TheSamba.com :: View topic - My 54 european deluxe from start to finish

Mon Mar 14, 2011 5:38 pm

Hey everyone,

Here are some photos of the completed drivers seat frame installed on the 54's pan. It looks good, even if I do say so myself. I am sending the springs out to be sandblasted and powder coated.

Keep watching.
Cheers,
Mike

Mon Mar 14, 2011 6:41 pm

As always great work! Are you leaving it as a frame for this summer's shows?

Tue Mar 15, 2011 4:21 am

Hello Schwing, yes I will leave them as a frame, but with the addition of the springs as well. Then I can get working on the body.

Thanks for watching

Mike

Wed Mar 16, 2011 5:15 pm

Hello once again,

Second seat frame refinished and reinstalled on the 54's pan. The seat and backrest springs have been sent to a local guy to powder coat. Never used him before, hope he does a good job, because the price is right. Anyway, pics of the second seat installed, just about time to start tearing apart the body. Enjoy.

Promise no more seat pics for at least a week. Starting to disassemble the body next getting ready for rust repair.

Stay tuned,
Mike

Sun Apr 24, 2011 5:00 pm

Aside from my company sending me away to work, I finally have a chance to get some more work done on the 54 bug, now named Shultz. I sent my front seat springs to a local powder coater, to media blast and coat for me. He did an awesome job, and I got them installed today. Also wanted to test out my original WASO shift lock that I have had for while, got it installed and works and looks great.

As per the last photo, installing the seat springs, allowed me (albeit with a blanket on the springs) to take a seat on "Shultz" and take it for a test drive around the yard for the first time. Despite the bad fuel I had in the tank, it ran not too bad. See below:

Hope you enjoy, stay tuned.

Cheers,
Mike

Sun Apr 24, 2011 8:15 pm

You did a great job with the chassis. Quality work so far. It gives me more motivation to finish the chassis on my brother's 54.

Sun Apr 24, 2011 8:51 pm

turn your waso lock around so the key faces forward, then the ebrake handle wont interfer as it is now, i can see its a problem

Mon Apr 25, 2011 5:40 pm

Thanks for the props Belairman, it is a labor of love on the 54, hope it helps others as well. I am sure getting alot of motivation myself by watching others on the Oval threads.

Guteandtite I was initially trying to install the WASO lock with the key forward, but the body of the lock wouldn't fit over top of the shift housing facing forward, I tried it for while. (and yes I had all the screws turned out) Finally I looked at the drawing included with the WASO lock (I have the original instructions as well, in German of course) and they show it mounted backwards so I tried it and it slipped on no problem. After I started the car, you can see in the video that I am all of a sudden presented with how close the lock is to my fingers around the hand brake :shock: , but as long as I am careful where my knuckles are, the lock doesn't interfere with the brake handle. I could swap the housing around allowing me to put the lock forward, but for now it matches the installation picture as seen below. Anyone read German?

Thanks for the input Guteandtite I appreciate it all.

Cheers,
Mike

Tue Apr 26, 2011 11:13 am

Well done sir! Looks and sounds great.

You starting on the body this summer?

Tue Apr 26, 2011 3:01 pm

Awesome!

.......the hubcaps must be jealous since they didn't get to go along for the ride.

Tue Apr 26, 2011 6:22 pm

Hey Schwing, thanks for the props, yes the body work is next up and I hope to get going soon. I have been watching your progress, looks great and very inspiring. Thanks,

Zwitterkafer, thanks for the props as well, I had taken the hubcaps off to paint the VW center black and I hadn't finished yet, will take pics again when they are finished and back on, hopefully tomorrow.

Stay tuned for the next chapter.

Cheers,
Mike

Thu Apr 28, 2011 4:58 pm

Love the pics and info on the car rebuild, I enjoyed doing my 54 Rhd oval last year. I can't wait to start my next project a 50s split bus ... It's nice to see someone take time and effort on such a top car
keep up the good work

Thu Apr 28, 2011 5:50 pm

Hello Charlie bug and thanks for the props. Have to check out your 54, what color did you finish it in? Also would love to see the split bus, what year is it?

I am really enjoying putting another vintage bug back on the road. Next up is to start working on all the rust repair on the body. :roll:

As promised, my hubcaps missed the drive around the yard because I was painting the VW logo on the caps. I tried Everett's method to do it, but found I am better at hand painting than rubbing off excess spray with a fabric covered block. Here are the results:

Plus you can see my 66, Chuck in the reflection. I also spent today swapping the newly rekeyed lock into my door handle, in this hobby you sure learn alot about different things, now I'm an apprentice locksmith. :wink:

Thanks for watching,
Mike

Sat Apr 30, 2011 4:19 pm

I kept it black the original colour but instead of using a vw black I found that Ford (English) use a stronger more piano black which is what I went for as for split bus I looking at 58 at the mo panel van... You can check my bug out on my profile .......take care

Sat Apr 30, 2011 4:43 pm

Mike,
Great thread and fantastic work so far! I'm sure your driving suspension will be the hit of the shows you attend this summer. Too bad I'm not a little closer (my April 54, which was also originally Iceland green, is tucked in my garage in Markham just north of Toronto) or we could park them side by side for people to see. Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing. It has eased the long winter nights a little following your build.

Sat Apr 30, 2011 5:41 pm

Hi Bruce,

Up until 2 years ago I lived in a condo at Harbourfront in Toronto, too bad I hadn't met you when I lived there. I still come back to Ontario each year, bringing my 66 in June this year. Once I am done the 54 I will be bringing to show it at some shows maybe we can park them together yet.

Thanks for the props by the way, do you have any pics of your 54? Would love to see it.

Thanks,
Mike

Sat Apr 30, 2011 6:33 pm

Mike,
June 24-26 is the big June JitterBug Show in Niagara Falls if you are around then with your 66. Actually the first Bug I ever drove was a Bahama Blue 66 that my mother bought new in Etobicoke. I still have the sales contract for it. You probably already know that you can get info at Johns Bug Shop website about the JitterBug. You can have a look in my Gallery at all 5 VW's I've owned since I started driving a 62 to U of Toronto in 1968. The pics of my 54 look like 3 different colours but it is actually fairly close to the colour in the driveway. The other 2 are way off. Let me know when you are coming down and I'll buy you a cold one.
p.s. In the second picture down (of the engine bay) that brass plaque just above the rear lid catch is the original dealer plaque from Pon's (yes Ben Pon) dealership in Holland and is confirmed by the Birth Certificate.
Bruce
p.p.s. I just read your Chuck post. Those pictures really take me back, the 'new' red dash knob and the 1300 sign on the engine lid.

Mon May 02, 2011 6:48 pm

Hi Bruce, ya went and checked out your Gallery after I wrote that I wanted to look at your cars, very nice, like to see them in person some time. I will be in North Bay on the 18th for their show but was thinking about going to the Jitterbug, yes I know all about John's Bug Shop, he did the work on my tranny on the 54, and I will see what I can do. I guess you are going? I will let you know if I am coming, so I can take you up on the brew, and seeing your car of course.

I promise the last pan pics for now, but I had to as I finally scrubbed the blue protectant off the Coker whitewalls, and I think it looks awesome with the rims and caps. 8)

Ok off to start on the body work.

Cheers,
Mike

Mon May 02, 2011 7:25 pm

54bug'n wrote: I think it looks awesome with the rims and caps. 8)

+1

Tue May 03, 2011 6:25 am

Mike,
Fantastic job! That setup looks so SWEET you got me motivated to get my original smoothies powder coated.
Bruce