So I replaced the NSX with an old VW...
Discussion
I actually still have the NSX - why would I get rid of one of the greatest cars ever made??
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
But I had a hankering for a project and an obsession with possibly the most un-PH car there is. Please accept my apologies and feel free to leave at any time.
So what makes this more special than the millions of other ones? It is a recent Portuguese import with just 15,590km and 1 family owned from new. Made in November 1960 and matching numbers. Although paperwork is sparse it seems like it was last on the road in 1997.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
But I had a hankering for a project and an obsession with possibly the most un-PH car there is. Please accept my apologies and feel free to leave at any time.
So what makes this more special than the millions of other ones? It is a recent Portuguese import with just 15,590km and 1 family owned from new. Made in November 1960 and matching numbers. Although paperwork is sparse it seems like it was last on the road in 1997.
TBH, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it but the first step was a thorough wheels off inspection (I only gave it a cursory look over at the viewing). The structure was remarkably good - all original panels, no accidents, only 1 repair under the battery. It was repainted in the 90's I think. I was pretty gobsmacked, it is the best one I have seen by some margin.
So I decided it was too good to modify and that it deserved a thorough refurb back to original. It was filthy underneath, like an inch of grime. In some places it was like concrete and had to be chiselled off and other areas was like a thick black ooze. The jet washer wouldn't even touch it so I had to spend days underneath with various wire wheels / brushes / gallons of brake cleaner / scrapers etc. You get the idea.
steering box cleaned / resealed and adjusted.
It has cleaned up really well. The front beam was removed, cleaned and painted. Anything rubber has been replaced.
So I decided it was too good to modify and that it deserved a thorough refurb back to original. It was filthy underneath, like an inch of grime. In some places it was like concrete and had to be chiselled off and other areas was like a thick black ooze. The jet washer wouldn't even touch it so I had to spend days underneath with various wire wheels / brushes / gallons of brake cleaner / scrapers etc. You get the idea.
steering box cleaned / resealed and adjusted.
It has cleaned up really well. The front beam was removed, cleaned and painted. Anything rubber has been replaced.
Edited by LarJammer on Sunday 5th May 12:57
I do like a '67. Having checked the originality of my '60 I am astonished at how often parts were updated by VW, there are many parts on the car that are unique to any particular model year which can make finding spares tricky. As an example my steering wheel and indicator switch is painted green - this was an option offered for around 6 months. Thesamba forum has been a brilliant resource for information. A few more pics -
Wheels painted L380 Turquoise to match the body (this isn't strictly correct but better than silver) and new radial whitewall tyres fitted. Correct 'snowflake' rear lights also fitted. Although the car still had 6v electrics much of it had been modified and later lights fitted. I have reverted it back to how it left the factory.
The seats are in fab condition, as is most of the carpet but a few sections have rotted away. Note the factory fitted clear protective covers still fitted to the door panels. I may get range anxiety as there is no fuel gauge. Or much else. Still, if I run out of fuel I can look at the family photos on the dash!
Wheels painted L380 Turquoise to match the body (this isn't strictly correct but better than silver) and new radial whitewall tyres fitted. Correct 'snowflake' rear lights also fitted. Although the car still had 6v electrics much of it had been modified and later lights fitted. I have reverted it back to how it left the factory.
The seats are in fab condition, as is most of the carpet but a few sections have rotted away. Note the factory fitted clear protective covers still fitted to the door panels. I may get range anxiety as there is no fuel gauge. Or much else. Still, if I run out of fuel I can look at the family photos on the dash!
Well this thread is proving slightly less popular than 2manycarz garage!
A few little updates that fail to convey how many hours I have spent underneath this thing.
Indicator stalk rebuilt, the end has snapped off (they all do that sir) but these Hydrate Green ones are nigh on impossible to find.
The floors have come up amazingly well with 'just' a bit of cleaning.
The frunk is almost there now, wiring tidied, fuel tank repainted & a quick polish. You can still see the numbers painted on at the factory. More next week if I can summon the energy.
