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Mon Dec 21, 2009 5:00 pm

Let me know if you nee any help, maybe your dad and I can coordinate a trip down for a day. I'm wide open for the forseable future.

Tue Dec 22, 2009 12:09 pm

ratlook63 wrote: Let me know if you nee any help, maybe your dad and I can coordinate a trip down for a day. I'm wide open for the forseable future.

Sent you a PM - lets meet up somewheres around 12/28-12/30 I will be taking stuff apart.

Tue Jan 05, 2010 7:16 am

Ok made some progress over the holiday break, just thought I'd check in.

Gas tank and hood removed:

Engine lid and rear apron removed (also scored a german rear bumper from my wife's grandfather for $20 - schaaweeeeet)

Starting to look like an abandoned vehicle. Fenders off, all glass removed (except for doors)

Chrome strips/Door handles bye bye

Dash stripped -- took way longer than I thought it would, but luckily nothing broken, just tedious

Dissassembled/Reconditioned Dummy lights/Cleaned Speedo. And yes I made a minor customization. Instead of a red turn signal blinker I changed it to yellow - I always associate red with bad and I personally thought it was a shortcut at the factory to do generator and turn signal with one red piece of plastic. Used filing folder plastic tabs was spot-on (go to Staples).

Assembled! Now it gets packed up and forgotten for a long time. Had to bring something with me while visiting the in-laws - fun tinker project!

Tue Jan 05, 2010 7:27 am

Quote: Assembled! Now it gets packed up and forgotten for a long time. Had to bring something with me while visiting the in-laws - fun tinker project!

Nice job brotha, I remember doing the same when I would go see the in laws too..Id take a small box of things to work on and head to the backyard shop.. I see the battle wounds on your hand of a heafty battle with the speedo...scars tell stories..good stuff..

Mon Jan 11, 2010 7:12 am

Thanks Ray. Yeah the battle scar was from a standard screwdriver and my not paying attention enough while removing the front windshield. I cut the rubber but it needed some "coaxing".

Well over the weekend I made some more progress prepping all the engine tin for paint.

Also -- my new engine case arrived and is at the machine shop getting cut and cleaned! I also picked up some really nice heads and a new crank.

Camshaft is enroute to the house and my rebuilt generator came back from the shop!

Ya know these 36hp engines aren't cheap to rebuild. so far I'm at $1400 and its not even running yet lol.

Case is only 1 month off from the production of my car - its the little things 8)
case - May 1957
herman - April 1957

Mon Jan 11, 2010 10:25 pm

Nice :D keep us posted hope you remembered to take lots of pictures so you can but it back together again!

Tue Jan 12, 2010 7:37 pm

Nice car ! Not that it will do you much good in Chicago but I have a complete (minus exhaust) locked up from spending 30 years in a barn core 36hp if you or anyone needs it.

Wed Jan 13, 2010 6:26 am

DrDarby wrote: Nice car ! Not that it will do you much good in Chicago but I have a complete (minus exhaust) locked up from spending 30 years in a barn core 36hp if you or anyone needs it.

Thanks DrDarby! Actually the only thing I need now is heater boxes. Would you be willing to sell me those if they aren't rusted out? You can PM me.

Thu Jan 14, 2010 6:27 am

Pick up my heater boxes today!

Cam and Exhaust showed up yesterday which means I am officially done sourcing parts for my engine and now just waiting on the machine shop!

Funny I thought my son was into Thomas the Tank I guess I need to add Danish exhaust to the list lol

Thu Jan 28, 2010 10:09 am

So its been a little bit since I dropped an update, so here we go:

1. Engine Tin all restored/painted. Heater boxes look pretty. I went with VHT Charcoal/Grey so they are close to original. They are so clean you can read the VW emblem on them!

2. Engine still at the machine shop, turns out the guy that was working on it got fired, so we'll see how that progresses.

3. Full correct interior acquired for $100 (minus door panels, and mine are doable). Seats will need a recover but thats no surprise.

4. Started welding the interior frame so I can pull the body in the weeks to come. I have a few people giving me tips and I've been watching a lot of videos online to learn technique. I'm getting there, though my welds are very ugly thus far. Ordered some correct parts so I can at least get my MIG setup properly then all fingers point to the nut behind the wheel.

5. Birth Certificate Arrived! Factory sunroof, no frills with regards to options and confirmed my interior was Red Leatherette.

Sat Feb 13, 2010 10:18 am

Ok only a couple of weeks until the body gets pulled, have some friends coming over to give a hand.

Frame is cut and layed in place while I wait for parts for my welder. Sorry some of the pics are blurry.

Wiring Harness and Steering Column removed - thanks to the Samba and the infinite wisdom.
I hit the heavy rust areas with a wire wheel and rust treatment and some rattle can rustoleum since the body will be stored outside, just made me feel better.
I didn't spray the front apron since I have a whole front section in my shed thats getting welded in.

