TheSamba.com :: View topic - 58-60 "Early Big Window" Convertible Registry

Fri Jan 27, 2023 7:16 pm

kaieric wrote: don't worry - i'm not going to pass into silence.
any idea about the colour request?

The only way you might be able to find the original color for the body would be to look in places that are difficult to strip. On a vert you can pull the trunk lock to see if they actually pulled it apart for paint or just masked. Under the gas tank on the front firewall may work but your front clip (not sure if its a 1/2 or full clip including dash) has been replaced. If the rear of the vehicle was not altered the best place Ive seen was the channel for the engine seal. With the work quality demonstrated I doubt they pulled the seal remnants to sand out the slot in the channel. Depending how much of the body shell existed when it was chosen for build up the last place to check would be under the small aluminum plates where the top hinge is.

Fri Jan 27, 2023 7:38 pm

This link shows what vert colors were available and the interior colors as well

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/lit/8_57_color_book.php

This might help a bit more but doesnt say kabrio specific

Sat Jan 28, 2023 3:54 am

so, as i wrote, they met a rhd vert body on a rhd sedan pan. i got birth certificates from vw for both stating that the sedan was build on 10.6.1958 and delivered completely knocked down to south africa. vert was build on 15.8.1958 and it's colour was alabaster, remnants of which i've found on the speedo cable tubing and under new old laquer in some interior spots at door hinge attachments. with its body# 47904 it actually can hardly be a 2/57 body.
pan wasn't welded and has its mounting plate for split trans prior to 8/59 when they altered the suspension of the driving unit, thus according to its vin#.

subsequent to my first euphoric entry from when i got the car newly delivered at home, i found it a confusing blend of asynchronies and i understood that quite a number of parts (and even more) weren't as untouched as i had expected.
more i examined it more i discerned its specific conditions as to what had been modified over the years: support channels were replaced but are looking sound, rear apron has been replaced as well as they did with the wrong decklid.
front is original as well as the fenders except the rear left one which is spare part. semaphore pockets seem org but sedan semaphores are installed.
some mecanics like break drums and shockers had suffered from negligence while the car was an insignificant part of a collection.

my heirs are obviously happy with the bug :wink: i'm not less, and inheritance is secured nonetheless :)

Sat Jan 28, 2023 5:03 am

AlteWagen wrote: This link shows what vert colors were available and the interior colors as well

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/lit/8_57_color_book.php

This might help a bit more but doesnt say kabrio specific

i've seen all these great samples but they don't shed light upon the question how accessories were finalized in early verts before vw better documented it in subsequent publications. i've read various times of l471 stone beige being the colour of choice but since glasurit is offering two different shades under this denomination i got unsure about plausibility of that assertion.
how comes that everybody deems l471 being the right thing when even vw remains silent on that matter? more than rumours?

Wed Feb 15, 2023 6:11 am

AlteWagen wrote: kaieric wrote: ....

Your body/chassis vin is from 6/58, while the 'document' is 8/58. The worst part is the vin plate on the body is a poor reproduction with incorrect rivets and wrong number stamps. The stamped body number under the fake vin plate comes back to as 2/57 which makes sense as VW dropped its use in 6/58. With that you know there was some SERIOUS damage to the front of the vehicle at some point

would be helpful to featuring birth certificate as to show how car was configurated.

referring to Progressive Refinements, stamping of body# was omitted at #47935 for cabs in 8/58. having found no evidence for subsequent modification of the body front i may assume that the cab is one of the last units stamped, digits not looking bad either. call me credulous.

Sat Feb 18, 2023 6:08 am

kaieric wrote: great car. do you have some more pics for us?
Thanks

Thu Apr 27, 2023 3:43 pm

Karmann Gheezer wrote: Getting closer.

some progress?

Fri Dec 15, 2023 5:23 pm

Ive collected dash handles when ever I find them cheap. My Nov 58 did not have these small chrome accents nor did any of the ones Ive purchased or seen for sale. Anyone see these before?

Fri Dec 22, 2023 12:33 pm

Fri Dec 22, 2023 12:39 pm

Hi,

I am in the UK and am close to finishing a full restoration of an early '60 convertible Beetle in its original Sargasso Green. It will be 100% stock apart from an Okrasa upgrade to the original 30hp engine.

I am having real difficulty getting the front quarter light and door windows aligned properly after I disassembled the frames for chroming. I would appreciate any advice and photographs that might help. I pressed the glass back into the window frame but it is tight up against the felt channel set into the quarterlight upright. The frames and glass are original to the car so I cannot understand where I have gone wrong.

Thanks.

Chris

Mon Jun 24, 2024 1:04 am

AlteWagen wrote: Ive collected dash handles when ever I find them cheap. My Nov 58 did not have these small chrome accents nor did any of the ones Ive purchased or seen for sale. Anyone see these before?

found same handle type yesterday at bad camberg beetle meeting. have another one with plastic gaskets, but in less fine shape. rare items indeed, and hardly to understand that oval handles are commonly seen.

Fri Sep 06, 2024 7:45 am

Hi , i have just bought a 58 cabriolet (manufactured 10/june /58 , and since not many are left in untouched condition down here , i would like to enquiry about the following items :

car is a L241 bamboo green paint Karmann Kabriolett

1) top frame , black or same color as the car ?? ( bamboo l241)
2) seats , 2 tone or everything green ?
3) rear ashtrays , on both sdes or just on the left ?
4) any source for the A pillar reinforcements ?
5) any color code for the silver beige hand brake , seat frames , column , stick shift and steering wheel ?

thank you !!

Ricardo

Fri Sep 06, 2024 4:20 pm

congrats ricardo! gorgeous color.

1 top frame body color
2 2-tone fabric/vinyl or 1-tone vinyl
3 1 ashtry right side, second ashtray special order
5 steering wheel etc. from 8/1957 available in stone beige l471 or ivory (probably l60 being the only ivory listed in the 1960 parts manual)

Fri Sep 06, 2024 6:34 pm

Thank you for your answer ! , she still has a coral red paint and had not a nice life , she’ll be subject to a diet and get rid of lots of bondo 😀
What years the top frame came with matching body color?
Are seats , column , brake lever and stick shift come in silver beige?

Sat Sep 07, 2024 1:31 am

for my understanding, and what i've seen on unmolested cars, all painted accessories inside the cabin were steering wheel color.

Sat Sep 07, 2024 2:04 am

And that color is stone beige? I have a rometsch wheel in my car

Sat Sep 07, 2024 5:47 am

no idea about rometsch steering wheels..

Sat Sep 07, 2024 5:50 am

She came with a rometsch wheel and a horn ring as a bonus , and with a ton of body filler , Lol !!!

Sat Sep 07, 2024 11:43 am

just a question , does cabrios come with rear backrest luggage rails ?

Wed Sep 25, 2024 9:09 am

hi ! anybody knows or have a pic for the L241 bamboo cars wheels painting scheme ??