My 56 garage restoration

[esde]

Nice work! It's going to be a great car!
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modok wrote:
Bent cranks are silent but gather no moss. I mean, ah, something like that.

[xraymatt]

Cleaned up with surface rust from the trunk space. I've been getting the color match paint from Temple paints (here on the Samba). It matches perfectly. I've been using it mainly on the wheel wells, engine bay and trunk space. The OG body paint isn't being touched, with the exception of a clear coat.

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1956 Reed Green oval window
1961 OG Black ragtop

[VW_Jimbo]

Very nice!
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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!

[xraymatt]

Last week I got out there and installed the pan seal. It wasn't too difficult to mark the holes and punch them out. Unfortunately the 61's motor issue is currently delaying the 56 project. Hopefully it will just be a slight delay.
Also connected all of the brake lines and attempted to bleed them; however the brake fluid started leaking at the brake pedal, so I'll have to investigate that further.

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1956 Reed Green oval window
1961 OG Black ragtop

[xraymatt]

Got some work done on the 56 this past week. I managed to get the brakes bled and then lowered the body back onto the pan. The external oil cooler installation is still on the list, but I'll get to that at some point.
I really wanted to get the 56 out of the garage so I could work on the 61 and address the vibrating clutch pedal (yeah, that's the new issue). I'll document that journey under the "Gulf Blue 61 ragtop" post.

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1956 Reed Green oval window
1961 OG Black ragtop

[VW_Jimbo]

Nice job! Got to keep that water out!
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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!

[xraymatt]

[Chainsaw Monday]

I just inherited a 1956, I'm already enjoying your thread very much. What was the issue with the brake fluid leaking from the pedal assembly?

[xraymatt]

[xraymatt]

Got the 56 all shined up and mostly put back together. All that's left is to install a new wiring harness and to rebuild the motor, then we'll be good to go.

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1956 Reed Green oval window
1961 OG Black ragtop

[xraymatt]

Finally got the body bolted back onto the pan. Next up is the new wiring harness, which might get started this week. Things are moving along......

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1956 Reed Green oval window
1961 OG Black ragtop

[xraymatt]

The wiring harness from Wolfsburg West has been installed and completed. Lights work, but the turn signal switch still needs to be restored. I also did a re-spray on the fuel tank, so that's nice and shiny again. It's moving along.

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1956 Reed Green oval window
1961 OG Black ragtop

[xraymatt]

Now that Bluey, the 61 ragtop has been sold, we now shift to finishing the 56. As a part of the deal, I included the 2332cc engine that was formerly in the 56, which means the 56 will be inheriting the 1600cc that I'm currently rebuilding.
After watching a ton of videos and failing multiple times, I managed to seal up the case without the crankshaft locking up. Mind you, this is the first time I've built an engine, so slow and steady is the name of the game. I'll take the small victory, but this is only mile 1 of a marathon. I'm just hoping to finish. Time will tell......

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1956 Reed Green oval window
1961 OG Black ragtop

[VW_Jimbo]

You got this! Remember, ALWAYS MEASURE BEFORE assembling! A caliper can get you very much in the ballpark! And they are super cheap!
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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!

[xraymatt]

Well, I wussed out of building my own engine and opted to have an engine built for the 56. I went with a 1914cc built by an awesome team out of Perris, Ca. I can't wait to put this beast in. Also, I was up one morning before it got too hot and put down a little sound deadening on the pan. Not very much work gets done out here in the summer time, but maybe I'll have to install a mini-split unit in the garage.......

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1956 Reed Green oval window
1961 OG Black ragtop

[xraymatt]

With temperatures cooling off slightly out here in the desert, it was time to get back out there. At the top of the list is installing the new engine in the 56.
I managed to get it partially installed before having to stop. I had sinus surgery the week before and the extra exertion really took it out of me. Hopefully this week I can finish the job.

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1956 Reed Green oval window
1961 OG Black ragtop

[xraymatt]

The engine is in! It's inching closer......

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1956 Reed Green oval window
1961 OG Black ragtop

[VW_Jimbo]

Nice! Don’t forget the oil!
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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!

[xraymatt]

[xraymatt]

Sooooo...... yeah. This happened last weekend. My 18 year old son, who's still learning to drive, was backing into the garage and accidentally hit the gas...and crunch! When I came home from work, I immediately saw it and imagined the terror running through both him and my wife. So I decided to blow it off and tell him that it's just a fender. No harm, no foul.
I remember when I was a kid, I was sitting in my dad's 61 and pushed on the clutch. There was no parking brake, so I rolled it back into the street! Man, the ass whooping I got!! So, I think that played into how I handled this situation. Mistakes are going to happen and everything is fixable.

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1956 Reed Green oval window
1961 OG Black ragtop