Joe's 1956 Canada Custom Project

[RustPatch]

Hey everyone, I usually don't post too much and prefer a smaller audience if I do, but my smaller, local forum seems to have shut down for good and I enjoyed making the project thread, so I'll start again here. I hope it's not too boring but I'm not making any promises.

As of August 2023, it's year 12 in this project, it's my 2nd aircooled VW, and 2nd Polar Silver/Brick Red 1956 Canada Custom.

A small disclaimer: I only have a vague idea of what I'm doing, I'm poor, I know it's taking a while, and I tend to like using before & after pics.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed/played any roll so far, especially my wife, whose worst reaction is the eye-roll when I tell her how much I'm spending. An extra special thanks to my dad who has always helped whether it was with time, knowledge, an extra dollar, or just an ear to vent at in the event of thrown hammers.
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I've been known to be wrong.

[RustPatch]

2012

This is the car when my dad and I picked it up just outside of Edmonton, Alberta. Apparently, it had been owned by a local Fire Hall and was last used as a parade car in the Edmonton Oilers' hey day (1980s) ... which is why it wears an awesome Oilers' coloured paint scheme that has slowly grown on me over the years ... to the point that I've actually debated preserving it.
SPOILER: I didn't.

I have yet to find a picture of it in any parade.

The engine (a 40hp) was in the back seat with a later decklid and a nice section of green shag carpet. Notice the gauges fitted under the rear window.

Some junk in the trunk and a gas heater.

Cleared out a spot in the garage which would be her home for about 2 or 3 years while I picked away at disassembly.

Just some random disassembly pics ...

Picked up a '56/'57 decklid and some OG taillights ...

Found the old, wooden fuel tank dip-stick in a box of stuff that came with the car.

The rear fenders were brazed onto the rear apron at some point and covered with body filler ... front bullets were aftermarket lights with no housings and also gobs of body filler.

I spent days soaking the fender bolts and managed to get them all out with only a couple broken. The left rear corner is a little rotten.

At this point in the project we had a fire in our barn in the backyard. Completely destroyed it but the silver lining is that I was going to store the body in there once I had removed it from the pan. I luckily hadn't made it that far yet. With no where to separate them the project sorta stalled for a bit.

To follow gallery rules of keeping pictures VW related ... this was a clean mk2 GTI cylinder head ... it's now a lump of aluminum with a cam shaft in it.

This was once a minty Tornado Red mk2 GTI hatch.

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I've been known to be wrong.

[RustPatch]

2013

I may have had limited stuff I could actually work on, but I could still buy stuff, boring stuff like engine stands and manuals. And fun stuff like a standard rear view mirror, wheels, and badges.

I found 2 packages of un-opened sun-tan lotion under the mats ... Made in Canada and in fluid ounces ... we switched to metric between 1970 and 1975. I still have them, they're still full and squishy.

Tunnel looks good under the tunnel mats.

Other than that I kinda ran outta things to do so I'd just push it around the yard and take pictures.

2014

Until ... the concrete pad for the shop.

and then it was just about ready.

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I've been known to be wrong.

[sunroof]

Keep it coming! Canadian customs rule.

Don
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Better and better mistakes!

[Northernalbertavw]

Very cool car , keep sharing the progress

[VW_Jimbo]

Cool story! Awaiting more!
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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!

[bwaz]

It was quite a project to take on Joe!

[Riff Raff]

The road goes on forever and the party never ends

Keep at it! Gotta save the CC's
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The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge
- Daniel Boorstin

[RustPatch]

[RustPatch]

So, updating for 2015 I guess. Shop is done but my daily driver fell on her face so that took up a lot of time and money.

2015

Built myself one of these things to keep things compact while not working. If I remember it right I got the idea here somewhere. Has been pretty handy.

Then spent the rest of the year stripping the pan and I think it was around this time that I learned that Volkswagen stamped just about everything with their logo.

Removing the brakes I was kinda surprised to see whoever swapped in the later ones put the safety wire back.

Front suspension out.

2016

Gearbox removed. I'm not sure what it was out of but they sure beat the end of the tunnel and bottom of the rear cargo floor putting it in. With the damage to the top of the apron I like to imagine someone trying to shoe-horn the engine and gearbox in from the top.

The pans halves actually didn't look too bad, the battery area was nice, but there was a lot of other damage, rust in weird spots, and both jack points had been hit pretty hard, so I decided to replace them. Plus new mat buttons, jack points, torsion covers, seat studs, gearbox coupler inspection cover, and battery tie down clamp. This is when I needed help, I never learned to weld due to an eye injury when I was younger. (A food fight, if you can imagine ... it's all fun and games.) So I packaged everything up and sent it to the experts.

2017

It was a good day ...

I didn't know which direction to go from there so I just picked a part and went with it. I grabbed the pedal assembly first.

The main housing was a little pitted on the bottom edge but overall, and where it mattered, it was in good shape. Everything else just needed a little clean up. Glass bead and paint. Roller pedal was a little beat up so I replaced it. Sorry my camera wasn't the best in 2017.

_________________
I've been known to be wrong.

[sunroof]

Like button.

Don
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Better and better mistakes!

[VW_Jimbo]

Perfect timing! I am picking up the pan for the 54 tomorrow if all falls into place. Needed a refresher on all the bits and pieces, so I can remember where I stashed them away!

I love the look of freshly painted parts! They look so good, like when one gets ready for a wedding. It is a great starting point for great work to follow!

Looking oh so good! Keep on going!
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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!

[RustPatch]

[RustPatch]

2018

Finally found a split case gearbox. I was really trying to find one from a '56 but picking was slim in 2018 I guess, so I ended up getting one from a '53.

Nose cone and axle tubes were all there but the tubes were removed and the nose cone was loose so it wasn't well preserved and was in somewhat rough looking shape. Perfect.

Inside was alright.

I dunno about anyone else but if I don't do this I get all kinds of lost.

After full disassembly I only needed to replace 1st gear and the double row ball bearing. The bearing could be used in a jam but there's just one little spot when you roll it ...

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I've been known to be wrong.

[Dan22]

Who did you have do your transmission case coating? It looks like that special magnesium treatment.
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1-0900722 die langsame grüne Schildkröte
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=765074

[56Cabrio]

[RustPatch]

[RustPatch]

[52 split]

well you can always come check us out @midislandaircooled, a lively bunch not using facebook, on the island.local to you. cheers

[RustPatch]