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tomsbuggered Samba Member
Joined: October 16, 2014 Posts: 417 Location: Calgary, AB Canada
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Posted: Wed Jul 17, 2019 8:58 pm Post subject: Re: Ressurecting a 1959 Beetle |
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Great road trip, thanks for taling us along.
Adventurous given the engine rebuild and all. _________________ June 1956 VW Oval Beetle |
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Bug-nut Samba Member
Joined: December 20, 2015 Posts: 485 Location: Knoxville, TN
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Posted: Thu Jul 18, 2019 6:37 pm Post subject: Re: Ressurecting a 1959 Beetle |
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So today our goal was to drive 76 miles - 1.5 hrs from our AirBnB in Wirtz down to Virginia International Raceway, which is just east of Danville, VA, to drive their go-karts and watch the cars on their full sized racetrack. We stopped a few miles down the road to fill up our fuel tanks. I penciled out my MPG and I must have gotten something wrong, because it came out to 36.2 mpg! That seems a little high but regardless I’ll take it! (I forgot to take a photo...)
After driving about an hour we stopped at a little diner for lunch. The food wasn’t the best but we still had a good time and the weather was beautiful and not very hot so no complaints.
Then back on the road for another 30 minutes or so and we arrived at VIR!
We had fun riding the carts and then watching the cars and small formula-1 style racers drive. Nobody blew up or wrecked although one car had an issue with his fuel system and had to coast back into the pits.
After we had our fill of fast cars and that sweet smell of burnt leaded racing fuel we started our trip back, stopping along the way to get ice cream.
And finally we made one last stop at Kroger to get some stuff for supper.
Tomorrow we are planning to go to Smith Mountain Lake, to go boating and also check out the sites where they filmed some scenes from the ‘90’s comedy classic, “What About Bob?”. See you then! _________________ 1959 Fjord Blue Volkswagen Beetle
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...highlight=
1962 Austin-Healey Sprite
Snort wrote: |
A 59 Beetle is just an Oval-Window car with aspirations of modernity. |
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dave conklin Samba Member
Joined: February 03, 2004 Posts: 40
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Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2019 7:43 pm Post subject: Re: Ressurecting a 1959 Beetle |
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Great story. Great little car. Love it. |
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Bug-nut Samba Member
Joined: December 20, 2015 Posts: 485 Location: Knoxville, TN
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Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2019 9:18 pm Post subject: Re: Ressurecting a 1959 Beetle |
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Ok well I’m sorry I failed to update our trip story every day, however I’ll go ahead and finish it now. On Friday we went to Moneta VA to the site of the general store from the movie “What about Bob?” That’s the location where Bob shows gets out of the Greyhound Bus when he shows up at Lake Winnipesaukee to see Dr Leo Marvin (we had also went to Wirtz, VA to see Dr Marvin’s house, however it was on private property and you couldn’t see it because of the trees they had by the road).
The site is in really bad shape, the gravel parking lot is all grown up, and the “general store” is almost ready to fall down. Time hasn’t done it any favors that’s for sure.
We also went to the Elks Home in Bedford - that’s the actual site of the psychiatric hospital where Dr Marvin attempts to take Bob to. We couldn’t park in front so unfortunately this is the best picture I can put here (I don’t like linking offsite photos here to the Samba - they always end up breaking later down the road).
Afterwards we drove over to Sharp Top Mountain and hiked the Peaks of Otter trail. That hike showed me just how bad of shape I’m in...
(It’s about an 1.5 hr hike, almost 2 miles long but the problem was it’s mostly straight up the mountainside, with lots of rock steps and steep paths. It was still lots of fun though. And the view from the top was spectacular!)
_________________ 1959 Fjord Blue Volkswagen Beetle
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...highlight=
1962 Austin-Healey Sprite
Snort wrote: |
A 59 Beetle is just an Oval-Window car with aspirations of modernity. |
Last edited by Bug-nut on Thu Jul 25, 2019 9:31 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Bug-nut Samba Member
Joined: December 20, 2015 Posts: 485 Location: Knoxville, TN
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Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2019 9:25 pm Post subject: Re: Ressurecting a 1959 Beetle |
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On Saturday we went to the Virginia Transportation Museum in downtown Roanoke. If you ever get the chance to go there I highly recommend you do. They converted the old train freight station into the museum. Unfortunately they didn’t have any VWs there but they did have a large VW sign and also lots of cool steam and diesel-electric trains outside in the train-yard, along with about 20 (mostly American) cars inside the building. It’s a very cool place; we spent almost 4 hours there and had a great time!
Also we spotted a Beetle a few streets over when we were leaving!
