What Year, please?

"bug '59" > wrote in message
...
>I would also say it's the dash of an oval.
> The gear-stick and steering wheel is also used on the first square-window.
> Looking at the white steering wheel and window lever and so, it is export
> (as the german ones where grey-ish)
>
> Correct me if i'm wrong..

It seems we all agree it's an oval because the first square window ('58) had
a panel left of the steering wheel, correct? (At least mine does.)

The picture is from a guy claiming he's selling '58 material. I felt it was
pretty much wrong.

"Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott"
et> wrote in message
...
>
> Whuffo' they call that a "batwing" steering wheel?
>
>

..........The two large plastic arms from the hub to the outer part of the
steering wheel look like a pair of bat wings(?).

"bug '59" > wrote in
:

> Looking at the white steering wheel and window lever and so, it is
> export (as the german ones where grey-ish)
>

Yes, but the speedo goes to 120 so maybe it wasn't an export to MPH Land.

--
Bill Merrill
Arlington, Mass.
'70 Convertible

jjs wrote:
> "P.J.Berg" > wrote in message
> news:LLDBd.129$VR2.96@amstwist00...
>
>> 53-55 => Batwing ?(Me thinks). The bent gear lever is also a
>> clue(but not to
>> me...) to bad one cant see the heater knob..
>
> Was the front-passenger heating vent always in the postion shown?

The location of the heater output is indeed a clue, unfortunately not one
that remains in my memory bank, the more I look the moore I'm confident this
is not an all original car, I think the heater outlet is in the 56 and later
position(feel more than free to correct me if I'm wrong!), but it has the
Batwing steering wheel. It also has the curved gearlever wich you could only
use on 55March and later models if memory serves me right. A friend had a 55
and a 54 neither could use the curved shifter, lacking the retainer pin to
keep it in orientation. Then again the 54 and 55 varies alot in major
departments like emrgency brake cables running to the front of the pan and
totaly different door locking mechanism.

Yes, I know I'm on thin ice here, but atleast it is pointers..
When it comes to fabric of interiours don't believe anything in print, they
often used what was at hand loooong after model changes.

For example, me being a kid my mother had a Europe T1 -63 with semaphores!!
all origignal too!!!

J.

> The picture is from a guy claiming he's selling '58 material. I felt it
> was pretty much wrong.

Not necessary, there are some models overlapsing as the next year starts in
aug.
An other (possible) reason for 'wrong year to model' is that the car was
left at the dealer for a while before selling it.
Maybe not the real reason.... but a possible one

When i was restoring my beetle i had to bring the old part with me to
compare for changes becaus of the model changes (you probably had the same
issue)
I think that is one of the fun parts of having a beetle; diversity and yet
the same..

My gues is to take a look at the material and then find out if they are
usefull to your '58

Luck,
Roger

On Sat, 1 Jan 2005 21:28:32 +0100, "P.J.Berg" >
wrote:

>53-55 => Batwing ?(Me thinks). The bent gear lever is also a clue(but not to
>me...) to bad one cant see the heater knob..

it looks like a "late model" oval, since it doesn't have the ribbed
area around the inside of the doors.

"bug '59" > wrote in message
...
>> The picture is from a guy claiming he's selling '58 material. I felt it
>> was pretty much wrong.
>
> Not necessary, there are some models overlapsing as the next year starts
> in aug.

Interesting. I have a '58 which I thought was built in the first or second
week of the new body style. It does not have the dash shown in the picture.

John, what is not the same with your dash? That dash is like my old 57'
was but I can't remember if the windshield was larger in 58 or not.

href="http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4025706&a=30209382&vt=vp">Den's
1977 Puma</a>

Don't get me wrong, the dash is certainly oval (pre '57) but it is possible,
that for example, the car was sold in 1958 or later.

The changes in one model are more in the details, for example; i have
plastic bushes in my front torsionbar, there are beetles from our type with
metal bushes and/or bearings. If the changes worked out good they (the
German) used it in later models.

Do you have any pics of your '58??
I would like to see them.

Roger

"jjs" > schreef in bericht
...
> "bug '59" > wrote in message
> ...
>>> The picture is from a guy claiming he's selling '58 material. I felt it
>>> was pretty much wrong.
>>
>> Not necessary, there are some models overlapsing as the next year starts
>> in aug.
>
> Interesting. I have a '58 which I thought was built in the first or second
> week of the new body style. It does not have the dash shown in the
> picture.
>
>

"Dennis Wik" > wrote in message
...
> John, what is not the same with your dash? That dash is like my old 57'
> was but I can't remember if the windshield was larger in 58 or not.

'58 was the year of the first square rear window and larger front window.
The next stage of the game was larger again for both (67?). And bigger turn
signals over and over time, the butt-ugly front fenders and lights,
different cut-out radiuses on the rear fenders - I swear there was some guy
in charge of making the Bug uglier and uglier over time. And he succeeded.