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Rusty Dub: 1969 VW Double Cab Pickup

So, early today we had a look at a Chevelle with some nice patina. Now we are going to have a look at a VW Double Cab with a whole different kind of patina. This Dub has artificial patina, having been media blasted and then acid washed, it is covered in surface rust. It also has some serious decay, but I guess that’s only a minor issue when the rest of the body is covered in rust. It was built into a rat rod and comes out of the John Clancy VW Collection, so mechanically it has been sorted and upgraded. If custom VW pickups are your thing, you might want to take a closer look at it here on eBay with a BIN of $15,900 and the option to make an offer.

While I can appreciate the rat rod look and typically like unusual patina, VW Double Cab pickups are rather rare and I can’t help but wonder if this one shouldn’t have been restored. Fixing the rockers and doors wouldn’t be cheap or easy, but it would definitely make this desirable to a broader range of VW collectors. It’s cool, but the market for it is probably somewhat limited. We all have our own tastes and style though, so I’m sure there are a few people out there that would love to have it!

Comments

  1. Avatar Steve R

    Naturally occurring sunburn is one thing, creating fake “patina” is another. No thanks.

    Steve R

    Like 0
    • Avatar DrinkinGasoline

      Sunburn is a good description. The term “patina” should be replaced with the term “sunburned” or “sunburnt” when it comes to vehicles.

      Like 0
  2. Avatar sir mike

    WHY??? Oh god why??? And the name/theme ”rat rod” is a joke at best of times.

    Like 0
    • Avatar DrinkinGasoline

      Agreed. I’m so tired of sifting through CL ads and every other ad states “Rat Rod” or “Lots of Patina !”…..pfft. No, it’s not a rod, and that’s just rust. It’s a piece of worn out auto history that could be built into whatever the buyer wants. Everyone thinks that they are a marketing genius when it comes to advertising a vehicle for sale. Just be honest, reasonable, and transparent and it will sell.

      Like 0
    • Avatar Woodie Man

      I just dont get the ratrod appeal,,,,,,,,taking a perfectly good vehicle and making it look like crap. I mean even if youre covered with tats and look like a greaser from some parallel universe of the fifties dragged through a blender……….wth?

      Like 0
  3. Avatar DrinkinGasoline

    Bad faux patina job that ended up looking like vertical wood grain. Aside the fact that it needs a total body media blast, it might be worth 5k tops. My 57 single cab PU sold for twice this asking price 10 years ago and it wasn’t finished and, it sold with pop out windscreens and ambulance fans.

    Like 0
  4. Avatar flmikey

    …this “thing” (pun intended) is being sold by a dealer…the description is worth a thousand laughs….and I agree with Steve R…no thanks….

    Like 0
    • Avatar DrinkinGasoline

      Maybe…..You are drinkin’ more gasoline than I am.

      Like 0
  5. Avatar Luke Fitzgerald

    Beats fixing them properly, I guess

    Like 0
    • Avatar DrinkinGasoline

      What that does is…..take the place of the talent required to restore them. It’s like texturing a ceiling because they can’t smooth seams. They would rather hide than to do the prep work. That’s what things have come to, sadly.

      Like 0
  6. Avatar KO

    Wow. Lots of rot, not an attractive year and model, don’t even get a decklid or bed gates, no rear seat, and electrical problems. Looks like someone did the proverbial polishing of a turd. Pathetic.

    Like 0
  7. Avatar Kiwi Glen

    Hey this is a rat rot heavy on the rat with lots of rot

    Like 0
    • Avatar DrinkinGasoline

      Yep !

      Like 0
  8. Avatar Pa Tina

    Let us pray this is the beginning of the end of “Patina” and the return of good old-fashioned “RUST”. I hereby pledge to never again read any BF post with the P-word in it. Please join me in taking the pledge. You have nothing to lose but your patina!

    Like 0
  9. Avatar Loco Mikado

    I would comment but everyone else has covered my would be comments nicely.

    Like 0
  10. Avatar Jaygryph

    I’ll be that guy, I like it.

    Ya’ll have camshafts too far up your keyholes.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Leftcoast

      I’m with you Jay, super cool rig. Great vid on Youtube. Sense of humor required! But, my thought…can’t buy cool, it comes organically, therein lies the conflict. Ooh, auto angst.

      Like 0
  11. HoA Howard A Member

    Ok, say what you want, but this is the coveted style now, especially in rust free areas. Only because, I’m sure, people have grown tired of these pristine 1000 coat paint jobs, and this is different,,,to them. I told this before, but needs to repeated when these come up. In L.A. at my daughters apt. building, a nice young man had a beautiful VW light blue bus, lowered, mags, I said, that’s the nicest bus I ever saw. He said, thanks, but his club didn’t think so. At a show in Huntington Beach, 1st place went to a bus like this. He wasn’t too happy with his “club” after that.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Jaygryph

      There’s always someone unhappy at a car show, which is unsurprising since the function of most car shows is as ego boosters for the people showing what they have.

      If they really didn’t care about what other people thought, and were just in it for enjoyment, it’s highly likely that they’d be out driving it, instead of having it parked so they could roll around in adoration and what amount to participation trophies like a dog rolling in roadkill stink.

      Cars have wheels for a reason, and it’s not to sit on a lawn in some park while you bitch at kids for getting too close to the paint. The ratrod shows are typically far more fun than traditional show and shine shows. The people built it, and drive it, and generally have a more enjoyable time.

      Haters gunna hate, as the saying goes.

      Like 0
  12. Avatar Michael thomas

    today I saw a brand new ford pickup that had decals on it that made it look like the paint had all peeled off the panels and left rust spots and some paint and clearcoat peeling and turning white. It looked pretty interesting if it had been maybe 4-5 years old , But brand new??? I am getting old I guess >Real patina, Yes. Fake patina? its over .move on to something new

    Like 0
  13. Avatar Tom S.

    I’m not wild about this. If you bump against it does if leave a big red stain on your chinos?

    I do kind of like the look of new paint made to look old. On the right rig. And not too often.

    Like 0
  14. Avatar 56Olds

    I appreciate vehicles with …personality, but this rig would not pass state safety inspection where I live (Vermont) and therefore could not be legally driven on the roads. Rusted out door bottoms, rockers, and holes from truck bed into passenger compartment? No way.

    Like 0
  15. Avatar MR_TUDE

    Please…when will the Rot Rod craze end!!!? It looks like they sprayed it down with a muriatic acid bath that ate through the wispy remaining paint and put er’ up for sale. I live at the beach and every time I see these “patina” messes all I can think of is through body rust in a couple of months parked outside here….no thanks!

    Like 0
  16. Avatar toolbox

    The horn wires just dangling in the picture are pretty nice, also 2 bolts that look to be backing out of the front beam mounts is classy too.

    Like 0
  17. Avatar jake

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