Corney13's '63 Beetle

[grandpa pete]

you could trim the rag clip and install from the bottom up...plug welding from the top will require the least amount of body work....
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63 two fold rag
66 sedan delivery Type 6

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569619&highlight=sedan+delivery

[vwnut1]

Great thread that I can relate to. Doing a similar restore as you ('64 Bug) and your post just gave me some needed motivation. I can relate to your tight workspace as I am restricted to a tight carport. Looking at your spotless garage floor I have a hunch that you may be as anal retenentive as I am, Bug will come out nice and look awesome. Have you decided to respray the original factory color?
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1957 VW Oval Resto Mod

[Corney13]

[Corney13]

[vwnut1]

Final color choice is always a tough choice on a project. If going for a 100% stock look I say go with the color that it left the factory in. If you you are doing a mild custom I say pick any VW color that really moves you. I think this is Athracite on a Bug, looks sharp!

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1957 VW Oval Resto Mod

[Adam91]

looking good so far. I dig the fog lights!

[Corney13]

So today I decided that I needed to do something easier than grafting a rag top, and wanted to get a sense of accomplishment, so I decided to put the rag top project aside and work on the interior.

I started with the rear seat bottom, as it was the only frame that did not need a respray. When I got my car it only came with the driver's seat and the rear seat bottom. It was missing everything else. Early on, when I first got the car, I went on the search for the missing seat frames. This is also where I started learning about what seats are correct for each year. Even though I had I driver's seat, I found that it was a better idea to look for a matching pair. After some searching for pre-64 front seats, I found some. The seller had them upholstered for a Manx like buggy, but realized that they sat too high, so he sold then with brand new purple and white covers! They are very well done, and to be honest, are higher quality than the TMI covers that I am replacing them with.... Oh well! For the rear seat back, I had a hell of a time finding a correct seat. I found one here on the Samba for $30, but it meant a 200 mile round trip car ride to get it..... Well, I needed it, so I went and got it.

Here is the seat bottom with an aftermarket cover it had on it:

Under that cover was this sweet mattress cover that was holding the padding and horsehair in one place:

I bought a foam kit for the rear seat, but strangely it did not look like it was shaped correctly in the back, so I decided to use the padding That I had. I covered the whole thing in black speaker box carpet to smooth out the bumps, then proceeded to fit the cover, It fit pretty well, even over my added carpet. The TMI cover has a thin rope that is threaded through the bottom of the cover. The old seat cover had a metal wire. My Father in law had the idea to tie the rope to stainless steel MIG wire and pull it through the seat cover. This worked surprisingly well! We fitted the hog rings and pulled the wire tight. One seat frame done!

From here, I dismantled my front seats, carefully removing the purple and white seat covers (Making sure they stayed nice for Grandpa Pete) and started painting the frames. I am using Rustoleum Almond appliance paint. If they seem dry enough tomorrow, I may fit the other covers. To be continued.....

[Corney13]

I finished the seats. I have to say, that it was a lot harder to do than I thought it was going to be. I still need to let them sit in the sun to get the wrinkles out, but over all I think they came out pretty good.

[rcooled]

Your seats turned out really nice...good job there!

If you don't mind, I have some questions about the covers. I think you said they're from TMI, right? What do they call that particular shade of gray? Are those heat-seamed pleats, or are they stitched in? Is the piping around the edges an off-white color? Did you custom-order them that way?
Was that white padding on the front seats put on over the original 'horse hair' pads? Is the plastic wrap there just to protect the padding from paint, or did you leave it on to help the covers slide over the frames? And finally, is that Rustoleum almond appliance paint fairly durable, and is it a pretty close match to the original silver beige?

Thanks for posting all the detailed photos too...very helpful!
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'63 Ragtop (current)
'65 Ghia coupe (totaled)
'67 Ghia convertible (current)
'69.5 Ghia convertible and
'62, '63, '65, '69 Bugs (all long gone)

[Jerry Hundley]

your seats turned out great. KCW has a really good video on their site on how to install a rag clip. Its exactly how I do them
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Jerry Hundley (AKA Slammed 66)

Because Stock Sucks!!!!
70 baywindow deluxe
65 slammed bug
69 bug
64 drag buggy

[Corney13]

[Corney13]

[rcooled]

Thanks for all the extra info on the seat covers & paint. Much appreiciated...
_________________
'63 Ragtop (current)
'65 Ghia coupe (totaled)
'67 Ghia convertible (current)
'69.5 Ghia convertible and
'62, '63, '65, '69 Bugs (all long gone)

[bit_boy]

Great price for your new project. Keep up the good work and keep the pictures coming! Will be following your build. I need the inspiration!!

[57BLITZ]

NICE JOB! Your seats are lookin' great!

[Corney13]

[Corney13]

On Sunday I decided to cut the section of the ragtop clip I was going to use out of the donor clip. Much of the clip around the opening was either dented or had rust. You will notice a section in the corner with some rust repair. The current plan is to cut the clip 1.5 inches from the opening along the sides and front and 1 inch from the back. I rounded the corners of my cut as well. I will then cut the opening in my cars roof 1/2 inch smaller that the clip and flange the edge, so in theory the clip should rest in the groove and sit flush with the rest of the roof. I then weld up the seam and grind down the welds. I have some testing to do before I cut my roof, but that is the plan for now. I still need to remove the supports at the front of the clip, but I will save that for another day. Here are pictures of the clip being cut...

[Corney13]

On Monday I decided to work on the gas gauge. The gauge that came with the car was scratched on the face from years of the needle rubbing on it. I took the glass out to look at it and promptly broke the needle. I searched the classifieds here and found a gauge that was missing the ball at the end of the wire for $25. Once it arrived I noticed that the screw that holds on the bracket in the back was rusted in place and that the gauge would not move. I tried to get the screw off the back and it just snapped off. So I decided to take the good things from each gauge and make one good one. What's interesting is that even thought they are the same part number, the internal parts were slightly different. On my original gauge the glass was actual glass and on the one I bought the glass was plastic. The mechanism in the gauge was metal on my original and plastic on the other. Also, the new gauge had a slightly thicker needle. I carefully dismantled both gauges and Frankensteined one good one.

[57BLITZ]

[Corney13]