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Sun Nov 28, 2010 1:44 pm

PatterBon wrote: That, my good sir, is a work of art. You are one lucky man.
x2!
I love this. These pics will be helpful for my '59 restoration :-)

Beautiful car! :D

Sun Nov 28, 2010 1:48 pm

maboyce wrote: Are you planning to kill that rust with acid, or just seal over it with the wax spray?

Great thread, by the way. I had to do this kind of cleaning to my engine and transmission too - it's such a terrible job, but brings such satisfaction...

It's only very light surface corrosion and doing no harm at all. My plan is to just protect it.

As soon as I start trying to 'reverse' stuff, I'm on the slippery slope of restoration which is absolutely not what I want.

I want to preserve it, as it is, for the future.

It's not done to bad for 53 years, eh?

Sun Nov 28, 2010 2:19 pm

this car is freakin' awesome, this is exactly what I would have done, just preserve the car and enjoy its life. What I find crazy besides how straight and beautiful this car is, is how well the wiring harness has kept up, the colors are so clear! love it and can't wait for more pictures and progress

Sun Nov 28, 2010 4:19 pm

Since your at the starter and it's the original, I'd pop the end cap off and clean out all the debris and replace the brushes. They are different than generator brushes, much larger, but I was shocked at how worn mine were !

Mon Nov 29, 2010 4:14 am

Totally off topic, but RIP Leslie Nielsen. First thing I thought of when I heard was Flying High - and next thing was this thread!

Mon Nov 29, 2010 5:01 am

Volumex wrote: Totally off topic, but RIP Leslie Nielsen. First thing I thought of when I heard was Flying High - and next thing was this thread!

same here...and soon after i set LT up to say "don't call me shirley."

also, a round of huzzas for the terrific reference photos in this thread!

Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:25 am

Deeply saddened by the loss of Leslie Neilson. Genuinely gutted. RIP.

No worries with the photos - it's my frozen nuts that need the help!

Mon Nov 29, 2010 10:36 am

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A5t5_O8hdA[/url]

Mon Nov 29, 2010 1:48 pm

Hardcore.

Mon Nov 29, 2010 2:42 pm

RichOakley wrote: Hardcore.

Hi Rich - fancy meeting you all the way over here.... :lol:

Tue Nov 30, 2010 2:23 am

I Love this thread! I love the detailed descriptions and pictures following the work you are doing. It looks like you are enjoying every bit of it too. It is very inspiring.

My two brothers and I are Restoring a '57 Oval among many, many others. We have been working with VWs over 25 years. And even with all that experience we have learned a few "tricks" from your post.

Sadly our '57 was not in as good of shape as yours to start so we have opted for a Full Body Off Restoration. We are firm believers in the "Preservation" vs "Restoration" as you are in this case. But in our '57s case we will have to do tones of body work which will require lots of welding, fabrication and then painting. It had rust so bad that things fell apart when disassembled.

Yours has to be one of the best I've seen from the starting point.
The pictures you have posted show what things are supposed to look like and make good reference material.
And from the looks of it, it has saved you a lot of additional work and costs.
And that load of OEM parts has to have saved you a lot in costs too.
(We are green with envy. LOL )

Congratulations on the great find and the fantastic "Preservation" thread.
Looking forward to the rest of the saga.

Steve J

Also, RIP Leslie Nielsen.

Tue Nov 30, 2010 3:46 am

Good luck with your '57 and thanks for your kind comments.

I realise how fortunate I am to have such a great car to start on.

To be honest, I've already been through the bottom 6" and 4 quarters body off 'rotisserie' style restos before and was determined to avoid that this time round, hence it took me two years of searching to find this car, which to be fair, actually found me.

My intention is to end up with hopefully one of the most original, honest, genuine, un-molestered and servicable Ovals.

Sure, there are some cosmetics that aren't pretty, but it's lived a life and not been stored in a museum, or collection - it's a real car with real history.

The huge stock of NOS and OEM parts has certainly saved me some money, but then again the owner of the car knew EXACTLY what he had and I paid the appropriate price for the car and the spares, so they certainly weren't 'free' although I aknowledge the sheer convenience of only having to open a box to find a required part rather than search all over the internet for every component.

