Author |
Message |
Bala Samba Member

Joined: December 04, 2003 Posts: 2623 Location: Austin, TX
|
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2016 12:29 pm Post subject: 1966 pearl white / Pigalle father son project |
|
|
So, my dad's daily driver is a '64 single cab. He always gets the waves and stories about "I used to have a beetle/bus...". Even more so since he lives in a small town. Anyway, there was a gentleman that had mentioned a few times that he had two old beetles he was wanting to sell. He'd had them for a very long time, but wasn't really sure what years they were. My dad kinda dismissed it, but eventually told me and we scheduled a time to go check them out. We hadn't even seen pictures and I half joked that if either of them were worth keeping it would be a great present for my son (he was 6 at the time ). Well, the nicer of the two was a '66 that I just couldn't bring myself to sell. The other one, '74 if I remember correctly, was pretty much a goner. Lots of rust, dents, and dings. So it went up for sale and I'll just say, we made out pretty well in the end. My son has said many times that he wants a beetle as his first car. I kept all this secret and we toed it to my parents home to store for a short time. The next time my son and I went to visit I let him "discover" it and then told him it was his! So I plan on getting it back on the road and driving it myself until he's old enough to drive it. How many 6 year olds already have their first car?!
As we found it and hauling it out with my dad's truck.
Got both beetles to my parents house.
Sold the '74 so the '66 had to sit alone for a while.
Got some decent roller tires on and aired up for the trip to Austin.
Old tires:
More updates to come! _________________ 1976 Westy
1966 Beetle |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Bala Samba Member

Joined: December 04, 2003 Posts: 2623 Location: Austin, TX
|
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2016 2:03 pm Post subject: Re: 1966 pearl white / Pigalle father son project |
|
|
Pretty original engine. It's all still 6v, and we'll be keeping it that way.
You say engine fire, I say patina!
The wiring fortunately has not been hacked too bad.
A little rust in the spare tire well, but really not too bad.
The front end metal looks really straight, I don't think it's ever been in a major accident.
Original glove box. We replaced the little rubber bumpers.
New running boards will be in order.
Evidence that it's been sitting a while.
My son doing some window cleaning.
_________________ 1976 Westy
1966 Beetle |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Bala Samba Member

Joined: December 04, 2003 Posts: 2623 Location: Austin, TX
|
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2016 2:11 pm Post subject: Re: 1966 pearl white / Pigalle father son project |
|
|
Doing some clean up. We're planning on using as many original German parts as possible. Been collecting bits at recent swap meets.
Refurbed one tail light.
Nice German seals I had in my stash.
A little warm water and soap cleaned these up pretty good.
Driver's side done!
_________________ 1976 Westy
1966 Beetle |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Bala Samba Member

Joined: December 04, 2003 Posts: 2623 Location: Austin, TX
|
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2016 2:16 pm Post subject: Re: 1966 pearl white / Pigalle father son project |
|
|
A few of the dents and dings that we'll bend back into place. Evidence of the "minor" engine fire that must have happened years ago.
There was a broken decklid hinge, so I found this '66 decklid that will work for now. Once I get the original fixed, it'll go back on.
_________________ 1976 Westy
1966 Beetle |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Bala Samba Member

Joined: December 04, 2003 Posts: 2623 Location: Austin, TX
|
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2016 2:22 pm Post subject: Re: 1966 pearl white / Pigalle father son project |
|
|
The interior is pretty complete, but the pans are toast. My dad has a set of brand new "thick metal" pans for me though!
It was pretty dirty and a squirrel had probably been using it as his storage bin for some time.
The front passenger's pan is actually in really good shape, but I'll be replacing it.
More filth. A few pin holes, but it's pretty solid back there.
Flintstone mobile!
_________________ 1976 Westy
1966 Beetle |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Bala Samba Member

