Jimmy V's 54 Oval Project

[VW_Jimbo]

Some parts came in this week. Got rivets for the window regulator assembly and some rag top parts! Cross your fingers for me!

Aren’t they purrrdy!
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Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[VW_Jimbo]

[Rome]

Looks like the mechanism's supplier is Keiper.

[VW_Jimbo]

[Dan22]

It is a cool design. The torsional spring acts like a brake to the mechanism so the window stays put. The slop allows the handle to tighten the spring and release its grip to the outer housing. Quite ingenious.

Thanks for sharing the details inside.
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1-0900722 die langsame grüne Schildkröte
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=765074

[VW_Jimbo]

[matthew henricks]

Very cool Jim. I too have never seen one of those taken apart.

So the piece with the gear. Does its "U" shape drive on the opposite side interface with the "U" on the main shaft? Does that provide a solid or loose coupling? Seems like it would be sloppy.

Also, no bearings right? Just metal on metal?

Cool beans...
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1964 Original Owner build Thread. https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=702135&highlight=

Ambulance Fan's. https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=627707&highlight=

Parts i am looking for:
64 bug nice used front/rear Black LHD floor mat.

[VW_Jimbo]

Well. I got a shit ton of parts in route to my home. All of the needed rag top parts are supposed to to be here by Saturday. I sure hope that they are early, so that I have some time to assemble something! Or at least get a new list of parts needed! Status quo - right?!?!

In the mean time , I decided to disassemble the roll up window mechanism. It has a weird spot while lifting. I tries lubing it but there was no change. I tried cleaning as best I could, but again, no change. So….apart the assembly goes. This is a part of Ovals that I have never disassembled! I went ahead and researched everywhere and could not find anything on disassembling the gear asssembly. I have never seen this area of these old Bugs, SO IT IS KIND OF COOL!!!!! I love learning something new!

Here is the regulator. It looks fine. I see nothing wrong. Betting it is dirty or rusty, or both!

I first took a center punch and hit the rivets dead center!

I then drilled out the heads of the rivets with a 1/16th drill bit.

Looked good, so I went through 5 more drill bits, stepping up the size each time, to finally get to 3/16. That is when the heads twisted off with the drill bit.

I then cleaned up the edges with a small grinder.

It it under tension, or a preload, because the cover pops up.

Lets open it up and see what the mystery is within!

I do not see anything in this portion, nor do I feel anything. Let’s see what is in the crank shaft portion.

Looks like an open sided cage with a few springs.

Yep, if I turn this shaft, I can feel the tight spot. Let’s keep digging!

The shaft is the next piece. He’ll, the only piece left!

Oops! I lied. There is a circular spring in there as well!

Yep, it is this crank shaft. I am betting it is the rust. A good cleaning ought to take care of it all! Here is the shaft.

For the records. Here is the back of the shaft. And the pinion gear.

Here it is, in order, all laid out.

How to get the rest of the assembly apart? It would be cool to clean all of this and paint it!

I then decided to bring the punched head off of the pivot pin, which seems to be holding this assembly together.

It looks like a keyed joint.

All ground down. Just need to tap the pivot to pop the assembly apart!

Here it is, apart!

Look the center pivot pops right out. Look at all that rusty stuff!

And that’s it! Off to cleaning up the tid bits. Then painting them. Followed by reassembly. First up, I have to go order some solid rivets, 3/16” round x 1/8” length. I think that ought to do it!

Until next time!
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Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[VW_Jimbo]

[Jimone]

nice work Jimbo!

grumpys was the best source i found for the missing bits when i did my ragtop. shoot me a message if you need pics of anything. most of its accessible even though its installed.
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november 1952 ragtop
november 1954 single cab

[VW_Jimbo]

[sunroof]

I don't know if you remember this but Last Triumph rebuilt his sunroof mechanism in 2010 and did an amazing job. Unfortunately, like me at the time, he used Photobucket and all the pics are gone. Too bad.

Don
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Better and better mistakes!

[VW_Jimbo]

[matthew henricks]

Nice work laying out those for us to see. Never seen a semaphore come apart. Cool Beans.
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1964 Original Owner build Thread. https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=702135&highlight=

Ambulance Fan's. https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=627707&highlight=

Parts i am looking for:
64 bug nice used front/rear Black LHD floor mat.

[VW_Jimbo]

And I followed that up by disassembling a semaphore to find out if it would be able to be saved. My starting point.

Depressed the push rod to open the unit up.

I unscrewed the lens, but could not get it to come out of the cover. The rust crumbs just poured out!

So, I figured if I removed the flipper, I would have less to mortgage while weaseling out the lens. So, let’s drill out the pivot ends!

Just enough removed to take the rolled over edge of the pin off. No drilling out the semaphore flipper cover!

Bummer, nothing is giving. Let flip it over and drill out the other side.

Okay! I can feel how loose it is now. But still will not give. So, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle. Then POP! Something gave. Might be good, might be bad.

Lens is free! Looks to be in one piece, but it is also missing a tiny corner of itself. I am guessing a previous removal did not go so good. It is what it is! Let’s get the lens freed up. I unscripted the end and removed the wire. You can cut it too, but then run the risk of having to be creative when reassembling time comes!

And with that removed. I can wiggle out the flipper arm! I also drilled out the brass rivet retaining the connector board. Then pushed the rivet out as far as it would go.

Flipped it over, to expose the back side of the robot. I then pulled it out with a pair of pliers.

Followed that up by removing the solenoid, from the frame. It needs to be tested, and wrapped, for reinstallation.

And on the back side of the frame is….

Now, I can go find parts!
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Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[VW_Jimbo]

After the Header Bow, I immediately disassembled one of the vent wing pivots I have. Here you go!
Before.

I then bent the lock tabs away from the nut. Removed the nut and disassembled the assembly, laying each piece in the order it was removed in.

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Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[VW_Jimbo]

Wednesday after a few beers with the wife, I went through the garage and pulled out all of the rag top parts I had.

I have purchased everything as cheaply as I could. The pieces are in really bad shape, but now I get to restore them and have fun doing so! Onto disassembly of the header bow!

Placed the header bow up on the tools box after it sat for a day with GM Heat Penetrant applied liberally. I then attempted to unscrew the slotted screws that secure the top of the bow. The screws would not move. So, I grabbed on with a pair of vice grips and broke the two screws free! Then removed the top.

I then removed the hook by unscrewing the retaining bolt and the washer.

Followed that up by fishing the hook through the slot. Then undid the spring.

I then pulled the lift mechanism out!

I then cleaned up everything. Something was accomplished today. Now, I have to find parts, get parts plated, blasted and painted!
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Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[VW_Jimbo]

[Bruce]

Heating them up glowing red will not make them brittle in any way. Those stampings are just mild steel. There's nothing you can do with heat to cause mild steel to get hardened. There's not enough carbon content in mild steel. High carbon steel is totally different.

When you bend steel, it work hardens. Everyone has bent a piece back and forth multiple times when you want to break it. That's work hardening.

Heating the tabs before unbending is an excellent idea! When VW originally bent them down, they got work hardened. Heating them up will anneal them back to a soft state. On the next one, unbend one all the way, then unbend the other only part way. I think you'll be able to remove the part still. Then after you get it apart, heat them again to anneal them.
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[VW_Jimbo]