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Wed Aug 02, 2023 3:33 pm

my59 wrote: TXHCBeetle wrote: Can anyone confirm if the original rear view mirror mounting screws were flat-head or Phillips-head?

Philips, and not flat head.

Awesome, thanks!

Wed Aug 23, 2023 12:28 pm

So I have read through all the posts in this channel... quite an undertaking that took over 3 days to do.
Anyways, I have read that the US bumpers were specific to 58-59 but no where were the details explained. I just want to make sure that the bumpers on my '58 sedan are correct. Thanks!

Wed Aug 23, 2023 1:22 pm

Pictures?

Don

Wed Aug 23, 2023 5:47 pm

sunroof wrote: Pictures?

Don

Wed Aug 23, 2023 9:02 pm

That one looks nice .

Fri Aug 25, 2023 6:32 am

I found this in Progressive Refinements... Seems the bumpers changed somehow in 1959. Is this what people are referring to when they describe '58 bumpers as being different? What does "stronger design" mean?

And given mine is a '58, does that mean they should be identical to late oval bumpers?

Fri Aug 25, 2023 8:13 am

That looks like type 2 to me. In '59 they deleted the starting handle and the pressed bumpers for type 2.

Don

Fri Aug 25, 2023 10:35 am

Yes, that's Bus and a Bus VIN #.

1959 Buses have larger bumpers. No more "pressed" aka "ribbed" bumpers

Sat Aug 26, 2023 8:19 pm

Yep ;

I wonder where you guys find all this great stuff .

I hope you'll consider scanning it and sharing with the old car manual project . com .

Sat Aug 26, 2023 9:40 pm

The image above is from Progressive Refinements, which is on the site in the Technical section

Mon Aug 28, 2023 10:14 am

I found on the original bumpers on my July 15/57 built 58, that the bolts for upper bars were 14mm, while other newer ones have 13mm bolts. Maybe that change happened here...

Sat Sep 02, 2023 11:41 am

I'm not sure if I'm going about this right as far as where to post so please forgive me if I'm doing it wrong. I'm in the process of getting our '58 beetle restored by a very reputable shop and not cutting any corners.

The end goal is to have a car that appearance wise is very period correct but with some mechanical updates (1600 single port, later transaxle, 12V, dual circuit master cylinder). The car will be painted Agave and I've purchased the seat cover/door panel kit in green/grey from West Coast Classic Interiors.

But we are in a dilemma regarding the headliner. I know cloth is OG but we (wife and I) are not really fans of the cloth and have concerns about keeping it clean and such. I much prefer the perforated vinyl from both an appearance and maintenance standpoint.

Am I nuts? Will the potential value of the car plummet if it doesn't have the cloth headliner? Or since the car was practically ready for the boneyard should I just go for what makes us happy?

Thanks for any and all replies.

Sat Sep 02, 2023 12:01 pm

doodahman wrote: I'm not sure if I'm going about this right as far as where to post so please forgive me if I'm doing it wrong. I'm in the process of getting our '58 beetle restored by a very reputable shop and not cutting any corners.

The end goal is to have a car that appearance wise is very period correct but with some mechanical updates (1600 single port, later transaxle, 12V, dual circuit master cylinder). The car will be painted Agave and I've purchased the seat cover/door panel kit in green/grey from West Coast Classic Interiors.

But we are in a dilemma regarding the headliner. I know cloth is OG but we (wife and I) are not really fans of the cloth and have concerns about keeping it clean and such. I much prefer the perforated vinyl from both an appearance and maintenance standpoint.

Am I nuts? Will the potential value of the car plummet if it doesn't have the cloth headliner? Or since the car was practically ready for the boneyard should I just go for what makes us happy?

Thanks for any and all replies.

Since a choice in headliner requires no body modifications, I'd say do what makes you happy. Especially If you dont plan to sell anytime soon, any potential future buyer may grip or may not..

Sun Sep 03, 2023 8:07 am

[quote]Since a choice in headliner requires no body modifications, I'd say do what makes you happy. Especially If you dont plan to sell anytime soon, any potential future buyer may grip or may not.. Quote:

TXHCBeetle, thanks for that perspective. We definitely plan to enjoy the car for many years. The fact that the headliner is not irreversible is well taken. In addition the car will be equipped with the early 60’s padded visors (not a fan of the tinted transparent correct style) so I think you can tell which way we’re going.

Mon Sep 18, 2023 6:59 am

Quote: L41 BLACK
-arm rest bottoms
-horizontal armrest bracket
-chassis/suspension all inclusive
-brake fluid reservoir
-running boards
-engine tin including pulleys, heater boxes and regulator cover
-jack with vw blue base, bare oiled shaft and silver spring
-bumper brackets (body color on convertibles)
-bumper spacers
-pedal assembly
-shifter base
-axle tubes
-complete rear seat (frame and springs)
-front seat spring assemblies and track slider springs
-upper beam to body square washers
-hubcap VW logo (starting Jan 1 58; previously coordinating/or accent shade with body color)
-outer wheel rim with lemmerz trim rings (convertibles) (coordinating/or accent shade with body color on sedans)
-shift rod and steering box inspection plates (body color on convertibles)
-battery cover and strap

Does anyone know where the information about the hubcap logo came from in this case?
Does January 1, 1958 actually mean August 1, 1957?

I ask because my original hubcaps are gone, so I cannot tell what my car had. My car was made in Nov '57, and most of what I have read is that the colored logos ended in '55-'56.

