Standard European Oval 56 [ Updated ]

[Derosse]

Hi everyone,

We proudly share our new project, an European Standard oval 56 project. now that the body from our convertible bug 66 is finally in primer wich you can see in this link http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=523187&highlight= , we think it's time to get soon started with this standard Oval. we going to restore this car body off and we keep it all original. here are some images from the car in another garage

already i need al your peoples knowledge from this car, as following guestions rised to me, if you look to the rear fenders then you see that there are other lights been used, not the snowflake taillights that you see always on the ovals. i looked in the gallery of thesamba to another standard found in germany and this is how the rear fenders and taillight lookes like also founded in this link http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=943958

the questions is, is it original that they equiped the standard with this taillights or is this a coincidence?

another question is the white painted stripe that replace the chrome trim on doors and body, is this too original? if so was it original painted (colorcode maybe?)or some kind of plastic sticker stripe?

this is just the beginning of many future questions i guess

please enjoy this project as it will start somewhere in middle of september.

best regards

Steven

[nick696]

I guess the taillights is due to the Germany Traffic safety law.
They had to addapt the cars to have signals in the back and up front.

Just a guess

[Derosse]

Hi Nick,

thanks that's a good point, but is that a modification through the years or did they rolled out the factory that way?

greetzzz

[Undis]

Great project! Oval bugs never had the plastic lens tail lights, in fact these lights only started in 1961, so if you want to restore the car to factory specs, get the proper glass lens lights or the so-called "snow flake" lights.

The standards didn't have chrome trim so a pinstripe was used instead. Looks like you still have the original stripe there!

[Derosse]

Hey Undis,

good to know that i have to go back to snow flake lights, i love these lights so much more then the current ones installed
i knew that it must be original that pinstripe, makes my day complete!

thanks for the answers!
grtzzz

[piet&som]

[Derosse]

^ that's good news

[Derosse]

i want to share the wolfsburg certificate from the car, it's very cool to know your car is truly original. the engine matches the body and even the country of destination matches with my papers from the car, just imagine how huge the database from wolfsburg realy is , you can see it in this photo

greetzzz

[AlteWagen]

More standard info here

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=444733

I like the stripe on your car, I dont think it was mentioned in the other thread so I will add your car and the other pic as well

[Derosse]

Hi Altewage,

nice thread you have there, feel free to use any of these pictures on your topic. if you want more specific photos just ask and i will post them here. as far as i know now i have all the original pieces except ofcourse the fenders and the running boards wich would be hard to find because the running boards didn't have the chrome trim as well i guess.

greetzzz

[Derosse]

picture of our standard front seat wing nuts, i love it

[Tempie]

Hi Steven,

Did I see on you birth certificate your car should be blue???
_________________
When a deluxe is not enough.... you go standard
Early 55 standard sunroof

Visit the Standard Split and Oval Beetle group!!

VW Standard Split and Oval Beetle

[Blauchen L331]

Steven,

Your car is a German Standard, the taillights were added ca. 1962 when the German Safe Pedestrian Laws were passed, that Law took out Semaphones and stuff like Rudge Spinner Knock-offs etc. and they also made it mandatory that old VW's built before 1962 would need to have the "NEW" modern taillights to pass German Safety and License Inspection the TÜV.

So this means that after 1961 your car simply got the new tailights so it could pass TÜV, as I remember is there a 4-way red flasher on the dash too, right???

I do believe your car should have Hassia SnowFlake taillights.........

Ohh BTW, I know that original taillights and semaphores survived the 1960's Belgian Traffic Laws, cars were modified with REFLECTORS on the rear bumpers, but there were no mandatory forced blinker or taillight Laws to pass driving inspections.

Unless Laws have changed in Belgium in the past 20 years, when I was living in Germany, I know all original Belgian cars that came to Bad Camberg, were still sporting those very kool Hella bumper bracket reflectors and the cars had working semaphores etc. It should be no problem running the original taillights and semaphores with Belgian plates. (but check the Laws)

I have friends in Germany currently who "know" the TÜV inspection-meister and for a bottle of wine or some bier they *always* turn their back when his collection of pre 1961 semaphore cars go though the inspection.................. LOL!!!!!

Hmm but why does your BC say L37 Middle Blue? Your car was NEVER Blue was it?
*The Factory makes mistakes sometimes when they do the BC's, I'd write them and verify the chassis to color number again*

I see build is Dec. 1956, what does your data plate say up front? Jahrgang: 1956 or 1957?
*European's have the registry dates <stamped> on the plate itself*

Exported Standards (American & Canadian) don't the plate date stamped, it's blank there...............

