TheSamba.com :: View topic - June 1952 molested split slow and painful refresh

Thu Oct 08, 2009 11:32 am

here's some preview. the headliner was just put there, i have to take the time and straighten the lines a bit. and the seat... well not finished because i still have to clean and paint the metal structure

and you can see the seats fabric is not exactly as in splits... but i have to live with it... Johnshenry did not mind for laughing at his rag's interior, so i won't be upset either :D

Thu Oct 08, 2009 11:56 am

eurodub wrote: here's some preview. the headliner was just put there, i have to take the time and straighten the lines a bit. and the seat... well not finished because i still have to clean and paint the metal structure

and you can see the seats fabric is not exactly as in splits... but i have to live with it... Johnshenry did not mind for laughing at his rag's interior, so i won't be upset either :D

Hmm, I had a couch my porch in College with a fabric VERY similar to that.... 8-[ !!!!

Nice work though! What you have done to that split in the time you had is amazing.....keep the pics coming...!!

Thu Oct 08, 2009 12:01 pm

mircea cotiga wrote: there is no radio at this time on the car. when it's finished will look exactly like a telefunken and will work on FM.

there is no budget i am working on. all i do is work on the car. some primer, some welds, from time to time. the parts i bought were not highly expensive. i was lucky to find affordable parts, all i needed for the split was less than half the current prices you see on thesamba. i spent all the money i could afford, nothing more. and saved a lot of money by not paying someone to do the work on it.
the "tenacity and stick to it'ness" is not exactly in my character, but here it was basically the only way to have a dream come true.

I am loving your project and I can relate to your do it yourself attitude When I restored my 56' 23 window samba that is how I did it . Except for the upholstery which I paid the going rate for everything else was slowly collected on a budget and I did 90% of the work myself . I think a project is much more meaningful when you do your own work. I could never have afforded a pressed bumper samba or it's parts if I had paid the going rate for any of it .
I did a similar thing with my 56 oval bug ...and it came out really nice

Fri Oct 09, 2009 11:07 pm

Good to see the progress.

What are your plans for the winter?

Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:06 am

It's amazing that you have the only split in your country and tell your mom she did a great job sewing up the seat covers!

John

Sun Oct 11, 2009 2:30 am

Hello guys.

The plans for the winter are simple. try and source some mint condition fenders and replace those on the split. if i have the entire set by the spring, i will take it for a quick stripping and give it the classy gloss paint :) if not, improve the minor assembly imperfection due to hurry and drive it as much as possible.

the no1. concern is now the missing passenger side door glass (i have a plain glass now and is not safe) and getting some glass regulators in.

Sun Oct 11, 2009 4:52 pm

plain glass? be careful, that stuff can be bad....bad!

Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:13 am

What you could do in the meantime is use some of that security plastic film on your plan glass window. At least the glass would stay in one piece if you happen to break it.

Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:36 am

as i have no door glass regulators, only some wood boards that hold the glass into place, it's somewhat safe. i don't lower the windows at high or even low speeds... and i don't touch it...:P so it won't crack easily.
but i really have to get some window regulators asap.

Mon Oct 12, 2009 8:24 am

it seems that i am a bit crazy... i found a different headliner fabric and changed the main headliner... what do you think?

Mon Oct 12, 2009 2:56 pm

What about a bit of thick clear perspex for your window? It's plastic and would be safer than plain glass too, at least until you can locate the correct glass. Just a thought :) ps. All the work you do on your car is really really good :wink:

edit: your newest headliner looks even better :)

Mon Oct 12, 2009 3:52 pm

Very nice work! This is a cool picture. Do you have to park your Split in the parking lot or is it stored in a garage?

Mon Oct 12, 2009 4:09 pm

now resides in the parking lot, currently the garage is home for the 58 rag that is taken off the pan. but after the 58 is ready i will put the split in its place. i live in an apartment and the garage is 3 streets away at a friend's house.

Mon Oct 12, 2009 4:48 pm

eurodub wrote:
a 2002 bug near a 52 split...

I love this pic. :lol:

Great job, Cant wait for paint! =P~

Wed Oct 14, 2009 11:39 am

iVolkswagen wrote: eurodub wrote:
a 2002 bug near a 52 split...

I love this pic. :lol:

Great job, Cant wait for paint! =P~
I'll take the one on the right. :wink:
It looks really nice!!

Wed Oct 14, 2009 7:43 pm

Your car looks fantastic and you should be very proud ! It shames me to have a project here in my own garage apart for close to 10 years !

Thu Oct 15, 2009 2:39 am

Now you are getting a door glass within 2 weeks :)

Sat Oct 17, 2009 5:03 pm

=D> Outstanding!!! I have watched this thread since the first page and I am so impressed with the amazing job you did on this car! It looks great! Bravo!

Sat Oct 17, 2009 6:55 pm

iVolkswagen wrote: eurodub wrote:
a 2002 bug near a 52 split...

I love this pic. :lol:

Great job, Cant wait for paint! =P~

Haha, new beetles looks so fat and stupid in comparison :lol:

Sun Dec 20, 2009 1:46 pm

allrighty then... i have not posted here in a while but that doest mean i did nothing.

first i've added up a pair of jokons and a L handle

then bought a semaphore switch and after some moments of hesitations and a samba thread later... i put it right in. (don't tell me, i know that grundsteinlengungblablabla cornerstone pin is fake.. did it myself in a silicone mold in fiberglass resin :lol: )

another shot of the interior. still have to tidy things up.. but this split will be a continuous work in progress...

purist may hate, but i put a set of 5.5"in the rears , i was curious about how it looks, maybe in the future going a different route (vintage speed) or direction.. (a bit down in the front)

still like the classic looks though.. so who knows what future will bring. certainly no slammed on earlies looks :lol:

another update.. i bought a rear view mirror, a rectangle one, with the arm in the pic. checked with John Henry and it was exact measurement as a split:120x55mm. and i swapped heads now.. so it looks like a have a correct split mirror inside. those were made by GHE in the 50's so chances are that the mirror i bought was the same age as splits.

a step further... got a Dortmund deluxe radio and decided to do a mock-up with one of the fiberglass panels i did. not so careful finished (it was cut with a dremel by hand :oops: ) but i think i got it to a certain point where i can say "this is a split radio". have to finish it, apply paint, put on a nice speaker cloth, and get a chrome bezel for the radio scale as well. consider this as a poor man's split radio, as it was almost under 10$ to build.

got today morning home from work and this is what i got.. heavy snow here. and icy roads as well, even if i am not in Sweden or far north countries.

took a small army shovel (not pictured ) and a broom/brush and cleaned the snow as i could. but still lots of snow to be removed. snow has 20-30cm here..

this is the last pic. a happy frozen face :)

more updates soon/very soon