1959 Beetle Restoration Project

[jbannon]

At the insistence of a few people here on the Samba I have created a separate post to document the restoration of my October 1958 (Model year 1959) Euro beetle.

To get things started I will re-post what I wrote in the "'58/'59 Beetle Discussion", and will begin to add new material as the build progresses. Fortunately there have been several new developments since January 2021 that I will share later in this thread, but for now here (with some changes) is where I started:

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After many many months of stalking the 58/59 forum, I finally found a car that I wanted to share with the community. First, many thanks to all of the amazing contributions to this forum--they really helped and motivated my decision to find a 58/59 Beetle!

This is an Austrian (Euro) beetle, and the original color was Diamond Gray with the green/gray leatherette interior. My VW birth certificate lists the manufacturing date on 31 October 1958 and the car was delivered to Salzburg, Austria on 03 November 1958. I am the fourth owner.

I plan to return this car to its former stock condition and glory!

The birth certificate designates the following "special configurations":

M018 - Larger reflector in brake and indicator light
M134 - Upholstery Leatherette
M196 - Asymetrical headlamps

The car has its original pan, engine, and transaxle, and the original seat covers for the front and rear seats were buried under those blue seat covers. Unfortunately, the original door panels are long gone. The car came with an original (period correct) Sperrwolf lock shifter-base and an Akkord radio that needs restoring. You can also see that the PO owner screwed and riveted all kinds of things under the dash, and added the towel bar over riders and hella (70s or 80s) lights in front.

Since taking these photos, I have gutted and stripped the car and will send it out to get media blasted and then off to paint and body soon. I also plan to strip and powder coat the pan while the body work is being done. It appears the car was hit in the front driver side fender at some point, and while the fender was replaced with a German, year-correct fender, the front quarter panel needs to be replaced with the correct year-specific front quarter panel.

The front beam also appears to have been replaced, and I am curious to know if someone can explain the steering stabilizer between the upper and lower torsion tube in the picture I posted (the bar leading out of the picture frame is an aftermarket towing bar.) It's a link-pin beam, but it has the mount on top for the post 60's steering stabilizer, which I know wasn't used in 58/59.

Unfortunately a PO owner removed the original taillights and added both the later front turn signal and rear taillights. Austrian law mandated taillight and turn signal changes in the 60s, and a lot of cars lost their original lights as a result. I plan on taking the car back to stock and have already purchased taillights from a 1959 beetle. Does anyone know what "M018 - Larger reflector in brake and indicator light" are?

Being a car that endured over 6 decades of Austrian winters, there is rust in the usual places and a few unusual places, but overall the car appears quite solid. I will have a better idea once the paint is removed...

Finally, I have posted a picture of the engine. Like everything else on the car, the PO made modifications.

As the build progresses please provide constructive comments, suggestions, or ideas. One thing I have enjoyed most about the project so far is the community of VW enthusiasts I have met along the way. Everyone has been friendly, helpful, and a lot of fun to engage with.

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[jbannon]

And here are pictures from the teardown. The black area in the wheel wells and under the pan is not paint--its 60 year of rubberized undercoating. In some places the undercoating was an inch or more in thickness. Keep that in mind because the next series of photos from the media blasting will reveal what was waiting for me when it was removed!

[jbannon]

Media Blasting

Please note: From this point forward in my posts, I am going to list the companies I used for services or parts purchased. I am not sponsored by these companies and I received nothing for mentioning them. I am simply providing this information as a service to the community. Moreover, every company I used is a company I found useful or exceptional and would use again.

Media Blasting Company: kfz-Entlackung
Location: Vienna, Austria
Website: https://www.kfz-entlackung.at

In February 2021, the car was sent to media blasting at kfz-Entlackung outside of Vienna, Austria. Roland David owns and operates kfz-entlackung, and is an outstanding human being and a real craftsman. kfz-entlackung uses a high pressure water method to remove paint, and importantly, undercoating from the car. Roland methodically removed layer after layer of paint and undercoating without warping the metal or leaving a residual mess in the cooks and crannies, which normally happens with other types of media blasting. The body, pan, suspension, and transaxle were stripped down to the bare metal, and where there was rust, those spots were sand blasted with low pressure sand to ensure it was completely removed.

This process wasn't cheap, but the time saved in having to remove undercoating with heat more than paid for itself. I have had other cars dustless blasted, and regardless of what they tell you, the media-slurry gets into everything and is impossible to completely remove. I had never heard of Roland's process when I lived in the U.S., but would never want to start a restoration again without starting with this first. I know I am gushing about this process, but it really was a game changer and made the next steps much easier.