Keep it all OG it will be a real pearl when it's done

Tom
_________________
OG PAINT L331 1957 TYPE 1 OVAL WINDOW
(US Navy In Germany/ Special Ordered Car from MAHAG Munich)
Delivered with Semaphores - German "Puntchen" Cloth Polkadotted Interior -
USA RAM Protection/Export Overrider Bumpers - MPH Speedometer -
Sealed Beam Headlights and Bullet Front Turn Signals!
99.9% ORIGINAL PARTS WITH ONLY 36,500 ORIGINAL MILES/ GARAGE FIND/ UNRESTORED CAR

[Derosse]

^Tom changed my view forever for the standard oval... cool guy

i contacted Tom to tell my story from our car i send him pictures from the license plate in the front, the dashboard etc but it didn't match with the pictures he got. this is not the end of the world because now we know at least that there are 3 oval standards in europe . i spotted another oval standard at the meeting in spa franchorchamps 2 weeks ago back in belgium

would be cool that someone knew this guy / car and that he get into this thread and share his knowledge and history from his car

see ya soon!!!!!

greetzzzz

[Blauchen L331]

Hello Steven,

Well, Standards are uncommon and they are even rarer in the later models.

The Standard Beetle was a very popular car from 1949 to 1955 sales were very good, just about when your car was made the production started to taper off and I believe the last real Standard was built in 1967?
(The German's had a car they called the Spar Kafer which ran into the 1970's, these cars were like a Standard and were also 6 volt, had all black knobs etc. most were painted Yellow went to the German Post Office)

Ohh I see the little bit of L37 Medium Blue paint in that one photo coming through near the pinstripping, your lucky to have a Blue Standard!

L37 Medium Blue was also a "DELUXE" color for the Standards, most cars made with this color were special ordered at the dealer, as most Standards were Grey in color.

I'd say there's a few thousand Standard cars left in Europe, the post 1955 cars being the least common.
(Personally I'd like to get my hands on a 1959/1960 Euro Standard Sunroof car while there's so very few of them left.)

1956 cars may be the last year for L37 Medium Blue? ~ I have to ask my German collector friend, under the tech sheet here it says 1954, but that paperwork from the factory states it was Blue and you told me your found original Blue paint under the Grey as well, that makes it really nice!

Send me more pix of the body and paint, maybe you can remove the new paint back down to the original Blue paint?

Well, that's all for now, thanks for the pictures, this will be a very cool looking Standard when it's done.

Tom
_________________
OG PAINT L331 1957 TYPE 1 OVAL WINDOW
(US Navy In Germany/ Special Ordered Car from MAHAG Munich)
Delivered with Semaphores - German "Puntchen" Cloth Polkadotted Interior -
USA RAM Protection/Export Overrider Bumpers - MPH Speedometer -
Sealed Beam Headlights and Bullet Front Turn Signals!
99.9% ORIGINAL PARTS WITH ONLY 36,500 ORIGINAL MILES/ GARAGE FIND/ UNRESTORED CAR

[Tempie]

Would in fact be really nice if it is a blue one !!
_________________
When a deluxe is not enough.... you go standard
Early 55 standard sunroof

Visit the Standard Split and Oval Beetle group!!

VW Standard Split and Oval Beetle

[Kjell Roar]

Nice! Fun to see the old, back to basic, beetles.
I once looked at a 65 or 66 standard ragtop. But it was a lot of work (rust, and even the sellers name was Rust...), and I had several oval-projects. It was to new for me, back then.
_________________
I got a historic car, every scratch got a history...

My car, Aug. 4th, 1955 / an early 56: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=610438

[Derosse]

@ tempie

i have no doubt about the blue color i've seen it myself and not when i was dreaming about the beauty

@ kjell roar

thanks, funny that a rusty sell's a rusty car , i'm red haired too, they call a red haired in belgium roestie

@Tom

soon i update the topic with photos from the paint, keep in touch!

greetzzzz

[maesdieter]

Do you have cablebrakes to ?

Mine 53 standard did, and also the wingnuts for the seats.

Dieter
_________________
restolink : http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/showgallery.php?cat=1018

[Blauchen L331]

Steven,

I friend of mine in Germany just finished a 1953 L 37 Medium Blue car, they have some similar features, I have to ask him about a later post 1954 L 37 car and ask about the color of the lid handles, wiper bases, door handles, bumpers and hubcaps, I think they were a *hammertone* grey/silver green or grey/blueish silver color, also if the inner wheel hubs were dark red or silver white, (I think that post 1954 in-land standards has silver white hubs, with L 35 Medium Blue outer rims).

Yes, all standards had cable brakes.

I didn't get anymore pix of your interior yet, make sure you send me some pix of the inside door handles, steering wheel, knobs etc.

Also send me some shots of the interior and headliner please.....

Thanks TTYS

Tom
_________________
OG PAINT L331 1957 TYPE 1 OVAL WINDOW
(US Navy In Germany/ Special Ordered Car from MAHAG Munich)
Delivered with Semaphores - German "Puntchen" Cloth Polkadotted Interior -
USA RAM Protection/Export Overrider Bumpers - MPH Speedometer -
Sealed Beam Headlights and Bullet Front Turn Signals!
99.9% ORIGINAL PARTS WITH ONLY 36,500 ORIGINAL MILES/ GARAGE FIND/ UNRESTORED CAR