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Braukuche Samba Member
Joined: September 03, 2004 Posts: 10965
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Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 8:00 pm Post subject: 1956 lowlight restoration |
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Well, I've got this original Okrasa kit for a 36hp engine and didn't have a bus to put it in, so I bought this stalled lowlight project instead. That's the background to this project.
I've always liked the look of lowlights and I've resorted two Ghias to date, a 60 coupe and a 74 convertible, so I know what's involved with these pain in the rear bodies. But hey, they are a lot smaller than buses so I'm looking forward to bringing this one back.
The car is a black plate original, the plates match the pink which dates back to 1975 when the San Diego owner took it off the road because of transmission issues.
It was purchased about 10 years ago by the last owner, a friend of mine who disassembled it, did a little work, but got sidetracked. That's where I stepped in.
Th car is mostly complete and very original. The doors, hood and decklid are original to the car and w think the engine is, too. So was the trans, but parts for it are hard to find so it has a slightly later rebuilt crash box for it.
The thin back seats are there as well.
The plan is to start in on the body work first prepping it for paint. I will do the metal and bodywork and farm out the paint.
After that I will build the pan but that is a ways off.
Here is what I got delivered today.
_________________ Go Reds! Smash state!
Retirement is here!
1956 Ghia
1959 SO-23 Westfalia
1960 double cab
1960 Baja Bug
1963 stretched double cab
1962 Golde sunroof Ghia
1963 356 B coupe
1963 Notchback
1967 21 window less rusty now
1973 Ghia convertible |
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PeteSC Samba Member
Joined: January 26, 2011 Posts: 881
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Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2017 4:17 am Post subject: Re: 1956 lowlight restoration |
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Nice project! Good luck, look forward to following along. The original Okrasa is anice detail. |
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boinkffd Samba Member
Joined: October 07, 2004 Posts: 231 Location: South
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Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2017 6:50 am Post subject: Re: 1956 lowlight restoration |
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Great project car. Will be watching for updates. |
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c21darrel Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2009 Posts: 8206 Location: San Dimas
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aerosilver Samba Member
Joined: July 29, 2006 Posts: 878 Location: UK
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Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2017 11:31 pm Post subject: Re: 1956 lowlight restoration |
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Looking forward to progress on this one
Did any of the interior survive? Always loved that colour combo!
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Braukuche Samba Member
Joined: September 03, 2004 Posts: 10965
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Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 8:01 am Post subject: Re: 1956 lowlight restoration |
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aerosilver wrote: |
Looking forward to progress on this one
Did any of the interior survive? Always loved that colour combo!
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Yes, the front door panels, front seat cover, fragments of headliner and carpet, that's about it, enough to confirm what I need.
I have a copy of the magazine that picture came out of an was happy to see that the color is more in the blue spectrum than brown, which is what I thought would be the case when I was told it was Gazelle Beige. The car had been repainted pink with a red oxide primer so it was hard to tell what the original color actually looked like
That photo is interesting in that it really brings out the Fifties aesthetic of the car. _________________ Go Reds! Smash state!
Retirement is here!
1956 Ghia
1959 SO-23 Westfalia
1960 double cab
1960 Baja Bug
1963 stretched double cab
1962 Golde sunroof Ghia
1963 356 B coupe
1963 Notchback
1967 21 window less rusty now
1973 Ghia convertible |
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Braukuche Samba Member
Joined: September 03, 2004 Posts: 10965
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Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 5:47 pm Post subject: Re: 1956 lowlight restoration |
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Went ahead and started a couple days ago with stripping the roof using Jasco brand stripper. Good stuff. The plan, as told to me by an old body guy, is to do one panel at a time. This keeps you focused and makes it all manageable. After stripping the top I will next Sand and grind off any remaining paint and rust. I will then attack the underside with a wire wheel and use Ospho to remove any residual rust.
After cleaning the surface I will use epoxy primer to seal the top and underside and then shoot some Poly primer on top of the epoxy before it cures which is sandable and all it should take to smooth out the roof. If there are deeper dents then I will apply filler first and then Poly primer on top of the sanded filler.
That's the plan. I work during the week and weekends are usually spent maintain or fixing my other cars, so this one will get a little love here and there an hour or two or three max at a time. Any time put into it is progress and it all adds up in the end.
B pillar revealed two resprays, a copper color on top of the Gazelle Beige and then a silver on the body on top of that was pink.
_________________ Go Reds! Smash state!
Retirement is here!
1956 Ghia
1959 SO-23 Westfalia
1960 double cab
1960 Baja Bug
1963 stretched double cab
1962 Golde sunroof Ghia
1963 356 B coupe
1963 Notchback
1967 21 window less rusty now
1973 Ghia convertible |
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lovethatconvertible Samba Member
Joined: August 22, 2008 Posts: 1434 Location: Las Vegas N. V.
