TheSamba.com :: View topic - 57 Canadian Oval

Sat Feb 26, 2022 8:29 pm

Hello Oval community,

An opportunity presented itself and as you can see by the pictures, I jumped on it. I am a newbie beetle owner and not as mechanically capable as I would like to be but have committed to taking care of this car. I have a full schedule for any free time I happen to get to learn, read and and sort out this new to me 57 Oval. I am excited to see where it goes and appreciative of the information found in this forum. For now I am sorting through a proper strategy for a car like this and having a reputable local shop give me a professional assessment of its state. Here is a few pictures for now.

Sat Feb 26, 2022 9:29 pm

This car is Preservation Class material, it's that original.

If the shop tries to sell you a full restoration, walk away.

Was this car originally sold in Montreal?

Sat Feb 26, 2022 9:53 pm

I believe it was originally from Edmonton but not certain at the moment.

It’s almost entirely original as best I can tell. Originals glass, body and cloth interior, head liner ect. Has all the original handles, knobs and chrome I believe. The motor is 57 but not original. Front is weathered more than the rest of the car but only one soft rust spot by the drivers side jack stand.

Shop isn’t really pushing me in any direction. Compression is at 95 in 3 out of the 4, crank is their biggest concern. Some electric work, steering needs attention and some other small details. Trans is leaking but manageable.

Sat Feb 26, 2022 10:03 pm

Awesome!

She looks beautiful!!

More pics please!! Would love to see the dash, trunk area, motor and even underneath!

Congrats!! :wink:

Sat Feb 26, 2022 10:27 pm

I should have taken better pictures before I dropped it off at the shop but here’s a few more.

Sat Feb 26, 2022 10:47 pm

Beautiful! Thanks for the pics.

Learn as much as you can. Be as involved as you can. You'll grow to love her more every step of the way! :wink: 8)

Sat Feb 26, 2022 11:37 pm

Judging by the amount of snow I would say this is not Winnipeg.

That engine definitely needs to come apart. Other than that probably all new brakes and axle boots. Yup, lots to do.

Good luck, we're here to help.

Don

Sun Feb 27, 2022 7:23 am

It's very simple.

A very through cleaning and detailing of the paint work and upholstery. Repair of anything that needs attention.

New German Square weave carpet pieces to replace the missing pieces and a correct distributor. Do some derusting of the bumpers and hubcaps. New running board rubber covers and trim If you can find original parts that have similar patina, all the better.

The engine might need to be rebuilt or at least refreshed depending on the condition and how long it has been since it ran.

Nothing should be repainted or restored. If that is the original paint, that is amazing but even if it's a respray, it looks nice and will clean up nicely.

Cars that clean and original don't come around that often. Doing a restoration would be a crime.

Sun Feb 27, 2022 8:50 am

That’s great feedback splitjunkie and helps me sort out what should or should not be done to a car of this era.

It is the original paint and I was leaning on leaving it for now and enjoying it.

I’m regards to the interior, any comments on how clean it can get without damaging the original materials?

And finally the drivetrain, the motor is period correct but not matching numbers. I am debating updating to 12v with a new 1600/Tran and then working/learning how to rebuild the 1200/Tran that’s in it now. Any opinions on engine strategy?

Sun Feb 27, 2022 8:54 am

What does the dealer sticker on the deck lid say?
Car looks very similar to one a friend from here sold to someone in Edmonton about 10 years ago.

Sun Feb 27, 2022 8:55 am

sunroof wrote: Judging by the amount of snow I would say this is not Winnipeg.

That engine definitely needs to come apart. Other than that probably all new brakes and axle boots. Yup, lots to do.

Good luck, we're here to help.

Don
There really hasn’t been much snow this year out our way. I’m sure it’s going to make for a fire filled summer.

Re-brakes, yes, needs some minor work but came back in relatively good condition. I’m reading about moving to discs and if I should make the change.

Sun Feb 27, 2022 8:59 am

Trevor P wrote: What does the dealer sticker on the deck lid say?
Car looks very similar to one a friend from here sold to someone in Edmonton about 10 years ago.

I haven’t been able to make it out. It does seem to have EDM at the start of one word.

The person I bought it from owned it for 3 years but couldn’t get to it so just kept I’m storage. They did purchase from a person in or near Edmonton though.

Sun Feb 27, 2022 9:43 am

Here is the original invoice for your car (or its identical twin)...

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/dealers/...beetle.jpg

Sun Feb 27, 2022 10:03 am

janerick3 wrote: Here is the original invoice for your car (or its identical twin)...

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/dealers/...beetle.jpg

Wow. That’s crazy. How did you find that? That’s the Vin. Very cool.

Sun Feb 27, 2022 10:13 am

Mayall57 wrote: janerick3 wrote: Here is the original invoice for your car (or its identical twin)...

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/dealers/...beetle.jpg

Wow. That’s crazy. How did you find that? That’s the Vin. Very cool.

I spent about 5 minutes going through the Canadian dealer listings looking for "Popular Auto" and found the dealership in Montreal...

Sun Feb 27, 2022 10:14 am

Leave it ALL original, cant find em like this anymore, feel lucky youve had opportunity to be the steward of this fine car,..no on upgrades...no disc brakes, no 1600, no on later trans
What you have is very special.

Sun Feb 27, 2022 10:35 am

Mayall57 wrote: That’s great feedback splitjunkie and helps me sort out what should or should not be done to a car of this era.

It is the original paint and I was leaning on leaving it for now and enjoying it.

I’m regards to the interior, any comments on how clean it can get without damaging the original materials?

And finally the drivetrain, the motor is period correct but not matching numbers. I am debating updating to 12v with a new 1600/Tran and then working/learning how to rebuild the 1200/Tran that’s in it now. Any opinions on engine strategy?

keep that car as original as possible, the 36hp and split case trans is the way to go.

Where are you in Canada ? I am in Quebec city and working on my OG 56 cabriolet. try to keep it as stock as possible:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=310869&start=520

Sun Feb 27, 2022 10:39 am

I had the same. issue on my decklid:

and here is how I solved it:

Sun Feb 27, 2022 11:04 am

Mayall57 wrote:
And finally the drivetrain, the motor is period correct but not matching numbers. I am debating updating to 12v with a new 1600/Tran and then working/learning how to rebuild the 1200/Tran that’s in it now. Any opinions on engine strategy?

I'd bet the majority will advise against this. This is *our* car now (lol!) . WE are going to help you/US keep it original for US.

Seriously though, preserved cars are typically much more desirable than cars with any modifications. It's not the 70's or even 80's anymore, you're NOT going to be using the car for any major commuting or have to rely on it for transportation regularly so you WILL want it to drive the way it was meant to drive. Even changing it to 12V requires some modification that's not very fun to reverse.
The $$ you would spend on a different engine and trans is MUCH better used to preserve it. Don't cut wires, don't discard ANY parts (yet).
Inventory and clean and enjoy the process. The way it is you have something pretty unique and special and rare. It's ok and expected you'll add a little of you own *flavor* to it, just avoid modernizing ANYTHING.

Sun Feb 27, 2022 11:49 am

Cars of this condition are very rare. Cars that are solid but have had a lot of changes along the way are very common.

To take an original paint, original interior '57 and change anything on it would be a waste.

If you are set on modifying a bug, sell this one to a serious collector who will conserve and preserve it. Buy a run of the mill oval if you want to do a restomod.

I would add, that given it's originality, you could sell this car for much more money than you could buy a run of the mill oval and all of the parts you want.

As they say, they are only original once.