My 63 Ragtop

[63Ragtop NZ]

Yeah, I may have gone a little over board on this thing?
at least that's what the mrs tells me! I really have tried to reuse/restore as many parts as I could, If I had bought some nice rust free doors and fenders, i would have saved a bunch of time but spent more so....
As far as motivation and saving money, it's more a not having any money, not realizing the scale of what I've started and having spent everything I have on this pile I just need to finish it so I can use it, this will be my daily transport again soon, hopefully!
Nearly there!!!
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[soupcups]

Oh I was not saying you shouldn't have done what you did. I applaud you for taking the time and effort and your skill level is exceptional. I have thoroughly enjoyed this thread and watching your progress. Very impressive. I wish I had the skills to do what you've done. Still trying to get welding down. Yes women will suck the motivation out of you. Mine keeps telling me to get rid of one of my bugs. Oh if only they were supportive like us men.

[63Ragtop NZ]

supportive like a alcoholics bartender!

was reading this guys blog today - http://engineeredtoslide.com/
and came across this-

There’s one thing you need to understand when it comes to projects like these, there’s no substitute for time…. I learnt a long long time ago that money is no substitute for time, unless your paying someone with as much (or more) passion for your project than you have, your better off learning the skills to do your job, buying the tools to complete it with the least amount of fuss, yes your spending time but earning a great deal of skill and that in itself is one thing that money cant buy.

this, is why I've done what I've done. I remember going around panelshops and shady back alley guys, who weren't interesting in the work or were just going to pop rivit some alloy in over the rust and bog over it.
fuck off.

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[Buggeee]

Truly amazing
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1966 Sportsmobile Camper https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0
72 Super Duper http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=672387
(adopted out) 61 Turkis Pile https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=728764

[63Ragtop NZ]

yeah, fully building something from scratch, now that would be something!

back to this pile.

Engine bay
back of dash/trunk
door jams and inside of doors
inner wheelwells
and back side of rear valance.
Done.

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[63Ragtop NZ]

one good thing about the new factory location is it's next door to the strippers.

Paint and Metal Strippers, not the other kind!
So I got my old header pipes out and they cleaned up very nicely.

before.

after.

looks almost the same in the photos but all the old paint, carbon, sealant and flakey rust be gone!
saved a load of time trying to sand a bunch of snakes.

still sanding, hopefully for the last time!
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[63Ragtop NZ]

Spent ages masking up.

used nearly two whole rolls of tape!
Still need the final sanding down, a few small spots need fine filling but getting close!
Looks like I messed up the over lap on the removable valance, I would like to have painted it in place as above, but I didn't lay enough red down when I painted the engine bay so I'll have to paint it off the car, and I still need to suss out a spot for the small bits to be painted. maybe once the shell is done.[/list]
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[HUGO bOSS]

Allmost there!
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http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=538182

[63Ragtop NZ]

Well Sunday was a big day! I was/am knackered! Spent at lease 3-4 hours spraying, came out looking like a pink Immortal Joe, Shiny and Red!!
Witness Me Sweatheart!!!!!


But first! a couple non cell potatos for the inner fenders and engine bay.

inside of the doors painted and hung.

and I don't have one of the trunk, but that one up there is pretty good so...

The body was starting to take shape, I'd spent ages sanding and bogging and more sanding, but the bonnet, engine lid and rear fenders really only had one layer of primer/high fill on them.

So I gave them a going over with the long board (2x4,2x4!) and pretty much started again.

think this was last weekend, I dunno, it's all just blurred into one big session in my sleep deprived head.

Chair/panel stand.

fronts needed another layer after fine filler.

bonnet looking good.

was pretty please with the light set up at the time, had 4 of these blazing half the night, gotta have good light for this work.

better.

details.

details.

details!

getting close now.

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[63Ragtop NZ]

the good.

the bad.

the gun spat here on the left rear fender.

o I stuck heaps of paint over it so I can hopefully polish it out so it sagged here.

and when painting inside the air vent I made this mess, looks like I'll be learning to wet sand paint now!
All in all I'm pretty stoked and glad it's over, heaps of runs and spots of over spray and areas of orange peel etc..
but not bad for a noob in shed in west auckland.
looking forward to assembly.
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[HUGO bOSS]

Allmost there!
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http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=538182

[bobnorman]

Great job! Runs be damned. Looks fantastic, and I'm sure most of what you can't live with will rub out. Exciting to be at this point in the build... It's all putting stuff back on that won't come off after this. Congrats!
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http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=289807

[63Ragtop NZ]

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[63Ragtop NZ]

Moving on.

assembly has started!

started the shit job of bolting up the front fenders as some dickhead (me) thought Stainless allan head bolts would be "cool"

pointless photo.

shitty photo.
they do look pretty, I hope I never have to touch them again, the ones up behind the headlight buckets were pigs!

