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Sat Jun 22, 2024 12:16 am

Hi all,

After 5 years owning this ragtop, I have decided to progressively restore it as it left the factory in 1963.

It will be a long process because I need many parts and the budget for the paint job is quite high.

Firstly I am collecting all the parts that I need before painting it in its original Ruby Red L456.

Maybe you can help me with some doubts and I will pleased to share here the process.

Sat Jun 22, 2024 2:28 am

First i am looking for the correct headliner.

My doubt is about the color, if I am not wrong is should be vinyl perforated and white or grey.

Sat Jun 22, 2024 11:57 am

nax wrote: ...if I am not wrong is should be vinyl perforated and white or grey.
Your Beetle's headliner should be an off-white vinyl, not grey.

Nice looking car... :thumbsup:

Sat Jun 22, 2024 11:58 pm

nax wrote: First i am looking for the correct headliner.

My doubt is about the color, if I am not wrong is should be vinyl perforated and white or grey.

All original '63 ragtop headliner I've seen are 100% dotted vinyl "silver beige", means not perforated anywhere, whereas '63 sedan headliner consist of dotted and perforated sections...
The "cloud white" headliner started 8.64.

Maybe it's better to push the "original headliner"-item back a bit on the to-do list, original material is not widely available...

Sun Jun 23, 2024 10:14 am

rcooled wrote: nax wrote: ...if I am not wrong is should be vinyl perforated and white or grey.
Your Beetle's headliner should be an off-white vinyl, not grey.

Nice looking car... :thumbsup:

:D

Sun Jun 23, 2024 10:16 am

Käfer2 wrote: nax wrote: First i am looking for the correct headliner.

My doubt is about the color, if I am not wrong is should be vinyl perforated and white or grey.

All original '63 ragtop headliner I've seen are 100% dotted vinyl "silver beige", means not perforated anywhere, whereas '63 sedan headliner consist of dotted and perforated sections...
The "cloud white" headliner started 8.64.

Maybe it's better to push the "original headliner"-item back a bit on the to-do list, original material is not widely available...

Ok! that's maybe it looked grey to me when I was looking for photos :?

Mon Jul 08, 2024 9:40 pm

Finally I decided to go for the off white perforated vinyl due to the difficulty to find the spotted one..

Mon Jul 08, 2024 9:44 pm

Next step is the ragtop cover :D

Here I asked time ago where to find the correct ruby red canvas cover and as some of you recommended me I have contacted these guys from west coast interiors

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...p;start=20

https://www.westcoastclassicinteriors.com/about/

Wed Jul 10, 2024 9:52 pm

Well this a photo of the sample they have sent me. They are making it 😃😃

Thu Jul 11, 2024 3:00 am

Original would be pinpoint vinyl.
The only company doing this to factory specs is KHM Stuttgart, Germany.
Cost: ca 500 Euro
But you have to take time, investigate the material from Haartz Company and tell KHM, what material you would like them to order

https://cabrio.de/Faltdach-Kaefer/343.1

you see, they suggest you four different colours, but there are more available, you have to find through google. They won't do the investigation for you.
Did this with a pearl white car and am happy with the result. The choice of colour could have been better, but I didn't order all the white colours that have been available. I was a little in a hurry, so I quickly took one of the few samples I ordered.

Thu Jul 11, 2024 3:41 am

well not in my case. Check que museum certifícate that I have posted, it says Canvas. I dont know if Volkswagen is wrong. My car was sold in Florida I dont know if the US market had different options.

Thank you for the info👍👍, I did’t know that manufacturer. I am going to check it but my order is already placed.

Thu Jul 11, 2024 9:32 pm

Ive never seen an original canvas sunroof cover installed in any export type I after 55. Convertibles in N. America stayed canvass til around 65 in the U.S. but came earlier in canadian export models.

