1957 Oval newbie needs advice

[motofly196]

I agree, looks like the painter did a very thorough job of changing the color. If the fenders were left on, you could peek under the fender welting and see if the original color is still there. Or look in the engine bay and look under the decklid seal, or rear apron rubber plugs. Those areas people tend to cut corners on a full re-spray.
No color tags were on VW's, but you can cross reference the color in the Technical Section and see what looks closest to the original color.
Most primer/ sealer colors that I've seen are close to a G5 (light grey), but I have seen a lot of early cars and buses with black sealer and a G5 high build primer.
Someone took a lot of time to do a pretty decent paint job on your car, I would leave it as is. Stripping that car back to original paint would be tedious and probably not worth it! That's a great candidate for a mechanical's only rebuild and drive!

[boxkiteflyer]

You have a nice find! Strato Silver isn't a 'normal' color for this year car but it could be a holdover for the next year's sales market as one poster suggested. I did a lot of research on this because I, too, have a '57 and am going through great lengths to restore it properly. If you have time try to get the tank color scanned so that a paint match can be made. You might need to remove the tank for proper refurb anyway. There doesn't seem to be much info about the correct color on original tanks. Even proper black replacement tanks are painted incorrectly at times!

[djfordmanjack]

[joey1320]

What a find. Buy it, bring it to safe operating conditions and enjoy.
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**1971 Super Project
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

[56Cabrio]

[djfordmanjack]

[boxkiteflyer]

Do you have your chassis number? 1957 is from 1246619 to 1600439. L324 Polar Silver Metallic was a color offered. L227 Strato Silver was not offered for '57. I painted my '57 (Chassis 1592036) L227 and it is darker than what appears you have on your car. When I croak and someone gets my car they will be hard pressed to know its original color because the whole thing was taken to bare metal and repainted!

[heimlich]

Buy it. Drive it. Love it.
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[a57oval]

Cman,
Very nice car. I am voting the car is L324 Polar Silver.
When you order your birth certificate make sure you include your engine number in your request. VW used to give this info when you ordered one but now they verify the number you provide.
If I were you I would Buy a Bentley manual and a copy of Progressive Refinements. Both are excellent sources of information for the car.
On your wheels you will find a production date that may vary within a month or two of the serial number. That may help you determine which wheels are original and which are not.
Some advice: before you touch the car with a wrench take hundreds ( no exaggeration) of photos of every nook and crannie of the car. These will become priceless when you are reassembling. They are also valuable when documenting the original condition. Whenever I restored a car for a customer I always took at least 200 pics of the car before I even touched it. By the time I was done with the restoration the customer would have a USB stick with 800 to 1000 photos. Back up your pics!
Don't throw away anything. That wiper switch that doesn't work will serve as a pattern for the new one and can often be refurbished to work.
Parts: Try really hard to stay away from Cheap reproduction junk. There are so many counterfeit parts out there this is easy to say but hard to practice.
Source: Use this website. The breadth of knowledge in here is insane. If your a stickler for accuracy you have come to the right place.
As you know from working on previous projects: double your budget and double your time frame.

A reference car:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=571100&highlight=berman+polar+silver

Cool car,
Peter

[aa390392]

All the above is correct,but Im thinking your car, isnt in need of a complete restore,"only old was once " frame of mind, also another good source is Johnshenry bugshop.org. just search Johnshenry......well documented restore of his oval...his an engineer/anal retentive, good thing....very precise.
Thomas
Btw where do you live?
_________________
.
getting grumpy & less tolerant!


55 ragtop
56 delux sedan
56 Kabriolet

[Cman]

Thank you, Peter.

Great advice!

The car is en-route, but it may be a while before I see it first hand due to my travel schedule.

Boxkiteflyer, based on the charts on this site it shows as a November 56 build - same for the engine.

I'll be happy to share documentation of the progress here, after I decide what to do with it. Seller tells me there are original chalk marks under the rear seat. Not sure how rare that is.

If this were an E-type or 911 I could restore it in my sleep. I've done those in my past life. But here I'm a newbie and need advice, hence the title.

I'm glad I came to this forum. The posters and ensuing debates are helpful. I've seen other sites spin out of control but there is a welcome sanity here, based on actual experience. Whether I restore it or preserve it, I need to do something with the LF fender and signal light. I'd like to find good used parts rather than risk cheesy repops - unless someone knows a great source. Fender might be repairable, but I'd prefer clean metal if possible.

Thanks to all of the helpful advice!

Cman

[Cman]

Thank you Thomas,
This car is bound for Long Island NY.

If it turns out to be some kind of benchmark, I'll be happy to make it available in person or in photos.

I recently acquired a 68 Chevy pick up from a former NASA engineer. It was his prized possession. The nexus between engineers and car people often yields amazing results. I'll be checking out Johnshenry for sure!

CM

[a57oval]

Cman,
If you know your E-types and 911's you are all too aware of parts issues as well as the time and money necessary to make the car right.
A couple of threads that you may enjoy:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=506556

Sadly none of Last Triumph's photos come up ( at least not for me)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

By the way, if you do in fact find out that the car is L324 and you need a dead nuts matching formula in Glasurit 55 line PM me. It took me forever to nail it but I must say the color is spot on.
Finally, a competent metal man can fix that fender with very little filler involved. If you decided to replace it do your research here on the Samba. Lots of little nuances in fenders. Double check this: That fender I believe is only for model years 56 and 57. US Market.
Peter

[Cman]

Hello, and Happy New Year!

Since my last post I’ve had a chance to see my new acquisition first hand. Chassis, body and engine all seem to match and are (I believe) original to the car. Build date November of 1956.

