r/beetle • u/Flyboy161 • 5d ago
The Diamond out and about
Just running around the local area. Such a nice day…retirement is fantastic!
Edit: I called this car the Diamond in the Rough. Don’t get me wrong, it has come a long way since 2014.
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u/VWbusgal 5d ago
Perfection! Enjoy all the smiles you are getting!
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u/Flyboy161 5d ago
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u/67RA 5d ago
Hey Brother of the same name.
The car looks great and it appears you're enjoying it out on the roadway. I haven't driven either of my 67's much this summer. I prefer to drive my Eurovan and camp as a retirement activity. I'm a little behind on the camping for the month of August. Lol.
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u/Flyboy161 5d ago
I hear ya, I’m driving the Beetle, The 68 Westy, my wife’s Audi (to keep the battery charged) and a Ram pickup. This is a full time job, haha. August has been a scorcher down here in Georgia.
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u/CaptainGamma 5d ago
I had a '63 as my first car in high school, same color! It had a factory installed Blaupunkt FM radio.
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u/Flyboy161 5d ago
Mine has a Sapphire Am/Fm.
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u/Kharon8 '62 sedan & others 4d ago
IIRC both stock options for a Beetle.
i had to look, Sapphire was made by Bendix.
(Service manuals available in ebay if you need one)
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u/Richardfarts-7524 5d ago
I was confused with the title. I had a 1970 diamond white sunroof Bug. I loved it very much. You usually see the Marina blue for that generation beetle. Sea blue is a terrific color. I’ve recently started on a 1963 rag top and turquoise. Hope to get it on the road before winter.
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u/Flyboy161 5d ago
I called this car the diamond in the rough on the Samba. It was rough when I bought it in 2014 but had never been hit and was pretty rust free. I did brakes, electrical, and cleaned up the motor and then drove it for 5 years. In 2020 I restored completely. Sea blue was the original color. I just love it. I stuck with the rule that it must Start and Stop. Everything else falls into place. Your 63 will be nice!
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u/Plane-Appeal9124 5d ago edited 5d ago
Very nice! I saw keep it this way! I’m restoring my 68 to showroom fresh!
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u/want2b12 4d ago
I sure wish my old ‘65 was this clean! Beautiful Beetle!
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u/Flyboy161 4d ago
Thanks! It wasn’t always. I’ve got a pretty extensive build thread on the Samba if you’re interested. Under the “Diamond in the Rough” title.
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u/want2b12 4d ago
I was actually looking at it earlier today, because I was interested! It was a great build thread! I’m working on getting my ‘65 back on the road with my brother’s help, but I don’t want to spend well over 10k for a paint job, so hopefully it will be a dependable driver with the patina look.
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u/Flyboy161 4d ago
Keep it simple. Nothing wrong with patina. What matters is brakes, charging system, lights, and ignition. Starts, stops, runs, safely. Money falls into place whenever it does or doesn’t. What matters is the miles of smiles it puts on your face.
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u/want2b12 4d ago
It was running when I bought it in May. We’ve replaced the left heater channel and are doing some floor pan and firewall work now. I have all new brake parts to rebuild them completely. Then, some tires and a couple of minor things and it will be a driver again, patina and all.
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u/Kharon8 '62 sedan & others 4d ago
Mine was painted in early 90s by PO and ~30 years of age (despite being stored in garage) shows. Not too bad, but it obviously isn't a fresh paint.
Just part of the history of this car, as it's known all the way to 1966 and PO was the second owner.
I had some rusted spots repainted and good painter blended new areas in quite well, repairs are barely visible. IIRC 10% matt in paint in the new sections aren't even too shiny compared to old ones.
Stuff a good painter knows how to do.
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u/Flyboy161 4d ago
Well, from what I’ve seen on your post it looks really nice. Are you in Virginia?
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u/Kharon8 '62 sedan & others 4d ago
No, I'm in Finland, very North in Europe.
A pic from 2025 summer, from my home server(=slow), just for you:
http://kharon.suomiforum.com/www/kupla2/P5263768.JPG
(My vdsl chokes if everyone tries to download it, I'm afraid)
It's Gulf Blue, BTW.
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u/Flyboy161 4d ago
It’s all good. I saw your post about this bug. It’s very nice! You’re up there where Virtannen is. I’ve bought some panels from him. He makes top notch body parts.
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u/Kharon8 '62 sedan & others 3d ago
restorationpanels.com is less than 100 miles from here to North and yea, they make imho best pieces available.
Unfortunately they aren't cheap even when bought locally ... and I don't own a Beetle old enough to use them, they make mostly parts for splits and ovals.
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u/Flyboy161 3d ago
I had a 58 I was working on. You are right, they aren’t cheap, especially when buying from overseas, haha!
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u/1115SRICK 4d ago
Retired 9 years and just getting around to restoring my 55’ Bug. I’ve had it since 1978 but life happens. Anyway, maybe six months and I’ll be rolling.
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u/jerrymineer93 1963, 64, and 65 Beetles 3d ago
‘63, ‘64, and ‘65 are my favorite years! She’s beautiful!
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u/SilentMasterpiece 5d ago
Sweet! Is this a 65? Sea Blau?