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Dusty1
Samba Member
Joined: April 16, 2004
Posts: 1759
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 Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2023 6:22 am Post subject: Re: 1964 Chop Top Build |
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| banana split wrote: |
Decision made - the following weekend I head back to the shop with a friend and an enclosed cargo trailer in tow... I'm pulling the car.
A $4000 deposit and a year passes with nothing done is unacceptable.
So... I never got any of my money back  , I spent 2 days with the bug up on jack stands trying to clean my suspension and the whole body inside and out. What a nightmare. The sooner I can forget about this and put it past me the better off I'll be.
Now I have to find another shop... ugh!  |
Sorry for reminding you. 
I could see the slide down the slippery slope comin' when your guys started double- handling stuff.
First body shop sorts out some old work on the roof, fills it, primes it so the roof is ready for paint. Done!
Blasters take out all the fill everywhere including the roof. Roof was done before they un- did it.
Next shop sees some relatively rough work exposed by the blaster. Hey! It's a '64 chop top not a '53 Zwitter. If you want no bondo in a chop top there's a shop in Austin that can do it. But... when you've paid three times over to get it done already I can't see payin' another three times what it's worth to get it "right".
That's you in your yellow bikini in your avatar, right? Lotta "automotive professionals" aren't gettin' it at home so they screw every woman who walks through their door.
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| Busstom wrote: |
That stings, for sure (or stung...are we caught up yet?)
My sting is a 1,000 times worse, I'd take your mess in a New York minute over my mess. My concrete contractor just burned me, bad, real bad...
Anyway, yeah, I feel the sting. $4k and no work done on your project? I'd have one less "friend" at that point. Sorry to hear about that one. |
Wait! Wait! I know this one.
My old man is a construction management consultant, retired. He's a dick but he had to be. He got paid to babysit guys who would just as soon take every shortcut. If you're payin' big bucks for a contractor to do something take the day off and supervise. A day's lost wages is chump change compared to what it takes to jackhammer out botched concrete and do it over. That's if it doesn't get hung up in court for the rest of your life.
Same applies to bodywork. It costs a lot more to have a professional to re- do amateur work than it costs to have it done right to begin with.
A retired NYC detective / 911 First Responder told me this:
"If you see bad things that means bad things are happening.
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Dusty1
Samba Member
Joined: April 16, 2004
Posts: 1759
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| Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2023 6:30 am Post subject: Re: 1964 Chop Top Build |
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| banana split wrote: |
You'd never know this started life as a '64. Now it looks like an oval window from every angle  |
You sure you don't want to have a split section spliced in?!
Super nice car! Seems the way to achieve perfection is to do it over a few times.
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markendee
Samba Member
Joined: April 30, 2009
Posts: 292
Location: Kyabram, Australia
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| Posted: Wed May 22, 2024 8:04 pm Post subject: Re: 1964 Chop Top Build |
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Hi, just read your whole thread - OMG.
I think most of us have a bad panel beater story but yours takes the kuchen.
Car looking great in your last post, any updates?
Regards,
Mark.
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banana split
Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2002
Posts: 1108
Location: Beautiful British Columbia Canada
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| Posted: Fri Nov 29, 2024 10:16 am Post subject: Re: 1964 Chop Top Build |
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Well after sitting in hibernation for the last 2 years I'm back on it. Rolled it out of the garage a few months ago and have been chipping away :
- front & rear hood seals installed
- fender beading installed
- engine compartment seals installed
Old man winter is starting to roll in so I'll see what I can get done before things start to freeze.
_________________
My Beetles :
1951 Crotch Cooler 11G Split Ragtop
1953 Zwitter
1964 Chop Top |
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WrennMetallWerks
Samba Member
Joined: December 06, 2007
Posts: 3191
Location: Rescue ca
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banana split
Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2002
Posts: 1108
Location: Beautiful British Columbia Canada
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| Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2024 10:12 am Post subject: Re: 1964 Chop Top Build |
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Boxing up my speedo this week to send to Thorsten at krautclassicparts. He'll work his magic on it and make it like new again.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=970209
I'll post up photos of the "after" when it's all done.
