The 'Ol 55

tehillah1 · Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2018 1:08 pm Post subject: The 'Ol 55

I'm not so good at pics or keeping up with this stuff but thought I'd give it a shot. Here's some pics of my 55 oval project that's been ongoing in some fashion since the '70s when a guy gave me the bug to get it out of his drive way. I got it running at was my daily driver until 1983 when the crash box tranny gave up the ghost. The guy who was supposed to rebuild it disappeared with my parts so I picked up a "68 swing axle and began my education on what's what with these old bugs...It has been through a relocation and has sat around the past 30 years until I finally got my shop in shape to do something with it. The Samba has been a gold mine of experience and education in figuring things out...So here's some pics of the project...I'm about to get into the body repairs, pan/ tranny are pretty much done.

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tehillah1 · Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2018 1:17 pm Post subject: Re: The 'Ol 55

Here's a few pan pics...I'm working on how to make a semi-rotisserie for the body out of the engine stands I used for the pan rotisserie...

Mark Evans · Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2018 2:53 pm Post subject: Re: The 'Ol 55

You may want to consider changing out the axles on that trans. They are a longer axle pushing out the rear wheels, unless that's what you want.
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'63 Ragtop

tehillah1 · Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2018 4:51 pm Post subject: Re: The 'Ol 55

tisius · Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2018 5:39 am Post subject: Re: The 'Ol 55

Sweet!
After having it in storage for 30 years, the voyage to get it back on the road must be exciting Cool

Good job on the chassis.
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tehillah1 · Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 2:18 pm Post subject: Re: The 'Ol 55

tehillah1 · Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2020 12:05 pm Post subject: Re: The 'Ol 55

Got the body completely stripped (glass, doors, anything that'd come off) and have had a good semester teaching myself to grind so I'm getting ready to start cancer surgery on the right rear end.
As I'm looking at the rear apron (drop crunched...) I see that the tailpipe cutouts are reinforced with solid rod. Is this typical of a factory May 1955 US standard Type 1? It seems I've read here that both cutout and plain versions are found on this car. It has turn signals (no semaphores, bullet fenders). I've put up pics of the apron and a piece of the reinforcement metal. It's probably ambitious but I'd like to save the stock apron if I can...

Dan22 · Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2020 4:36 pm Post subject: Re: The 'Ol 55

The cut outs are definitely someones hack job.

I recommend keeping that apron! Easy to fix the bottom with some new metal.
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Mark Evans · Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2020 5:12 pm Post subject: Re: The 'Ol 55

I was actually impressed with the effort someone did to make the cutout shapings. Most of the time, they just look like someone used tin snips.
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'63 Ragtop

tehillah1 · Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2020 6:58 pm Post subject: Re: The 'Ol 55

I thought the same thing... A lot of work went into making these cutouts look ok...The po was a painter for a Cadillac dealer here in the '70's. The screen and bondo fills at back of the quarter panels was impressive too but sure made for a thorough rust out...
So would this apron be correct if I fill the cutouts and make it clean all the way across? What happens with the exhaust then?

motofly196 · Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2020 7:17 pm Post subject: Re: The 'Ol 55

Rear aprons without cutouts get a single exhaust muffler. The exhaust pipe sits lower than the apron.

tehillah1 · Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2020 7:32 am Post subject: Re: The 'Ol 55

When did they start putting cutout and pea shooter exhausts on the Type 1?

Mark Evans · Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2020 7:42 am Post subject: Re: The 'Ol 55

1956 models, starting after Aug. '55, but that is a huge topic in itself.
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'63 Ragtop

tehillah1 · Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2020 8:50 am Post subject: Re: The 'Ol 55

The "is it a 1955 or 1956" topic...I've read a lot about it....so I can be pretty confident that my car came without cutouts originally and with a single outlet exhaust...
I'm gonna work with what I have, patch the existing apron back to stock and go from there.

Thanks for the all the feedback.

Dan22 · Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2020 9:25 am Post subject: Re: The 'Ol 55

Patching the rear panel is a wise choice IMHO. The value to the car is significant. Cool

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1-0900722 die langsame grüne Schildkröte
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=765074

tehillah1 · Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2020 9:29 am Post subject: Re: The 'Ol 55

Yep.
I want to keep all of the og metal that I can...though I've got quite a bit of cancer surgery to accomplish.

tehillah1 · Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2020 2:59 pm Post subject: Re: The 'Ol 55

Finally took the plunge. My first shot at body work.
The rear bumper mounts are wasted on the car so new mounts are in order but the body is typically rusted out behind them. I've done my best to save as much original metal as possible. Cut out the rust, fashioned up a patch out of 20 gauge that seemed a good match. Welded it in and now to order up some new bumper mounts.
I've got some pits and small pinholes to fill but I think it came out good enough for the next steps of body repair...fill, prime, seal.
I figured I'd start my body repair lessons under the rear fenders on panels that I can get before tearing into more visible panels (rear quarters...) so I have a good feel for what needs to be done when I get to the more visible panel repair the car is going to need.
The Samba community and it's wealth of shared experience has given me everything I needed to dive in...Grateful for the depth of experience and wisdom here and especially the willingness to share.

Mark Evans · Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2020 7:00 pm Post subject: Re: The 'Ol 55

Looks like a good start and your skills can only get better with practice!
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'63 Ragtop

tehillah1 · Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2020 1:51 pm Post subject: Re: The 'Ol 55

I moved on to the right rear bumper mount area so I can get some kind of line on the what the apron shape needs to be...

I've got the bumper mount ready to weld on, but in looking to keep everything lining up I pulled the left side fender down to bolt it up for a guide and found it to be in need of lots of work to be serviceable even as a line up guide...I'm gonna spring for a pair of re-pops to keep me moving ahead (I'll try restoring the og fenders some time in the future).

VW_Jimbo · Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2020 3:21 pm Post subject: Re: The 'Ol 55

Progress is good, no matter how much! I try and get something done, each week. Be it a small item or a large one. Because once you stop, you stop.

It is one of the basic laws of motion. Newton's first law of motion - sometimes referred to as the law of inertia. An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

Got to love the basis rules of mother nature!
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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!


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