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Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 6:53 pm Post subject: Re: 1956 lowlight restoration |
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Keep em coming Dan, can't wait to see this come together. Looks like you could leave the paint stripper on for a little bit longer and get more paint off. _________________ 1960 Convertible |
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Braukuche Samba Member
Joined: September 03, 2004 Posts: 10965
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Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 12:36 pm Post subject: Re: 1956 lowlight restoration |
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Caught a dang cold so laid off for a day but got back to it after work for a bit yesterday.
I like to use the least aggressive media, so tried using 50 grit disc on a palm sander but it took too long to remove the left over paint and rust so I got aggressive and used a 7" 40 grit disc on a polisher to strip the roof. The baked on rust didn't want to come off, so I sprayed about a pint of Ospho on the roof and then covered with a plastic tarp to keep it moist over night. Likely will have to repeat this with the heavy layers until ALL rust is gone. Some would neutralize, then epoxy or even POR 15, it but if you get one tiny pit or crack in the surface and any moisture gets to that rust will come back with a vengeance.
The other issue was the copious amounts of metallic filler, e.g. Lead, that Karmann used is cracked on the A and B pillars. The cracks appear to be on the surface so I am thinking I can get away with grinding out the cracks and then covering it with modern fillers. Lead sucks.
_________________ Go Reds! Smash state!
Retirement is here!
1956 Ghia
1959 SO-23 Westfalia
1960 double cab
1960 Baja Bug
1963 stretched double cab
1962 Golde sunroof Ghia
1963 356 B coupe
1963 Notchback
1967 21 window less rusty now
1973 Ghia convertible |
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calexican Samba Member
Joined: June 11, 2008 Posts: 727 Location: El Paso, TX
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Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 3:33 pm Post subject: Re: 1956 lowlight restoration |
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I’ve heard that the filler is pewter...and have always wondered what people did with it when it gets all sun baked and cracked... that’s how mine is too. Looks like a great project, one of my favorite colors too. Best of luck! |
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c21darrel Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2009 Posts: 8206 Location: San Dimas
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Mellow Yellow 74 Samba Member
Joined: October 14, 2014 Posts: 1615 Location: Sydney, Australia
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 4:25 am Post subject: Re: 1956 lowlight restoration |
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Braukuche wrote: |
The other issue was the copious amounts of metallic filler, e.g. Lead, that Karmann used is s. The cracks appear to be on the surface so I am thinking I can get away with grinding out the cracks and then covering it with modern fillers. Lead sucks. |
Grinding lead is not a good idea because it creates dust which is unhealthy if you breath it or get it on you. The best way to remove lead is to heat with a torch until it melts and then wire brush it off. If your lead is starting to crack you should remove it all because it will probably keep cracking as the components separate.
If I had a lowlight in such good condition but with surface rust like yours I would get it redi-stripped (or at least soda blasted) then remove all the lead and redo the lead wiping and it will be good for another 60 years (unlike modern plastic fillers). I think you will struggle to remove all the surface rust if you just try go back to bare metal manually. _________________ 1962 Karmann Ghia
1974 Deluxe Microbus
1985 Caravelle (Vanagon) |
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Braukuche Samba Member
Joined: September 03, 2004 Posts: 10965
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 9:04 pm Post subject: Re: 1956 lowlight restoration |
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Did some reading on the lead and agree, that yeh, cracked areas have to go and the best way to do it it is to heat it and scoop it out where it is cracked.
I didn't want to have it blasted because unless done right, it leads to warped panels. Chem dipped can also lead to a host of issue if not done right. Basically, I don't trust anyone, so I prefer to do it myself. To clean up the roof I used grinding, wire brushes, Ospho and a small sand blaster to clean out pitted areas.
With the rust gone, I had to do a bit of filler work because of the pits and metal degradation, but pretty minor.
I then epoxy primed it.
Tomorrow I will Poly prime it and let everything cure for a few weeks so all the body work shrinks up. I will then move on to the dash and cowl area surrounding the trunk.
_________________ Go Reds! Smash state!
Retirement is here!
1956 Ghia
1959 SO-23 Westfalia
1960 double cab
1960 Baja Bug
1963 stretched double cab
1962 Golde sunroof Ghia
1963 356 B coupe
1963 Notchback
1967 21 window less rusty now
1973 Ghia convertible |
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Braukuche Samba Member
Joined: September 03, 2004 Posts: 10965
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Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2017 8:22 pm Post subject: Re: 1956 lowlight restoration |
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The roof is now Poly primed and curing and the underside has been wire brushed and ground so the rust is off and then chemically treated with Ospho anthen coated with epoxy primer. With all that doe I moved on to the front clip today.
I used a couple coats of Jasco to remove the three layers of paint and was happy to find nearly no bondo on the car.
There has been some body damage around the left headlight. There are some shoddy repairs around the bucket and a big fat slab of lead above the bucket which I cannot tell if it is the remnants of the original leading or added later a source part of the repair? Obviously someone removed I assume plastic filler around the bucket so I think the lead must be original.