_________________
My Beetles :
1951 Crotch Cooler 11G Split Ragtop
1953 Zwitter
1964 Chop Top |
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banana split
Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2002
Posts: 1108
Location: Beautiful British Columbia Canada
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| Posted: Wed Dec 11, 2024 2:41 pm Post subject: Re: 1964 Chop Top Build |
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Small steps forward... I had asked the body shop to make sure the door handle holes were clean and free of any bondo blobs. Guess they forgot 
Had to take a sharp razor blade and file to remove it all... very carefully!
And both sides finished along with paint touch-ups around the edges :
_________________
My Beetles :
1951 Crotch Cooler 11G Split Ragtop
1953 Zwitter
1964 Chop Top |
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banana split
Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2002
Posts: 1108
Location: Beautiful British Columbia Canada
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| Posted: Wed Dec 11, 2024 2:54 pm Post subject: Re: 1964 Chop Top Build |
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The splines on the driver's side door release pivot are mangled. That will be replaced with a new one. I also repainted the release rods gloss black.
Passenger side door will receive an NOS German door lock from my stash :
Pulled the original driver's side lock and cleaned, degreased and hit with paint stripper to remove old yellow over spray :
Turned out pretty nice.
_________________
My Beetles :
1951 Crotch Cooler 11G Split Ragtop
1953 Zwitter
1964 Chop Top |
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banana split
Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2002
Posts: 1108
Location: Beautiful British Columbia Canada
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| Posted: Wed Dec 11, 2024 3:02 pm Post subject: Re: 1964 Chop Top Build |
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The original door contact switches for the interior light were looking pretty ugly. I decided to buy some brand new repro's but I don't like the quality. I dug through my parts collection and came up with another pair of German switches that came from a '67 I parted out years ago.
Probably spent a good hour+ detailing these - soap & hot water, toothbrush and steel wool, acid to clean the copper and followed up with some metal polish. Add some new seals and they look great 
_________________
My Beetles :
1951 Crotch Cooler 11G Split Ragtop
1953 Zwitter
1964 Chop Top |
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banana split
Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2002
Posts: 1108
Location: Beautiful British Columbia Canada
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| Posted: Wed Dec 11, 2024 3:14 pm Post subject: Re: 1964 Chop Top Build |
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And some parts acquisitions :
NOS German 1958-1964 SWF wiper shafts from my collection all cleaned up and ready to go :
NOS German 1956-1959 door handles with NOS seals :
NOS 12V Hella horn, 12V conversion armature and a NOS screw terminal wiper motor :
This is an NOS 4 terminal headlight switch that I had installed in my 1953 Zwitter years ago. Decided I needed this for the chop top since I'm installing a 1954 wiring harness and this is the correct switch for '54. I also acquired a correct "Zwitter only" switch so it was time to do the swap. The Zwitt now has the correct switch and the chop top will have this one. Took some time to clean and polish it up :
_________________
My Beetles :
1951 Crotch Cooler 11G Split Ragtop
1953 Zwitter
1964 Chop Top |
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Stephan Schmidt
Samba Member
Joined: March 26, 2002
Posts: 215
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
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| Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2024 10:01 am Post subject: Re: 1964 Chop Top Build |
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| Nice work Jason! |
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banana split
Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2002
Posts: 1108
Location: Beautiful British Columbia Canada
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| Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2025 10:36 am Post subject: Re: 1964 Chop Top Build |
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Just received my speedometer back from Thorsten at krautclassicparts. Looks like a piece of jewelry! This is his "show car" restoration which included a new needle, new chrome bezel, replating of the housing and repainting of the tripometer digits. I supplied the NOS chrome trip reset knob.
_________________
My Beetles :
1951 Crotch Cooler 11G Split Ragtop
1953 Zwitter
1964 Chop Top |
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