_________________ 1959 Fjord Blue Volkswagen Beetle
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...highlight=
1962 Austin-Healey Sprite
Snort wrote: |
A 59 Beetle is just an Oval-Window car with aspirations of modernity. |
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Bug-nut Samba Member
Joined: December 20, 2015 Posts: 485 Location: Knoxville, TN
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Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2019 10:46 pm Post subject: Re: Ressurecting a 1959 Beetle |
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And lastly we headed home Sunday morning. Saw another Beetle on the drive home.
So to sum it all up, we drove almost 800 miles, got an average of 35 mpg, and had a wonderful time. Oh and also my second thermostat died (again). So I ordered a brand new one from Volksaholic here on the Samba. Should be here in a few more days. I’ve also ordered a few of those battery acid mats that you put underneath a car battery to absorb and neutralize any acid that leaks out. I looked all over but no one sells them locally anymore. Why I don’t know...
Thanks for following along on our little adventure! And next time you are going on a trip, give serious thought to taking your VW - it’s a lot of fun and that’s what they were made for! _________________ 1959 Fjord Blue Volkswagen Beetle
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...highlight=
1962 Austin-Healey Sprite
Snort wrote: |
A 59 Beetle is just an Oval-Window car with aspirations of modernity. |
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Bug-nut Samba Member
Joined: December 20, 2015 Posts: 485 Location: Knoxville, TN
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Posted: Sat Jul 27, 2019 7:27 pm Post subject: Re: Ressurecting a 1959 Beetle |
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I got my new thermostat today from Volkaholic1. They are brand new units he has made, and they come with a two year warranty as well! So hopefully this will be the last time I have to replace the thermostat. The first one I had installed wasn’t a genuine VW part, so I understand why it failed but the second one I had installed was, so it’s kind of strange it failed so soon also. However they were both old used units so they both were probably at the end of their lifecycle. Anyway this new unit is also the correct 75-80 C° temperature range for the 36hp engine. One interesting fact about it is that when I shake it I can hear liquid sloshing around inside of the bellows. I never could hear that in any of the other thermostats.
Old failed VW one on the right, new one in the middle and the box it comes with on the left.
If you want to check out his add for this particular thermostat, here’s the link. He also has them for the later beetles as well, including the fuel injected models. https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1818220
Well time to install it! I’ll let you all know how it goes. _________________ 1959 Fjord Blue Volkswagen Beetle
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...highlight=
1962 Austin-Healey Sprite
Snort wrote: |
A 59 Beetle is just an Oval-Window car with aspirations of modernity. |
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Rome Samba Member
Joined: June 02, 2004 Posts: 9602 Location: Pearl River, NY
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Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2019 5:14 am Post subject: Re: Ressurecting a 1959 Beetle |
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A week ago, during your weekend trip to VA, it was hot here in southern NY- mid 90's. Must've been a few degrees warmer where you were. How'd you cope with the driving in the un-airconditioned Beetle? Your trip report implies that the car ran very well despite the high heat.
Nice to see road trip "landmark" photos with the Beetle. |
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Bug-nut Samba Member
Joined: December 20, 2015 Posts: 485 Location: Knoxville, TN
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Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2019 10:11 am Post subject: Re: Ressurecting a 1959 Beetle |
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Rome wrote: |
A week ago, during your weekend trip to VA, it was hot here in southern NY- mid 90's. Must've been a few degrees warmer where you were. How'd you cope with the driving in the un-airconditioned Beetle? Your trip report implies that the car ran very well despite the high heat.
Nice to see road trip "landmark" photos with the Beetle. |
Thanks! Yeah it was pretty hot. On that Saturday it was in the mid-90s. I did just fine with the heat; my first car (‘86 Suzuki Samurai) didn’t have functioning A/C, so I got used to it pretty quickly. However my wife wasn’t very happy about it; but she enjoys riding around in the Beetle, so she made an exception this time. We kept all the windows open and had the vent windows angled forwards to catch as much air as possible. The worst times were when we were sitting still in traffic or at red-lights. It has gotten me considering installing rear pop-out windows though. _________________ 1959 Fjord Blue Volkswagen Beetle
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...highlight=
1962 Austin-Healey Sprite
Snort wrote: |
A 59 Beetle is just an Oval-Window car with aspirations of modernity. |
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Bug-nut Samba Member
Joined: December 20, 2015 Posts: 485 Location: Knoxville, TN
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Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2019 11:11 am Post subject: Re: Ressurecting a 1959 Beetle |
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Well I’ve driven the Beetle a few times now and so far the new thermostat has been holding up great. I’ll let y’all know if anything changes! _________________ 1959 Fjord Blue Volkswagen Beetle
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...highlight=
1962 Austin-Healey Sprite
Snort wrote: |
A 59 Beetle is just an Oval-Window car with aspirations of modernity. |
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Eric&Barb Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2004 Posts: 24671 Location: Olympia Wash Rinse & Repeat
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Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2019 9:03 pm Post subject: Re: Ressurecting a 1959 Beetle |
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Bug-nut wrote: |
I’ve also ordered a few of those battery acid mats that you put underneath a car battery to absorb and neutralize any acid that leaks out. I looked all over but no one sells them locally anymore. Why I don’t know... |
When you get those pads, toss them in the trash. They just hold the acid and any water that gets back there and causes more rust. Better to get a battery box made of plastic or some other plastic container that you can cut down to catch the battery acid in it.
