expert, but I believe snowflakes were an option for 55-semaphore cars. When you look at the m-codes it was a "safety" option I believe. From January to July 1955 there were 3 versions until the model year timing switch.

Either way, I do not think the snowflakes are mounted too high

Great 1955 thread here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4...mp;start=0

[janerick3]

I do not believe VWs were assembled at the factory with both semaphores and bullet turn signals.

This car is from the transition period from semaphores to flashing turn signals:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=509636

It does not have semaphore slots and the snowflakes are at normal height.
_________________
Thanks,
Jan K.

[type1vwjapan]

thanks, definitley feel better knowing there are still several vendors selling the 36 hp stuff.

so, made a phone call yesterday and didnt go as well as I expected. the place that is selling that car majorly sucks! they just sell classic cars and don't know squat about cars period. All they could basically tell me was that it was first registered in Japan in 1988 and that it had a single owner since then. The old man babied and garaged the car during it's entire life. He passed away last year and the car went to his daughter. She then sold it to this local shop in her area. It has been in their possession since last July.

They said that it starts up and "appears" to drive fine. Has not been serviced or touched really in over a year, since the last owner had it serviced before he passed away.

they also said it doesnt't appear to have much rust. can't trust them on that one though, who knows for sure. Said the old man that had it before had it restored a while ago in Japan.

Let's just hope this whole old man story is even true, lol.

Right now the price is about 25,000 dollars including the mandatory car inspection and road worthiness test it must go through before it can be legally driven.

That is with all cars in Japan, every two years. It’s a real pain in the a$$ and a big, fat leach on everyone’s wallet. Oh well, I’ve become desensitized to all the ridiculous and redundant Japanese laws. After a while you just stop feeling all the pain, lol. Just become numb.

The guy I talked to was extremely lazy and definitely wasn’t all that polite, which is so rare for Japanese people generally.

They said that after I sign the contract for the car, then I can inspect the car thoroughly. What a crock of $hit! However, given all of their BS, I still think this car is worth it. It is exactly the kind of car I’m after, and the right price.

I will definitely talk to my very skilled local air cooled VW tech, body man, and even engineer into going with me. Will not even think about stepping foot on the car lot without the aid of an air cooled pro. Even if we can’t go through everything on the car, he can still look and crawl around and inspect the car in probably about 5 minutes, diagnose what it needs, and maybe even negotiate the price for me if it needs quite a bit of work. If it were just me, I would look at it for hours, and be scared as hell I bought a lemon.

again, thanks for all the input and insights into this car. Makes me feel a little more secure about it. will probably be going to see it sometime later this month.

[type1vwjapan]

I really think this is as affordable as I can get with a mostly stock 36hp '55 oval that is already in Japan. my wife even loves the color!

however, this is really the final straw. this is the last time I can change cars. we made a promise. aboslutely no backing out. don't have the money to change cars again and again anyways.

I'm for sure I want it, I'm just a little worried of course since this car is in the possession of a not so trustable shop.

this car has everything I love. eveything. sure it's not perfect, but as close as I can get my hands on.

[txoval]

Just a question. If you buy this car and it breaks down or needs some repairs, can you live with the down time?

I would bet this car needs some attention, maybe nothing major, but a lot of little items add up quick.

I'd just hate to see you go from a reliable car to one that needs $1000 worth of work right off the bat.

This is what happened me with my 54. Shocks, brakes, axle boots, tranny fluid, points, condensor, coil, etc. The fuel pump went out 1 year after buying it, which led to me completely rebuilding the car (which is what I wanted to do anyway).

