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D63RAGTOP
Samba Member
Joined: June 20, 2016
Posts: 20
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 Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 5:27 pm Post subject: 1963 Ragtop Project |
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Dear Samba Community
I have recently acquired a 63 ragtop. I am new to the VW scene and the only knowledge I have is from the research I’ve done on this site over the past couple of weeks. This project is for my nephew, I want to restore it with him so it can be his first car (It’s his dream car). If you can give me any words of advices and information on the car I would be grateful.
I know it’s in rough shape. That’s what sitting by the beach for 25+ years will do to a car.
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carnut63
Samba Member
Joined: May 14, 2009
Posts: 336
Location: Murrieta, CA & Everett, WA
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| Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 5:35 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 Ragtop Project |
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Shortest and best advice:
Strip the body down and have it professionally media blasted, fix the rust areas correct, professionally, and do it once.
Get your hands dirty with the chassis/engine/trans.
Have fun with it!
_________________
Tyson
---> Mar 2 1955 Strato Silver Oval <---
---> July 1957 ragtop project <---
---> May 5 1966 Ghia <---
---> 1962 Ruby Red Deluxe (sold) |
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grandpa pete
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2008
Posts: 6426
Location: St. Petersburg, FL
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| Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 5:43 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 Ragtop Project |
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Read through the projects and build threads .
learn from others mistakes .
sometimes it's cheaper and easier to replace a door or fender than spend time and money fixing it .
Get the John Muir book on VW's and ask questions .....
How about a little 63 ragtop inspiration ; 
_________________
63 two fold rag
66 sedan delivery Type 6
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569619&highlight=sedan+delivery
Last edited by grandpa pete on Wed Jun 22, 2016 5:44 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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D63RAGTOP
Samba Member
Joined: June 20, 2016
Posts: 20
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| Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 5:44 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 Ragtop Project |
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Thanks for thee advice.
Silly question but do all VWs say made in german on the tag?
The VIN is 5444638
And how can you tell if its a deluxe bug? |
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grandpa pete
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2008
Posts: 6426
Location: St. Petersburg, FL
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D63RAGTOP
Samba Member
Joined: June 20, 2016
Posts: 20
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| Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 7:07 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 Ragtop Project |
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What motor would you guys/gals recommend? I want something with a little more power then stock but i dont want to go over because it will be going to a 16 year old.
Something to be able to handle Cali highway speed comfortable.
Would I need to swap out the tranny? |
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Eric&Barb
Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2004
Posts: 24736
Location: Olympia Wash Rinse & Repeat
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| Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 8:10 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 Ragtop Project |
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Well the stock 40 HP will work fine. Big bore 40 HP will give it a bit more pep. Both will teach him to pay attention to traffic and plan several seconds ahead.
1600 SP is even more peppy. All of them will do fine up to 60 MPH, and just keep to the slow lane. Sure you can go faster than 60 MPH, but expect about 1/3 engine lifespan and a lot less MPG if you try to keep up with 70+ MPH traffic.
Yes, one can have the transaxle geared lower for higher speed at same RPM as stock at 60 MPH, but then probably will need a 1600 or bigger engine. It just costs more and more....
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In Stereo, Where Available! |
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D63RAGTOP
Samba Member
Joined: June 20, 2016
Posts: 20
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| Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 8:26 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 Ragtop Project |
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Thanks for the help Eric&Barb.
What about the 1776's ive been hearing about? Is that a good choice? |
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Eric&Barb
Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2004
Posts: 24736
Location: Olympia Wash Rinse & Repeat
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| Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 8:40 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 Ragtop Project |
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| D63RAGTOP wrote: |
Thanks for the help Eric&Barb.
What about the 1776's ive been hearing about? Is that a good choice? |
No problem!
That is kind of like asking if a gal with a bigger rack is good choice, better or a necessity....
Heck you might as well go with a 2 liter or even install a Subaru engine.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=585353&highlight=subaru+engine
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Eric&Barb
Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2004
Posts: 24736
Location: Olympia Wash Rinse & Repeat
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| Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 8:44 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 Ragtop Project |
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Personally would for a beginner go with 1600 or smaller engine with stock gearing. Easier for him to get used to working on and not enough HP to get too out of hand.
