1950 Split Restoration & Intro

[splitjunkie]

Those pictures were not of my work. They were from a couple of web sites I found a while back.

In the case of those nuts, I think he made them or had them made. I have never found exact matches for the ones that VW used.

The closest thing I have found is a self clinching captive nut.

http://www.pemnet.com/fastening_products/pdf/cldata.pdf

They don't look exactly the same on the inside but should look really close on the outside of the quarter panel in the fender well which is really all you would see once the fuse box is installed.

I will try to get the thread pitch so you can know the proper one. You could probably get them from Fastenal. They sell just about any fastener and will sell in small quantities.
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Chris

You know, a lot of these scratches will buff right out... Jerry Seinfeld

[johnshenry]

mcmaster(.com) is also a great source for those. I have bought some M6 ones from them, but I am pretty sure the ones for the fuse box are M5s.

Search "panel nuts" at McMaster.
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John Henry

'57 Deluxe
'56 Single Cab

[mdvanderploeg]

Thanks, guys!

[mdvanderploeg]

The fenders and doors are now primed & ready for paint. Still need to fix the issues identified above & do a couple minor things to the interior, and then the body will be ready for paint as well.

[mdvanderploeg]

Slow going the last couple of months. The hood was a challenge and took a lot of work to get the fit just right. Ditto for the front passenger fender, which came off a different car and initially didn't align well. The gap between fender and front apron wasn't quite right, so it took a little more bodywork than expected. Anyway, all bodywork is complete and the entire car has been sprayed in final primer. Ready now for block sanding.

Meanwhile, I'm still struggling with getting the engine started. I had the starter rebuilt, & it works perfectly at the shop. I have a new Ultima battery that tests well by itself. Put the two together, and the starter will pop the solenoid but the motor won't turn over. The day yesterday ended in frustration and at least one bloody knuckle.

Here's the hood after quite a bit of massaging.....

Working on the fit between fender and apron.....

Driver's front fender ready for final primer. The decklid is on the stands to the right.....

The last body part to get sprayed with final primer.....now ready for block sanding....

[jpwerks]

I might be out of my area, but your starter issue, might be due to not installing the starter in the bell housing, to test-there is a bushing in there to keep the starter armature inline. Usually in later cars, the solenoid will work but it won't turn starter motor-no matter how rebuilt it is.....
I'm guessing the early cars have the same arrangement
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81' single cab 1.8T Syncro (converted)
85 Vanagon 1.8T
55 chevy
2008 330i BMW
2000 jetta 1.8T
2004 Golf 2.0

[mdvanderploeg]

You're correct. Even a worn out bell housing bushing will cause problems with the alignment of the armature. In my case, the starter won't turn mounted or not mounted. In fact, it'll spin just fine on the test bench back at the electrical shop (which is not a good idea except for very brief tests), but won't work when I bring it home. I likely need to pull the engine (again), install another bushing, mount the starter, and test it prior to reinstalling the engine. That's what I should've done in the first place, but was too eager to hear some combustion.

[fusca66]

Nice work congratulations
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Bug 1966 2280cc
Bug 1951 1900cc
Bug 1952 typ4 1800cc
Sp2 1972 1700cc

Na duvida não ultrapasse

[mdvanderploeg]

It's been a while since I posted an update, but progress has been slow with ongoing 'unglamorous' bodyword. Once the body was flipped over on the rotisserie, we found quite a bit of rust in the heater channels and flange where the body attaches to the pan. Anyway, we finally got to the point of spraying some paint. Below are pictures of the hood and fenders. The Bourdeaux Red paint is a beautiful and interesting color. Notice how much the color changes when light from the camera is close to the body part. The hood and fenders are freshly painted and have not been color sanded.

The doors should be painted this week and the body painted next week.

[51deluxe]

wow that looks great cant wait to see it in person.

[mdvanderploeg]

Took a few more pictures today, after the loose body pieces had been color sanded and partially buffed. One more round of buffing left to go. Here are a couple pictures of the hood, fenders, and one door. The other parts were being worked on, so couldn't get a picture. I'm loving the Bordeaux Red color!!

[67_SO42]

I really want to be at this point with my 52. Just had the body blasted and have all the body work to do myself.

You should be super excited sir!
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58 Binz DC #151 "Nacho"
61 Norwegian, bug "Greta"
65 Swedish, Westfalia 400 trailer "Melania"
57 Binz scooter “Micha”

[mdvanderploeg]

It really is getting exciting at this point. All of the bodywork that's been completed over the past year was critical to getting a great paint job, but it wasn't exactly the most thrilling portion of the process. Progress was always being made, but sometimes it was hard to tell & often felt like it was never going to end. Still a long way to go.

[mdvanderploeg]

So, I decided to keep the 25hp engine in it's pristine state and install something that'll be more enjoyable in city traffic. So, Joe (Mr. Okrasa) is building me a 36hp Okrasa clone. When I sell the car someday, I'll swap engines back to the original & put the Okrasa in the next project.

Here's a link to a thread he posted in the Vintage Speed section, which shows an old EMPI stamp in the block we're using....

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=565613

[vintage fiberglass]

Hello,
I am interested in this build because I just purchased a 1950 split in this same red L51 color. Can you tell me what paint you used and how they mixed it or the formula? I will need some at some point. Tim

[mdvanderploeg]

I went to the Glasurit web site......

http://coloronline.glasurit.com/index.php

Enter whatever paint code you're looking for in the upper left field (next to "Code"), and it'll bring you to a page with the formula.

I then went to a supplier who carried BASF & Glasurit paint, & they mixed it up.

[AlanInMass54]

Paint job looks fantastic and that color is beautiful! I plan on painting my car this color even though it's an oval dash split.

[bwaz]

[johnshenry]

[mdvanderploeg]

Haven't posted an update in a while. I slowed down the VW restoration while getting my garage built. Now that it's about finished, I can get the Bug back on track. Today, I installed the new transmission and engine from Mr. Okrasa. The original 25hp engine and smooth case transmission will be saved with all parts intact. Below is the engine and transmission installed in the pan. I'm doing the pan work at the shop where the body is awaiting paint, so there's tons of dust in the air. The plastic sheeting is to keep the pan semi clean.