I think its just a pre programmed title at the museum in english and they use it for all folding sunroof cars

Thu Jul 11, 2024 11:08 pm

Well mistake is already made :? :? . Is something that in the future I could change easy but not cheap.

thank you all.

next step is purchasing a wrong carpet :lol:

Fri Jul 12, 2024 9:54 am

nax wrote: Well this a photo of the sample they have sent me. They are making it
I posted this info in that other thread you mentioned above, but I'll repeat it here anyway.

I once had West Coast Interiors make me a ruby red sunroof cover, but it was in vinyl, not canvas.
It seemed that the cover was intended for professional installation as it required some additional trimming to remove overlapping material in the corners. There also weren't any holes for the studs on the rear plate and no slots along the sides for the bows.
You may want to ask about these features before placing the order.

I did manage to get the cover trimmed properly and added the holes and slots, but when I tried fitting it over the front header, it was so tight that the corner seam split open. I just threw it in the trash and ordered a canvas cover from Sew Fine Interior Products. It came ready to install and fit perfectly.

I hope you'll have better luck with West Coast Interiors than I did...

Sat Jul 13, 2024 7:05 am

Thank you for the advice. I will confírm that👍. Do you have pictures of the sewfine one? I have contacted them as well.

Sat Jul 13, 2024 7:33 am

Sewfine canvas ragtop sunroof covers have a very sturdy sewn edging on them.

I switched to canvas sunroof tops in the early 90s. I actually drove to Sewfine to buy my first one, but I only lived like 60 miles away at that time. And they had one color... black. That was OK, I had a white bug with a cruddy black vinyl top on it anyway. That black canvas top lasted many years and a LOT Of miles driving with the top open. Later I wanted a better color and got a tan colored one from WW, and I had to do a lot of extra work to get it to fit right. It was OK after that. Driving with the top open does generate a lot of wear and when the stitching on that one went bad, I decided to go back with Sewfine, they now offered an off-white canvas, it was expensive, and it also did not fit perfectly at first, but I got it going. I was surprised though because I had a year or two earlier, put a dark blue Sewfine sunroof canvas cover on my Baja bug and that one was a lot easier to get fitted to the car.

Anyway, I learned a long time ago that sunroof tops are not "plug and play" by any means.

Sat Jul 13, 2024 1:38 pm

nax wrote: Do you have pictures of the sewfine one?
I went with black canvas, but Sewfine has several other colors available too.

glutamodo wrote: Sewfine canvas ragtop sunroof covers have a very sturdy sewn edging on them.

Sat Jul 13, 2024 6:35 pm

West Coast also now offers the printed dot headliners.

Sun Jul 14, 2024 9:44 am

glutamodo wrote: Sewfine canvas ragtop sunroof covers have a very sturdy sewn edging on them.

I switched to canvas sunroof tops in the early 90s. I actually drove to Sewfine to buy my first one, but I only lived like 60 miles away at that time. And they had one color... black. That was OK, I had a white bug with a cruddy black vinyl top on it anyway. That black canvas top lasted many years and a LOT Of miles driving with the top open. Later I wanted a better color and got a tan colored one from WW, and I had to do a lot of extra work to get it to fit right. It was OK after that. Driving with the top open does generate a lot of wear and when the stitching on that one went bad, I decided to go back with Sewfine, they now offered an off-white canvas, it was expensive, and it also did not fit perfectly at first, but I got it going. I was surprised though because I had a year or two earlier, put a dark blue Sewfine sunroof canvas cover on my Baja bug and that one was a lot easier to get fitted to the car.

Anyway, I learned a long time ago that sunroof tops are not "plug and play" by any means.

Thank you very much for your feedback and time writing this post. I appreciate and learn from your experiencie. Monday I will take a decision. My idea is bring the bug to a professional for its installation.

Sun Jul 14, 2024 9:45 am

rcooled wrote: nax wrote: Do you have pictures of the sewfine one?
I went with black canvas, but Sewfine has several other colors available too.

glutamodo wrote: Sewfine canvas ragtop sunroof covers have a very sturdy sewn edging on them.

thanks a lot 👍