TheSamba.com :: View topic

Tue Jun 25, 2013 2:18 pm

This Project started before I was born. My dad purchased this bug in 1982 and began working on it until he got married and had kids. My dad started doing some 80’s VW “customizations” including removing the trim holes, cutting/welding the dash, lowering the front end, etc. He was going for the Cal-Look in the beginning, but as life would have it the bondo covering the holes in the side of the car became its new paint job and it sat around for another 20 years. During this time I grew up pretending to drive in the garage and taking victory laps in my imagery race car. When I was about 22 some family friends took the bug to their ROP class and proceed to do some body work, take it apart (I am still looking for some of the pieces), and primer it.

The car then sat for another 6 years with just primer, but this time in its new home under a cover outside (my dad had to make room for his ’56 Oval). At the end of 2012 my dad purchased a beautiful ’67 21 Window Bus and had to sell most of his other toys including this project bug that he had began so long ago. He knew of my interest in this particular car and offered to give it to me. He knew it needed a “few things” like a paint job (cheap right?) and some other missing interior pieces. I jumped at the opportunity to work on this project and started spending weekends working on and researching this beautiful car.

I hope that you enjoy the picture of what it looks like today, give me some advice, ask some questions. If it was not for thesamba I doubt I would have gotten this far. Thanks for looking.

Tue Jun 25, 2013 2:19 pm

After some deliberation as to what to do with the dash and the paint job, I found a donor clip from the Samba and we welded in the “new: radio and ashtray hole. After this I began the long and still incomplete task of sanding. I started by taking down the old primer and exposing metal in some trobled rust areas. I DA’ed the primer down and what I could not sand I chemically stripped and rebuilt.

Tue Jun 25, 2013 2:20 pm

I decided not to go with the $3000 mid range MAACO quote and opted to paint it myself in the driveway. After numerous weekends of attempting to primer outside My dad and I decided that we should find a place to paint. I had the color matched at AB Supply in Fremont to the stock Jade green (L349) color. My dad is a welder in Burlingame and I had the car towed to his shop so that we could use his paint wall (not a booth just a wall of filters and a fan to suck the fumes) and racks to hang things on while painting. This was my first attempt at painting and I messed it up along the way. There is more orange peel on this car then all of Florida and my clear coat application leaves a lot to be desired, but we got it painted!

Tue Jun 25, 2013 2:24 pm

After Painting I had it towed to my house in Oakland (no more weekends on my dad’s futon) and have slowly started putting it back together and compiling all the missing pieces. I am still making errors along the way, I now have to switch gears from teaching myself to paint into a teaching myself to do upholstery.

It is slow going, but every afternoon, and evening I am excited to slowly be able to build something that I have valued for so long. I have also highly valued the time I have spent with my father as he gets to invest in my and this project he started before I was born.

Tue Jun 25, 2013 3:22 pm

Very cool car and spending time with your dad is priceless.

Tue Jun 25, 2013 3:24 pm

Looks like a great project, best of luck with the rest of the build!

Tue Jun 25, 2013 3:44 pm

Good to see another '60 ragtop, keep up the good work!

Tue Jun 25, 2013 3:55 pm

sixtyragtop wrote: ...give me some advice, ask some questions. Thanks for looking.
The best attitude!
Glad youre enjoying the project, will be great to see it finished.

Tue Jun 25, 2013 4:27 pm

Cool car with a cool story.

Tue Jun 25, 2013 8:56 pm

Just try to get something done each day and enjoy the new challenges you WILL run into. Cool car, great story!

Mon Jul 22, 2013 11:22 am

awesome story!!!!

Mon Jul 22, 2013 11:55 am

Comn along nicely.
What's the vin?...rear apron and front hood don't look '60 to me.

Tue Jul 23, 2013 3:00 pm

Thomas Pedigo wrote: Comn along nicely.
What's the vin?...rear apron and front hood don't look '60 to me.

Good eye, the hood is from a later year. I considered purchasing a new one, but since the car was already cal look when I got it I did not want to butcher another one.

The rear apron was stamped "Mexico". According to the PO (my dad) he bought the car with some rear damage and replaced the rear apron with a random one from a swap meet in the '80's.

I don't have the vin on me right now, but I am certain that it is a '60 due to the DMV paperwork, plus it has the 6 wire turn signal that were 60-61 specific.

I am figuring out how to pull some photo's from my phone and give an update. I have installed some seals, headliner, and glass. It is coming along slowly, but it is happening!

