First Time Restoration -1963 Convertible

[brendanode]

Last week my dad sprung the news on me that he'd found a 1963 VW Beetle Cabriolet on his local Facebook For Sale group. I knew that my parents had one when they first got married, I believe a black '63 bug, which my mom loved but my dad sold due to reliability issues. Call it retribution or what have you but he's decided to try and make it up to her while giving himself a new project in his new retirement.

Apparently this car had been garage kept for a couple decades. Someone had previously done some work on it; that color is definitely not original and neither is the interior.

The car has a lot of potential and I think he got a great deal, but besides the work he did on the VW they owned in the 70s he doesn't have that much experience to know how to restore this thing properly. I'm hoping to go home weekends and help out as much as I can and make sure things are being done properly. I, myself, love cars but a restoration project is brand new to me.

Here's some pictures he snapped from his garage:

I've been doing a ton of reading of the posts here to educate myself the best I can and there's certainly a wealth of info. The things I've told my dad to worry about out the gate:

1. Determine if it's a 6v or 12v conversion, consider converting early in the project
2. Send the serial numbers to VW to obtain the birth certificate - he believes the engine is the original
3. Catalog all parts he removes and try not to lose anything
4. Clean it up but gently, no harsh cleaners
5. Flush out all the old oil and fuel
6. Try and salvage the frame for the top - apparently there was a wood piece on either side and one is missing, but potentially the frame could be restored
7. He thinks he can restore the pan by welding in new metal and coating it (by a professional) - I'm not so convinced.
8. Take pictures of everything, at every step

He's already ordered a few things from Wolfsburg West and is eager to get started - any tips or obvious things I should pass along off the bat would be really helpful as I don't think he knows where to start.

She's a beauty, really, and I hope we can do a good job

Thanks!

[vwfreek61]

My dad's first car was a '63 Convertible too.

The engine looks like it could be original. It's still got the 6v generator. Depending on his plans for the car, it may be easier just to leave it 6v. My '64 is still 6v with the original wiring harness, and I daily drive it during the summer. I did add LED headlights and a relay for the starter, but other than that everything else works well enough for my purposes.
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Kenneth
1964 Bug with Saxomat
1976 VW/Harley Trike Autostick
1987 Vanagon Westy w/Subaru EJ25 and reversed 4EAT

[finster]

looks like a great basis for a project. when you say 'garage kept for a couple of decades' do you mean it hasn't run/driven for that time? if yes then the motor will need a strip down and rebuild. it is tempting to start tearing a car down but I would tackle this project by writing down an idea of the work ahead
1 checking all areas of the bodywork/floorpan for rust and bondo and deciding what needs repair/replaced
2 assessing what mechanicals need replacing - fuel lines, wheel cylinders, master cylinder etc
3 deciding whether to split the body from the floorpan or not
then using the above information plus your father's budget and abilities to devise a plan of action.
the convertible frame will be fine with some parts from chucks so don't worry about it other than budgeting for the work.
you have given him some good advice already but I would add 'don't throw anything away until the replacement has been fitted and works'
good luck and enjoy

[KTPhil]

Yeah, first set goals and budgets. Is this a true "restoration" or just a "cleanup and return to reliable service"? The gap between the two is filled with money!

[Bryan67]

Like Phil said. Let`s say he wants to do a full restoration on it. And is capable of doing just about everything except paint, interior, engine and trans rebuild himself. He`s looking at a pretty easy $20,000.
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If you`re going to do something, do it right.