Joined: December 04, 2003 Posts: 2623 Location: Austin, TX
|
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2016 2:32 pm Post subject: Re: 1966 pearl white / Pigalle father son project |
|
|
Pretty good looking dash.
_________________ 1976 Westy
1966 Beetle |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Dirty Hippie Samba Member
Joined: July 19, 2007 Posts: 189 Location: Huntsville, Alabama
|
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2016 6:11 pm Post subject: Re: 1966 pearl white / Pigalle father son project |
|
|
I like it. Is the plan just to make a mechancel and interior restoration? Leave the patina? |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
BeardedRaleigh Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2015 Posts: 15 Location: Chico, CA
|
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2016 6:19 pm Post subject: Re: 1966 pearl white / Pigalle father son project |
|
|
it can take as little as a day to make a car shinny, it takes a lifetime to look like that.
i would leave it. _________________ 66 on 69 Pan.
69x87 it may be small but its FIERCE.
some cool DooDaad's
slow and bouncy. |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Bala Samba Member

Joined: December 04, 2003 Posts: 2623 Location: Austin, TX
|
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2016 7:07 pm Post subject: Re: 1966 pearl white / Pigalle father son project |
|
|
I don't plan on painting it. I thought about clear coating it in flat, but not sure I'd like that. I'll probably just wax it and hopefully that will be enough to slow down the rust. Fortunately central Texas is pretty "good" for rust.
My son wants to bring the interior back to original, so that's what we'll do. Nice to see that TMI is now making correct pigalle door panels and upholstry! I'll probably die a grey mat for the floor. Still need to look into carpet options. Wheels will be stripped and brought back to 2-tone. Might get a little creative with the colors though. Leaving it up to the kid (with some guidance and education first of curse )
Mechanically, all new brakes, and a major tune-up for the engine (it turns over). I'm telling myself I'll leave the engine it, but pretty sure that's not going to happen. Not sure of the tranny condition, so we'll see.
Thanks for the comments!! _________________ 1976 Westy
1966 Beetle |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
fly2kads Samba Member

Joined: July 09, 2012 Posts: 148 Location: Roanoke, TX
|
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2016 10:13 pm Post subject: Re: 1966 pearl white / Pigalle father son project |
|
|
Looks like a good find! |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Rome Samba Member
Joined: June 02, 2004 Posts: 10228 Location: Pearl River, NY
|
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2016 11:46 pm Post subject: Re: 1966 pearl white / Pigalle father son project |
|
|
Fantastic plan, to get the Beetle running and driving soon so that it'll constantly be in your son's presence. Your efforts at preservation/revival will help him to appreciate machinery in general, and hopefully he'll look forward to driving it in 10 years. I strongly recommend you make certain upgrades for safety's sake, such as 3-point inertia reel safety belts, 3rd brake light, possibly 1970 seats with the narrow headrest (keep your '66 seats), possibly zero-offset front disc brakes even if you keep the 1300 stock engine; LED taillight conversion for the 6V.
Quote: |
Wheels will be stripped and brought back to 2-tone. Might get a little creative with the colors though. |
Good. I suggest sticking with the stock 2-tone color scheme to maintain the "survivor" look in the 10 yrs you plan to drive it. Those colors will also help keep the "stock look" principle for your son. Luckily, you can always find a different set of wheels cheaply to experiment with any color combination your son might like; even a set of 4.5" and 5.5" 356 wheels painted in 2-tone stock '66 colors would be a subtle upgrade. |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Bala Samba Member