Here are a few pictures:

Some examples of the process:

The completed shell:

Paint removal:

The completed pan:

Other pan shots:

Other areas (note the repaired areas that were revealed):

An area designated for light sandblasting to ensure rust was totally removed (all wheel well areas were sand blasted afterwards to ensure they were completely free of material):

Dirty job photos!

[jbannon]

Epoxy primer and some hard decisions

Paint company: Albert Kiegler e.U. - Karosserie Fach- u. Meisterbetrieb
Website: https://www.kiegler.at

Lessons learned:

- Don't let emotions affect your buying decisions
- Car restorations are expensive; oversights make them more expensive

Following media blasting, the car was sent for epoxy paint and evaluation. First some pictures of the paint and areas that needed to be repaired for context:

From a distance things look okay...

But when you get closer the problems begin to appear..

And then there is the front end...

And dont get me started on the channels...

Gut check time

With all the paint and filler removed, it was time to evaluate the car. Things were not good. I assessed the following needed to be replaced:

- Driver side quarter panel (I discussed this earlier.) However, I didn't see the damage and poor repairs to the tank carrier beam, spare wheel area, and front apron.
- Both heater channels. I swear I checked and double checked this area when I was inspecting the car and they appeared very solid. The rot was hidden by the running boards as all the damage was between the running boards and heater channel. (The next car I buy will require the removal of the running boards to full check if the heater channels are solid.)
- Both A-pillars
- Both rear quarter areas where the bumper attaches to the body.
- The rear fenders were aftermarket and needed replacing.
- Various holes in the doors, around the window areas, and around where the fenders bolt to the body.
- Front valence area. There was a lot of rot in this area, and I figured it made more sense to replace this whole area rather than trying to repair it.

In a nutshell, a whole lot of rot which would require a whole lot of metal work. At this stage I was quite deflated and felt it would be easier (and cheaper) to eat my sunk costs and look for another project. It just needed so much work.

The odd thing is, I didn't see any of this when I looked at the car. I realize in hindsight my emotion around finding a complete, numbers matching, semaphore beetle in Diamond Gray (DIAMOND GRAY) blinded me to all the issues. The fact that I didn't catch the front end damage is inexcusable. Ive been around cars a long time and can usually see the problems from a mile away--but not this time. Lesson learned--check the emotion when deciding on a car.

With all this said, something ate at me as I contemplated what to do--its an all original, matching numbers, 1959 Euro Beetle. It was delivered to Austria in November 1958 and has spent its life in Austria--which for some reason is important to me given Austria is my home now. Moreover, I feared if I did sell it as is, the car would get scrapped and the parts sold off--it would never see the road again.

So I decided to continue with the project and found a high quality metal worker with a solid reputation that will do the work for a reasonable amount. In my next post Ill talk about that process and the places I sourced metal from.

[metalchomper]

A lot of hidden gremlins! It's restorable but like you said, it's a lot of cost and time. Questions to ask yourself:
- What is the availability of solid cars in your area?
- How much work are you willing to do vs paying someone?
- Total value after all the work?

That is quite a bit of work for me. I'm not afraid of tackling big jobs. I've worked on worse. If it was a Oval or Split, I would fix it in a hear beat. A '59 would be borderline for me.
_________________
Brett

Devil Dog Dubs

I live vicariously through me

'62 Beetle, "Zombie Mojo"
'68 Manx II "Conundrum"
'72 SB "Luftwaffle", 2270 T4
'75 SB Wizard Rodster "Olympias" (Mrs. Metalchomper's car)

[jbannon]

Brett,

Thanks for the excellent comments and insights!

I have already committed to restoring the car, and new metal and the car are already at the metal worker / body shop. This is the one skill set I don't have when it comes to restoring cars, and I have learned that its best to let a craftsman tackle these tasks if I hope to get the car completed to a high level and in a reasonable amount of time. While I am not rushed to get the project done per se, I have learned that metal / bodywork is the place car restorations get hung up and often go to die. Yes, it will cost me more in terms of money, but having someone help me with this part of the project guarantees the bodywork gets done.