And here's a quick pic of the new front apron:

Sunroof assembly removed - check out that rattle can black!

Just for kicks I mounted my vintage German plate with zip ties. I plan to convert the body into a bar for summer parties - "Das Volksbar"

Sun Feb 21, 2010 8:12 pm

Frame welded and body has been removed! :D

My friend Dave being goofy:

Some video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQnHMvDqgKs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmKSnt7IVjQ

Mon Feb 22, 2010 10:16 am

Schwing wrote: So its been a little bit since I dropped an update, so here we go:

1. Engine Tin all restored/painted. Heater boxes look pretty. I went with VHT Charcoal/Grey so they are close to original. They are so clean you can read the VW emblem on them!

2. Engine still at the machine shop, turns out the guy that was working on it got fired, so we'll see how that progresses.

3. Full correct interior acquired for $100 (minus door panels, and mine are doable). Seats will need a recover but thats no surprise.

4. Started welding the interior frame so I can pull the body in the weeks to come. I have a few people giving me tips and I've been watching a lot of videos online to learn technique. I'm getting there, though my welds are very ugly thus far. Ordered some correct parts so I can at least get my MIG setup properly then all fingers point to the nut behind the wheel.

5. Birth Certificate Arrived! Factory sunroof, no frills with regards to options and confirmed my interior was Red Leatherette.

you painted stale air heat boxes charcoal gray instead of black?

Mon Feb 22, 2010 10:20 am

Yeah they were originally grey, not black.
I too was under the assumption they were always black, doesn't seem to be the case.

I know in later Beetles (60s era) heater boxes were black, but these 36hp stale air boxes were in such good shape I could still visibly see grey paint and the original vw label on them. They were rusty in spots so they needed a freshen up.

Mon Feb 22, 2010 11:15 am

I've never seen grey ones other than replacement parts (NOS VW and LMB). Do you have any evidence of VW having used grey ones in production???

Mon Feb 22, 2010 11:48 am

johnshenry wrote: I've never seen grey ones other than replacement parts (NOS VW and LMB). Do you have any evidence of VW having used grey ones in production???

Yeah I can't say as a fact that the heater boxes were grey originally, I can only say that mine were grey. And of course, charcoal grey isn't stock I just liked the look.

Mine were not NOS as they were taken off a '58 36hp but they were without question, light grey. Kind of the same color you would see on the inner tube in a heater channel.

Tue Feb 23, 2010 6:36 am

Found another heater box that looks grey in color. (not the tin, just the heater box assembly itself.)

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=833773

Mon Mar 01, 2010 6:57 am

So I've randomly been working on a few things, but after this weekend my focus will be on sourcing parts for the pan, getting things welded, painted, and assembled. Goal is to finish the pan in the next few months, depending on time.

here's some updates:

Bought a set of OG hubcaps and painted the vw logos black as they should be on a 57. Next to them are the ones that didn't make the cut, but I don't have the heart to get rid of them.

Scored a nice passenger side vent window

Painted the wheels for fun so I could see if I like the color combo. Should be L41 Black outers and L81 Parchment White centers. Somebody on the Samba said that Krylon black and ivory look pretty good so I thought I'd try it out. Turned out much better than I thought so the plan is to stay with Krylon. I can use the same Ivory to paint seat frames, steering column, etc for uniformity--plus this gives me the ability to touch-up pretty easily.

Passenger side floor pan removed, and I slapped a hubcap on the front wheel to see the look (yeah this is really out of order but hey just tinkering):

Tue Mar 02, 2010 1:36 pm

Your car is great. Just wanted to ask how you painted the hubcap centers and do you know what years are painted black? Keep up the good work.

Thu Mar 04, 2010 6:51 am

caseydenise wrote: Your car is great. Just wanted to ask how you painted the hubcap centers and do you know what years are painted black? Keep up the good work.

Hey thanks caseydenise appreciate the feedback!

I used rustoleum satin black and brushed it on with a set of artist brushes. It takes a steady hand and I just hold my breath when I brush. It helps to lean your hand on the hubcap (outside of the emblem area) to help steady it and it takes two passes to get the width covered (if that makes sense in type). Basically you do the outer edge, and then the inner edge of each run, not just one single brush pass. Buy some acetone/mineral spirits/carbeurator cleaner and have it handy, if you screw up just start over. I also had an old sock handy in case I went out of the groove. It makes it much easier that you are painting an indented surface rather than a raised surface.

As for what years they were painted black I found this doing a search:

According to Progressive Refinements:
The logo was changed to black on the hubcaps on the 4th September 1956.
The painted logo stopped with the introduction of the 1964 model year.

I think this is only for Type 1s, can't speak for Things, Bus, etc. Also might have different rules for a convertible.