Post by 58jake on Nov 24, 2012 2:41:48 GMT -5
The story goes, I friend of ours found a bug at his girlfriend's friend's house while attending a pool party. Upon asking her dad what the story was he began to tell him that the car started to be restored in '83. Parts were being collected and the car was sent to the paint shop. When the car returned it was driven into the garage to never be touched again. The owner's attention had turned to vintage motorcycles. With our friend being a newly baptized VW lover, he struck a deal with the onwer. Luckily for him his dad owned a landscaping firm (and he working for his dad) and the owner in need of a yard freshening up, a deal was struck.
My good friend started on the yard and also started taking parts home to prep for reinstallation. Then vanished! He had told us about this killer deal and how he was extremely excited about his find. He was a friend, we hadn't seen around for awhile, so I started calling to see what happened to him. Then suddenly out of the blue about 4 months later he mysteriously shows up and another friend's house while we were all there. We asked him what came of the car. He said he dropped the ball, tore up the yard and never went back. He had owed another friend and I a little bit of money, together totaling about $100. We told him we would forgive his debt if he turned us onto the car. He said he would, we told him it had to be right now. He was not interested in going that night (it was around 8pm), I told him that he fell off the face of the earth and who knows when we'll see him again, we are going tonight! Funny thing, I have never seen him again.
So we went, the owner was not too happy to see him, but was willing to deal with us. We scheduled a time to come back tomorrow to look at it. The next day we went to see it and bought it on the spot. Me and the friend that was also owed money went in together on it with the intentions to 'turn and burn' it. At that time I was working out of town, so my now partner picked it up and hauled it to his house. I came home the following weekend and gave it a good look over. It looked like it had never been hit, the aprons were perfect, and so were the original pans. At this time I told him I'm keeping the car. So we worked out a deal and I became the sole owner.
The main body was painted back in '83, L555 Titian Red, a '66-'67 deluxe bus color. The guy said the original color, Garnet, was the ugliest color ever! Well, at least he kept it a VW color. The doors, hood and decklid were never painted. The car did not have the doors or lids installed when we got it, but came with three doors, so we used the original two. The front hood was wrong and all the fenders are aftermarket. A perfect '58 hood was sourced. Seriously, all we did was scuff the original paint and shoot it, no repairs what so ever. There was a half used gallon of paint that came with the car so I took it to the paint shop and had both the codes and brand matched so we could finish what was started 22 years prior.
Upon getting the car completed and pushed put into the daylight for the first time we noticed our paint match was very wrong! We did not redo it for another 3 years due to me going to work out of state. When we had the paint rematched we did it by bringing the paint store a part and not going by codes. It is a lot closer but not exact, it will do until the car gets torn down and fully restored in it's original Garnet Red.
It is a complete matching numbers car, down th the beam and tranny numbers. The guy we bought it from said he had the engine rebuilt before in went in for paint, and the shop put "porsche" parts in it. When I asked him what parts exactly, he said it has been too long and cannot remember. My buddy really wants to split the case and see, but I said no, it works great so I am leaving it as it is. We did the usuals tune up parts swap and with a little persuasion, she came alive and has been going strong ever since.
Here is it as of right now. Lowered 2" CB Performance beam, stock rear with original Ansen wheels.
The door panels are original, I reboarded the driver side door panel. Seat covers are jus the TMI later brick red version, I was too cheap for a WCC interior. It will come when the car is redone. Carpet and floor liners are W.West
When it was first finished (still have the wheels but not the tires)
What it looked like when we brought it home.
I have actually tried to sell the car a couple of time. Finally after I decided to keep it a very good offer came across my table. It was turned down and I don't see this car going anywhere soon. It's a keeper! The plans in the near future are replacing the wheels and tires with 356 wheels (minus caps) and bias ply tires while bringing the rear down just a touch. Going for that mild outlaw Panamerican look.
My good friend started on the yard and also started taking parts home to prep for reinstallation. Then vanished! He had told us about this killer deal and how he was extremely excited about his find. He was a friend, we hadn't seen around for awhile, so I started calling to see what happened to him. Then suddenly out of the blue about 4 months later he mysteriously shows up and another friend's house while we were all there. We asked him what came of the car. He said he dropped the ball, tore up the yard and never went back. He had owed another friend and I a little bit of money, together totaling about $100. We told him we would forgive his debt if he turned us onto the car. He said he would, we told him it had to be right now. He was not interested in going that night (it was around 8pm), I told him that he fell off the face of the earth and who knows when we'll see him again, we are going tonight! Funny thing, I have never seen him again.
So we went, the owner was not too happy to see him, but was willing to deal with us. We scheduled a time to come back tomorrow to look at it. The next day we went to see it and bought it on the spot. Me and the friend that was also owed money went in together on it with the intentions to 'turn and burn' it. At that time I was working out of town, so my now partner picked it up and hauled it to his house. I came home the following weekend and gave it a good look over. It looked like it had never been hit, the aprons were perfect, and so were the original pans. At this time I told him I'm keeping the car. So we worked out a deal and I became the sole owner.
The main body was painted back in '83, L555 Titian Red, a '66-'67 deluxe bus color. The guy said the original color, Garnet, was the ugliest color ever! Well, at least he kept it a VW color. The doors, hood and decklid were never painted. The car did not have the doors or lids installed when we got it, but came with three doors, so we used the original two. The front hood was wrong and all the fenders are aftermarket. A perfect '58 hood was sourced. Seriously, all we did was scuff the original paint and shoot it, no repairs what so ever. There was a half used gallon of paint that came with the car so I took it to the paint shop and had both the codes and brand matched so we could finish what was started 22 years prior.
Upon getting the car completed and pushed put into the daylight for the first time we noticed our paint match was very wrong! We did not redo it for another 3 years due to me going to work out of state. When we had the paint rematched we did it by bringing the paint store a part and not going by codes. It is a lot closer but not exact, it will do until the car gets torn down and fully restored in it's original Garnet Red.
It is a complete matching numbers car, down th the beam and tranny numbers. The guy we bought it from said he had the engine rebuilt before in went in for paint, and the shop put "porsche" parts in it. When I asked him what parts exactly, he said it has been too long and cannot remember. My buddy really wants to split the case and see, but I said no, it works great so I am leaving it as it is. We did the usuals tune up parts swap and with a little persuasion, she came alive and has been going strong ever since.
Here is it as of right now. Lowered 2" CB Performance beam, stock rear with original Ansen wheels.
The door panels are original, I reboarded the driver side door panel. Seat covers are jus the TMI later brick red version, I was too cheap for a WCC interior. It will come when the car is redone. Carpet and floor liners are W.West
When it was first finished (still have the wheels but not the tires)
What it looked like when we brought it home.
I have actually tried to sell the car a couple of time. Finally after I decided to keep it a very good offer came across my table. It was turned down and I don't see this car going anywhere soon. It's a keeper! The plans in the near future are replacing the wheels and tires with 356 wheels (minus caps) and bias ply tires while bringing the rear down just a touch. Going for that mild outlaw Panamerican look.
I actually really like the titan red, but I understand wanting to go back to garnet. Also the traditional cal look stance, with those Ansens look kiler.