I would like to push back though (in good fun of course) on your comments regarding restoring a 59 versus doing an Oval or Split window. There is something very special about 58-59 Beetles, and I invite you read the 141 pages at the 58-59 Beetle forum discussion to learn all about their quirks and unique features. You can find it here:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=401420&highlight=58+59+beetle+discussion

58/59 beetles carry over a lot of interesting Oval features--steering wheel, body parts, paint colors, semaphores, lack of gas gauge, etc., but are the first years for the big rear window, new dash, and unique interiors (only for those two years.) I also own a 56 Oval window in need of restoration that is currently sitting in storage. Its a beautiful car, in great shape, and with tons of potential--but as I have spent time with both cars I have to admit--the 58/59 cars resonate more for some reason. Dare I say, I would even consider trading my 56 for a 58/59 ragtop if the right exchange could be found. I know 58/59's are not for everyone, but there is something very cool about these two years.

[metalchomper]

Kudos for jumping in and saving another! Please post pictures of the metal work. I look forward to seeing the progress. I'm trying to find time and inspiration to restart my projects. Getting ready to build a new shop so my energies are focused on repairing and selling the existing house and clearing the land for the new.
_________________
Brett

Devil Dog Dubs

I live vicariously through me

'62 Beetle, "Zombie Mojo"
'68 Manx II "Conundrum"
'72 SB "Luftwaffle", 2270 T4
'75 SB Wizard Rodster "Olympias" (Mrs. Metalchomper's car)

[[email protected]]

You are going through the process in a manner that will create the best looking, and most durable result. Your assessment of rust is actually quite minor compared to vehicles of the Northeast United States.

Make sure you keep track of ALL labor hours, and materials. While some do not want to know the total, it will help immensely in valuing the completed vehicle for insurance purposes. Even if the labor is done by yourself, that may be less efficient than a professional, it all adds up to the value of needing to recreate the vehicle in the instance of a total loss. Another good idea is to get “project insurance” along the way through your process incase something happens during the process.

Take lots of pictures of assembled/unassembled parts for future reference, and bag/label EVERYTHING!

[pastellgreen]

Diamond grey would be my choice, if I would be into '59 beetles.
A wonderful original paint example was sold for 43000 Euro:
https://www.derautojaeger.de/fahrzeug/vw-kaefer-typ-1-export-mit-faltschiebedach-465/

I think M018 looks like this:

found these in a classified ad from www.bugbus.net

Taking back to stock also could mean to remove the radio, as the car was delivered without and the radio was dealer-added.
Consider at least, to find a radio delete cover and also paint it together with all other parts, even if you decide to hold on the radio, and keep it with the car. One decision also is, not to use the antenna, because later, when someone wants to remove the radio he has the problem how to get the antenna hole closed an painted. Now with a restoration it is more simple to do that. I'm sure, today we have other possibilities for an antenna. Look at my 1960 thread, what for difficulties I had with several holes into the dash and under the dash and on top of the car because of the antenna...

Oh, remove the grab handel holes in the dash, and the hole below the radio shaft, they are not stock.

[bwaz]

After doing a few cars from scratch, restoration of a vehicle has to come from your heart. (unless you're just trying to do a quick fix and flip it) If 58/59 excites you, go for it. (it does for me) This car has plenty of potential, and it's great it found you to save it.

[myvolks1]

I also have an October 58 built, but not a euro semaphore model like yours.

[matthew henricks]

Surprises stink but area also part of the adventure. Look forward to following your project.

What was the clamp on the front beam going forward for?
_________________
1964 Original Owner build Thread. https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=702135&highlight=

Ambulance Fan's. https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=627707&highlight=

Parts i am looking for:
64 bug nice used front/rear Black LHD floor mat.

[jbannon]

Myvolks1 and Matthew,

Thanks for the replies and comments, and my apologies for the late reply. For some reason I was never notified of your responses.

Myvolks1: I wonder how close our cars were on the production line? Mine came off the line on 30 October and was delivered to Salzburg, Austria on 02 November.

Matthew: I couldn’t agree more. There is a lot of joy in overcoming all of these problems.

Thanks again! I’ll be posting some updates once the holidays are over.

[jbannon]

Speedometer Restoration

Vendors/Parts Used:

- Krautclassics - http://www.krautclassics.com

- Auto-Hub - http://auto-hub.com/type-1/

Project details:

While the body is at metal / paint, I have begun working on all the small pieces for the car. A few months ago I worked on the speedometer.

This is what the speedometer looked like fresh out of the car:

Here is the damaged face of the speedometer.

The zinc finish looked good but was dirty, so I disassembled the speedometer and put the metal case in the ultrasonic cleaner. Afterwards I applied a metal polish to bring out the luster.

