TheSamba.com :: View topic - Getting the ball rolling '73 Standard

Thu Feb 02, 2012 3:06 pm

I would use a single stage polyurethane which would allow sanding and buffing if necessary. I have used both and the base coat / clear coat is much more difficult to touch up or repair. Everybody has their own preferences. It will also reduce the cost and time required.

Thu Feb 02, 2012 3:12 pm

Don't use single stage if your color is metalic unless you don't sand and buff. Sanding and buffing metalic mottles it and changes shades.

Thu Feb 02, 2012 6:01 pm

I was making the assumption that he was going to repaint in Marina blue. Metallic colors are a whole different story.

Thu Feb 02, 2012 7:05 pm

AirDirect wrote: I was making the assumption that he was going to repaint in Marina blue. Metallic colors are a whole different story.
No Doubt, My advise is in case he didn't know the downfalls of metalic

Thu Feb 02, 2012 7:09 pm

three stage and not yet color sanded and polished. you can't see teh pearl unless its in the sun

Thu Feb 02, 2012 7:15 pm

Looks awesome! We are in the process of finishing our 72 Standard paint. Looking forward to reassembly. Here is a link:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=439103&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Thu Feb 02, 2012 7:41 pm

Thanks for the advice guys! I've never worked with paint, so I don't wanna do a poor job my first time doing it..I'm sure there may be some runs in it, but nothing too bad..Looks like the weather is taking a turn for the better here too..So I hope I can get everything together in the next few weeks..

Thu Feb 02, 2012 9:17 pm

Are you going to paint the whole car?

Fri Feb 03, 2012 2:36 pm

Not until this winter when I have a good money flow coming in. For right now I just want to do the front end and all of the various rust areas on the body so it's all one color and doesn't get noses turned up at it this year in car shows. And then once I get a good money flow and can purchase another car to drive, I'll go ahead and do a body off restoration of this car so it can all be done properly and without cutting any corners.

Sun Feb 05, 2012 3:46 pm

Hey guys, so I'm finally putting my car back together! I got the passenger side fender reinstalled and bolted up and got the turn signal and head light to work on that side. I still need to line up the drivers side fender a bit more before I completely secure it down again. But the only issue from all of this was, I took my bug out around the neighborhood last night with, only one working head light, and noticed that the highbeam indicator was glowing dimly. So I kept flicking the highbeams on and off and eventually just left them on. And then, all of a sudden, my head lights turned off and wont come back on :? The highbeam indicator light still comes on, and the running lights and speedo lights still come on, but the headlights themselves do not...What did I ruin?

Sun Feb 05, 2012 5:03 pm

I don't think you ruined anything. Check for a loose connection or loose ground or even a bad fuse for the right side ligths. The high beam indicator (if wired per factory) piggy backs off the left headlight wiring on the headlight side of the fuse. That tells me that you have juice through the relay and to the fuse panel and at least to the left side high beam.

Sun Feb 05, 2012 7:29 pm

Ok, thank you. I don't have the drivers side head light wired up again yet but if I recall correctly, the drivers side won't effect the passenger side when I went to check it. Also, why was the highbeam light dimly it? It never used to do that, and when the head light quit working, it wasn't lit anymore. Could I have not put the wires back in the connecter tight enough?

Mon Feb 06, 2012 12:09 am

The nature of electricity (for lack of a better explanation) is having electrons flow from one pole to another. In a simple circuit, (for example: battery connects to light, light is connected to ground, door triggers switch, circuit closes and light goes on.) the electrons have somewhere to go. Like water they follow the path of least resistance. Let's say the ground is corroded. The corrosion resists the current flow. So the electrons start looking for a different route. Have you ever been behind someone turning left and you see the right side brake light turning off every time the left signal blinks on? The electrons on the right side light are going to the left side turn signal because it is easier to go through the light instead of the bad ground on the right side. When lights start doing weird stuff, like the turn signals or in your case the high beam indicator glowing weirdly, often it is a sign of a bad ground. When the electrons stopped flowing to the head light, there were none to flow to the indicator.
Double check the fuses, the wiring and grounds and make sure they are good and clean. If that doesn't work, pop your headlight out and with a test light or multimeter, see if you have +12 to the socket. If you don't, start tracing the +12 volts through the different connections. Refer to a wiring diagram for the color of the wires.

Mon Feb 06, 2012 12:12 am

Ok, good start, I'll go and hunt it down tomorrow and see if I can see where the wiring went wrong.

Sun Feb 12, 2012 2:17 am

Outline is done, filling to come in the next couple of weeks :D

Tue Feb 28, 2012 4:30 pm

So here's the "end result" There is still alot more to do, but in comparison to how it was when I very first started this project, I'm happy with the direction its going! I don't like the fact that my hood is robin egg blue, but with time, the color will be uniform again! You can even see how much my interior has changed in this picture too. And Johnny, as you can see, my license plate is now straight and centered..No more bungee cord for me!! :D

Tue Feb 28, 2012 6:48 pm

I was gonna mention the license plate. :P Your car looks nice! I hope this summer to begin some bodywork on mine. :D

Tue Feb 28, 2012 11:55 pm

Beetlebaum wrote: I was gonna mention the license plate. :P Your car looks nice! I hope this summer to begin some bodywork on mine. :D

:lol: This is just the beginning of it! Unfortunatly, since this is my only car, it has to be a rolling resto. But once I get a good paying job, I can fund a restoration properly!

Wed Feb 29, 2012 11:05 am

Not the best shot of are cars, being that the picture was taken from my old cell phone. But this is the first time these 3 bugs have been together since my junior year in high school! It was alot of fun to see the heads turn as we were driving down the highway in a line! :lol:

Here's the old pic!

Mon Mar 05, 2012 12:34 pm

So, does everyone remember how I said my bug is going back to ALL stock?..Well I lied :D
Sorry the pic is blurry.

25% Bug pack short throw kit!