52 Zwitter

[SuperDav]

Just read and saw the photos of the many victories you made with your Zwitter. You've done some great fabrication work there. It's been a few years now...have you completed the car...some pics would be great to see.
I'm working on a 59 ragtop beetle that has just been one thing after another.

[AlanInMass54]

Tisius: Thanks! I work on it nearly every day. There was a UK Lloyd also, though no relation. Yup, this along with Hansa were under the Borgward brand.

DDVW/Frank: Yeah I just wanted to make it as correct as I could, that was all. I didn't want it to look all cobbled together. Yes no one would have seen the underside of the fenders or hood, but I would have been happier knowing they were there and right. Technically it's far from a rusted out car, just bastardized, it's solid as hell! It was just owned by morons who messed it up. I just finally ran out of steam, then the LLoyd came along and this got mothballed. I never did find front seats, which are mandatory as the floors are different. I'll get back to it when the Lloyd is done. Definitely do a resto thread on the 61 here (despite it should be mine ) It's a barn find more than most barn finds are, as the barn fell on it!

[dailydrivervw]

Hi Alan...I finally read the whole 5 pages....and now I see why you have "project burnout". No offence to the purists or you, but all that fussin', spending good brain cells on getting dimpled fenders and a 53 pan, older aprons, front hood details, all of which were kinda toasty when you got/bought those?...all that stuff never shows and not many people would care, let alone know, as they see the car rolling down the road. That is a huge part of project burnout on trying to save a rusted out split. At 65, I sure look at things differently now.

I don't dare post the following on my Fb, as "some" friends there think I am out of control...which actually I am...but I just might do a slam/bang fixer upper on the 61. Alan, it was 200 bucks ! I think I have everything here that I need except normal stuff like new brake cylinders, tires and perhaps a windshield...I even have a new battery in the T3, so there! lol

I'd prefer a split, but let's face it, an early to mid 60s is just so darned easy...and actually better for what I need as yet another VW A/C daily. The 57 euro S/R went 4 or 5 years with no backup car, and the Nevada 70 T3 went 10 faithful years with no backup car, until the forces of New England climate finished it off. Tram was correct years ago when he said : "all those years that VW built so many bugs...they were just practicing...for the T3". The T3 really is a great VW..never knew how great until living with one so long.. I never planned on getting a T3 as a replacement for the 57 bug, it just showed up in town for $300 when I really needed a GOOD fun cheap car to use. So, maybe it is time for a bug again, as I can't find another Nevada T3 wagon around here...lmao

I doubt I will do a resto thread here, but it would not be called a barn find 35k mile bug, but fact is, it IS a "barn fell on it", find. he, he

[tisius]

That is C L !
Lloyd sounds like a UK car brand.... but it's actually German (people do know Borgward), very neato

You're doing great, keep up the good work man.
_________________
drive it like you just robbed the bank
you don't have to be crazy to be into VW's, but it sure helps!!
.... if it ain't dutch, it ain't much!

[AlanInMass54]

Hello! Working on the Lloyd currently. It's a nice change of pace after just doing VWs for so long. Any repair panels have to be hand made pretty much,
it's fun!

Before:

After

It went from being a rotted out mess to a nice solid car. After this is done I guess I will go back to the Zwitter.

[tisius]

So, any progress on your prized possession(s)?
Did you already complete the Lloyd?
Exciting!
_________________
drive it like you just robbed the bank
you don't have to be crazy to be into VW's, but it sure helps!!
.... if it ain't dutch, it ain't much!

[AlanInMass54]

Hi Roland! This came from Ohio. I made a trade for it and it worked out great. Yeah PA has all kinds of neat stuff laying around! I remember being in a junkyard near Scranton in the early 90's and finding a Vespa 400 there, wish I could have saved it! Wow I'd have loved to meet the guy in IL, he's probably long gone by now? I'm trying to find parts for the Lloyd, mainly front seats (same with the Zwitter, what is it with front seats?!).
Yeah I've tried Chuck and haven't had any success with him, he's busy. Found a pedal assembly in my shed, didn't know it was there and I'll just fix the old right rear fender I have even though it's a rusty mess. Have a fine holiday, Sir!

