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VW_Jimbo Samba Member
Joined: May 22, 2016 Posts: 9880 Location: Huntington Beach, CA
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Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2019 8:39 am Post subject: Re: Field find 1954 Canadian custom |
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For my door hinges, I had to drill the heads off, to remove the doors. I then bent the tabs back holding the retaining plate and removed it from the car. I then placed it in a vice and proceeded to weld on nuts to the remaining screw shafts. With the nuts welded to the shafts, a quick few turns with a socket and viola - a good useable retainer with clean threads!
The worst part was waiting for new screws to arrive.
Oh, I was semi lucky on the lower one. I had already removed the heater channel. That allowed my fat hand to be able to touch (barely) the retaining plate tabs. I know you can reach from the trunk side, but going from below was way easier! It was an accident find! Love when that kind of stuff happens!
Good luck and hope it goes easily, regardless of approach! _________________ Jimbo
There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!
TDCTDI wrote: |
Basically, a whole bunch of fuckery to achieve a look. |
67rustavenger wrote: |
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo! |
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Major Woody Samba Enigma
Joined: December 04, 2002 Posts: 9010 Location: Portland, OR
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Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2019 10:43 am Post subject: Re: Field find 1954 Canadian custom |
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Good luck, Don. Cool car! |
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sunroof Samba Member
Joined: October 06, 2006 Posts: 1746 Location: Winnipeg
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Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2019 6:50 am Post subject: Re: Field find 1954 Canadian custom |
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I hammered at the door hinge screws with the impact driver with no result. The metal the screws are made of is softer than the tools used to extract them so too much force just destroys them. The screws are not actually rusted, just really really tight. The two I did get out, once I broke them loose, spun right out. The rest I will drill out. I've done this several times and it works a treat. I was just hoping they would come out the way the fender bolts have. It is miraculous the way the fenders are coming off.
The rear apron and the bottoms of the rear fenders have several stress cracks, I wonder what the owner got up to in this car!
He was also quite the innovator (farmer) in his body repairs. Lots of screws holding things together. I think he must have really loved this car to have taken the time and trouble to make these sort of repairs.
I wish someone would have taken his torch away though. Some very strange brazing on the car.
Does anyone know a good way of breaking the distributor loose without damaging it? I once got one out with a large pipe wrench but I really don't want to do that with this one:
According to the VIN the car was built in early August 1954 and the 2 date codes I have found so far are July 1954.
Don _________________ Better and better mistakes! |
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tomsbuggered Samba Member
Joined: October 16, 2014 Posts: 417 Location: Calgary, AB Canada
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Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2019 2:33 pm Post subject: Re: Field find 1954 Canadian custom |
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Very nice project Don! I will be following this with interest. The car looks to be very complete, and solid from the pictures so far. Good luck. _________________ June 1956 VW Oval Beetle |
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sunroof Samba Member
Joined: October 06, 2006 Posts: 1746 Location: Winnipeg
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Posted: Thu Oct 31, 2019 6:10 am Post subject: Re: Field find 1954 Canadian custom |
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Well, rats. I couldn't separate the engine from the gearbox. A whole new set of challenges. If the engine wasn't seized I would drill a hole in the bell housing and unbolt the pressure plate but since it is stuck solid I will have to think of something else.
Typical country car, loaded with topsoil:
Don _________________ Better and better mistakes! |
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54 Oval Samba Member
Joined: July 30, 2012 Posts: 91 Location: Alberta, Canada
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Posted: Thu Oct 31, 2019 7:04 am Post subject: Re: Field find 1954 Canadian custom |
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Does it have any oil in the engine? Just curious what the inside may be like. Did you have thoughts of trying to salvage it? |
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sunroof Samba Member
Joined: October 06, 2006 Posts: 1746 Location: Winnipeg
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Posted: Thu Oct 31, 2019 9:34 am Post subject: Re: Field find 1954 Canadian custom |
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It is the numbers matching motor from the car so I will do everything possible to save it. Right now I am considering trying to dismantle the engine while it is still in the car. I pulled the dipstick out and there was a little oil on the end. It will have to come apart to know for sure what is inside. I'll pull the oil pan off tonight.
Don _________________ Better and better mistakes! |
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bwaz Samba Member
Joined: August 24, 2004 Posts: 1776
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Posted: Thu Oct 31, 2019 10:31 am Post subject: Re: Field find 1954 Canadian custom |
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good luck, hope it's just not a pile of mushy metal |
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sunroof Samba Member
Joined: October 06, 2006 Posts: 1746 Location: Winnipeg
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Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2019 1:50 pm Post subject: Re: Field find 1954 Canadian custom |
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I took the oil pan off the motor yesterday and there was a big gush of clean, clear water.
Don _________________ Better and better mistakes! |
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Major Woody Samba Enigma
Joined: December 04, 2002 Posts: 9010 Location: Portland, OR
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Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2019 9:20 pm Post subject: Re: Field find 1954 Canadian custom |
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sunroof wrote: |
I took the oil pan off the motor yesterday and there was a big gush of clean, clear water.
Don |
Ah crap. Well that's not good. What are you going to do? |
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sunroof Samba Member
Joined: October 06, 2006 Posts: 1746 Location: Winnipeg
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Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2019 9:34 am Post subject: Re: Field find 1954 Canadian custom |
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For those unfamiliar with this substance, it is wet oily sludge. Commonly found in old engines that were poorly taken care of. Don't be a Dick, change your oil!
Below we see the moment of victory. An hour and a half to dislodge the friction disk from the transmission input shaft. Take that rust!
A little bit of lubrication will help it slip right in. (or out as the case may be)
Rotten, dirty, nasty ugly. Almost 3 hours to get the heads off.
