VW Beetle Convertible

The VW Beetle Convertible is a great head turner.  Coupled with the wind in your hair, the panoramic view, the head turning effect and the sheer coolness of riding in a rare antique car, you have a truly great automobile.

A VW convertible is much more practical than many other convertibles since the convertible top is more than simply a sheet of canvas.  It is a few inches thick with insulation.  That's right, VW convertible tops are actually warm.

The tops are also simple to raise and lower, unlike some other convertible tops.  The window on the back of the convertible top is a glass affair.  Not the clear plastic that many tops have.  The glass window is, well, glass clear.

VW convertibles are so rare because they tend to act like a fishbowl when the top is left down and rain happens.  Therefore, they generally did not last.  Remember, the VW beetle has a mostly air tight passenger compartment.

The chassis is more rigid than the standard beetle.  Remember, the car had to perform without a roof.  The roof on the standard beetle provides a lot of chassis strength.  All this beefing up added more weight to the finished car.

These cars have a beefed up floor section for needed car rigidity.

Certainly one of these convertible beauties is a parade staple.  If the car has a modified motor and is a lot faster than originally equipped, it is definitely a parade staple.  The throaty exhaust makes it's presence known.

There is no shortage of spare parts for such a jewel.  Indeed, it is probably a matter of pride to be buying parts for this car.

More than just beetles were available as convertibles.  The Karmann Ghia was also available as a convertible.  The Karmann Ghia was a bug all dressed up.  Add the convertible top and you have a real winner.

Here's a nice Karmann Ghia:

The VW beetle convertible was made from 1949 to 1980.  There is a different range of dates for different countries.

The convertible is different from the sun roof.  The convertible is/was a true convertible, ie the entire roof folds down.  The sunroof was an opening in the roof that folds back only.

The VW convertible was built by the Karmann plant - not the VW company.  The convertible was a special version of the VW beetle.  The VW plant would supply the base automobile and Karmann would do the
rest.  This explains the VW quality throughout the car.  It was there from the start.

The convertible outlasted the hard-top sedan by a few years, a testament to it's endearing nature.

It's metal dash, lack of air bags, sealed beam headlights, use of leaded gas and many other things too numerous to mention add to it's signature of days gone by.

The older models had glass covers over the headlights, the newer ones did not.  The extra curvey fenders and glass cover made the older ones more sedate and classier.

I remember that one of my brothers cut the leg from a bull on a beer can and replaced the speedometer needle with the leg.  It was cool to look at.

The running boards were not on cars of the 1960s and 1970s but imparted a level of classiness to the VW beetle convertible.  The running boards were definitely throwbacks to an earlier time but served a very practical purpose.  The channel under the running board was a channel for the heater.  The heat came from the engine compartment and was routed to the front of the car.

As an example of the car's utility and clever use of resources, the umph for the windshield washer came from the compressed air in the spare tire.  The switch on the dash was actually a valve that opened the air pressure to the washer water, it just looked like an ordinary dashboard switch.

A great car that was made better by the addition of a graceful removable top by Herr Karmann, the VW beetle convertible is a great and very memorable car.

Used VW Beetle Restoration – Locating Parts

Chances are you're already a vw beetle fan.  What I love about the beetle is it's the most versatile car ever sold on the North American continent.  With it's air cooled nature, it needed no radiator;  partly because it's body style is so simple, it practically invites restoration and modification.

This car is not sold new in this market today for various reasons.  No airbags, lots of air pollution from the unique motor for starters.  But you can still find restoration parts at various places online.

Separating the VW body from it's chassis was a simple affair. There were a few items that tied the car's bottom to it's top. Things like the electrical wiring, the steering wheel and assorted odds and ends on the dashboard. But aside from these items, that was about it.

If you want more fun, the motor is removed with only four (4) bolts.  Since the motor is  air cooled,  it's self contained.

There were many 'kit car' replacement bodies offered for sale.   For the most part, you  unbolt and remove the VW bug body leaving the motor and running gear and bolt on the new body.

The VW squareback was the world's first production car to have electronic fuel injection as standard equipment. In 1968, no less. Yes, there were several other cars that had fuel injection, a few even had electronic fuel injection. But no manufacturer had the confidence to offer it as standard equipment.

And finding parts for a VW squareback is relatively simple these days, I usually look at online auction sites first to get an idea on prices.  I do enjoy sites that show step by step rebuilds, it's fun to watch their progress especially when details are given.

And there's nothing like a decent ragtop restore job:

There are several vw resources that have been on the net for years. Making it easy to get the info you need to make sure the volkswagen rebuild part you are buying is the correct one. A lot of vw enthusiasts explain procedures in detail which makes the job a whole lot easier. Finding a VW Bug for sale at the right price is a great feeling.