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D63RAGTOP
Samba Member
Joined: June 20, 2016
Posts: 20
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| Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 9:07 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 Ragtop Project |
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| Eric&Barb wrote: |
| Personally would for a beginner go with 1600 or smaller engine with stock gearing. Easier for him to get used to working on and not enough HP to get too out of hand. |
Thats exactly what Im looking for! |
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D63RAGTOP
Samba Member
Joined: June 20, 2016
Posts: 20
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| Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 9:25 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 Ragtop Project |
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I’m going to dive into this project over the holiday weekend. I’ll try to take as many pictures as possible of the process.
First thing I’m going to do is pull the motor. I know the reason it was parked for 25+ years is because it was having motor issues.
Next will be removing the entire interior and separating the body from the pan.
I have a cousin who owns a powder coating business. Maybe I’ll call in a favor and see if he can media blast everything to get a better idea of how much work the body is going to need. Maybe get somethings powder coated in the process. |
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Eric&Barb
Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2004
Posts: 24736
Location: Olympia Wash Rinse & Repeat
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| Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2016 7:40 am Post subject: Re: 1963 Ragtop Project |
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| D63RAGTOP wrote: |
I’m going to dive into this project over the holiday weekend. I’ll try to take as many pictures as possible of the process.
First thing I’m going to do is pull the motor. I know the reason it was parked for 25+ years is because it was having motor issues.
Next will be removing the entire interior and separating the body from the pan.
I have a cousin who owns a powder coating business. Maybe I’ll call in a favor and see if he can media blast everything to get a better idea of how much work the body is going to need. Maybe get somethings powder coated in the process. |
Definitely good this to go thru the engine. That way you two will know how good of condition it is in.
Be very careful of throwing anything away. Some pieces are just not made and some stuff that is being made is just not as good as original German parts.
EG those door panels are repro made today, but just do not look quite right. The OG ones can be coated for at least over night with liquid glycerin from the pharmacy to soften them up from cracking. If you are going for a custom interior, then please do put those up on thesamba classifieds and either make a few bucks off of them or give them away so someone else can use them.
Do be warned that media blasting can warp the body panels. Enough folks have posted about that big mistake...
Parts that you do have powder coated you should have a Marine Zinc Primer coat put on before the color coat. That will keep rust from easily getting up under the color coat. Only parts we have had a problem with primer and color coat is the stock rims where the inner and outer parts of the rim meet the angle of the parts there tend to repel the coating ot get down in there. Next time we have rims done up will just have them prime and black powder coat the rims and then scuff and paint with standard enamel wet paint for the proper color/s.
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D63RAGTOP
Samba Member
Joined: June 20, 2016
Posts: 20
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| Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2016 1:56 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 Ragtop Project |
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| Quote: |
| Do be warned that media blasting can warp the body panels. Enough folks have posted about that big mistake... |
So what do you suggest as an alternative? |
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D63RAGTOP
Samba Member
Joined: June 20, 2016
Posts: 20
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| Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2016 2:04 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 Ragtop Project |
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Oh and I’m definitely not throwing anything away!  |
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Cali_Army_Guy
Samba Member
Joined: March 19, 2015
Posts: 2094
Location: Stockton, CA
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| Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2016 2:14 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 Ragtop Project |
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| D63RAGTOP wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Do be warned that media blasting can warp the body panels. Enough folks have posted about that big mistake... |
So what do you suggest as an alternative? |
Dustless water blasting is the only way to go
https://youtu.be/nucYBS4B0bc
https://youtu.be/avcMhRbJgCs
https://youtu.be/bCehkkTTeMk
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2015 VW Passat Wolfsburg Edition
1966 VW Beetle - Sold |
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arizonabuckeye
Samba Member
Joined: November 10, 2013
Posts: 544
Location: SLC
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| Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2016 2:18 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 Ragtop Project |
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If you are going to pull off your fabric ragtop and trash it - I would pay you to ship it to me instead... Even in that shape it would fit my 64' ragtop nicely.
Same with the door panels for that matter. |
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Eric&Barb
Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2004
Posts: 24736
Location: Olympia Wash Rinse & Repeat
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| Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2016 2:23 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 Ragtop Project |
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| D63RAGTOP wrote: |
So what do you suggest as an alternative? |
Find someone who does cars with blasting medium on a regular basis, so they have the experience on how to keep from warping the panels.
