TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sun Oct 09, 2022 4:51 am

So I just got this car home. It's been sitting since 1978 when the first owner put it away in his barn. The guy I bought it from purhased it 1999 and put it on the loft of his own barn instead. Its been stored there since then.

Story with the paint job is that the original paint (stratos silver) went really bad, allmost white so it had a respray at some time.

Seems very complete for a car that is from '54, floor is not that bad either.

Car loaded for the trip home, all tires kept air and we managed to get the frozen right rear to release :)

Engine is frozen, but that is a later worry

Interior bits

Stuff.

Floorpans. Right hand heater channel is bust, left one has bad repairs too.

Sun Oct 09, 2022 5:33 am

First owners badge, lived a couple of km's away from where I fetched it.

Luggage compartment in good shape. Spare wheel tray no so..

Sun Oct 09, 2022 5:39 am

Very cool. You lucked out, it’s a nice one. Gotta love the early stuff.

Sun Oct 09, 2022 6:46 am

I own a 54, and your car is super clean! Do you have all the fenders? Any hits to it?

Congratulations!

Sun Oct 09, 2022 7:05 am

Thanks!

I have the front fenders, rears has gone amiss long time ago. Fronts are salvageable with lots of work and skill that i lack. I guess it will be replica parts in all four corners. There will be pictures of rust and horror repairs done in the 70's to follow..

Sun Oct 09, 2022 9:11 am

Nice car! Does the rear apron appear to have been replaced? I didn't think the exhaust cutouts came in to play until later in 1955 but maybe they were standard earlier in Europe.
The interior bits you have are in great shape. Here's hoping you enjoy the journey of getting this bug back on the road.

Sun Oct 09, 2022 11:15 am

Thanks! Rear apron seems to have been cut for a later muffler at some stage. Holes are way ugly for factory fit :)

Interior was stored away from car, indoors for many years. Been vacuuming floorpans tody and they seem ok-ish but for a few holes next to the right hand heater channel.

The only problem with the interior is drivers side backrest. Wear and tear..

Sun Oct 09, 2022 5:52 pm

Nice find!

Mon Oct 10, 2022 11:36 am

Thanks Jimbo! Less rust than yours but still some fun and games with welding ahead. It seems to have the original engine in it as VIN and engine number are both September 1954.

Mon Oct 10, 2022 7:54 pm

BBursell wrote: Thanks Jimbo! Less rust than yours but still some fun and games with welding ahead. It seems to have the original engine in it as VIN and engine number are both September 1954.

What’s the fun in that? I am joking! If you need any measurements or body panel shots feel free to hit me up. I posted most of them
In my thread but not ALL of them!

That’s cool if you have an original numbers matching vehicle. Have you gotten the Birth Certificate to verify them?

I am so jealous of those interior pieces. Wish mine came with more of an interior that was salvageable. Lucky guy!

Looking forward to watching you work through this Bug! Good luck!

Tue Oct 11, 2022 7:58 am

VW_Jimbo wrote:
That’s cool if you have an original numbers matching vehicle. Have you gotten the Birth Certificate to verify them?

No Birth certificate, but I have enough history on it to believe it is untouched except for rust repairs and a outside respray some time due to oxidizing original paint. I allso got lots of documentation including the original registration papers from 1954, service documents, yearly inspection reports etc. It mentions rust issues sometime in 1972 and that was cleared so I guess the sills was welded up by then (badly). I might even find a reciept for that job in there but mice have turned a lot of the paperwork into shreds..

Tue Oct 11, 2022 8:12 am

BBursell wrote:

Stuff.

Hi, hope you can help... could you possibly send me some closeups of the armrest, in particular how the beading is terminated? I lost mine in a fire and I cant find any good ref pics in the gallery.

Yours is the best picture so far!!! any more detail would be great.

Thanks in advance! :)

Tue Oct 11, 2022 10:13 am

Happy to help :)

Tue Oct 11, 2022 10:02 pm

BBursell wrote: Happy to help :)

Awesome! thank you

Sun Oct 23, 2022 11:03 am

So I finally managed to get this car into my very disorganised workshop and on the lift as I got my old Saab two-smoker operational again (93b from 1959). Two hours of work with a comealong and strops. Thist car does not roll easilly after mostly standing about from 1978. Yes, tailpipes seems sad. rear apron has been butchered for a later muffler at some time.

Got the glass out and this is the only damage to the window sills found

It's worse here.. (right hand side is worse off overall)

Overall the pan seems to be in oood shape. Will se if that still holds true after undercoat is stripped..

Sun Oct 23, 2022 6:23 pm

WOW! That is some rust! You got some work to do!

Mon Oct 24, 2022 6:22 am

VW_Jimbo wrote: WOW! That is some rust! You got some work to do! That's bad rust in California. Possibly not even salvageable. It's what they call surface rust in other places.

Mon Oct 24, 2022 6:39 am

D. Haviland wrote: VW_Jimbo wrote: WOW! That is some rust! You got some work to do! That's bad rust in California. Possibly not even salvageable. It's what they call surface rust in other places.

Ha! Being from the rust belt I see that and I'm thinking it's not that bad. We've brought way worse back from the dead.
That interior is sweet! Sure has the potential to be a great car when it's done

Mon Oct 24, 2022 7:40 am

Salt and gravel roads. This is the result..

Mon Oct 24, 2022 7:41 am

VW_Jimbo wrote: WOW! That is some rust! You got some work to do!

I believe your project is worse than mine ;)