Way back when, installed one of those pads in the 1963 KG and a couple of months later found the restored/painted metal under the battery had rusted up. This in the nice dry center of Texas....
Get your front and rear window rubber replaced and use a sealant. Otherwise the heater channels and in turn the floor will rust out from the water getting into the bug. _________________ In Stereo, Where Available! |
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Bug-nut Samba Member
Joined: December 20, 2015 Posts: 485 Location: Knoxville, TN
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Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2019 10:50 pm Post subject: Re: Ressurecting a 1959 Beetle |
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Thank you for the tip! I guess I should have mentioned I do have a plastic container under the battery already. I put the mat inside the container under the battery, hopefully to soak up any acid that may leak out. And yes sadly I’m aware that I need to replace my window seals. I’ve been studying on how to do them. Considering also putting pop-outs in the rear quarters. I’d also like to replace the windshield - it’s a replacement one already that has been scratched on the drivers side, and it also has a wavy area (also on the drivers side) that keeps the wiper from gliding across the glass properly. It still wipes, but doesn’t do a good job of getting all the water off. I put a staight-edge on it and there’s about 1/16” of a dip it one area... _________________ 1959 Fjord Blue Volkswagen Beetle
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...highlight=
1962 Austin-Healey Sprite
Snort wrote: |
A 59 Beetle is just an Oval-Window car with aspirations of modernity. |
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Eric&Barb Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2004 Posts: 24671 Location: Olympia Wash Rinse & Repeat
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Posted: Sun Aug 04, 2019 8:47 am Post subject: Re: Resurrecting a 1959 Beetle |
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If you live somewhere that it gets warm enough that one needs windows open to cool down, then you need pop outs. Pop outs get rid of the air banging into the rear seat area, that causes your ear drums to get sore all too soon.
Have you checked out the "Technical Bulletins" through the "Technical" button? Has a dealer manual on finding and getting rid of water leaks?
The "Obsolete Air-Cooled Documentation Project" in the "Damage Numbers" manual has two sections on water leaks. One for the beetle and another for the type 3. _________________ In Stereo, Where Available! |
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Bug-nut Samba Member
Joined: December 20, 2015 Posts: 485 Location: Knoxville, TN
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Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2019 9:51 pm Post subject: Re: Resurrecting a 1959 Beetle |
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So my leaks are definitely through the front and rear windshield rubber. My plan is this winter to (hopefully) find and restore a set of early pop out windows, pull all the windows, replace the headliner with the correct type/color, and reinstall all the glass with new seals and a replacement windshield, along with pop outs in the back. Kinda ambitious I know, especially considering I’m neck deep in a ‘69 Squareback project. But I’ve always wanted to install a nice carpet set with good sound deadening material, and I can’t do that if I keep getting water in the pans. That’s the plan anyway.
Here’s a question: what color and material would my headliner originally be? Per the birth certificate, the car is L 434 Fjord Blue, with “Upholstery leatherette blue grey”. On the extras/options list, it says “M 079 Upholstery leatherette instead of material”. If it matters the build date is 24 April 1959. I’m guessing that means it’s a blue grey vinyl instead of the “mohair” type headliner normally used? I’ll confess I’m pretty much lost in this department... _________________ 1959 Fjord Blue Volkswagen Beetle
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...highlight=
1962 Austin-Healey Sprite
Snort wrote: |
A 59 Beetle is just an Oval-Window car with aspirations of modernity. |
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Bug-nut Samba Member
Joined: December 20, 2015 Posts: 485 Location: Knoxville, TN
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Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2020 10:12 pm Post subject: Re: Resurrecting a 1959 Beetle |
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Time for more regular Beetle maintenance! Sadly the time has come to replace my really cool Sears branded 1/2” whitewall tires. I held out as long as I could but after my wife and I got back from our latest trip I found the tread starting to separate from the tires. Scary! But can you believe I never felt any change or irregularity in the car? So after much deliberation between going top dollar for very pricey Coker 3/4” whitewalls or cheaper Nexen blackwall tires I decided to go with the Nexens and use the extra money to buy other cool parts for my car. I can go with whitewalls later down the road when I restore the car.