While sandblasting works well for smaller or harder parts like rims, the other problem with sandblasting is the sand gets everywhere. Due to that it can get into small places and even large ones like the heater channels. There the sand will reside till any water that gets into those places will be held like a sponge against the metal. Rust will soon follow....
Soda blasting can be washed away with vinegar, or dry ice is even nicer because it will melt away if the outside weather is higher than -80 F.
Personally have been using an angle grinder with wire wheel, then sandpaper, and then phosphoric acid covered with plastic wrap over night or longer. Repeat those three steps till the steel shines like silver with the wire wheel, not like lead which is a sign rust still in the pores. Of course wearing a quality lung protection air filter and safety glasses is a must.
When the metal is finally cleaned of rust and wire wheeled to get rid of the last of the dried acid off, use a high zinc primer to both seal the metal and give the body the same rust protection as hot galvanizing dip. Air gas supply welding shops has a good high zinc primer that is over 97% zinc. Anything less than 85% zinc is waste of time and money.
https://www.airgas.com/p/RAD64000130
Only downside to zinc rich primer is if you have to weld or heat up that area later, do wear proper air filter to protect your health from the zinc fumes!
Get a decent set of body working hammer and hand held dolly anvils. An angle grinder with wire wheels and a shrinking disc will do wonders.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8cruauERmI
Do wander thru the body and paint forum for FAQ and searches for more info.
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D63RAGTOP
Samba Member
Joined: June 20, 2016
Posts: 20
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| Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2016 7:49 pm Post subject: Re: 1963 Ragtop Project |
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Thank you again for all the information.
My Uncle and cousin owned a body shop before they got into powder coating (50+ years combined). I'll get with them this weekend and hear their ideas and discuss what I've learned from you.
| Quote: |
| If you are going to pull off your fabric ragtop and trash it - I would pay you to ship it to me instead... Even in that shape it would fit my 64' ragtop nicely. |
You want the fabric? haha. No, Im not going to trash the rag top all it needs is a little TLC. |
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Envious
Samba Member
Joined: January 08, 2003
Posts: 1821
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 4:57 am Post subject: Re: 1963 Ragtop Project |
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Congrats on the purchase. It looks like a good foundation.
My $0.02.....
1) Bag, tag, and document everything you disassemble. Organisation is key when it comes to reassembly. I save digital photos of assemblies and match the file name to numbers on the boxes and bags of parts so I can find them later.
2) Save everything until you're done with the build. Aftermarket parts suck. Plain and simple. For the most part, they can't hold a candle to the original German stuff. You're better off restoring the original rather than buying new; even if it costs the same or a little more.
3) Cry once. If you do buy aftermarket, spend the money to buy from decent suppliers. Wolfsburg West, Berg, Airkewld, and Gerson cost a little more than places like CIP1 but the quality is significantly better. The cheap usually come out more expensive in the end when the parts don't fit or they fail prematurely.
4) Get yourself a wire wheel on a stand. It's great for cleaning hardware and small parts. Replacing hardware will nickel and dime you to death.
5) Stock motor. Unless you're going to have somebody else build it for you or you've built big motors before, rebuild your stock motor just to get you on the road. There are lots of videos and tutorials that walk you through the process with great results (the Bug Me series comes to mind). Since it's stock, factory manuals and tutorials can offer all of the torque settings and tolerances you'll need. As soon as you deviate from stock, variables that weren't considered by a novice can affect the outcome and lifespan of the motor. You can always build something hotter afterwards and swap it for stock. If you do go stock, consider a company like Volkbitz to fully and properly rebuild the carb. A lot of people 'rebuild' their own carbs with gasket kit but worn out bushings can cause problems. Tim at Volksbitz takes care of it all. Also consider a guy like Glenn Ring to rebuild your stock distributor for optimum performance.
6) Lastly, I always have my transmissions rebuilt before reassembly. I've been burnt a couple of times by discovering a bad gear box after the fresh motor was installed. Pulling a swing axle trans sucks. Might as well just do it before the motor goes back in the hole to save the grief.
Have fun. Good luck.
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71 Type 1302 Custom
64 Type 151
63 Type 117 L469 Anthracite
64 Type 361 L575 Nutria
64 Porsche 356c
56 Type 113 L227 Strato Silver
52 BSA C11G
59 Heilite Single Wheel Camping Trailer
56 Allstate Single Wheel
84 Vanagon Westfalia
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=388225 |
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