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Mon Oct 29, 2018 3:07 pm

This will be the “build thread” for my ’56 Single Cab truck that I bought last month. Although, I’m not exactly building it, I am “Preserving” it. Back in 2010, guy from the UK who’s samba name is “Last Triumph” found an Oval Beetle in a barn and did something that I found to be inspiring and groundbreaking. He completely disassembled the car, cleaned and “preserved” everything. Replaced seals and made things 100% mechanically perfect. But if I remember correctly, he painted nothing. The 76 page thread is here:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

And I am not really into naming my cars BTW, but a friend in California gave it the nickname “Lori” (a la UK “Lorrie”) and it kind of stuck.
I am adopting a “Paint nothing” mantra with this single cab as well. Well mostly, read on. My plan is to go over the truck entirely and preserve everything. It has its original engine which is one of the things that attracted me to it. And patina everywhere. And it is very well used and dented and bent in a lot of places. But I am not going to allow myself to straighten anything either, unless it is needed to restore function. As I’ve started to go over this truck I am realizing that this damage is part of its history and character.

I will replace all seals and will probably paint the treasure chest floor with some kind of rust inhibitor. It is pretty solid and I want it to stay that way. I will also use an epoxy trick to close up the few small holes in the cargo bed as I don’t want any water to leak through, and then clearcoat it. I will pull the engine in a few weeks and start a rebuild. Yes, I know the bumpers are not correct, I am looking for some nice patina’ed original ones (Anyone? Anyone??)

And I will be driving it next spring.

So lots of pics and details coming, and lots of questions too! I have owned Beetles for the past 38 years, but this is my first type 2. Really cool truck, and I love the simplicity of it.

Some other pics and info from the day I got this truck home here:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=709198&start=0

Mon Oct 29, 2018 6:31 pm

Lorrie looks like fun.

Will this preservation include stripping paint back to the original Dove blue?

Mon Oct 29, 2018 7:20 pm

I am soooooooo subscribed John! It was fun to watch you that day and see you decide to buy your (first) Transporter. You got a good one. Enjoy!

Bill Bowman

Mon Oct 29, 2018 8:48 pm

nlorntson wrote: Lorrie looks like fun.

Will this preservation include stripping paint back to the original Dove blue?

Not sure on that yet. I really like the the different layers showing in different places, cracks and chips and all. At least short term, I think I am going to leave it as is, and just take of the loose, flaking stuff.

Tue Oct 30, 2018 7:28 am

johnshenry wrote:
I am adopting a “Paint nothing” mantra with this single cab as well. Well mostly, read on. My plan is to go over the truck entirely and preserve everything. It has its original engine which is one of the things that attracted me to it. And patina everywhere. And it is very well used and dented and bent in a lot of places. But I am not going to allow myself to straighten anything either, unless it is needed to restore function. As I’ve started to go over this truck I am realizing that this damage is part of its history and character.

I love your approach to this one. A preservation is easier and more fun than a restoration, and the truck will look like a real truck, not like every other restored shiny new truck. There are some cars which must be totally restored, but this one is a great preservation candidate.

Beware, buses can be addictive. You start off easy with a singlecab, then you go to a show and hang out with the bus guys, and start thinking a camper would be nice, just for shows. Next thing you know you are scouring the classifieds for a deluxe, because you might need to take 7 people out to dinner sometime.....

Tue Oct 30, 2018 7:48 am

Lind wrote: johnshenry wrote:
I am adopting a “Paint nothing” mantra with this single cab as well. Well mostly, read on. My plan is to go over the truck entirely and preserve everything. It has its original engine which is one of the things that attracted me to it. And patina everywhere. And it is very well used and dented and bent in a lot of places. But I am not going to allow myself to straighten anything either, unless it is needed to restore function. As I’ve started to go over this truck I am realizing that this damage is part of its history and character.

I love your approach to this one. A preservation is easier and more fun than a restoration, and the truck will look like a real truck, not like every other restored shiny new truck. There are some cars which must be totally restored, but this one is a great preservation candidate.

Beware, buses can be addictive. You start off easy with a singlecab, then you go to a show and hang out with the bus guys, and start thinking a camper would be nice, just for shows. Next thing you know you are scouring the classifieds for a deluxe, because you might need to take 7 people out to dinner sometime.....

I was wondering how i ended up with a deluxe, westy and now a SC.... :lol: :lol:

Tue Oct 30, 2018 9:42 am

zuggbug wrote:

I was wondering how i ended up with a deluxe, westy and now a SC.... :lol: :lol:

you went backwards. must have figured out that you don't like people... :lol:

Tue Oct 30, 2018 10:43 am

Very cool, I like your approach! That's kinda what I'm doing with my 66 bug.

Tue Oct 30, 2018 2:53 pm

:popcorn:

Tue Oct 30, 2018 6:16 pm

Nice single cab!

Mon Nov 05, 2018 9:35 pm

Ok, here is the first question/mystery. Aren't the bullet mount "hats" supposed to welded into the nose skin? Mine aren't, but held in place by some very small, low profile head, slotted sheet metal screws. No sign that I can see that the nose skin was replaced (tell me where to look to tell???) and the metal around the lights on the backside is perfectly straight.