Is there actually an example of a '57 or later car with colored logos?

I also heard that the dealerships may have painted them after the factory stopped, but that may not be related to this conversation.

Tue Sep 19, 2023 6:05 am

Darryldh wrote: Quote: L41 BLACK
-arm rest bottoms
-horizontal armrest bracket
-chassis/suspension all inclusive
-brake fluid reservoir
-running boards
-engine tin including pulleys, heater boxes and regulator cover
-jack with vw blue base, bare oiled shaft and silver spring
-bumper brackets (body color on convertibles)
-bumper spacers
-pedal assembly
-shifter base
-axle tubes
-complete rear seat (frame and springs)
-front seat spring assemblies and track slider springs
-upper beam to body square washers
-hubcap VW logo (starting Jan 1 58; previously coordinating/or accent shade with body color)
-outer wheel rim with lemmerz trim rings (convertibles) (coordinating/or accent shade with body color on sedans)
-shift rod and steering box inspection plates (body color on convertibles)
-battery cover and strap

Does anyone know where the information about the hubcap logo came from in this case?
Does January 1, 1958 actually mean August 1, 1957?

I ask because my original hubcaps are gone, so I cannot tell what my car had. My car was made in Nov '57, and most of what I have read is that the colored logos ended in '55-'56.

Is there actually an example of a '57 or later car with colored logos?

I also heard that the dealerships may have painted them after the factory stopped, but that may not be related to this conversation.

Not sure why the date/info says 1/58, but you are correct, cap logos should for sure be black.

Sun Oct 01, 2023 12:52 pm

my59 wrote: VWNate wrote:

My '59 was in fact manufactured in October of 1958 .

VW changes to the next model year in August ..

Progressive Refinements contradicts the August model year start with a comment that the '59 model year started Nov 1, 1958 with x number (Posted previous in thread)

If this helps…

My euro 59 model year L243 Diamond gray car was manufactured in October 1958. It came with the green/gray interior, which was standard for 1959 model year cars. In model year 1958 cars, L243 cars came with brick red/gray interiors. In Europe, cars built after August 1958 were still registered as 1958 cars, unlike in the US. My Austrian registration lists my car as a 1958 car despite being a 1959 model year car. This may be where the confusion comes from in the Progressive refinements book.

Sun Oct 01, 2023 1:02 pm

doodahman wrote: I'm not sure if I'm going about this right as far as where to post so please forgive me if I'm doing it wrong. I'm in the process of getting our '58 beetle restored by a very reputable shop and not cutting any corners.

The end goal is to have a car that appearance wise is very period correct but with some mechanical updates (1600 single port, later transaxle, 12V, dual circuit master cylinder). The car will be painted Agave and I've purchased the seat cover/door panel kit in green/grey from West Coast Classic Interiors.

But we are in a dilemma regarding the headliner. I know cloth is OG but we (wife and I) are not really fans of the cloth and have concerns about keeping it clean and such. I much prefer the perforated vinyl from both an appearance and maintenance standpoint.

Am I nuts? Will the potential value of the car plummet if it doesn't have the cloth headliner? Or since the car was practically ready for the boneyard should I just go for what makes us happy?

Thanks for any and all replies.

As others discussed, this is your car and the headliner can always be changed.

But since you asked…

The cloth headliner looks far superior to the vinyl. If you think the original beige color is too dark, order the light beige from Himmel Service in Germany. It will give you a lighter color that looks like the vinyl headliner, but with the feel and look of the cloth headliner. Also, keeping the cloth headliner clean is not an issue

Sun Oct 01, 2023 1:08 pm

Hoping someone can help. If possible can you post a photo of how the license plate bracket attaches to the license plate light / “nose” on the deck lid? The common practice is Europe is to mount the license plate directly to the deck lid with screws. I want to avoid drilling holes in my deck lid and picked up a license plate bracket from WW last time I was in the US. However, I am not sure how the bracket mounts under the license plate light / “nose” on the deck lid. Does it go under or over the seal? Any help is appreciated.

Sun Oct 01, 2023 1:22 pm

AlteWagen wrote: Got a message about rim color codes for a Glacier blue L334 car that got me started on it again. Since the L82 is a common color with codes around I will focus the question on the L30 grey-blue shown.

In looking for this code for a friend in the past I hit a dead end until I read the gas tank/arm rest support thread that used the L29 grey-blue code.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=411071

Anyone have an original paint rim to see how much different the color is? Id assume a slight bit more blue but just a guess

edit: added some pics of an original paint car

Too bad the tank didnt keep the gray so we could see the difference

looks a bit more blue

hard to tell with lighting

Would still like to see more pics if anyone has any.

One more edit:

Guess its a lot more blue!! Looks like Horizon Blue cars used the same color and luckily this book lists many wheel colors as well!

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/lit/57_color_book.php

Hope this helps out Tim.

This is an older post, but I wanted to share a my own efforts regarding sourcing classic VW paint colors (especially L30 gray-blue).

There is a company in Germany called MG Prime http://www.mg-prime.de/ that can mix classic VW paint codes. They sell paint in ready to use spray paint cans and in volume for use in paint guns. They were able to sell me L30 Gray-Blue for my car, as well as other colors for my friend’s VW projects. I interacted with a woman named Judith who spoke perfect English, and she was incredibly helpful. I am not sure what it takes to get paint shipped from Germany to the US, but this may work for some of you.