Looking for direction on 57'

[August_57]

Hi All, I've been looking at a number of threads to get a feeling of which direction I should take with this 57'. I'm now the happy third owner of this 105K oval. The second owner owned it from 1960 until his passing. During that second ownership an exterior only paint job was put on this car. It looks like the windows were just taped (not pulled) and the hood and deck lid also were treated similarly. I'd definitely like to take the exterior back to its Diamond Green Original Color, but I'm not sure how far I should go with that. I want to do the right thing for the car. I'm not an expert but as far as I can tell the car has been well taken care of and the parts are mostly all there.

Ideas and thoughts appreciated.

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[henry roberts]

wow, the inside is so clean and the outside is so ugly.

I hope you are lucky and they didn't prep the outside well.
I would be reading all the threads here on stripping cars back to og paint. (I think the best is in the split bus forum). try some of the methods on inconspicuous parts and hopefully you'll find one that works for you.

please keep us posted on your progress, I have a feeling this will look incredible when you're done.

[fatbeetle]

X2...try to strip off that top layer if at all possible. The car looks so clean and well taken care of...no "angry hands" had gotten a hold of it over the years!!!..thats hard to find.
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1953 OVAL

[63Ragtop NZ]

hey nice car August, on the plus side the blue is nice and shiny and will help protect the car from the elements.
At least it's not pink or something!
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If you can't join them, beat them!

[August_57]

Thanks guys! I found a great thread on the body/paint http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=76072&start=520

The previous owner painted the spare so I decided to use that as my test. I did a test with the graffiti goof off and left it on less than a minute. I tried wiping it off with a terry cloth towel and it removed some of the paint but it got a little "gummy". I then took 0000 steel wool to the "gummy" part with some soap and water and viola! I started seeing the 1957 colors again! The interior ring it looks like was the base paint and the exterior dark green (not sure of that paint code) was painted over the base because its fairly thin. The after market paint was put on over a grey primer and so once I get through that I'm starting to see the OG. I'm excited about seeing the Diamond Green on the body once I pick one of panels to start on. This is going to be a slow process! I went through one fine 0000 steel wool pad to get to these results. Yikes!

I'm wondering how long this is going to take!?? That's a lot of surface area, but I think it will be worth it.

[Matts Bug Parts]

First, I totally respect what any owner wishes to do with their ride.

I simply want you to consider the risks inherent in what you may embark upon. The car may have been painted for some good reasons, there May be some filler etc. So you invest a great deal of work and time only to discover what you have right now is preferable since it is quite decent looking albeit not an original colour.

One idea, can you learn from a family member/friend of the previous owner what condition it was in when painted, I would hate for you to find out the hard way.

Best of luck, Matt

[aa390392]

Take it off...take it all off....sTrip ..strip
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getting grumpy & less tolerant!


55 ragtop
56 delux sedan
56 Kabriolet

[Dave Byron]

I would be taking the paint off. I would strip the outside of the car, so bumpers off, trim off, lights etc then get scrubbing. I retrieved all the OG paint from a Turkis 63 that had been painted black. All I used was thinners and worn scotch pads. As the interior is so nice I would probably get a scan of the paint and have the exterior re painted in the original diamond green if it turns out to be rough.
Good luck with it and nice car.

[79SuperVert]

I guess I'm in the minority here but that is a nice color, at least as far as what the pics show. If the paint was in bad shape or an ugly color I'd agree with the repaint, but that's a lot of work for a car that already looks very nice.
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[August_57]

Thanks everyone for the input! My struggle was that the exterior paint isn't in bad condition (a few runs that could be sanded out), and that there is a lot of work and risk in stripping off the old paint to reveal what's under it. Good point made by Matt in that there was probably a reason why they painted the exterior. I have a condition and history statement by the 2nd owners son that says on lines 5 thru 9 that the car was repainted with Aqua metallic because the original Diamond green was getting thin. He also states that there wasn't any body work done or accident history. Everything that I've found so far has agreed with the statements that he's made in his letter.

Because the interior is in OG condition, as well as the interior paint, and parts, I'm struggling to keep the exterior paint Aqua since it seems to be the major bummer. Thanks guys for weighing in on this one, you've made some good pts!

[vwsonmybrain]

Well, if it's possibly in your budget to repaint the exterior soon anyways, with "no body work" and "painted because the original paint was getting thin" it sounds like there's an opportunity to peel back the repaint and find pretty decent original paint. Thin original paint is all the rage these days, so it seems. Just depends on how much prep they did before the respray. I'd probably go for it, given the written history.

[kielbasa]

I find that color a bit repulsive. I would use a d/a to get the majority of that paint off, just dont go too far. Then try your goof off.
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[stale air]

Me, I would try and strip the repaint off in a heart beat, but would go into it with the thought that if something went south, ie, I got down to the og paint, and it was thrashed, that I would have the original dash paint matched, and repaint just the outside back to the diamond green. That interior is in amazing shape, and thin outer paint, or not, it was a shame in my opinion that the PO repainted the outside in any other color but what was OG.
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[pig-pen]

yup. paint the outside to match the inside.

I am in the same boat with a stratos silver car. Inside = all original Outside = 2x awful aqua paint job.

Tried to strip but it had been taken right back and OG paint was super thin...

just sayin

[Kjell Roar]

The original metallic VW paints from the fifties, where known to crack after many years, and water got through it and made rust on the body.

So I see why the old owner repainted it. And thats why all the work with stripping it down gently, in my eyes is not the best option, if you want to drive it withour repaint it.
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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

[sparkleplenty]

Strip it
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'56 European Oval Ragtop-Stock
'56 Karmann Ghia Coupe-Stock
'59 Italian Series I Li150 Lambretta-Stock


"Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime."

"Only when the tide goes out do you discover who is swimming naked."

[henry roberts]

you could always repaint the inside to match the outside.

[Blauchen L331]

Back in the 1980's I had a L 412 diamond green car in Europe and it had a paint failure ca. 1962, bad fade and cracking, but they painted the car inside and out....

What I would do is get a really good painter and color match the body to what the color is on the inside of the glove-box door, repaint just the outside of the car, also I would get a good stitcher to fix the small imperfect threads loose in the seats, leave the headliner and carpets alone.

Your wheels were a darker green than diamond, I know there's one unpainted unrestored L 412 car out there to get that color from, or advice.

Yes, your sooo lucky to find a car with a amazing ORIGINAL interior and preserved.

How's the motor and pans etc. Very well preserved? Ohh I read no rust, it is matching numbers?.......to find an Oval in this fine original condition anymore is just a rarity.

Best of Luck and Keep It Original!!!!

Tom
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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

[jjohnson67]

Direction? South to my house... i kinda like the color... slam it on some earlies...

[Blauchen L331]

Please go read my thread about cleaning up my all original 30,000 mile May 1957 "Euro" Oval window named Blauchen.....

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=506556

I think this will be of help to you also.

Enjoy that great ride! (o\|/o)

Tom
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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