I’ve ordered the birth certificate, read bugshop.org (very entertaining and informative) and viewed Mr. Berman’s car with great interest on this forum.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=571100&highlight=berman+polar+silver

His car is also located on Long Island, and If he’s reading this, I would truly appreciate seeing it in person someday.

On mine, I found that it has been repainted. It looks like the car is originally Polar Silver with an OLD respray in Stratos Silver. I read that the metallic colors on these cars didn’t hold up real well, so that makes sense.

Floors are very solid, so too the heater channels. There is some minor rust-through next to the battery and some by the right side spring plate. (That’s what we call them on Porsches. Not Sure VW nomenclature.)

I have an antenna, but no radio …puzzling.

Both of my vent windows are seized (I started soaking them) and both handles are snapped off. I have the handles. Looks like pot metal frame that failed. Are replacement frames available?

Doors close great, gaps are good. Rear body/bumper seems to have suffered a minor impact. No filler that I can see, but the bumper is swayed to one side.

The engine lid support spring is removed (I have it) and the inner structure is torn. Is this common? Should I repair it or look for a replacement?

The headliner is obviously shot and all the rubber glass/body seals are rock-hard.

Interesting chalk marks under the seat.

I’m still trying to determine if I should preserve or restore. Based on what I’ve written and the pics provided, I appreciate any comments or advice.
Here's a few more photos showing condition of what I suspect are problem areas:

Are all gas tanks of this vintage supposed to be grey? Mine is matte black, but it doesn’t look new. Also the spare tire well is in tact but paper-thin. Maybe a tiny hole or two, but I can flex it with one finger.

Was the chrome on these bumpers bright and shiny or more of a matte finish? Mine aren’t pitted, but they are of the matte variety.

Am I nuts to consider a refresh without separating the body from the chassis?

Thanks again for your help!

[VolkFanJefe]

Great Score! Either way you decide to go.... You've got a great car. Have fun!

[blacksheep214]

You have a great car - and either way it will be nice.
The bumbers should be shiny. With the fight metal-polish, maybe they will turn shiny again?

Even though your car has been resprayed - I would restore all chassistuff and under and inside (new headliner etc) - but not paint it.

The beautiful vintage look your car has, is few and far between.

[Cman]

It’s been a while since my last post, but been slowly making progress.

I have since received the birth certificate and found the car to originally be painted Polar Silver. Body and chassis match and engine is original to the car. Build date is November of 1956.
The car was apparently repainted Stratos Silver many moons ago. I’ve decided to keep the body as is and perhaps restore the interior- at least replace the missing headliner and install new carpets. The seats and door panels are not too bad…

I removed and flushed the fuel tank and used Evaporust on the inside. I put about 4 gallons in, and rotated the tank every 24 hours for 4 days. If you haven’t used the stuff, it’s amazing. The tank looks brand new inside now, and it was pure rust before. As near as I can tell the car sat for at least 18 years, possibly much longer. I thought about coating it, but decided not. I’ll just keep fuel in it. I was worried that a coating would peel off and create a mess. I researched and bought a can of Red-Kote from Damon products. It seems to have the best reviews, but I never used it. Replaced the fuel tap valve (original was pretty seized up), and screen, flushed the line, rebuilt the fuel pump and carburetor. All went smooth except I couldn’t remove the emulsion tube so I left it alone, thinking I would damage the carb body if I tried.

I tried to rebuild the brake master cylinder, but opted for a new one, replaced the reservoir and bled the bakes. Replaced points & condenser, plugs, distributor cap and rotor, changed the oil, new 6v battery and she fired right up (I put automatic transmission fluid in the cylinders months ago). The starter stayed engaged at first and would not release nor stop cranking even though I released the ignition switch. I disconnected the battery and it stopped, and the problem has never returned.


Anyhow, it fired right up and I drove it around a bit. It needs tires (date codes on the old ones are from 1969 and 1970). I ordered a set of Verdestien Sprint Classic radial blackwalls, and dismounted the old tires. I thought it odd that they are called “summer” tires and there is a warning on them not to use them in temperatures under 40 degrees, or the world will end. I guess we’ll see about that.

I’m ready to blast and paint the wheels. They seem to have a single coat of paint on them and they are monotone gray. So my question to the experts today - that has probably been discussed to death- should I paint the outer rim Polar (or Stratos) silver metallic and the center Pearl white? I’m a bit surprised that VW in 57 would use a metallic color on a wheel. What would be the best source for these paints?


After researching this site I came up with:
L227 Strato Sliver had L82 Silver White
L324 Polar Silver had L87 Perlon White
Is this correct?

Is the white on the wheels the same color as the interior parts, e.g. seat frames, gear lever, steering wheel and column?

There is someone on this forum named Bruce that has a on original 57 with 13,000 miles. I’m located on Long Island too and would really appreciate seeing the originality of his car.

Thank you taking the time to read my post and for offering your thoughtful replies!

[Rome]

Excellent work in getting the Beetle running and stopping! Thanks for using the flash on the camera; most people don't and the shots are dark and out of focus.

As to the rim colors, my personal preference would be 2-toned. Centers are an "off white" color; the outer sections are "probably" darker than polar silver to provide a better contrast, but not too dark to meld with the tires. But there are plenty of experts here who could provide exact color names, etc.

The sides of your spare tire well are a treat to see. So many Beetles have suffered a frontal impact in which the sides were poorly repaired.

Looks like your rear bumper is not only pushed over to the right slightly, but the left half pushed somewhat forward. You could probably remove the entire bumper with the brackets attached, eyeball the displacement, and carefully bend everything back using leverage.

Are you going to pursue Year of Manufacture (YoM) NY lic. plates? I had 3 of my VWs with them (a '52, and two '64) which make the car look like it just came out of a time warp. If so, you don't want to get perfect plates. You can find some that are somewhat weathered just like the car's paint so that the plates would look like they were on the car for 60 yrs.