TheSamba.com :: View topic - 1959 Single Cab Restoration Thread "Funky Truck"

Wed Mar 04, 2015 3:13 pm

Useful modification!

What do you thinking about the load bed?
did the parts fit straight so the wooden slats run in the line?

Thanks for all the pictures =D>

Thu Mar 05, 2015 5:32 pm

I did have to trim and square the edges of the four bed pieces to get the ribs to line up on my truck. I am glad there was extra width and length on them to do that.

Thanks for this tip: I welded a house anchor bolt washer to the top of treaded rod. It is not visible from outside. I think that will hold it.

Kurt

Thu Mar 05, 2015 6:54 pm

The spare tire bracket is cool, but they are awkward to use, holding the tire up with one arm while you get the wing nut on. And you pretty much have to use a stock tire

Thu Mar 05, 2015 7:13 pm

Stock tires it is then!
Kurt

Thu Mar 05, 2015 7:18 pm

chrisflstf wrote: The spare tire bracket is cool, but they are awkward to use, holding the tire up with one arm while you get the wing nut on. And you pretty much have to use a stock tire

Same thing with storing it behind the seat.

Fri Mar 06, 2015 6:47 am

chrisflstf wrote: The spare tire bracket is cool, but they are awkward to use, holding the tire up with one arm while you get the wing nut on. And you pretty much have to use a stock tire

Given what we've seen on this thread I'm pretty sure Kurt could modify that bracket to accept whatever tire size he desires. He'll also probably MacGyver something using nothing but a plumb-bob, wood clamp and a speaker magnet to make getting his spare into the bracket a breeze. :D

Fri Mar 06, 2015 7:39 am

Kurt, what can I say really awesome fabrication! I have never seen someone MAKE a wingnut, thats just amazing.
I hope my measurements helped.

Also I didn't find it to be difficult to use, since the bracket comes to a point its very easy to hold in place (even with a tire) while installing the wingnut.

Fri Mar 06, 2015 9:23 am

You guys are great! There is a lot one can do with a wood clamp and a speaker magnet.

I am glad you included a tape measure in the photos you sent. That was the Rosetta Stone for all dimensions needed.

Once the bed panels were all fitted with clecos on the truck I removed them and welded them together from the underside with the clecos still holding the alignment.

I reinforced the lap joint at each underside end before gringing them all flush.

That makes for less metal finishing to do on the top. Now I have only two pieces to move around instead of four.

Here is the formula for the Gray / Tan color that was inside the treasure chest and the bottom of my truck. I copied the color from a clean spot under the heat wrap for the defroster tube. There are other reports of a tan color on 1959 VWs. I have a theory that VW just dumped any leftover random paint into the underside paint vat that could explain the variety of colors we see.

Some photos were taken with a phone and others with a DSLR but the color is the same in person.

Epoxy primer then within two hours the finish coat applied to the underside. Half of one panel will get painted red for the engine area. These are so large I sprayed these outside. There is a mosquito or two that sacrificed themselves to ruin my paint. I will leave them right where they are. In the treasure chest!

Last time I attempted auto finishing was 20 years ago. The closer panel shows some orange peal texture. I added some reducer on the other panel and solved that. This is the first finish on anything. Is this a turning point for "Funky Truck"?
Kurt

Sat Mar 07, 2015 11:00 pm

Treasure chest urethane primer has revealed many very small flaws that I cannot live with. Catalyzed fillers harden too fast to fill so many pinholes so I am trying this 3M filler from a tube. The stuff may shrink a little but no matter I put on a little pile anyway. The bright color makes it easy to find spots I still need to sand. I just wanted you all to know I am still cranking away at it.
Kurt

Sun Mar 08, 2015 2:52 pm

Great work! Tripping off the pics, thank you for the untold time and effort you go through to share them.

Sun Mar 08, 2015 10:06 pm

Something random for a change. Does anyone know who is the best source for these?

