I've loved vintage Volkswagens since I was 16 years old (22 years ago...wow...that hits me like a punch to the gut just seeing that in writing!). My first car was a navy blue 1960 ragtop beater that belonged to my father and when I was ready to drive, he passed it on to me. I was less than excited at first as I dreamed of owning a Pontiac Fiero (late eighties remember), but that ugly little car opened a door in my life that has never closed.
I had to push start that bug for several months (not sure why it went on for so long - I probably couldn't afford a new starter), and I think that engine backfired once every 30 seconds. I had to push it down the street a few houses when I snuck out at night so my parents wouldn't hear the coughing, sputtering car and blow my cover :) I finally decided I had to do something about the problems, so I took that bug completely apart, fixed what a 16 year old could, had it painted turquoise green, lowered the front end, shaved the chrome, threw in a 1200 engine that my dad had in the garage, and fell deeply in love with my little german car.
Over the next 15 years, I went on to own a 1956 jungle green oval, a a 1963 turquoise 23-window deluxe microbus, a 1955 oval ragtop, a ruby red 1964 sedan, a blue 1963 ragtop, a strato silver 1956 euro oval, and a green 1960 sedan. I started VW life thinking a chopped, lowered, highly customized car was the only way to go, but owning an oval window quickly pursuaded me to a value factory originality, and I've continued to love and build stock cars since. I have a particular fancy for anything that came from the factory with a 36hp motor, with oval ragtops and lowlight verts being dearest to my heart, but I also have a soft spot for big windows up to 1963, especially ragtops.
I took a break from the VW scene for a few years, but found myself immersed again 2 years ago when my dad decided to sell one of his VW crown jewels - a pearl white 1959 Karmann Ghia convertible. He parked the car in 1997 after driving it for many years, and talked about giving it a proper restoration, but his attention turned to a 1966 bus that he picked up, and the Ghia sat under a car cover and tarp for many years. I drove that Ghia to my senior prom, and it was a savored treat to sit behind the wheel the few times I talked my dad into letting me drive it. It was the holy grail of VWs that my dad owned over the years, and all of my siblings and friends knew it. There was no question in my mind - I HAD to own that Ghia, so I shelled out the cash, and towed it from Boise to my new home in the Salt Lake area.
I've been collecting original parts since then, and am currently hunting down and buying the parts to build an original vintage Okrasa engine. Okrasa sold performance engine kits for VWs in the late 50's and 60's to increase horsepower and performance in the 36hp and 40hp engines. Original Okrasa parts are now difficult to find, and quite expensive when they do come available.
In the meantime, my oldest son (almost 15) just enrolled in driver's ed last week, and I've planned to build a VW with him for his first car since he was born. Last summer, I found a 1961 ragtop in Medford, Oregon for $600, so I took a weekend and drove 12 hours 1 way to pick it up, then turn around and tow it home. This past June, we moved the car into the garage, and began the restoration process. My plan is to detail the happenings and progress of the restoration of this VW.
The car has sufferred quite a bit of rust damage living a good part of its life in the wet part of Oregon. The floor pans are completely gone - Fred Flintstone would love this car. The front section of the heater channels are shot, and the middle sections under the doors are questionable. The spare tire tray looks like swiss cheese, the luggage tray under the rear seat area also has rust holes. There is also cancer in many areas along the top part of the dash where the front window rubber meets the metal, and there are a few other areas in a couple of the wheel wells that will require attention. The driver's door will need to be replaced, as will the rear apron, and it is missing a rear fender. In addition to all the rust, there is a sizable dent behind the drivers side rear side window. Luckily, whatever caused the dent didn't distort the body lines, so it will pull out without serious compromise to the integrity of the body. The car came with no seats, no engine, and is missing most of the ragtop parts.
You're probably wondering why I paid $600 for the car? After I got to Oregon and saw it, I wondered the same, but was NOT going home empty handed after that drive! Truthfully, the problems don't scare me. I'm excited for the challenge, and it will definately be the biggest project I've ever taken on. I intend to do the majority of the work including body patching, welding, channel replacement, body work, paint, engine, most upholstery, and overall assembly. The only parts I expect to hand over to someone else will be the transmission rebuild (if required), front end, machine work to the engine, and the headliner. Should be fun! Let's get some more pictures posted.
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