Good luck

[type1vwjapan]

yes, I know that I could easily drop 1-2k into this car to make it reliable and road ready. I'm fine with that since I will REALLY, REALLY, have this car for life should I really purchase it. I know this car will be a lot less reliable than my current 2000 mexi beetle, but that is fine with me. that is how much I'm obsessed with these early VW cars.

sure, I will most likely have a couple break downs here and there, but that is all part of the experience. I will just have to do my best to minimize those break downs and failed starts with LOTS of TLC and regular maitenance.

glad to hear about the interior and that it's original, with the exception of the carpet. carpet doesn't look bad at all though, you are right. I thought the seat upholstery and door panels were customized. so that is for sure the stock upholstery.

question, can those bumper over riders be moved easily? sorry for my ignorance.

thanks again for all the details! i just need to let all of this cook and brew for a little while.

[txoval]

The seat upholstery and door panels are stock (probably not the originals, but yes they are the stock pattern).

The overriders are easy...just move it from the inside bumper bolt hole to the outside hole. When you see it, it will make sense. Simply unbolt, move over and reattach

[type1vwjapan]

thanks, that is what I thought about the overriders. lol, I hope I'm lucky enough to touch those bolts and move them over one day. damn, I want that car. just hope it all works out.

I was thinking that I should probably hang on to my mexi bug and park it for the time being if I really decide to get this oval and use it as my daily, since the 1600cc dual port dual carb setup I have runs superbly and shifts like a dream. no problems what so ever really.

that way if my 1200cc completely craps out, I can just switch my motor and tranny over.

However... paying someone to swap out the motor, tranny, and convert the '55 oval to 12V would be quite a hefty bill, too. would probably be just better to pull out the 1200cc motor, overhaul it, and then run off a strong 1200cc for a looooong time. that way I could keep it original, too

one more question, what about the stock drum brakes? I drove a '74 bug with drum brakes in the states all day long, no problem. never once felt in danger or like I had a close one as a result of the brakes.

however, that was 10 years ago so my memory might be a little off. lots of people say to upgrade the brakes and that the drum brake setup sucks and feels like you're experiencing brake failure??? i don't rememebr this at all.

thanks again guys, I don't have anyone else to turn to or talk with over here about all my concerns.

i think I really want to try this car, so I will be setting up a day I can take my vw tech with me to see this car. its about a 3-4 hour train ride from where I live, quite a distance. plus, I obviously have to pay the guy I take with me for his time. could be a little costly, but will ensure I don't make a decision that will result in a huge loss that I will regret my entire life.

[John M]

I see a lot of engine parts on this car that are 54, 55 only. Thin slot generator, round top voltage regulator, wave top fuel pump, coil strap, etc. that are 60 years old. They will fail as a daily driver sooner than later. Replace them now, but don't throw them away, especially if they are date coded near the manufacture date of the car. Hold them in reserve as temporary spares. If you keep the car for a long time, restore it after its daily driving time is done, or sell it, those parts in working order (or not) will be worth a good chunk of change. If the engine is original to the car, even more $$$$$.

Here's what I did on my April, 1955 with original engine. It ran ok, but needed some work. It was missing the original thin slot generator and round top voltage regulator, fuel pump and coil and strap. I broke it all down, cleaned it up and put it in storage. I now run one of Joe Ruiz's OKRASA motors, saving the original case from possible distruction. It's taken 5 years and $$$$$ to find and restore date coded parts for the original engine. So keep all the parts..

If your plan is to keep it for a long time and restore it some day, you may want to look at running a later year rebuilt 36 motor if it's sporting the original. Would be cheaper in the long run, excepting if you have Joe Ruiz build you an OKRASA...

[Karly]

I read on your other thread you want to install air con? - in that case you are probably better getting a bigger engine and keeping the OG nice and safe somewhere.