[Rome]

My gosh, a Lloyd- haven't seen one in the USA for 25 years! Where did you dig this one up? I was a member of the Microcar Club based out of NJ for at least 10 years, and the prevalent observation was that nearly any unusual mini or microcar was found in Pennsylvania.

In 1990 I was in Illinois on business several times, about an hour east of St. Louis MO. In the town of either New Minden or Carlyle I stumbled across an older American farmer guy who had at least 10 Lloyds hoarded in his yard.

Have you tried Chuck P (organizer of the Terryville VW meet in CT) for your '53 pedal assembly, and fenders? Did you get your engine running?

[AlanInMass54]

Hi Peter, thanks again for the kind words! Hoping you and your family have a most excellent Holiday also! I love this little Lloyd rotbox and it's 2 cylinders of fury!

[GERMANAIRE]

Nice find on the 53 Chassis that was a hook up! Kepp up The Great Work its coming together nicely. And The Wagon Is SCHWEET!!! Congrats!
Happy Holidays Alan!!!!

[AlanInMass54]

Oh yeah I forgot that part, it's a 58 Lloyd Alexander Wagon.

[Fifty-Eight Rag]

Pardon my naivety...but what is it?
_________________
1956 Oval
and a barn full of VW parts

1956 Oval build thread
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

1962 Single Cab Restoration
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7959298#7959298

1967 Beetle Restoration
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=495269&highlight=larrys

[AlanInMass54]

Almost ready to put the new old floors in. Both these sections on this chassis were rotted and hacked. Got these two great ones from Randy in NC , thank you once again, Sir! Now it has nice solid pieces here.

Now I just have to replace a few sections along the tunnel where holes are and the surrounding metal was too thin to weld up.

I will replace more than this, the metal is deeply pitted and I don't like leaving it like this.
Then there's the Napoleon's Hat and the bottom piece just below it, that has been cut for some reason.

Why do people do stupid things like this! But work trudges on.
However it will have to share time with my new toy, a car I've been looking for for ages! Perhaps the hottest looking one ever built!

Isn't it beautiful? The answer is yes.

[AlanInMass54]

Thanks guys! I ended up getting it out with a bit of force. Also these

It mostly survived, I will clean it up, even though it's kinda useless.

I also got this fender off Ebay! Listed as a 66 but the 2 larger tail light seal holes were visible. Took a gamble on it and got it for $100! It's in excellent shape, just needed added on overrider holes filled in along with added taillight holes from snowflake brackets.

It's in great shape! I think this car has a dozen fenders now. Of course it's the same side as the fender I just completely redid..

[Zwitterkafer]

Had the same problem. Layers of paint filled the threads on my accessory socket, and that nut would not budge. The problem is that if you try to hold the part somehow while turning the nut, it will become badly marred since it is soft aluminum. I considered trying to dissolve the old paint with stripper to make it easier, but in the end I cut a slash through the nut with a small Dremel wheel, and finished by splitting the nut off with a screwdriver. The accessory sockets are still available. They are supplied with a bigger more modern cheese head screw, but if you are picky, you could replace it with a flatter curved type screw used on Zwitters.
_________________
"Criticism comes easier than Craftsmanship"
- Zeuxius, 400 BC

[D. Haviland]

Alan,
you should be able to hold that accessory plug and turn the nut.

Dave

[AlanInMass54]

The chassis I got with the Zwitter was a 58 and very butchered, all conduit tubes rusted, broken or clogged, trans mount hacked. So I found a 53 one! I got a great deal on it from Clay Smith in CT, thank you again Sir! I put on a roller front end and tranny to make it mobile while I fix it. It has a few holes here and there to weld up. The Napoleon hat was also hacked. I located some original floor pans, ebrake, shifter and looking for a pedal assembly. Here it is so far.

Still a long way to go!

[AlanInMass54]

Thank you again Sir! Your kind words are always appreciated! I saw the new Zwitter's owner posting his updates and it truly is a beautiful car! He is doing an amazing job continuing where you left off. I wish you the best of luck in the new house and with the new shop, would love to have a proper place to work!
I took a break from soul crushing sanding to start fixing my bargain rear fenders. The left was the worst so I am starting there.

