(o\_!_/o) Project: 1959 Ragtop VW Beetle

[AsadIshaque]

(Only patient people to proceed beyond this point......my project are slow!)

Salam everyone!

 Here I am at long last with my long promised thread on the ongoing rebuild of the 59 Bug.

For a bit of history, two previous threads related to the car are as follows:

https://www.pakwheels.com/forumreply_az_TopicID!14471~ForumID!6~pw.html

https://www.pakwheels.com/forumreply_az_TopicID!29483~ForumID!10~pw.html

[iiqbal]

without any doubt this thread will be Best informative Post on VW Bettle on Pakwheels
Asad Bahi Good Luck and Well wishes for u project

[Skyline_Drift_Master]

nice...

[AsadIshaque]

@ iiqbal

I was not expecting such a quick audience!!

Thanks for wishing me luck!! Yes this might rival Spitfire's resto thread.

[AsadIshaque]

Some initial pictures of the car snapped in March 2005 if memory serves me right.

People who are interested can read more of the initial stories in the other related thread. Ill try to keep the history short here and concentrate on the plan at hand.

[AsadIshaque]

Id like to mention a few things here.

This particular beetle is originally a 1959 ragtop sunroof model which being a Euro spec car came with Semaphore/trafficator type indicators. Unfortunately almost all the original parts have been changed by the last owner/s who attempted to make it look like a post 1968 shape Beetle.

Now Im out on a real mission to reverse all the modifications and turn back time by 49 years!!

Lets see how we fare....

[spectra]

A lot has been changed on the car but still i know you will bring it back to originality. Best of luck.

[AsadIshaque]

I had gone to UK in July 2005. Left the bug at a very good friends house who took good care of it.

A few pics while it was stored at his house.

I had taken some measures before putting the car in storage.

-Took the engine off and subjected it to some repairs and then storing it indoors at my house.

-Took off all the braking system hardware so nothing seized up over time. Components were carefully stored.

-Put on duct tape over the 'hole in the roof' to prevent water, dust etc from gaining entry.

-Put a coat of coaltar over the rotten floor to prevent further deterioration.

-maybe something else I am not able to recall at the moment.

[AsadIshaque]

Fast forward to 2007.

Im back in Pakistan and my poor friend has been requesting (more like begging!) me to take my car out of his house as he needs the space for his brand new City.

After a lot of follies with the local denters, I manage to finalise the person who would take up the challenge. In the meantime I have collected a lot of spares for the rebuild.

In July 2007 I went to my friends house and proceeded to dismantle the car. Pics might be a bit delayed as I downsize and upload.

[AsadIshaque]

Pics from that day......

[AsadIshaque]

The sunbaked plastic sheet is falling apart but did its job well.

[AsadIshaque]

The interior view. Its reasonably clean inside for a stranded car. The car cover was also put on for further protection. I had placed old newspapers on top of the newly coal tarred floor so things would not stick. Found them where i had left them!

[AsadIshaque]

Some views of the sunroof cloth and mechanism.....

[AsadIshaque]

If you ever wonder who the best person to strip an old car is.....its you yourself!!!

I proceeded slowly and step by step unlike the so called 'professionals' who just bang, rip and hammer parts out.

By the way the purpose of all this exercise is to carefully remove all breakeable parts and store them. Once a car is pushed into a mechanics shop stuff gets stolen/damaged/vandalised. So why take a chance especially when the parts are rare???

[psyb0rg]

and it starts...

[AsadIshaque]

The 'jewel in the crown' is certainly the ragtop sunroof original mechanism. If this is gone, the project is history.

The mechanism easily can fetch more than £500 in the UK.

[AsadIshaque]

This is called the header bow and contains the essential locking mechanism of the setup. Mine is missing the original handle. A broken window winder is put in its place.

[AsadIshaque]

Psyborg!

As promised!!!

Enjoy!

[AsadIshaque]

Now this is an aluminum section which makes up the mid of the slidding mechanism. The setup is missing two parts. Fortunately I think we may be able to fabricate a copy locally for those.

More on the ragtop mechanism as the rebuild goes. I will post some nice pics off the www showing the complete setup later.

[AsadIshaque]

A closeup of the area which slides in the two roof rails.

Special plastic bushings are put here for smooth operation. You can see one circular dirty roller a bit lifted out of the rail.

Another cylindrical bushing is missing from the mechanism. You can guess where it should be.