In fact I’ve already started found a screw terminal 6v horn in the classifieds that I purchased to rebuild and install in the Beetle to replace the aftermarket push on terminal horn it currently has. I wonder if it will sound any different? (Assuming I can get it to work!)
And finally I found what was causing that super annoying rattling from the rear when I would go over any bumps. The PO never installed the parking brake push bar spring clips! So I’ve ordered some new ones, along with some other back axle parts I need.
Out chasing Ma Bell’s Long Line Towers again. On this trip we visited the Coalmont and the Signal Mnt. towers. This is Coalmont.
Here’s what the tires looked like after we got back!
New Nexen tires, we will see how they handle and hold up. They came highly recommended by several VW drivers, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed...
See the missing spring clip?
This is how it’s supposed to be! (Not mine, this is a borrowed pic).
_________________ 1959 Fjord Blue Volkswagen Beetle
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...highlight=
1962 Austin-Healey Sprite
Snort wrote: |
A 59 Beetle is just an Oval-Window car with aspirations of modernity. |
Last edited by Bug-nut on Thu Jan 09, 2020 10:17 am; edited 1 time in total |
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tcmia Samba Member
Joined: April 30, 2019 Posts: 212 Location: Cleveland TN
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Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2020 9:07 am Post subject: Re: Resurrecting a 1959 Beetle |
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Very nice. I am enjoying this discussion. I think you are not too far away. |
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TDCTDI Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013 Posts: 12815 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2020 9:31 am Post subject: Re: Resurrecting a 1959 Beetle |
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I was trying to figure out why several of your pics weren't working, but you should be flogged for driving on these anyway.
_________________ Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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Bug-nut Samba Member
Joined: December 20, 2015 Posts: 485 Location: Knoxville, TN
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Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2020 10:19 am Post subject: Re: Resurrecting a 1959 Beetle |
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Yes I probably should be TDCTDI However in my defense the only cracks they had when we left for the trip was the small sidewalk cracks which have been there since I bought the car; the large tread ones opened up on the way home.
I edited my previous post, we will see if that fixes the pictures or makes it worse. It worked fine last night when I posted them. _________________ 1959 Fjord Blue Volkswagen Beetle
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...highlight=
1962 Austin-Healey Sprite
Snort wrote: |
A 59 Beetle is just an Oval-Window car with aspirations of modernity. |
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bad91teg Samba Member
Joined: February 13, 2007 Posts: 473 Location: florida
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Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2020 5:33 pm Post subject: Re: Resurrecting a 1959 Beetle |
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very good job.. awesome thread and car |
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Bug-nut Samba Member
Joined: December 20, 2015 Posts: 485 Location: Knoxville, TN
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Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 10:10 pm Post subject: Re: Resurrecting a 1959 Beetle |
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My order from WW came Thursday. Over the weekend I was able to get everything back together again and working better than ever! I replaced both parking brake cables - and found the old ones were fraying and had some broken strands about 5” from the handle ends of the cables. The only bummer part about changing them though is the new cables don’t have the grease fittings on the housing sleeve like the old ones did. And the fittings worked great, because when I pulled the old cables out lots and lots of grease came out with them. So before I installed the new ones I liberally coated them with grease and worked as much into the new housings as possible.
I’m also very happy to report the awful rattling from the rear is gone now. The problem was indeed the lack of the spring clips on the parking brake spreader bar. I replaced both spreader bars (the old ones had quite a bit of wear and had a sloppy fit), the springs, and installed new spring clips. Cleaned, reassembled, and adjusted the brakes first, then the parking brake cables. No more flying handle button now!
While I was at it I also installed new door hinge screw covers (most were missing), new pedal covers, and new rubber bumpers and hinge spring on the glovebox door. It functions beautifully now, pops right open without needing to be begged or pried! I had been thinking about getting one of those handles that mounts under the release button, but there’s no need to now.
So far I’m really loving these Nexens. The ride is incredibly smooth and the balancing job Stevenson Tire here in Maryville did is perfect (old school bubble balancing FTW baby!) Although I miss my 1/2” whitewalls, I’m actually kinda digging the blackwall look. And the $400.00 saved doesn’t hurt either!
_________________ 1959 Fjord Blue Volkswagen Beetle
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...highlight=
1962 Austin-Healey Sprite
Snort wrote: |
A 59 Beetle is just an Oval-Window car with aspirations of modernity. |
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