There were issues allover the fender but the rear section was the worst. Mangled, hacked and with chunks snot welded on.

The back was nice too. I had added a couple quick spots to keep the cracks from getting worse.

The original idea was just to cut out that section and splice it in from this original junkyard bargain (free) fender I had. Upon sanding over 1/4 inch of bondo I found it was just as mangled. So that was that.
Then I remembered the pair of rear fenders that came with this car, they were repro and I had no worries over hacking them up.

There's the left one, doesn't look too bad!

You can tell it was from this car... friggin GOLD.

Excuse the blurriness! I was amazed at the unbelievably shoddy design and construction of these fenders, thin as a beer can, badly formed, shaped all wrong, even! I couldn't use this!

So here is the old fender, I sectioned a new piece in where the overrider hole was and met it with the bumper bracket hole area. This is after LOTS of cutting welding, grinding hammering out caved in areas and more.

Numerous sections here were gone so I spliced some I had gotten from a nice fellow on this site. So that's it for fenders today as it started to pour out and I had to put the car back inside.
Moving on to the wiring!
The car came with a mystery unidentified but new harness! I had nothing to compare it with as so much of my wiring was missing or butchered! Then I bought a rear clip and remains of a front section form the very kind and excellent Clay Smith in CT! That car's harness was pretty much all there! So I scavenged the entire thing out of it and compared them as it was an early 53 oval which seems to be the same wiring as my (mostly) Dec of 52 car. They're nearly identical! I need to add a couple wires here and there but I think this can be made to work!

Printed out some of the very nice diagrams out of the technical section and did a packing tape laminating job against some cut up FedEx boxes to make handy big diagrams!

Here's the remains of the original rear harness. It's burned, spliced in with all kinds of butt splices, tape, twisted in wires, all very nice!

Here's the remains of the wiring coming out the windshield pillar and all terminating in these blocks. I'm assuming this is wrong? There is nothing beyond this! Someone took the rest of the wiring out, maybe for the bitchin racing wiring that must have once been here?

There's also these nice small holes and a bigger one! Were these for a bumpin stereo maybe? Who knows! Excuse the hackery around the former speaker area, I will be fixing it all at some point.

Also how in HELL do I get this damned thing out? The whole thing just spins. I'm afraid to damage it. There are always some in the classifieds but which one is right in case I just brutalize the old one out?

And lastly here is a portion of all the crap I've been saving up for this car! NOS starter button and ignition switch, weird hybrid heart lights, the gauges, etc! Aside from front seats I've got nearly all the parts now! Okay that's enough foolishness, back to work! Hope everyone has a great rest of their weekend.

[GERMANAIRE]

Wow! no more gold , You have come along way bud really looking good.
Thanks for the comments but I have sold that car to a friend, In the middle of selling current home and building a new one so had to go family comes first.
Kenny is the new owner and going a different route all og I believe and doing an amazing job! He has some great skills building these cars and cant wait to see it finished. Wished it would have been me but times call for change.
Congrats to you on your achievements and will keep an eye on your thread as always!! Talk soon

[AlanInMass54]

Thanks for the kind words! Your car was a real beauty and I looked at it a lot for reference and motivation! Even though mine will never be nearly a fraction as nice. That's your old rear clip on there:

I'm doing more and more work on this mess of a car, trying to straighten and smooth it out.
The right front is more or less done. Have to patch up 3 holes where the spot weld cutter went through.. ooops.

Cleaned up some old but questionable patches in the left front. It is solid and not really noticeable once together so I'm leaving it.

The right quarter is more or less straightened, so is the left one, just need to fix a small rust spot at the end of the driver's heater channel. Oh and converted the right standard door to a deluxe door! It's an arduous process of drilling 5 holes.

Finally today I'm trying to tackle the roof, which is a disaster, can't tell in the pic but it looks like it's been through several hail storms at once.

This is after using a shrinking disc to get the really big dents out! There's a skim coat on there now and I'm sanding and sanding and then sanding more.
Also during the course of this project I've saved lots of spare sections and I can't recommend it highly enough! Not only does it come in handy and look smashing but the neighbors probably love it! All the kids are into this patina thing today so this is doubly valuable!