There is plenty of cracked lead around the base of the A pillars and around the seams near th enose vents which will have to be removed and I have ordered repair panels for the area behind the front wheel wells to the rockers.
This week will undoubtedly be consumed grinding, chem treating an pocket blasting rust. Tons of fun.
_________________ Go Reds! Smash state!
Retirement is here!
1956 Ghia
1959 SO-23 Westfalia
1960 double cab
1960 Baja Bug
1963 stretched double cab
1962 Golde sunroof Ghia
1963 356 B coupe
1963 Notchback
1967 21 window less rusty now
1973 Ghia convertible |
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otahuhu Samba Member
Joined: July 15, 2007 Posts: 561
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Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2017 3:50 am Post subject: Re: 1956 lowlight restoration |
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Looks like someone removed the left side headlight bucket to work the panel then tacked it in and added the lead?
Love the early early ghias and will definitely be following this thread, hope it all goes smoothly for you... |
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Braukuche Samba Member
Joined: September 03, 2004 Posts: 10965
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Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2017 7:36 pm Post subject: Re: 1956 lowlight restoration |
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Been chipping away at this and naturally running into more issues, the worst so far being the right fresh air intake which had some brass repairs done.
The area had been stripped and exposed so there was a lot of mangled metal and I had to figure out exactly what was going on. It looks like the intake is formed of several overlapping pieces of metal which are then lap welded together and covered in generous amounts of lead.
I cut out the rotten areas and brass repair and removed the lead to get down to the steel. I then had to form patches which I welded in to restore the basic shape which will have to be finished, like at the factory, with filler in their case lead in mine short haired fiberglass filler aka kitty hair.
I also welded up one of the odd holes in the cowl.
I also sandblasted the rusty pitted areas and Ospho treated it. I will go over it with a grinding disk before sealing with more Ospho and then epoxy.
I know have to figure out the mess at the end of the rockers. Not sure what it I suppose supposed to look like so must do some research.
_________________ Go Reds! Smash state!
Retirement is here!
1956 Ghia
1959 SO-23 Westfalia
1960 double cab
1960 Baja Bug
1963 stretched double cab
1962 Golde sunroof Ghia
1963 356 B coupe
1963 Notchback
1967 21 window less rusty now
1973 Ghia convertible |
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Braukuche Samba Member
Joined: September 03, 2004 Posts: 10965
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Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2017 6:38 pm Post subject: Re: 1956 lowlight restoration |
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Took me several days to sort out the mess at the front end of the rocker. There are a lot of compound curved pieces down there that end with a block off and since mine was rotted away I had no idea how it looked. Found some pix on the internet, but what really helped was a donor rocker I got with the car. I was able to fabricate pieces and weld it all back together. A real good time and spent on an area no one will likely ever see, but if you are going to do something...
I finally then welded in the lower quarter patch. As you know the one sold by the vendors is for the skinnier later model, but luckily whoever cut out the lower rot saved the wheel arch all the way down to where it meets the rocker so I was able to trim the patch and weld it in while maintaining the rather interesting curve of the lower quarter.
That done I moved onto the nose. I had to grind and then sandblast the nose, cut out the smoothed down emblem area, cut it out, fit in the patch and use my stud welder to pull out some dents as there is this brace across the nose used in the earlier cars blocking access and I don't want to cut it out.
I already started welding the emblem patch in but it got too dark so I didn't finish.
_________________ Go Reds! Smash state!
Retirement is here!
1956 Ghia
1959 SO-23 Westfalia
1960 double cab
1960 Baja Bug
1963 stretched double cab
1962 Golde sunroof Ghia
1963 356 B coupe
1963 Notchback
1967 21 window less rusty now
1973 Ghia convertible |
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c21darrel Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2009 Posts: 8206 Location: San Dimas
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Braukuche Samba Member
Joined: September 03, 2004 Posts: 10965
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Posted: Mon Oct 30, 2017 5:41 pm Post subject: Re: 1956 lowlight restoration |
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c21darrel wrote: |
Nice looking nose patch! |
Thanks.
Got home from work and welded in the emblem patch and ground the welds down from the outside. Still have to do it from the inside of the nose, but I'll save that fun for tomorrow. Will have some pin holes to fill as well.
I also began to build up the seam with welding wire as it was uneven and I don't want to use kitty hair or worse, filler, to build it up.
Ran out of decent light, this time of year do t have much good light after work. Can't wait for spring.
_________________ Go Reds! Smash state!
Retirement is here!
1956 Ghia
1959 SO-23 Westfalia
1960 double cab
1960 Baja Bug
1963 stretched double cab
1962 Golde sunroof Ghia
1963 356 B coupe
1963 Notchback
1967 21 window less rusty now
1973 Ghia convertible |
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c21darrel Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2009 Posts: 8206 Location: San Dimas
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