Nova Scotian 54 standard restoration

[Terry Gaudet]

I have a few spare lever shocks if you need to replace the damaged one. Let me know.
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Terry Gaudet

1950 Beetle Standard
1955 Canadian Custom
1956 Kombi w/SO23 kit
1965 Kombi walkthrough
1965 Double Cab

[sgellis]

I want to media blast the front beam and not clean out all the grease. 3D printed some plugs. They are slightly tapered so takes a couple hits to set them. They go in the bushings.

Uploaded files to Grabcad. https://grabcad.com/library/vw-front-beam-torsion-tube-plugs-1

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My 64 Kombi restoration
My camper interior build
My 54 standard restoration
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (YouTube)
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (CAD drawings)

[djfordmanjack]

Great caps.
Understanding completely what you do as I have literally restored and blasted dozens of early VW axles. and it certainly is a super dirty job, especially when the bearings are still tight and don't need replacing. You just want to clean out all the old goo.

But , from my experience, I strongly recommend removing as much as possible of the old grease. Especially when a vehicle has been sitting in the woods or scrapyard. The old grease after 7 decades more or less turns to soap or paraffine, and the lubrication might be on the edge. just saying.
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Hotrods, Fords, Veedubs and Triumph Twins !

52 Barndoor DLX Coachbuild project
55 Wolfsburg panel project, og paint Taubenblau L31
62 Dickholmer, custom color Seeblau L360
63 1500 Notch, og paint Rubin Rot L456
67 1500 Käfer, og paint Lotus weiß L282 w/red interior

[sgellis]

[sgellis]

Decided to go with 55-63 brakes on the front. Also going to modify the spindles to work on the BD.

Pulled a 61 beam apart and was pleased to find excellent drums, backing plates and link pins, king pins. Well the king pins feel great anyway.

Plan to disassemble the spindles, cut the arm off and make a jig to hold arm in correct position for a BD. I will then have them professionally welded.

_________________
My 64 Kombi restoration
My camper interior build
My 54 standard restoration
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (YouTube)
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (CAD drawings)

[sgellis]

King pins apart.

I didn't have a correct size rod so 3D printed a sleeve. Worked perfectly. Maxed out the 12t press on both and needed some heat to get them apart. Was not the most stable setup but worked.

Bushings are in great shape so will just need seals.

I will cut the arm off the spindles and have them welded back in correct position for a BD.

_________________
My 64 Kombi restoration
My camper interior build
My 54 standard restoration
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (YouTube)
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (CAD drawings)

[sgellis]

Removed the master cylinder. Was surprised to find the tank is in great shape but the cap has had some bad times. I have a rusted tank somewhere and think it has a good cover...

Screen has some holes in it. May just remove it when I install on a good master cylinder. Don't think the switch is savable as it is rusted quite bad

Managed to save some adjusters and 4 good springs. Also a good brake line to copy for the 55-63 brakes.

_________________
My 64 Kombi restoration
My camper interior build
My 54 standard restoration
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (YouTube)
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (CAD drawings)

[sgellis]

Removed the cables from petals. Was easier from top so removed cover. Cover has all the details so I can build a new one. Looks like the cover was originally black. I was thinking they were body color

Petals are all free. I may try to remove the rod but looks like a pain to remove the clip. I could just wait untill I start doing the metal work.

_________________
My 64 Kombi restoration
My camper interior build
My 54 standard restoration
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (YouTube)
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (CAD drawings)

[BeaterBarndoor]

If this helps any, I did this mod years back on my 53. It was crude at the time, but effective. Many miles put on this set up without an issue. If I did it again I would just do a cleaner job.
Using 55-63 drop spindles , I made a riser to relocate the tie rods to original locations. It was maybe 1/2 or maybe thicker steel plate, welded together. A bolt running through the tie rod hole on the arm and the riser then tacked to that arm once things added up location wise. Worked great.

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www.thebustransfer.com

Whaaaaat?