Tue Jul 23, 2013 8:29 pm

sixtyragtop wrote: but I am certain that it is a '60 due to the DMV paperwork, plus it has the 6 wire turn signal that were 60-61 specific.

That and the front clip is correct for 60 and earlier. Nice car and story!

Wed Jul 31, 2013 5:37 am

Love the gold Empi rims. Goes with the car vary well.

Sun Jan 12, 2014 12:32 am

Well as you can probably tell I am not very good at keeping up to date on my progress. Lots has happened, here are a few of my updates:

- I installed the windshield… then broke the glass… then tried it again with new glass… then tore the rubber… then bought new rubber… then finally installed a sealed windshield.

- I started to install a new Wolfsburg West “german” door rubber kit. Only to find out that somehow the wing window channel had been removed to make room for one-piece windows… Thanks PO (AKA Dad). Thankfully I was able to find some replacement unhacked doors on craigslist. My dad was able to make up for his one-piece window sins and tore out the channel from the old doors, welded in new supports then welded in the replacement channel (pictures in my gallery). After all that I repainted (in spots) and clear-coated the doors again (I was not happy with my amateur clear-coat skills the first time around). I then began the long process of installing all the door rubber and windows. What a chore. Currently the doors are mounted on the car and the door seals are going to get a few days to “cure” in this December California sun.

- I bought some new tires. Continentals all around 195/65/15 in the rear and 155/60/15 in the front. Check out my convenient way to transport my tires. Thanks to my West Oakland neighborhood there was a shopping cart in my front yard for me to utilize. I’m happy with the stance, but have not driven it yet.

- New Harness installed. I decided to go with an updated (don’t hate) harness from Rebel Wire. I liked the blade style fuses, uniform look, and good quality wire. It was a pain for me to source all the correct open barrel connectors crimpers, etc. I started this project with limited experience (a few stereos in high school), but learned a lot along the way. I am happy with the way it turned out and with the quality Rebel produces. My dad fabricated a nice bracket for the fuse/relays that only required one extra hole (remember don’t hate) in the underbelly of my dash. FYI I purchased the deluxe bug harness, ground kit (no more guessing if something is grounded or not), and Headlight relay kit (please note that I also had to buy longer 12 gauge wire in order to use the relay).

- I purchased a new German dual circuit master cylinder from WW and VW Rabbit Brake fluid reservoir. New Goodridge Stainless lines to replace my rubber ones and new brake lines throughout the car. I have not finished my brakes yet, since I will have to remove my transaxle.

- I figured out why my engine sits a few inches too low. My dad replaced the transaxle in the early 80’s and did not use the correct nosecone. I bought a replacement kit from rancho (http://www.ranchotransaxles.com/store/type-nose-cone-p-51.html?osCsid=6kgmf26mrni8r8cejk9g0r13p3). That I have not installed this yet, but am hoping that it solves some of my problems.

- I rebuilt my wiper motor and fit a 1967 12V two speed motor into my wiper bracket. I also found a two speed 1967 switch that fit in my stock location.

- LEDs all around, dome light, speedometer lights, amber 90 degree parking lights, Chip’s taillights, license light, and blinkers in my horn grills. I also did an H4 upgrade to my headlights so that I don’t have to use a sealed beam.

- Gauges, I found a “rebuilt” clear needle speedometer in my dad’s garage that I am going to use. Whoever rebuilt it did not do a good job resetting the odometer it since it is currently at 40000 exactly. I purchased Airkewld’s steering column gauge mount and installed my gas gauge and oil temp there. I also took apart a new VDO 6k tachometer gauge, painted the needle white, and bought a chrome bezel from German ebay. I installed it in the to the right of the speedo thanks to some round sheet metal from vwsunroofs.com.

- I am in the process of installing a new headliner. I only have one more piece to go, but cut my bow too short. I used the helpful video from classicVWbugs.com. I went with tweed TMI “sand” color. It was a lot of work, but turned out great.

- I also installed a new canvas ragtop from WW that was a pain to install. I will probably have to re-glue the bows again since I can’t seem to get it to seal correctly. It is either too tight or not tight enough. I’ll get it one of these days.

- I took apart my one year only turn signal switch and attempted to repair it. I put all of the internals into another switch; unfortunately somewhere along the way I didn’t quite put it back together correctly because my speedometer does not flash when my turn signals are on, but everything else works great. I am just going to start saving for an NOS switch.

- I picked up a pair of Dellorto 36’s with manifolds and linkage on craigslist. They were beat up and might not even work due to pitting. But I am going to give them a try. They are at a friends shop now to get their final ultrasonic bath before I rebuild them.