Drum brakes - just takes some caution when driving to leave slightly bigger gaps and I practiced a few quick stops initially and learnt how to pull up quickly without locking the brakes. I'd recommend finding somewhere quiet and doing the same. I made the choice to go to discs for my 2nd car (not registered yet) but only because it needed a complete brake overhaul and I decided might as well upgrade it.
_________________
1960 Beetle ''Heidi" daily driver
1964 Karmann Ghia project

[type1vwjapan]

thanks for the tips on braking, Karly. I decided not to put AC in my bug. talked my wife into letting me use one of those cigarette ligher and ice units, lol. don't care if its ridiculous, keeps my engine bay from cluttering up and keeps the car more stock and from getting holes drilled in it.

also, appreciate the advice, John. I will highly consider replacing the coil, generator, fuel pump, and other parts that keep the car from functioning and being more reliable like it should, if I decide to go 1200cc. I've heard 1200cc can run all day long if its in good shape, if not even stronger than a 1600cc. besides, it's not like 1600cc engines don't have their handful of reliability issues anyways, lol.

I'm probably just dreaming about this car anyways. I will probably end up getting an oval thats got a 1600cc 12 v conversion. not sure I can afford upkeeping a bone stock car.

[type1vwjapan]

just wanted to drop a note that I'm still very interested in this car, but the timing just isn't the best right now. I have a lot on my plate right now, especially with me and my wife getting ready to start building our house this year. also, it's nearly impossible for me to take out a decent loan from a bank over here without permanent residence. I'm in the process of obtaining it, but it could take another few months. would have my wife set it up in her name, but it could affect the house loan process so I'm definitley not going to throw a wrench into all of that.

However, I'm going to make a phone call this weekend and ask about if I can just set up a loan directly through their shop in my name, which is not that uncommon in Japan, especially if a place wants to have your business.

Tried getting a loan through many places in the US, and was declined because I have to be residing in the US and the car has to be in the US. damn...but no surprise really.

why is it that these kinds of finds always come at the worst times? don't know if this is a sign that this isn't the car for me, but my gut really tells me that it is the one. Right color, mostly original, right color, in Japan, in the hands of people that don't know jack about VWs and how much they're worth, and even a great price for an oval over here.

i called about a beat up and absolutely rough looking, although mostly original brown '54 oval I found close to my area here, and they wanted $45k for it. seriously??!! That made the conversation quick, lol.

This car has been for sale since September, so I’m really hoping it will still be there during the summer once my permanent residence card it hopefully granted and our house situation is well under way. Just way too much stuff up in the air right now.

Just out of curiosity, what issues do you usually find on cars when an oval body is put onto a 70’s chassis? I know it probably depends on the shop/person doing the job, but was curious. What are the reasons for doing this? Bad chassis? Someone didn’t feel like repairing the original chassis the right way? Cost cut? Performance upgrade?

I found this decent looking ’56 Oval that is on a ’71 chassis.

http://www.goo-net.com/usedcar/spread/goo/15/0900150401W4000249004.html

They only want about $9k for it. It is being sold by a legit and credible air cooled shop over here. I can only see one picture of it though. Claimed that all the body panels and parts were original except the rear fenders. Looks like the front hood has been replaced too, and I bet money those aprons have been replaced too. God only knows what the hell they did to the back of it. Probably has some much later lights on it, or at worse some of those cheap aftermarket lights that are blended into the fender.

The owner said he’d be more than glad to send more pictures. I’m already not liking the Porsche wheels. I’m sure it has a bunch of other little details that will drive me crazy and end up costing me a lot to put it back to its stock look. The windshield wipers look messed up, too. Not to mention what the interior looks like. Probably has a quick shifter, racing steering wheel, cheap carpet and later seats, and stupid gauges plaguing the nice original dash. Could be in for a surprise though, who knows.

[type1vwjapan]

forgot to mention that if I can actually be lucky enough to get this car for my daily, I plan to keep the 1200cc motor (have it rebuilt one day if it needs it), replace the original coil, dizzy, fuel pump, and big nut generator with high quality parts. i will lock those oroginal parts away in a vault.

of course I will do thorough tuneup, possibly rebuild the carb if it needs it, replace the spark plugs, wires (if need be), timing, adjust valves, lube chassis and other areas of concern, inspect starter and battery, tranny, etc., etc., etc. then my car should be a little more reliable and prevent predictable breakdowns.