And there are other big holes in the flange on the mounts that you can see on the backside, maybe from spot welds being drilled out?

Any ideas??

Mon Nov 05, 2018 9:38 pm

johnshenry wrote: Ok, here is the first question/mystery. Aren't the bullet mount "hats" supposed to welded into the nose skin? Mine aren't, but held in place by some very small, low profile head, slotted sheet metal screws. No sign that I can see that the nose skin was replaced (tell me where to look to tell???) and the metal around the lights on the backside is perfectly straight.

And there are other big holes in the flange on the mounts that you can see on the backside, maybe from spot welds being drilled out?

Any ideas??

Man if I were you, I’d start diggin on them pillars for some buried semaphore treasures. Lol

Mon Nov 05, 2018 10:12 pm

Skim wrote:
Man if I were you, I’d start diggin on them pillars for some buried semaphore treasures. Lol

Interesting you mention that because it is missing the brown bakelite box flasher that was used in '55-'57 Beetles that had the first bullets/flashing turn signals, I presume that buses of those years used them to? I restore those so I am familiar with them, and why they need to be so complex. OTOH, lots of people gave up on trying to get them to work and cobbled in some kind of auto parts store tin can flasher, which is what this SC has now...

Tue Nov 06, 2018 7:03 am

Here ya go John, I stole this photo from another esteemed John also known as "hazetguy" who just posted it in another thread on wiring. You can clearly see your brown bakelite flasher unit in place. The photo address is below, not sure how to make the photo post up here though...

Bill Bowman

Tue Nov 06, 2018 7:12 am

BulliBill wrote: Here ya go John, I stole this photo from another esteemed John also known as "hazetguy" who just posted it in another thread on wiring. You can clearly see your brown bakelite flasher unit in place. The photo address is below, not sure how to make the photo post up here though...

Bill Bowman

Thanks, at least I can see how it is mounted. Typical in that pic though, they have unwired it, and cobbled in a "can" flasher.

Tue Dec 18, 2018 9:51 pm

I've not done much more with this truck as I am forcing myself to get some other projects done first as I know once I get into it, it will be hard to tear myself away from it And one such project is the completion of the original engine for my '57 Beetle that will free up the '59 36hp that is in it now as a temporary pusher for the singlecab if needed.

Still curious about the those screwed in front turn signals. After someone posted about "buried semaphore treasures" above I bought cheap magnetic paint thickness gauge and checked a few spots today. The paint on the B pillar just below the door sill line IS much thicker than above it. I had no idea where the sems in a SC really were, so I searched on "semaphore singlecab" in the gallery and saw a couple and saw that the sems were above the door window sill line.

But then, looking at the thread on the '57 SC resto from Austia, I see this:

Whhhaaa? That is exactly where the paint is thicker on my SC. So, my question is (without grinding just yet), what else can I look for detail wise to confirm, or dispel that this is a semaphore truck??

I'll check the paint thickness on the other side tomorrow.

Wed Dec 19, 2018 3:07 am

johnshenry wrote: . So, my question is (without grinding just yet), what else can I look for detail wise to confirm, or dispel that this is a semaphore truck??.

I'd start by checking the VIN against this page on progressive refinements...

(See top and middle right. VINs prefixed 20-) In that case, I'd translate 'optional for USA' to mean it was different to european production, rather than the owner could choose indicators or semaphores. Those sorts of changes tended to be driven by legislation.

Also, owners tend to be lazy when making those sorts of changes. If semaphores were removed, maybe they just cut the wiring loom and left it in situ?

Not sure where it would have run to the semaphores. I can only imagine it went up the screen pillars, along the side of the roof channel above the roof trim panels and down through the false wall at the back of the cab? There's no enclosed route to the B-pillar from below on my late '56 single cab that would shield the wiring from damage from road debris etc. Up and over seems more likely?

Wed Dec 19, 2018 3:18 am

Glass Sekurit not Sigla, centre brake light with euro taillights and no reflectors in the rear. Headlights!... Maybe some remnants of green/black or white/black wiring above the doors running down into the b pillar.

Wed Dec 19, 2018 6:43 am

johnshenry wrote: BulliBill wrote: Here ya go John, I stole this photo from another esteemed John also known as "hazetguy" who just posted it in another thread on wiring. You can clearly see your brown bakelite flasher unit in place. The photo address is below, not sure how to make the photo post up here though...

Bill Bowman

Thanks, at least I can see how it is mounted. Typical in that pic though, they have unwired it, and cobbled in a "can" flasher.
That's exactly how the flasher was mounted in my '56 (built Aug/Sept '55). Wish I could find a pic of it. I didn't know what to think when I first saw it...this cool-looking box hanging obliquely off the side of the fuse panel...at first I thought the previous owner had wired in some aftermarket thingamajig...

Wed Dec 19, 2018 8:14 am

Wouldn’t a 56 truck have semaphores above the belt line?

PR lists that they were moved down below the belt line at 247199 - April ‘57.

Those bullets look cut in - also, isn’t that red paint behind there? Maybe the nose came from a semaphore deluxe?