- I found a nice Hurst trigger shifter that I took apart and restored. It was in one of the random boxes of VW parts my dad has collected over the years. Great score.

- I took apart my pedal assembly and had them powder coated black. They are rebuilt and ready to mount up once I redo the clutch cable after I reinstall the transaxle.

- I scrapped up all the old tar board off of the pans and used por-15. I did the same on the package tray. I could not bring myself to put sound deadener over my nice por-15 so I am going to try something else.

- I also attempted an amateur restoration of an old steering wheel. I don’t currently have pictures, but will show off my work soon.

I will try to be better about posting updates in the future.

Sun Jan 12, 2014 5:21 am

I really like your build...DIY instead of farming everything out. You're really doing quite a professional job on this car and if I could do that nice of a paint job the first time out, I'd be proud! Keep up the good work, it's fun watching your progress.--Dave

Mon Jan 13, 2014 10:39 pm

sixtyragtop wrote:

- LEDs all around, dome light, speedometer lights, amber 90 degree parking lights, Chip’s taillights, license light, and blinkers in my horn grills. I also did an H4 upgrade to my headlights so that I don’t have to use a sealed beam.

I will try to be better about posting updates in the future.

Hey man nice job on your build and getting fisheyes when you paint. Well i remember those days when i first started painting.

Can you share where you got the LED's and the part number for them so I can get them too.
I like the way your LED's turned out.. I am a fan !!

Zach'Riah

Tue Jan 14, 2014 12:01 am

Quote: Can you share where you got the LED's and the part number for them so I can get them too.
I like the way your LED's turned out.. I am a fan !!

Thanks for the complement I appreciate it!

LED Breakdown:

Amber 90 degree
Ordered from superbrightleds.com
Part Number: 1156-A2W-ARA,
Link: http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/tail-brake.../162/2036/
Notes: This was the correct bulb filament style for the bulb holder in my headlight bucket. They have a few colors, but I wanted the amber stock seeming style. They fit in my stock location okay, I ended up wrapping some of the bulb in electrical tape so that it sat in the bucket a little firmer. I also ran a dedicated ground wire from one of my fender bolts and attached it directly to the bucket at the parking light bulb holder set screw.

Snowflake
Ordered from thesamba, no part number
Link: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=892796
Notes: I went with the weatherproof connectors. They installed easily and look great. Chip sent a complete kit already wired up ready for you to install directly into your stock harness. His kit also came with a connector that you place over a fender bolt. Unfortunately, The connector he sent did not fit through the wiring holes in my fenders, but I had a lot of connectors laying around since I had just wired that car and easily was able to remedy the situation.

License Light
Ordered from superbrightleds.com
Part Number: 1156-x45-T (I went with the Cool White color)
Link: http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/s-series-b...tower/526/
Notes: This fit okay; it is defiantly toughing the plastic a little on my license light. If I did it again I would probably get something cheaper and shorter so that it was not rubbing the lens. I figured that it would be okay since LED’s are more durable then bulbs. It is just nice to have something so bright, but time will tell if it was a bad decision.

Speedometer Lights
Ordered from thesamba
Link: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1569470, http://www.auto-hub.com/
Notes: They fit like stock and look good. It was also very convenient that they have the breakdown of what color and polarity to purchase depending on the year/model of your VW.

Dome Light/ Front Turn Signals
Ordered from ebay
Link to item: http://www.ebay.com/itm/FireFly-18-LED-Dome-Lights...mp;vxp=mtr
Link to Seller: http://www.ebay.com/usr/vwbugnut77
Notes: He had some deal that if you buy 4 you get one free. I wired one each to each the trailer hitch lights tucked into my horn grills. They are expensive for what they are (18 LEDs), but since my front blinkers were tucked so low I wanted to make sure that I had something bright so that other cars would know for sure when I am turning.

Tue Jan 14, 2014 12:06 am

porsche tech wrote: I really like your build...DIY instead of farming everything out. You're really doing quite a professional job on this car and if I could do that nice of a paint job the first time out, I'd be proud! Keep up the good work, it's fun watching your progress.--Dave

Thank you for your words of encouragement. It feels great to have people watching my progress. I have been working on the car for over a year in my back yard so it's nice to show it off and get some good feedback.

I am proud of the paint job, but like so many things in life I wish I had the experience before I started the project.

I would have done a lot differently, but at the same time the imperfections I find are just the beauty marks and scars of a 50 year old car being worked on by a social worker in an Oakland backyard. I am proud of the work I have done and excited to keep momentum and drive it around.