TheSamba.com :: View topic

Tue Nov 18, 2008 4:40 pm

I traded my squareback for this this past Sunday. I have wanted a single cab for a few years, but have never been in a position to have 2 early transporters in my life until now. The truck runs and drives, has been re-wired last year with new wiring loom, but has no brakes, MOT has run out and leaks a fair amount of oil. The body has about 20% original paint (being generous) the rest is shitty paintwork in a slightly off turkis colour. There are a few poor welding repairs and some cracking bondo, but on the whole it is a pretty straight and rust free truck. I will attend to the repairs once it is on the road, as they are all pretty 'cosmetic'.
Here is the truck on the trailer Sunday afternoon, it was about 3 hours away from where I live and pretty much took the whole day to get it with my family in tow and a rental truck/trailer.

Yesterday I managed to get it into the corner of the shop, where it will be living for a few weeks. I sanded and buffed the engine lid and right corner, the 'new' paint comes off fairly easily with 240 grit paper. I also blended over the red primer on the engine lid hinge, I found a can in the paint drawer I had mixed a couple years ago, seems to be a good match. The plastic number plates were also speedily removed, as they are only good on modern cars. I hung something else there for now..

This evening after work I put in 3 hours. Got the SC on tall stands and removed the wheels, they were 14's. I got a set of 15" bus rims with the truck inside the treasure chest area. These will be powder coated with grey hubcaps. I then removed the beam. The shift rod was seized and someone had tried to drill out the grub screw previously with no success. After unsuccessfully welding an M6 bolt to the remains, I ended up drilling it out properly and using heat to free the two halves. I usually work on a 2 post lift on customer cars, so it is a real culture shock going back to laying flat on my back underneath the truck..
Anyhow, beam is now out. More progress tomorrow hopefully.

Tue Nov 18, 2008 8:29 pm

Nice truck, I have a '62 SC also. When in '62 was it made?

-C

Tue Nov 18, 2008 10:56 pm

Looks pretty nice. I would have thought it was original paint if you hadn't said any different.

Tue Nov 18, 2008 11:16 pm

that is a really nice sc i have a 62 tukis also :)

Mines is like 80% more rusty then yours

Keep up the pics

Wed Nov 19, 2008 3:55 am

really nice!

Wed Nov 19, 2008 6:14 am

Nicer than mine when I got it,
lets see your m plate

Wed Nov 19, 2008 6:36 am

Wow, lots of 62 sc's in here, I have one too! Also originally Turkis..not so much anymore. Looks great!

Wed Nov 19, 2008 12:25 pm

Thanks for the replies. It looks better in pictures than up close, but I am starting to feel the love for it now I have made a start.
Didn't really get anything mechanically done today. As I had said in the last posting most of the paint has been badly covered up with a terrible repaint. You can see in this pic the quality of it:

Fortunately there looks to have been zero prep before the paint was blown on, mostly over areas that have light pitting. I started wet sanding with 600 wet and dry and got half the drivers gate, the drivers door and some of the front panel done. I then buffed the gate i had sanded and hand compounded the door and front. The primer has pulled through and looks much better.
After sanding:

Buffed:

The front is a bit dented, there are some dents above the drivers side headlamp I was going to repair, but after sanding the primer has pulled through and it looks good.

I removed the emblem and painted it silver white with turkis insert. The bumpers will be getting silver white paint also.

The reason I didn't get a lot done:

My wife brought my little boy to the workshop, who has limited speech and had been saying 'daddy' constantly since getting home from school.. She bribed me with take out Indian food for dinner if I came home.

I will try and remember to remove the seat tomorrow and get a picture of the M code plate. The seat appears to be a humpback seat, is this correct for a '62? The lower part is wasted, so it will be getting the mexican blanket treatment for now.

Wed Nov 19, 2008 12:54 pm

Nice Single Cab. Keep the photos coming. And as far as your boy and the Indian food.... life is about balance. Nobody dies thinking 'if only I had revealed more original paint'.

Wed Nov 19, 2008 5:21 pm

The humpback would be correct for your year. Truck looks dove blue....right?

Wed Nov 19, 2008 6:48 pm

Very nice SC. Please keep the pictures coming. I am originally from London. Been living in Arizona since 1985. The reason I am telling you this is you said Take-out Indian food and my mouth started watering!!!!!!!!
Used to live one street over from Brick Lane. Nothing like a Vindaloo after a night of drinking Guiness!!!!!!!!

Thanks again for the great pics. Cheers. Mark

Wed Nov 19, 2008 6:51 pm

There must be something in the water!! I to just just sold my 73 Square and bought a 62 SC. Actually my wife made me buy the SC after we saw it at a show in early October and the next day sold my Square.

It was in great shape. The PO had just taken care of all the mechanicals so it was a NO brainer. Will drive it until my 67 WESTY is done.

Thu Nov 20, 2008 2:44 pm

The Indian food was awesome...
I got around to taking a photo of the M plate. Looks like it was manufactured 11 dec '61 and shipped to Houston.

More progress tonight. I sanded the drivers gate some more and buffed it, along with the drivers door.

I then removed the steering wheel, by heating the top of the column, before putting the nut back on and hitting with a hammer.

Removed the steering box, pressed out the column tube and removed the worm and column, which I will send out for shortening, re-threading, tapering and a new keyway cutting for the woodruff key.

I am going to use one of these new chassis sections, which are laser cut and folded and look factory when installed.

This way I can remove the original section and keep it along with the original beam. I normally build my own beams, but this truck came with a 2" CB beam, so as I am on a tight budget and want it on the road ASAP I will cut this down to a 4" and shorten the center pin.
I have drawn up a detailed work plan and I am trying to stick to it. Next on the list is to strip the spindles off the beam and press them apart. I need to order some Grey POR-15 to do the whole underneath and treasure chest area. This will be a daily driven truck, all year even in the salt, so needs the POR-15 and will also be fully cavity waxed.

Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:47 pm

Great single cab. I have had bugs all of my life but someday I hope to have a single cab as well.

Thu Nov 20, 2008 10:37 pm

Do I need to start a '62 single cab thread!?

Fri Nov 21, 2008 5:51 am

Culito wrote: Do I need to start a '62 single cab thread!?
if you do I will, and about dozen more peeps will.
What is it about the 62, there does seem to be quite a few of them
that have survived, this is what mine looked like when I picked her up

relly havn't had time to do to much, clients cars come first.....

Fri Nov 21, 2008 7:26 am

Culito wrote: Do I need to start a '62 single cab thread!?
Yeah, the more the merrier.

Fri Nov 21, 2008 12:11 pm

Hey! what about us `61 guys? :(

Fri Nov 21, 2008 1:13 pm

cha53r wrote: Hey! what about us `61 guys? :(

Not so cool. You guys and your bullet turnsignals and dollar taillights..bah!

:lol:

Fri Nov 21, 2008 1:35 pm

I`m nearly there, I have oval rear lamps! It`s an Aussie truck.