A few little updates that fail to convey how many hours I have spent underneath this thing.
Indicator stalk rebuilt, the end has snapped off (they all do that sir) but these Hydrate Green ones are nigh on impossible to find.
The floors have come up amazingly well with 'just' a bit of cleaning.
The frunk is almost there now, wiring tidied, fuel tank repainted & a quick polish. You can still see the numbers painted on at the factory. More next week if I can summon the energy.
Another little update. New window rubbers fitted - the old ones were toast. these were a PITA as I fitted them on my own. Still have the rear window to do but I will need a friend for this. Seems my normal friends have no interest in helping fix an old VW.
The front suspension has been completely rebuilt. New kingpins, bearings etc. The beam has been off, cleaned & repainted.
I managed to find a 6v horn at a swapmeet. the seller assured me it had been tested & I handed over £45. Of course, he was lying and it didn't make a squeak. Fortunately, like many old car parts it can be stripped & rebuilt. It now sounds awesome, who knew 6 volts could make so much noise!
A big update coming soon.
The front suspension has been completely rebuilt. New kingpins, bearings etc. The beam has been off, cleaned & repainted.
I managed to find a 6v horn at a swapmeet. the seller assured me it had been tested & I handed over £45. Of course, he was lying and it didn't make a squeak. Fortunately, like many old car parts it can be stripped & rebuilt. It now sounds awesome, who knew 6 volts could make so much noise!
A big update coming soon.
Thanks for all the positive comments - glad I'm not the only person that likes old tat.
Does anyone know anything about Portuguese spiders??? I wouldn't call it an infestation but there are a number of the same species living on the car. They are quite small & brown / orange in colour and have erm 8 legs. But they don't make a web in a corner. I will come into the garage & there are hundreds of vertical strands across the back end of the car, down to the garage floor, like a waterfall of web. I clean these off and the next day they are back again & it's starting to freak me out.
So, the big update... I initially wanted to do the bare minimum to get this car back on the road, as expected this has snowballed & I have taken the engine & box out. There were a few reasons for this. It was impossible to clean all of the muck from under the back end, the gearbox had a leak and I had some rust to deal with.
This grime was an inch thick in places.
the 3 vertical holes are where the selectors are assembled, these originally had cork plugs which have obviously rotted away and gear oil was dripping out. £3 worth of core plugs has fixed it.
The rust.
Does anyone know anything about Portuguese spiders??? I wouldn't call it an infestation but there are a number of the same species living on the car. They are quite small & brown / orange in colour and have erm 8 legs. But they don't make a web in a corner. I will come into the garage & there are hundreds of vertical strands across the back end of the car, down to the garage floor, like a waterfall of web. I clean these off and the next day they are back again & it's starting to freak me out.
So, the big update... I initially wanted to do the bare minimum to get this car back on the road, as expected this has snowballed & I have taken the engine & box out. There were a few reasons for this. It was impossible to clean all of the muck from under the back end, the gearbox had a leak and I had some rust to deal with.
This grime was an inch thick in places.
the 3 vertical holes are where the selectors are assembled, these originally had cork plugs which have obviously rotted away and gear oil was dripping out. £3 worth of core plugs has fixed it.
The rust.
So with the box out I could do this -
Plus I can give the engine a similar spruce up.
As expected, pretty much everything that comes of is knackered. This is the throttle cable which snapped when I took it out. At least thats 1 embarrassing breakdown avoided.
And finally for today, gearbox back in, new mounts, rear brakes, hub seals & CV boots fitted. Still waiting for the torsion bar bushes & then I can do the final assembly.
Plus I can give the engine a similar spruce up.
As expected, pretty much everything that comes of is knackered. This is the throttle cable which snapped when I took it out. At least thats 1 embarrassing breakdown avoided.
And finally for today, gearbox back in, new mounts, rear brakes, hub seals & CV boots fitted. Still waiting for the torsion bar bushes & then I can do the final assembly.