Joined: December 04, 2003 Posts: 2623 Location: Austin, TX
|
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2016 9:04 am Post subject: Re: 1966 pearl white / Pigalle father son project |
|
|
Rome wrote: |
Fantastic plan, to get the Beetle running and driving soon so that it'll constantly be in your son's presence. Your efforts at preservation/revival will help him to appreciate machinery in general, and hopefully he'll look forward to driving it in 10 years. I strongly recommend you make certain upgrades for safety's sake, such as 3-point inertia reel safety belts, 3rd brake light, possibly 1970 seats with the narrow headrest (keep your '66 seats), possibly zero-offset front disc brakes even if you keep the 1300 stock engine; LED taillight conversion for the 6V.
Quote: |
Wheels will be stripped and brought back to 2-tone. Might get a little creative with the colors though. |
Good. I suggest sticking with the stock 2-tone color scheme to maintain the "survivor" look in the 10 yrs you plan to drive it. Those colors will also help keep the "stock look" principle for your son. Luckily, you can always find a different set of wheels cheaply to experiment with any color combination your son might like; even a set of 4.5" and 5.5" 356 wheels painted in 2-tone stock '66 colors would be a subtle upgrade. |
Great suggestions! I'm planning on most of those. Also switching to a dual circuit master cylinder. I'm going with the humvee ebay three point belts. And, I have a '67 back-up light I'll probably use for the third brake light. I'm on the fence with the seats. Lowbacks look the part, but I am a bit of a safety nut. If only they made '70 seat upholstery in Pigalle red... _________________ 1976 Westy
1966 Beetle |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Johnous Samba Member
Joined: August 14, 2014 Posts: 89 Location: Austin, TX
|
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2016 10:47 am Post subject: Re: 1966 pearl white / Pigalle father son project |
|
|
Nice find, Bala! A sunroof, nonetheless. Had a chance to peek into the BERMUDA TRIANGLES yet? Judging by the floorpans, the sunroof seals have been shot for a spell...
A fresh interior with a polished dash and outside patina will be cool, indeed. Is the engine painted black, or is that just charbroiled goodness I've got some extra rattlecan paint for headlight buckets and bumper brackets when you get to that point. Have fun |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Bala Samba Member

Joined: December 04, 2003 Posts: 2623 Location: Austin, TX
|
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2016 10:58 am Post subject: Re: 1966 pearl white / Pigalle father son project |
|
|
Johnous wrote: |
Nice find, Bala! A sunroof, nonetheless. Had a chance to peek into the BERMUDA TRIANGLES yet? Judging by the floorpans, the sunroof seals have been shot for a spell...
A fresh interior with a polished dash and outside patina will be cool, indeed. Is the engine painted black, or is that just charbroiled goodness I've got some extra rattlecan paint for headlight buckets and bumper brackets when you get to that point. Have fun |
Oh yea, forgot to mention that it's a sunroof! Yea if it wasn't for that sunroof the pans would likely be in okay shape. Oh well. Bermuda Triangles? This is only my second sunroof beetle (had a '65 many years ago, but never messed with the sunroof) so I'm not too knowledgeable on them. Any details/ideas are greatly appreciated!
I think the black engine is a mix of both!
Thanks for the offer, I'll keep that in mind! _________________ 1976 Westy
1966 Beetle |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Johnous Samba Member
Joined: August 14, 2014 Posts: 89 Location: Austin, TX
|
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2016 11:20 am Post subject: Re: 1966 pearl white / Pigalle father son project |
|
|
Bala wrote: |
Bermuda Triangles? This is only my second sunroof beetle (had a '65 many years ago, but never messed with the sunroof) so I'm not too knowledgeable on them. Any details/ideas are greatly appreciated! |
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=593497&highlight=sunroof+drain
That link should fill you in. In short, the metal sunroof models have four hoses that inexplicably drain into the rocker panels. These panels have small weep holes in the bottom. As a result, drain areas are very prone to rust on sunroof cars. Looks like your rear rocker panel may be a tad crusty in the pics.
The "Bermuda triangle" is the area underneath the A pillar, behind the front fender, where the heater channel connects to your front vent hoses. Its called that because it is a dark and mysterious place where tools fall I found a rusty wrench and a parking pass from 1972 in one of mine. You can peer down into it from the frunk, it will be behind the hood springs. |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
57BLITZ Samba Member