Started cleaning up all the dash components, ignition switch came up awesome! love the solid old quality these old "economy" cars have. I got a dip switch off tedz awhile ago, which I had also cleaned up and fitted.
My original switch fucked out years ago and was replaced with a modern version which when used would make this hollow boing! sound. the lovely old one makes a very satisfying "click clack" like a small rifle being loaded. 8)much better.

had to test fit the tail lights. yeah.

did a few other wee things like fitted the engine lid seal, polished up the dirty old fuel line and started to suss fitting that, also pulled the new wiring loom out of its box for the first time, would like to try and feed it through the roof before I stick the body back on the pan.
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[63Ragtop NZ]

Headlight switch can up really nice, no one will see that either.

same with the fusebox.

speedo was feeling left out now.

the face of the speedo was pretty sweet,so I wasn't going to bother opening it up, worst bits where the green film in the arrow had burned away, from the mighty 6volt bulb behind it I would imagine.
So I was dreaming about how nice the speedo will like in my freshly painted dash and got distracted with body grommets under the dash, so I had placed the speedo on the wooden body frame, that's when I heard a sicking sound of something glass hitting the concrete as I knocked the speedo off it perch! smash!
Unbelievably nothing broke, the chrome trim popped off, the glass rolled around the floor! could not have done it if you tried.

and now I could clean the small bit of rust of the bottom of the black ring inside.

and with that, and the wipers in, the dash was starting to take shape.

also started running some wires.

the money shot.
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[63Ragtop NZ]

Started prepping the pan for final contact.

body seal nailed down

seems most people glue these in place now, but I never seem to have good luck with glue, always takes ages, makes a fuckin mess and never really works, for me. I don't even know how I got these little bastards, but they are just the same as the factory tacks but cad plated or something, should last another 40 years.I never welded up the old holes so I just had to pop them tough the rubber and bang em into the pan, done.

Darrell had a hole punch, so I did that and lined up all the bolts

tricky bit round the back.

reinstalled the old copper/brass fuel line, after a polish of course.

sing p clips and stainless screws to hold it in place.

battery stuff.

and that's the pan ready.
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[63Ragtop NZ]

Now wiring is something I know nothing about, yet.

what I do know is this is how I got the new loom from the back of the car, to the front.

it was not easy, there is a tight spot somewhere up above the rear seat area, I used alot of masking tape, duct tape and vaseline to get that sucker up to the interior light and snap! went the old washing line I was using to pull it though.
Luckily I had run another wire for future rev counting, I actually ended up pulling the loom out of the interior light hole,use the loom its self to pull it though the tight spot, re-tapeing it to the line and then pull it though the A pillar.

look how clean that speedo is!!!

engine hole.

need to clean these up.

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[63Ragtop NZ]

Got these.

and the grill mesh

dipped next door, gave the mesh a lick of same grey I used on the pan parts.

rear seat bolts, the ODC is real.

yes I cleaned the inside of the trims,

flash shows up the gray, its actually pretty subtle.

my 67's old gas gauge.

cleaned up well, shame it doesn't do much!

steering column cleaned up.

painted the bottom as it was very rusty.

also sanded and paint the column tube and indicator arm gloss black, plus the other bits and bobs gray also.

very happy, been wanting to do that for years, even before I took it off the road.

more stainless buttom head hex bolts.

I noticed my ol' box has been leaking oil from the input? shaft, just sitting in the shed, not so good.
so I pulled out the spare and it actually feels smoother that to one on the pan, so I'm going to use that one instead.

splitters cleaned up okay.

getting to grips with the huge amount of wire in a 60's volkswagen
this might actually work!

soon.
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[HUGO bOSS]

[63Ragtop NZ]

cheers Hugo, colour is just a red called Rouge, that I picked out of the book at the shop, I really like it.

so while the steering box is getting acid washed, more polishing.

more stuff no one will see.

buttoned up the tail lights

more polishing.

and jammed it in.

more allan heads.

ground control to major tom.

Commencing countdown, engines on.

Check ignition and may God's love be with you

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