1956 Wolfsburg single cab low key low dollar renew

[Alan Brase]

[BarryL]

[Alan Brase]

Long time since I made some posts. I've done a few things. (Life gets in the way.)
Playing a little football on the lower nose. Needs more work, but it is better. I have a cheapo step on tire pump and inflation needle; slip the flattened footbal in the edge of the low spot; pump it up, then gently do some off dolly hammering on the crown on the edge.
Remember, last in- first out, still applies here.
BTW, nice wires,huh? (Not very many, tho!)

_________________
Al Brase
Projects: 67 sunroof bug, 67 Porsche 912 Targa, 70 Westy
Dec 1955 Single Cab pickup WANT 15" BUS RIMS dated 8/55, thru 12/55
To New owners: 1969 doublecab, 1971 Dormobile
Vanagons:
80 P27 Westy JUL 1979, 3rd oldest known US
83 1.6TD Vanagon, 87 Wolfie Westy daily driver, swap meet home

[Alan Brase]

December 22, 2018
approximate 63 birthday of this single cab

I have 14 inch later bus wheels on it right now, Just to move it around.
Old friend of mine advises: Don't buy your brand new tires till you're done. they might be old by the time you start driving it. Instead, just use tires that hold air. Tha's what's important now.
_________________
Al Brase
Projects: 67 sunroof bug, 67 Porsche 912 Targa, 70 Westy
Dec 1955 Single Cab pickup WANT 15" BUS RIMS dated 8/55, thru 12/55
To New owners: 1969 doublecab, 1971 Dormobile
Vanagons:
80 P27 Westy JUL 1979, 3rd oldest known US
83 1.6TD Vanagon, 87 Wolfie Westy daily driver, swap meet home

[Alan Brase]

In January, I removed the driver's side tail light. It did not work. (Replacement bulb was in backwards- mistake from 1961 or earlier!)
This was delicate task, because the screws themselves were rust frozen, but everything else was original and quite worth saving. I sacrificed the end of the wires. I just cut them off and figured to work the set screws loose later.
I used an oxy-acetlyene torch with the tiniest flame it would support, and an assistant to hand the torch to.
Several seconds playing the flame on the bracket, then Knipex pliers on the cheese head of the screw, wiggling back and forth. Then a small shot of WD-40, and then the screws came right out with my fingers.
Pretty good original battery floor. How it survived? No battery most of the time!

Note all the road dust stuck inside the tail light. I guess, Welcome to Iowa Gravel Roads! 1956 version. Though I guess it could have been wind borne dust from later years.

Note the black tar stuff under the tail light edge. the same stuff drizzled on the bumper splash pans. Is this original VW application?
Or exclusive to Red Dale VW in Ames, IA, 1956?
Any idea how to clean these tail lights? Probably need to find LED's for them, too.
Sorry, originality gotta give way to safety in tail lights.
But I do intend to maybe make some clip on extra rear lights.
_________________
Al Brase
Projects: 67 sunroof bug, 67 Porsche 912 Targa, 70 Westy
Dec 1955 Single Cab pickup WANT 15" BUS RIMS dated 8/55, thru 12/55
To New owners: 1969 doublecab, 1971 Dormobile
Vanagons:
80 P27 Westy JUL 1979, 3rd oldest known US
83 1.6TD Vanagon, 87 Wolfie Westy daily driver, swap meet home

[Culito]

Very cool to see this truck pop up again.

I got some LED bulbs off Amazon - they're bright as hell, but 12V.

Looking forward to some more progress!
_________________
Copyright CJ Industries, Inc.
'64 standard w/2.0L type 4
'62 bug

[j.pickens]

That is one badass truck. Keep plugging away at it!
_________________
Founder and Chairman Emeritus, ECMSAS
BBX BBXII and BBXXI Long Distance Award Winner

[EverettB]

[Blue Baron]

There are two-element 6-volt LED bulbs you can use.
_________________
We are striving for perfection, to make our cars run forever, if possible.

Heinz Nordhoff

[Alan Brase]

[Alan Brase]

Dang! another year gone by! Does anybody have a good link to rebuilding the fuel tap petcock?
I managed to twist off the small brass standpipes. I really dislike having fuel filters INSIDE my tank, so will just leave the brass filter screen off. further more, I'd leave off the shorter (reserve) standpipe. If there is crud in the tank, I want it in my external filter.
_________________
Al Brase
Projects: 67 sunroof bug, 67 Porsche 912 Targa, 70 Westy
Dec 1955 Single Cab pickup WANT 15" BUS RIMS dated 8/55, thru 12/55
To New owners: 1969 doublecab, 1971 Dormobile
Vanagons:
80 P27 Westy JUL 1979, 3rd oldest known US
83 1.6TD Vanagon, 87 Wolfie Westy daily driver, swap meet home

[EverettB]

[alman72]

the thing in the bed...air filter? oil filter? is that for the truck? I have a nice one I got in a box of parts, and know it does not belong in my 73 bay.