I don't know what these Brazilian castings are made of but they are pretty rough. The molds that made them may be getting too old.

The one on the right was improved by sanding.

It looks like the old mold is getting misaligned and allowing too much flash.

320 sandpaper and a nail file. It was a long shot but it works!

Kurt

Sun Mar 15, 2015 11:15 pm

I should be getting the inside ready for paint so I can weld on the load bed but I was in the mood to blast. When one is in the mood to blast, one should take advantage and blast.

Six rims in bare steel. I ground off the heads and punched out all the hubcap clips.

The first one took two hours with the Horrible Fright siphon feed gun that came with the cabinet. After I fed the pressure blaster into the cabinet they were getting done at a rate that was much more fun. I set the pressure blaster up high to keep the feed hose short. More power!

Those replaceable plastic window protectors are a ripoff. I have an unlimited supply of old window glass so I just tape on a new piece when it gets too hard to see.
Kurt

Mon Mar 16, 2015 12:09 am

An essential part of the system is the dust collector. Without this I could see nothing through the window. The cyclone collects 99% of the blast dust before it goes into the vacuum thus keeping it's filter clean longer.

Kurt

Mon Mar 16, 2015 12:13 am

I never knew I had date codes under all that rust and paint. None match my year though.

Kurt

Mon Mar 16, 2015 4:21 am

Kurt your a legend , thanks for the tips . My 61 sc is getting some of your mods. Great pics too .

Mon Mar 16, 2015 3:26 pm

Kurt: For what its worth, I've taken old nasty, rusty, rims to Les Schwab and had them stripped and power coated white for about $21.00 each. I know some don't like power coated rims but I haven't had any problems.

Mon Mar 16, 2015 6:47 pm

That all looks great - I agree about the 'mood to blast' and needing a pressurised blaster... What is the cyclone you've got? I'm having real trouble with being able to see what I'm doing blasting bits on my low light SC...

Chris

Mon Mar 16, 2015 8:27 pm

Kurt,
I have that exact setup for dust collection on my sandblast cabinet. I find the Dust Deputy too small for use with stationary woodworking tools but it works fantastic for blasting. I also use spare pieces of glass. I have two layers in mine--an outer layer and sacrificial inside layer. Works awesome, and is cheap.
Truck looks fantastic.

Mon Mar 16, 2015 8:47 pm

Blasting these wheels reviled a few things. The white paint was very thin. The original black paint had a lot of runs, drips and puddles and there was no primer used.

How does one hold something to paint on all sides at once. The only spot on the wheel that does not get paint is on the bevel where the lug nuts contact. I used 1/4 washers and 5/16 threaded rod to make standoffs. Now I can handle the wheels without getting my fingerprints all over the bare steel. I can flip them over in wet paint without touching them.

I tightened the nuts until the washers contacted each other inside the hole.

I made a plywood and ball bearing lazy Susan to spin each wheel for painting. Next I will clean up the rough metal edges then phosphate acid wash.

Excellent! I get to answer some questions. The cyclone is a "Dust Deputy" but there are many others that work. I use mine for drywall sanding with a machine. Drywall dust will clog a vacuum in a minute without a cyclone pre filter.

The powder coat question:
I don't think I want that on my truck. It is thick and I cannot touch it up like I can with paint. I want my wheels to be black with only the white on the outside like stock. My old wheels are rather pitted from rust where the tire bead seals. I can repair that with filler before paint to get a good seal.

The other reason against powder coat is this:
This is just a hobby for me. It does not matter how efficient or cost effective it is. I am doing this for me. I wouldn't buy a puzzle and pay someone else to put it together for me.
This was a lot more fun than having them done by someone else.

Yup, I removed my tires by hand too.
Kurt

Tue Mar 17, 2015 7:45 am

Blasting when you are in the mood, it is true, and that glass, I could use a light on the inside of the cabinet sometimes it is so hard to see! :lol: Those wheel dates are fun to find ime, like a surprise every time.