How to tell a factory ragtop sunroof car

[dmeffert]

Hello all, I am new to Beetles and am looking for a factory 61 to 63 ragtop sunroof car. Is there a way to tell, short of peeling back the headliner, if the car is genuine or if it had the roof from another car grafted onto it? I am contemplating a long drive to go look at one and don't want to get suprised when I get there. Thanks!

[Corney13]

It can be hard to tell, depending on how it's done. If the it was cut at the pillars and done well, you may not be able to tell unless you sand the paint off and look for welds. Some are done by cutting a hole in the roof and either welding it in from the top or bottom. Some are done by cutting the roof skin at the drip rails.

With the exception of the pillar method, often people do not weld the supports in to the roof. You could feel around the front corners and feel for the supports. The corners of the headliner would be right up against them. There is also one in front of the latch.

What condition is the paint in, Is it original? If so, and it has a patina, then it may be more likely that the ragtop is original to the car, but not guaranteed.

Sorry, now that I read my post, I am not helping much!

[jhicken]

I would think most folks wouldn't advertise a grafted sunroof as an original. If the guy claims it's original, most likely it is. If he seems a little sketchy, proceed with caution.

If you order a birth certificate that would confirm whether or not it's an original sunroof car.

-jeffrey
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Der Kleiner Kampfwagens

[grandpa pete]

bring a magnet and check for filler around the rag AND up and down the posts.....if the rag was added in and you can't find out by checking then it has been done well and it doesn't matter .
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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

[hitest]

Sure, the quality may be there- but I disagree with Grandpa Pete. Genuine will always be worth more. Driving long distance to get duped with a hack roof car- well done or not- is not worth it. Like jhicken said, rarely will a seller lie about a hacked roof. Just be specific with questions and look carefully. If they hedge, don't make the drive, or offer them money based on it being a hack. Corney13- your advice is helpful. Look at all variables based on the variety of the methods used.

It's simple, the roof skin and pillars should have zero weld evidence.

Step one: research the differences between years. '63s are vastly different from '62 sunroofs. Thus, a regular sunroof with no plastic guides and a Golde "S" handle on a '63 should raise a flag.
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[dmeffert]

Thanks for that. The only one I have seen in person is a 61 with a Golde handle. What should the 63 handle look like and where are the plastic guides?
One other thing, there is a Wolfsburg crest on the hood. I thought those were gone by 63, but the JBUGS catalog lists it up to 63. What is correct?

[RareAir]

[RareAir]

[RareAir]

[Helfen]

[youngnstudly]

[dmeffert]

Thank you for the photos and advice. I will check out the car and see what I find.

[dmeffert]

I went to see the car today. The owner was very nice, and I am sure he was honest, as he told me about every issue the car had before I drove over there. He was sure the car was original but it had the earlier handle, aluminum rear guides and the wolfsburg crest on the hood, but the serial number was a later 63. If i had to guess, I think it was a real 62 sunroof body on a 63 pan. The car ran and drove great and looked ok, but was a lot more work than I want to undertake. Too bad as I really liked the owner as he is one of those people who make this hobby fun to be involved with.
Those are just my observations and I am by no means an expert.
Anyway it was cool to spend a Saturday looking at cars.