1st time bug owner - found a '58 ragtop.

[RudeGuy]

Hey all, just wanted to say hey and how much I appreciate the site with it's huge wealth of info. I'm a first timer at bug ownership and look forward to spending time with it.

Anyways, the car. Its a 1958 ragtop with 39K miles that has spent the past 20 years sitting outside in a storage facility as the original owner (who bought it new) was in a care home until they passed.
The car had no cover and the roof finally gave up the ghost over the last 5 years so it has been exposed to rain and harsh California summers all that time.
When I got it there was a puddle of water in the drivers side floor wells so I removed the rubber mats (in good usable condition still), removed the small amount of carpet and mopped up the water and was surprised and delighted to discover that there is only minimal surface rust on the floor panels but all the A & B pillars, heater tubes and sills etc are in excellent condition.

The plan now is to upgrade the brakes/running gear, replace any worn parts, redo the ragtop and interior and fit a bigger motor (keeping the original after we get it running again) but leave the beautiful exterior patina as is and make it a good running Sunday driver/car show classic.

[Busstom]

Score!
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My name's Steve and it's pronounced "Bust 'em" (cuz people think I'm Tom)

[stale air]

Coral red, one of my favorite colors. Nice find!
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WANTED: Henry Veale Santa Rosa plate frames
WANTED: Brittsan Motors Fresno plate frames
WANTED: Any Georgia plate frames

[rcooled]

Great find!!! Looks pretty solid in those pics.

Some would kill for that patina...
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'63 Ragtop (current)
'65 Ghia coupe (totaled)
'67 Ghia convertible (current)
'69.5 Ghia convertible and
'62, '63, '65, '69 Bugs (all long gone)

[Big Bill]

Awesome find, most if not all of the parts look to still be with the car.

[Eric&Barb]

Nice project!!

Do suggest you try the original 36 HP motor before installing a bigger engine. In the beetles that is a great engine.
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In Stereo, Where Available!

[jack1448]

Wow - a very nice and very ORIGINAL car! The fenders can be repaired, other than that, it doesn't appear to have been hit in either the front of rear. Tights gaps on hood, decklid, and doors. Original seats and door cards (which look very restoreable). My suggestion is not to throw anything away - even if you decide not to go that route, someone else may want parts for restoration or to use as a sample.

[Dusty1]

Put some fresh gas in it and drive it away.

I picked up my (then rust free) '69 in SoCal about 20 years ago and drive it back to New England. It had some mechanical funkies so I parked it. The floors, rear body mounts and parcel tray were gone when I got back to it.

Moral of the story: If you're going to park 'em for 20 years, park 'em in California. Or Arizona. Or New Mexico.

.
.

[stale air]

[ryans65]

that's one hell of a find, very cool

[Darryldh]

I wish my '58 coral red sedan started out in this condition
Check the engine numbers to see if they align with a '58... A bunch of stuff has been replaced that makes me think that maybe the engine is not original. (fuel pump, distributor, coil, air filter, generator and regulator all seem to be replacements).
Also strange that everything seems to be coral except the rear apron. Maybe there was rear end damage that was fixed at some point.
Amazing car! take care of her.

[pondoras box]

Check out Wolfsburg West’s Okrassa kit for the 36 horse engine before putting a big engine in. Couple that with either a Sebring or Abarth exhaust and it would look and sound amazing!

Awesome find!
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Looking for anything from Hal Casey Motors out of Hamburg New York, from license plate surrounds to matchbooks.

1961 23 Window (Bobo)
1965 11 Window (Zelda)
1965 13 Window (Lucas)
1957 Oval ragtop
1988 Cabriolet VR6 conversion
Plus a lot of other rusty junk

[wdfifteen]

[RudeGuy]

Hey all. Thanks for the welcomes and comments on the car and the info about the Wolfsburg Okrasa engine upgrade kit, I wasn't aware of that until now but it looks like a great way to go!
Anyways, after I got back from overseas I gave the car a good scrub down with some 5:1 mixture CLR and some green scotch pads and then preserved the patina with a boiled linseed oil/mineral spirits mixture. It's probably not everyone's taste, but my wife and I like it.

I also ripped out the stinky, moldy interior in readiness for a complete interior replacement.

I discovered the passenger seat had a very dodgy repair so I am now looking for a replacement.

Cheers!

[Bub]

If you get the WW Okarasa kit make SURE you have the heads flycut. If they haven't changed the design yet they leave you less than 8:1 compression.
Get the street CAM from them also, flycut heads a few thou .00" and its'a HUGE difference.

Also, I would LOVE some of your old interior (door panels?) if you end up not using them. I have a good passenger seat I could trade, but I'm up the coast in Washington so a little shipping would be involved.
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[my59]

What is under the floor pans securing the eye bolts used to anchor aftermarket/later year seat belts?
I've seatbelt end simply bolted thru pans with a collection of fender washers. Had the state inspector note no seatbelts as they were not required in '59, and I'm not trusting them to save my life.

The door cards are nice, clean em up, and keep the interior stock. Don't lose the headliner bows, and stripping out the cloth headliner you might want photos of it prior to to get the folds and seams located. Two tone seats, sweet. I've the optional all red seats with white piping (now hammered to death)
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my59: Well son, my grandfather died before I got to drive it, so does that answer your question?
our79: sunroof bus w/camper interior and 2.0 FI
Other:'12 Jetta, '77 Benz 300D, and a 74 MG Midget.

[RudeGuy]

[cloval]

Do you mind sharing the details on how you found the car and were able to purchase it?

Between 2013 and 2015 I was working as a contract employee for PG&E. My circuit inspection that day allowed access to the storage facility where this car was parked. I was thrilled to see the car, as it is somewhat of a rare spec with the coral red color and a sunroof. These early '58s are basically a very late oval window. It was obviously original and complete, but had some minor sun-baking of the paint and a flat tire or two.

After completing my inspection, I spoke with a lady at the front office, gave her my business card and contact info, explained my VW interest, and asked her to please put me in touch with the owner or their family, as I would be very interested in purchasing the car. I figured it was an older person who had the car stored there.
I never heard from anyone. My guess is she never forwarded my info, as she had mentioned keeping the privacy of the owner, which is understandable.

The car was in very good condition 10 years ago, and I really wanted to get it out of there and back on the road. I was born and raised in the same town, and know that the constant fog and proximity to the bay would not be kind to the car. Enjoy the car, have fun with it, but please do try to keep as original as possible, it survived this long after all.

[Rome]

Remarkably solid car despite the torn sunroof.

The rubber tunnel mat appears to be solid, without obvious wear points near the pedals nor along the top at the openings for the shifter and e-brake. I suggest removing it "very" carefully if you want to inspect and clean the tunnel. The rubber has likely become brittle over the decades. Before you remove it, try applying a synthetic-based rubber softener so that when you do flex it during the removal, the rubber will bend and not break.

Do you plan to undent the fenders with hammer & dolly, and unbend the creased edge at the right front fender? Polish the bumpers with 0000 steel wool and a fine metal file for the rust pockmarks? Could also try spraying full-strength CLR onto the chrome surfaces of the bumper and letting the fluid work down the worst of the rust. Scrub with a brass bristle brush (not steel bristles which will scratch the remaining good chrome). But wear sturdy gloves, since those rust blister edges could cut your skin.

[Rome]