I then sent the speedometer to Krautclassics in Germany to have the face replaced, the internals inspected and repaired, and speedometer recalibrated for standard tires. Krautclassics owner, Thorston Schneider, did a great job and the turn around time was amazingly fast. Here are the results:

I also bought LEDS from Auto-Hub to replace all the bulbs in the speedometer. Auto-Hub was also very responsive and helped me get what I needed.

Once the speedometer is in the car I'll post pictures of what it looks like with the LEDS.

[Rome]

jbannon, good work so far. During your component refurbishment, don't overlook your front fenders- the turn signals are mounted in different locations- the driver's side one is about a hand-width farther forward than the one on the passenger side. Have you looked under the fenders to check which one may be an original, per the headlamp bucket wiring pipe?

[jbannon]

Rome, Thanks for your comments. This is a euro car and originally never had turn signals. In Austria in the 1960s they changed the laws and required semaphore cars to have separate front and rear turn signal lights. Some owners installed turn signals on the fenders, while others opted for lights mounted on the bumpers. This law is still in force today, so beetle owners here use small hella lights (which you can’t really see!) mounted on the bumpers to pass local car inspections.

On my car the PO haphazardly installed front turn signals on the front fenders, and swapped out the snowflake taillights for 60s era taillights. Rest assured both have been remedied. The original front fenders will not have turn signals (as original) and I will come up with a turn signal solution to pass inspections here. I am currently restoring a pair of Marchal 630 fog lights that I may repurpose as turn signals, and if that doesn’t work or isn’t accepted, I will figure something else out. I have already purchased snowflakes for the back.

As things proceed please continue to point these things out. The goal is to take the car back to her formal stock glory, and I greatly welcome any comments that help move me in that direction!

[Rome]

OK, j. I know that the use of semaphores ended in Germany on July 1 1960 on new vehicles and a year or so later on older vehicles, and many kits were available to retrofit the '62 style taillamps and front blinkers to older Beetles. Owners at that time usually used the existing mounting holes from the original snowflake taillamp housings to locate at least one of the '62 style housings, so that the '62+ housings were lower than the '62 factory locations.

25 years ago I refurbished a Dec. '52 Beetle, not holding to stock configuration. For the front blinkers I traded a case of beer with a co-worker who offered me 2 pairs of good used 1970's motorcycle blinkers that already had a short, round chromed pipe for mounting. I located them outboard of my bumper guards. Did the same for the rear blinkers but used "heart" style taillamps mounted correctly low on the fenders. But that approach for the front would probably look somewhat crude on your Beetle. And not so easily noticed due to the export-style bumper with the upper "towel bars".

I also thought about buying a cheap set of such guards, then drilling the upper forward-facing area with an approx. 2 inch round hole and somehow attaching small orange/amber generic lamps with 21 watt bulbs as the blinkers. Nowadays you can easily find small lamps with strong output that are made of LEDs.
https://www.csp-shop.com/en/body/bumper-guard-707-155-113a-10861a.html
For your export bumpers, this style:
https://www.csp-shop.com/en/body/bumper-guard-export-bumper-707-155-113b-17691a.html

Your Marchal front fog lamp solution is clever and would benefit from the large reflector area to make the blinkers very visible.

[jbannon]

Rome, thanks again for your help. I love the '52 Beetle. What happened to it?

The overrider / towel bar bumpers in the pictures were added by the PO. Export version bumpers are popular here, and several people throw them on with out the support bars that connects the towel bar to the body (due to the absence of the holes.) One of the first things I did was remove the export bumpers and sell them. I have found a very good original euro style rear bumper which needs re-chroming, and am looking for an original front bumper at the moment. They are hard to find in decent condition. I also have 4 original euro-style bumper guards, and plan to have them re-chromed as well.

[jbannon]

Steering Wheel Restoration

Vendor/Part:

Koch's (https://kochs.com)

Details

In October 2021 I sent my original steering wheel off to Koch's to be recast and painted the original silver beige. The wheel was cracked in multiple places, with deeper cracks where the middle of the steering wheel met the outer wheel. In addition, the grip area was worn down and the enamel was missing. Here are a few pictures:

Koch's told me it would take approximately 12 weeks to get the steering wheel back, and the wheel was returned in early December. The folks at Koch's were super helpful and the service was great. Here are the after pictures (please note the color balance for each set of photos is different due to the overhead lighting. The color is correct for the new wheel, but for some reason it looks more beige than silver beige despite my attempts to correct the color balance.)

[Chad M]