February 1963 with sunroof, actually just boxes of parts LOL

[djway3474]

Rome, thanks for the radio information.
Bobnotch, AA makes a conversion flywheel with the pilot bearing in it. Clearancing for the larger flywheel is not a problem. The hardest part with the hanger seems to be what to attach to on the early cars. The shroud does look like a bit of work.
Thanks to all for the great info.

[Erik G]

the ISP West Tach is very nice, no one makes a clock conversion decal

look up supaninja here and on shop talk forums. He did Type 4 and megasquirt in his early notch. I've ridden in it, and it's nice

for the radio, the hard thing to find is the soft surround. I had to buy a whole parts radio just because it had the surround I needed

for your interior, it's hard to beat stock for 63 and earlier cars

Here's what a correct 63 looks like

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Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

[djway3474]

That's a good looking interior.

[Clatter]

If you dig through my thread, I welded a set of late rear mount brackets on.

With a more valuable early car like yours, it might be better to stick to bolt-on mods.

You can pick up the bar from the bumper mounts...
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Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[djway3474]

[Bobnotch]

[KTPhil]

[ALLWAGONS]

Hey Man, post some pics of your car! JK, but let us see this so called '63. Whenever an early one pop up everyone chimes in with info, and most times it get sold before anything happens.

Martin
allwagons
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I'd be UNSTOPPABLE if not for Law Enforcement and PHYSICS.

I recycle old cars and parts, other than when I rot, that's as Green as I am going to get.

Thanks to my Tesla driving neighbors, I feel more relaxed driving my SUBURBAN and old VW's.

NON INFLUENCER APPROVED

[notchboy]

You will have two choices for radios if you want that OG early look. Blaupunkt and other - Motorola, Sapphire and the like. VW mad a good generic bracket for the Sapphire but what was touched on was the Blaupunkt system. There is a lot to it.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8032902#8032902
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[djway3474]

[djway3474]

Here she is sitting on the bed frame I found her on. appears to be a later front beam to me.

[notchboy]

[notchboy]

And here is the even harder to find surround.


https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8000774#8000774
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[djway3474]

[notchboy]

[djway3474]

[Rome]

You could probably make your own radio surround bracket using a large piece of aluminum, like 1/16" thick. It would be a simple type with a flat bottom, flat and straight-back sides. Make a pattern using a paper grocery bag or wrapping paper. Lay your radio on the paper to determine the minimum width and length. The face's top would conform to the bottom curved surface of the dash. The face would have a 1/2" or 3/4" wide flange on the top and sides. Bend and shape the flanges in your workbench vise. The top flange would have 2 holes drilled to attach under the dash bottom flange. The side flanges would be so that when you bend up the bracket sides (form the gentle curve along the bottom outer corners using a wooden dowel) you can rivet them together with two evenly spaced 1/8" rivets. For the front (towards front of car) of the bracket, you'll need to figure out how to hang it below the dash. Then make cutouts in the face for your radio knobs and the central pushbutton/frequency box.

When you have it all assembled, paint it with black wrinkle-finish paint. I'm nearly certain that the metal one I found in the mid '80's in a junked, heavily rusted 5-bolt wheeled two-toned Notch had either a black wrinkle finish, or a heavy pebble surface in flat black. You could also wrap the bracket with black pebble-grain vinyl glued on with contact cement which would help hide the rivets.

From that car I also removed a genuine Bambus under-dash shelf. Junkyard was located just outside New Milford, CT. I didn't even have a Type 3 at the time, but knew those were rare parts so I removed and kept them. I remember the car being safari beige with a black roof.

Would probably take you a full afternoon or two. You'd have to assess if your fabrication time can justify/balance the cost (and availability) of finding a used bracket.

[notchboy]

[Erik G]

He's going custom. No need for a correct dash right? Do good enough and leave the dashes for people wanting correct cars?

Just saying... muuhwaahwaaa and all that. If you are custom this, custom that, no need to spend $1k plus on a dash
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[Bobnotch]