Say hello to my little friend, the dead blow hammer.
The push rods were in excellent condition.
You may not be able to tell but these are dished pistons. I will *try* to save them. Also also: There is not even a hint of a ridge at the top of the cylinders and the one remaining undamaged is smooth as a baby's bum. Very sad, a perfectly good engine destroyed through neglect.
Will ATF dislodge the stuck pistons? Only time will tell. Stay tuned for the next episode of WTF Happened Here?!
_________________ Better and better mistakes!
Last edited by sunroof on Wed Nov 06, 2019 11:53 am; edited 4 times in total |
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VW_Jimbo Samba Member
Joined: May 22, 2016 Posts: 9880 Location: Huntington Beach, CA
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Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2019 10:29 am Post subject: Re: Field find 1954 Canadian custom |
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sunroof wrote: |
WTF Happened Here?! |
Neglect followed by water and time.
Nice job getting that head off in one piece! That is really hard to do. _________________ Jimbo
There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!
TDCTDI wrote: |
Basically, a whole bunch of fuckery to achieve a look. |
67rustavenger wrote: |
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo! |
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Eric&Barb Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2004 Posts: 24670 Location: Olympia Wash Rinse & Repeat
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Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2019 6:40 pm Post subject: Re: Field find 1954 Canadian custom |
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Try a strap wrench on the distributor, but only after soaking the dist/ engine case interface with a good quality penetrating oil like Kroil for at least a week. _________________ In Stereo, Where Available! |
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sunroof Samba Member
Joined: October 06, 2006 Posts: 1746 Location: Winnipeg
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Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2019 9:29 am Post subject: Re: Field find 1954 Canadian custom |
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Of course the distributor is stuck solid in the case.
Eureka! WD40 and a Very Big strap wrench got it out. Very rare VJU4 BR3T date code 6K or June 1954
Don _________________ Better and better mistakes!
Last edited by sunroof on Sun Nov 10, 2019 4:07 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Eric&Barb Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2004 Posts: 24670 Location: Olympia Wash Rinse & Repeat
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Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2019 9:41 am Post subject: Re: Field find 1954 Canadian custom |
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Great that you got the dist out. Do invest in better penetrating oil than the WD-40 you have now. _________________ In Stereo, Where Available! |
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sunroof Samba Member
Joined: October 06, 2006 Posts: 1746 Location: Winnipeg
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Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2019 11:17 am Post subject: Re: Field find 1954 Canadian custom |
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I've tried all kinds of penetrating oil and WD40 works about as well as any of them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUEob2oAKVs
Liquid Wrench for the win!
Also: The problem with the distributors I have had trouble with in the past has always been the rubber O-ring glued to the case. Penetrating oil will not help with this.
Don _________________ Better and better mistakes! |
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Eric&Barb Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2004 Posts: 24670 Location: Olympia Wash Rinse & Repeat
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Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2019 12:26 pm Post subject: Re: Field find 1954 Canadian custom |
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sunroof wrote: |
Also: The problem with the distributors I have had trouble with in the past has always been the rubber O-ring glued to the case. Penetrating oil will not help with this.
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It does once the distributor has been gotten to shift slightly, so the strap wrench is a must for that. Oil can then work around the seal as it is shifted. Plus since it is the aim to pull the distributor out, so a lubricant in the bore above the rubber seal helps to get it to slide much easier on the way up/out. _________________ In Stereo, Where Available! |
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sunroof Samba Member
Joined: October 06, 2006 Posts: 1746 Location: Winnipeg
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Posted: Sun Nov 10, 2019 4:11 pm Post subject: Re: Field find 1954 Canadian custom |
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At some point someone decided to take the rear bumper off and broke both bolts doing it. As with several other places on the car he got out his torch and started brazing. I did a bit of damage cutting the bracket off and at first considered trying to repair the mount. Looking at it carefully I noticed that it was paper thin in spots and decided to remove and replace it with new.
At this point I am waiting for a Wolfparts bumper bracket mount. I wasted a bit of money buying one from CIP but it was thin (wrong gauge of metal) and the wrong shape so it goes on the "to trade" pile.
I got the case apart but was unable to save the dished pistons. It is quite furry inside but looks useable. I will take it to a machine shop to get it cleaned since I would rather pay someone to stick it in the dish washer than spend hours with a brush and Varsol myself.
Original fiber gear camshaft in what looks to be useable condition. The pushrods looked pretty good as well. Sadly I did not think to mark them as they came out so they won't get reused. Happily they are cheap and plentiful unlike cams.
I had to drill the screws out of the bottom door hinge to get the door off. I wasn't too worried as the base of the A-pillar needs to be changed. I am going to give CIP one more chance to sell me a usable piece of sheet metal. I am reluctant to buy from Virtanen since he sold me a useless part in the past.
Don _________________ Better and better mistakes!
Last edited by sunroof on Tue Nov 12, 2019 8:50 am; edited 8 times in total |
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getgeoff Samba Member
Joined: April 08, 2008 Posts: 257 Location: Okanagan Center BC
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Posted: Sun Nov 10, 2019 10:38 pm Post subject: Re: Field find 1954 Canadian custom |
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Too funny! This is my early 55 that was originally from Winnipeg also. It has the ultra maroon paint underneath that coral red paint job. They must of came from the same body shop. Lol..
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tomsbuggered Samba Member
Joined: October 16, 2014 Posts: 417 Location: Calgary, AB Canada
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Posted: Sun Nov 10, 2019 11:43 pm Post subject: Re: Field find 1954 Canadian custom |
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Don
Good progress on the body work. Looks like you are gaining on the engine tear down too.
I am at the same place you are for body work with my '56, which I hope to start after the New Year.
Tom
_________________ June 1956 VW Oval Beetle |
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