Even having said that, I've still spent a lot of money on other parts that did not come with the car and am already well into 4 figures just on bits 'n pieces - but that's cars for you.

Really looking forward to the first engine run - just hope it works! :lol:

Tue Nov 30, 2010 2:36 pm

Whilst I'm waiting for the weather to improve enough to actually find the garage, I thought I'd post a link to my previous project - an absolute basket case of a '64 with a twist at the end....

Part One:-

http://www.volkszone.co.uk/VZi/showthread.php?p=2298642

Part Two:-

http://www.volkszone.co.uk/VZi/showthread.php?t=456332&highlight=mouse

Normal service will be resumed soon...

Tue Nov 30, 2010 4:06 pm

After a quick run through I completely understand why you went on a search for such a complete and solid car. I commend you for trying to save the 64, but sometimes you just have to cut your losses and move on.

Tue Nov 30, 2010 6:58 pm

I just read part one and part two and I have to say you went through quite an ordeal with the 64 and I can see now why you take such enjoyment from this agave beauty. I love reading your posts they have given me quite a bit of information and insight.

Have a question about all that front clip mess you went through....
I'm doing a front clip replacement on my 57 but its from a donor 56/57 and in pretty decent shape.

You think I should install it as one piece since things should line up? I've been awake many nights just thinking about how one might start such a project?

Tue Nov 30, 2010 7:17 pm

Wow, I enjoy body work myself, but two years' worth is a lot for one car. It doesn't look like you started with much more car than the VW38 crew did! You have my particular sympathy over the front end - I had the same sort of fitment problems with mine, and I used a donor front end from a car only one year younger. The wing shape was different and the fuel tank rails weren't in the same position!

You must be in seventh heaven with this car...

Tue Nov 30, 2010 9:45 pm

LT, could you post your measurements on your rotissurie you made for your 64'? Thats a nice setup, also what brand welder did you get? The metal you used for the rotissurie must of been what??? 3/16" thick or so, do you have a 220v?? or 110v?? If you have a 110v then what did you have the settings on?? I have a lincoln 140T which I love, thanks, you're doing a great job on your oval

Wed Dec 01, 2010 12:24 am

Front clip...

I had to split mine apart as the inner wings were Mexi and there was no way they would match, as you saw. If you are grafting a nose of similar vintage onto genuine, original VW front quarters, they yes, definitely fit it as a complete unit, even then you'll likely have to push and pull a little to get it to fit.

Measure everything 10 times before you cut, and makes sure the body is bolted down centrally and correctly on the pan before you start.

Rotisseries....

My rotisserie now looks like an engine stand! :lol: Sadly, I don't have any measurements for it, other than start from the body and work down - i.e, make the cross braces first and bolt them up, then suspend the equal length vertical supports so they hang free, then weld the long brace from front to back, followed by the wheel dollies.

It was made from 2" x 1.5" x 1/8" in some places, and 2" x 2" x 1/8" in other places - just what I could find at my local steel stock holders scrap pile.

Welder....

In the UK I'm on domestic 240V. I used a Sealey (generic brand) SuperMig 150amp unit on max everything. Gives your hands a nice tan.

Quick note about the '64 project - I since learned after the event that I was 'ill' during that project, and a long time before it and didn't know, which affected my coping mechanisms and stress resistance which might have explained the emotional roller coaster of it all! Al better now though! :lol:

Fri Dec 03, 2010 12:16 am

Sorry for the lack of progress everyone - the next job to be done is to do the final clean and detail of the undercarriage and frame horns which will require more foetal position action whilst getting soaked in jet fuel and crud..... which sadly, due to it being way below freezing, is just something that after a long hard day at work I just can't build the enthusiasm for - it's just too cold to be getting wet on a concrete floor.

As soon as I'm able to feel my fingers, I'll be all over it again....

Fri Dec 03, 2010 9:02 am

i completely understand. here its only getting down to around 40F (~4C) and i still have to force myself to go outside, and work on my bug, lol.