[sgellis]

[sgellis]

Been getting lots of stuff blasted and ready to paint.

Front drums cleaned up and painted inside. I will get then turned this week. Hopefully the place I used 6 years ago is still doing them.

I also notices I need to clean some stuff out of my car. No idea why there is an old flywheel back there.

_________________
My 64 Kombi restoration
My camper interior build
My 54 standard restoration
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (YouTube)
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (CAD drawings)

[sgellis]

Assembled the shift rod. Mine was rusted through in a few spots.

Saved the ends and found some 7/8" tube. It is a little larger at 22.22 mm compared to 22mm original. Also has a slightly smaller ID. Used a stone in a drill to thin it enough for the ends to tap in.

Drilled into each end and plug welded.

_________________
My 64 Kombi restoration
My camper interior build
My 54 standard restoration
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (YouTube)
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (CAD drawings)

[sgellis]

Tried another run at the black oxide. This time I used old motor oil as a sealer. Found a few using old oil with good results. I did try some with WD40 but didn't feel they were as good.

After the black oxide treatment I rinsed in water and hand dried. Then placed in warm oven for a few minuets to fully dry before putting in oil. I think last time I didn't get them dry enough before placing in sealer.

Left the parts in the oil over night and after wiping them off they look great. Once the oil fully dries they will loose the shine and should look close to original and have ok rust resistance.

Going through my stash of old VW fasteners and have found most of what I need in good condition. May need to resort to the hardware store for some and source correct ones later.

_________________
My 64 Kombi restoration
My camper interior build
My 54 standard restoration
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (YouTube)
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (CAD drawings)

[frikendelicious]

I believe it is important to use old oil used in a Diesel engine for the best result.

[sgellis]

[sgellis]

Finally got the beam blasted. Couldn't get a good job in the cabinet so had to make a mess. The big fans keep the dust down anyway.

Layed out some parts that need painting. Most just need a quick sand but some need a few layers of primer and sanding first.

Still need to find measurements of BD spindles so I can modify my newer ones. Also need to spin the rims to make sure they are perfect before painting. Just going to paint them black for now and will add color when the body gets painted.

_________________
My 64 Kombi restoration
My camper interior build
My 54 standard restoration
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (YouTube)
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (CAD drawings)

[sgellis]

55-63 spindles cut and positioned for welding. Thanks to BeaterBarndoor for the measurements
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=767815

I switched arms between sides to get the offset in correct direction. It may be off a little but won't make any difference. I will need to ream the hole to allow the tierod to go in from top. I may also just put them in from the bottom for now.

Edit: I mistakenly thought the arms offset down on the barndoor... I will switch them back to the original sides and space them off the jig. That will eliminate the tierod issue.

Seams to be a good quality cast steel. I will do some experimenting with the extra bits to see if I can get a strong weld. Should be ok with pre heat.

_________________
My 64 Kombi restoration
My camper interior build
My 54 standard restoration
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (YouTube)
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (CAD drawings)

[D-train]

[sgellis]

Spindles welded. Went better than expected.

Started by doing a 1/4" long weld on the scrap. welder set at full power with the line feed a little low. I use pure argon and quite high flow. Put test part in vice and and hammered on it. Finally broke in the weld. I wanted to make sure it wasn't crystallizing the original cast steel.

Then did a quick weld around the scrap with them tight together. Put in the press with the safety guard in place and maxed out the 12 ton press. I figure if the arm sees 12 ton then I have more importing things to worry about than a broken spindle.

Ground away some of the arms to get full weld penetration. Placed sockets in the bushings so they wouldn't get splatter in them.

Came out great and have no concerns at all about the strength. I do have to add a bit more weld on low power where I ate into the sealing surface a bit. At full power the welder likes to liquidize everything very quickly.

_________________
My 64 Kombi restoration
My camper interior build
My 54 standard restoration
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (YouTube)
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (CAD drawings)

[D-train]

Well done, it looks like it was a success
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shiny paint doesnt make it worth any more