Joined: June 12, 2012 Posts: 2389 Location: DEEK - U.S.A.
|
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2016 11:30 am Post subject: Re: 1966 pearl white / Pigalle father son project |
|
|
Bala wrote: |
Oh yea, forgot to mention that it's a sunroof! Yea if it wasn't for that sunroof the pans would likely be in okay shape. Any details/ideas are greatly appreciated! |
Clean the FOUR drain tubes!
Get an official VW manual to disassemble the roof.
Save this for later . . . http://1967beetle.com/sunroof-rebuild/ _________________ Jesucristo es mi Señor y Salvador! |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Bala Samba Member

Joined: December 04, 2003 Posts: 2623 Location: Austin, TX
|
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2016 11:33 am Post subject: Re: 1966 pearl white / Pigalle father son project |
|
|
Johnous wrote: |
Bala wrote: |
Bermuda Triangles? This is only my second sunroof beetle (had a '65 many years ago, but never messed with the sunroof) so I'm not too knowledgeable on them. Any details/ideas are greatly appreciated! |
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=593497&highlight=sunroof+drain
That link should fill you in. In short, the metal sunroof models have four hoses that inexplicably drain into the rocker panels. These panels have small weep holes in the bottom. As a result, drain areas are very prone to rust on sunroof cars. Looks like your rear rocker panel may be a tad crusty in the pics.
The "Bermuda triangle" is the area underneath the A pillar, behind the front fender, where the heater channel connects to your front vent hoses. Its called that because it is a dark and mysterious place where tools fall I found a rusty wrench and a parking pass from 1972 in one of mine. You can peer down into it from the frunk, it will be behind the hood springs. |
Ah, I see. Thanks for the link, I'll check mine out!
Yea, a little rust in those rear panels.
"Frunk" is that short for front-trunk? Haha, love it! _________________ 1976 Westy
1966 Beetle |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Bala Samba Member

Joined: December 04, 2003 Posts: 2623 Location: Austin, TX
|
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2016 11:36 am Post subject: Re: 1966 pearl white / Pigalle father son project |
|
|
57BLITZ wrote: |
Bala wrote: |
Oh yea, forgot to mention that it's a sunroof! Yea if it wasn't for that sunroof the pans would likely be in okay shape. Any details/ideas are greatly appreciated! |
Clean the FOUR drain tubes!
Get an official VW manual to disassemble the roof.
Save this for later . . . http://1967beetle.com/sunroof-rebuild/ |
I'll clean them out. I think I still have an early beetle Bentley on my bookshelf, I'll check it out. The sunroof crank handle is broken, so I can't even try to roll it back. Any tips on getting it moving? I would guess it's pretty much frozen solid.
Whoa, awesome link, saved! Thanks! _________________ 1976 Westy
1966 Beetle |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
57BLITZ Samba Member

Joined: June 12, 2012 Posts: 2389 Location: DEEK - U.S.A.
|
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2016 2:58 pm Post subject: Re: 1966 pearl white / Pigalle father son project |
|
|
Bala wrote: |
Any tips on getting it moving? I would guess it's pretty much frozen solid. |
Find yer manual. You'll want to pop the headliner panel off, slide it back into the roof, and follow the manual for removing the sunroof panel.
DO NOT crank the handle (or the shaft) if it is frozen up! You do not want to ruin the cable$$$$$! _________________ Jesucristo es mi Señor y Salvador! |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Bala Samba Member

Joined: December 04, 2003 Posts: 2623 Location: Austin, TX
|
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2016 3:26 pm Post subject: Re: 1966 pearl white / Pigalle father son project |
|
|
57BLITZ wrote: |
Bala wrote: |
Any tips on getting it moving? I would guess it's pretty much frozen solid. |
Find yer manual. You'll want to pop the headliner panel off, slide it back into the roof, and follow the manual for removing the sunroof panel.
DO NOT crank the handle (or the shaft) if it is frozen up! You do not want to ruin the cable$$$$$! |
I think the headliner panel is missing.
Got it, thanks! _________________ 1976 Westy
1966 Beetle |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
|