[Alan Brase]

That is an air cleaner for a 1971 type 2 1600. 1968 to 70 are similar but the 71 was an improvement with a thermostatic valve to move the preheat flapper. Previous years had a cable that hooked to the cooling flap linkage. A major PITA to remove the whole assembly every time you service the air cleaner (dump and refill the filter oil).
I try to snag the 1971's every time I see one.
Genuine 1971 type 2's had a few special parts.
_________________
Al Brase
Projects: 67 sunroof bug, 67 Porsche 912 Targa, 70 Westy
Dec 1955 Single Cab pickup WANT 15" BUS RIMS dated 8/55, thru 12/55
To New owners: 1969 doublecab, 1971 Dormobile
Vanagons:
80 P27 Westy JUL 1979, 3rd oldest known US
83 1.6TD Vanagon, 87 Wolfie Westy daily driver, swap meet home

[Alan Brase]

More work getting done soon.
What i still need to source are parts for the center brake light:
RIM, screws, lens, Rubber. Is there any work around for the rim? Seems about the same size as backup lights, etc.The reflector is there but license light socket broken off and completely rusty. I might just pay somebody to do the whole job on this brake light.
I have a German Liqui Tilter that just rolls the vehicle onto its side. Not quite as elegant as the US one that has wheels. Bad thing about this is it takes 2 stalls in the garage. And I'm missing the wheel hub adapters. I'll probably just have local weld shop weld brackets onto wide five wheels. I figure this will be easy way to prep the bottom and also put in new hard brake lines.
I think I'll probably violate my original only policy and add a 67 master cylinder.
Pics soon.
_________________
Al Brase
Projects: 67 sunroof bug, 67 Porsche 912 Targa, 70 Westy
Dec 1955 Single Cab pickup WANT 15" BUS RIMS dated 8/55, thru 12/55
To New owners: 1969 doublecab, 1971 Dormobile
Vanagons:
80 P27 Westy JUL 1979, 3rd oldest known US
83 1.6TD Vanagon, 87 Wolfie Westy daily driver, swap meet home

[Alan Brase]

[Alan Brase]

Funny thing: I was getting the furnace in my shop fixed. Seemed to remember a possible previous owner of this truck might have worked for this same Young Plumbing company decades ago. I mentioned it to this repairman and he knew of the guy. Within 3 hours the guy called me.
My memory was correct! He was indeed the owner that I had talked to in 1992 and he offered to give it to me, but I muffed the hand off!
Dick Miller from Waterloo (now Minnesota) owned it from about 1982 to 1992. I bought it in about 1996.
Dick gave me a pretty good description of where he pulled it from.
More work continues.
Al Brase
_________________
Al Brase
Projects: 67 sunroof bug, 67 Porsche 912 Targa, 70 Westy
Dec 1955 Single Cab pickup WANT 15" BUS RIMS dated 8/55, thru 12/55
To New owners: 1969 doublecab, 1971 Dormobile
Vanagons:
80 P27 Westy JUL 1979, 3rd oldest known US
83 1.6TD Vanagon, 87 Wolfie Westy daily driver, swap meet home

[LAGrunthaner]

That's great Alan, tracing the history of our busses is so rewarding maybe there are some logos of Young Plumbing? Please share updates of your very sweet 56 single cab. You know you want to share updates

[Alan Brase]

Sorry, Young Plumbing did not own it, just one of their long time employees. 40 years later, the trail is a little cold, but I do know an 80 year old guy that grew up there. It's a rural area on the bank of a river. I actually haunted some of these areas as a teenage driver. Maybe I'll make up some "missing" type posters and print them out with a dove blue single cab and staple them to fence posts in the area?
Crazy thing is, this owner was only about 1 mile away as the crow flies from where I bought my old 1958 23 window in 1983. but on the other side of the river.There was also a 1959 subhatch camper next to the Samba. Not exactly a hub of T1 sales, tho. (the 1958 was sold new in Switzerland!)
Go figure.
_________________
Al Brase
Projects: 67 sunroof bug, 67 Porsche 912 Targa, 70 Westy
Dec 1955 Single Cab pickup WANT 15" BUS RIMS dated 8/55, thru 12/55
To New owners: 1969 doublecab, 1971 Dormobile
Vanagons:
80 P27 Westy JUL 1979, 3rd oldest known US
83 1.6TD Vanagon, 87 Wolfie Westy daily driver, swap meet home

[LAGrunthaner]

Cool idea Alan, "Missing Blue Single Cab" poster. Have you gotten her driving around now? She sure is an awesome patina monster.