And so on to my least favourite job. The bodywork. I'm don't enjoy welding, its dangerous, stuff usually catches fire, I get burned and it never turns out as well as I'd hoped. Both rear inner wing sections:
I'm getting better & quite pleased with the result so far. Just have to make a little repair section for the rear valance.
My missing torsion bushes finally turned up so I could finish the suspension rebuild. This has included every bit of rubber, most of the seals and lots of cleaning & painting. Torsion bars out:
All the little jobs seem to take most of the time - making brake pipes, bleeding brakes, fitting and adjusting handbrake cables etc.
Will probably bore you with more pics in a weeks time.
I'm getting better & quite pleased with the result so far. Just have to make a little repair section for the rear valance.
My missing torsion bushes finally turned up so I could finish the suspension rebuild. This has included every bit of rubber, most of the seals and lots of cleaning & painting. Torsion bars out:
All the little jobs seem to take most of the time - making brake pipes, bleeding brakes, fitting and adjusting handbrake cables etc.
Will probably bore you with more pics in a weeks time.
Edited by LarJammer on Saturday 8th June 20:59
Another update, hurrah! (said no-one).
I managed to get a pic of one of these Portuguese spiders. Still not sure what it is...
This week was engine week. First off was to strip off all of the tinware & give it a thorough clean. Glad I did as the cooling fins on the engine were clogged with crud, mouse nests & general filth. The inlet manifold had a small hole which needed welding up but whilst cleaning it up, I discovered a rusty hole between the exhaust heating tube & the intake. So kind of like an EGR setup. But I can't afford to lose any horses so a new manifold was ordered.And a new exhaust. And a new starter motor.And and and.
The engine stripped of its peripherals.
It's cleaned up really well. Decided not to repaint all of the tin as it has some nice patina (I hate the use of that word in the VW community...). Obviously has a new clutch too. And various oil seals. And and and.
Also freed of the seized heater flaps (and found more nests & spiders living in the heater boxes). They are now working perfectly.
The engine is now back in the car, everything reconnected but I have mislaid the throttle cable clamp so waiting for a new one to arrive. BUT the exhaust was a complete PITA - I had to fight with it for about 2 hours to get everything lined up. All that was left to do was fit the tailpipes & one side fouls on the rear bodywork, a lot. So I've left it for now until I decide how to resolve it. I also discovered that the new inlet manifold is shyte as the air filter no longer fits (the carb sits too close to the fan housing). Will have to think about this fix too - I can't take a grinder to it whilst still on the car & the engine has to come out to remove it...
I managed to get a pic of one of these Portuguese spiders. Still not sure what it is...
This week was engine week. First off was to strip off all of the tinware & give it a thorough clean. Glad I did as the cooling fins on the engine were clogged with crud, mouse nests & general filth. The inlet manifold had a small hole which needed welding up but whilst cleaning it up, I discovered a rusty hole between the exhaust heating tube & the intake. So kind of like an EGR setup. But I can't afford to lose any horses so a new manifold was ordered.And a new exhaust. And a new starter motor.And and and.
The engine stripped of its peripherals.
It's cleaned up really well. Decided not to repaint all of the tin as it has some nice patina (I hate the use of that word in the VW community...). Obviously has a new clutch too. And various oil seals. And and and.
Also freed of the seized heater flaps (and found more nests & spiders living in the heater boxes). They are now working perfectly.
The engine is now back in the car, everything reconnected but I have mislaid the throttle cable clamp so waiting for a new one to arrive. BUT the exhaust was a complete PITA - I had to fight with it for about 2 hours to get everything lined up. All that was left to do was fit the tailpipes & one side fouls on the rear bodywork, a lot. So I've left it for now until I decide how to resolve it. I also discovered that the new inlet manifold is shyte as the air filter no longer fits (the carb sits too close to the fan housing). Will have to think about this fix too - I can't take a grinder to it whilst still on the car & the engine has to come out to remove it...
Sooo...
Engine issues are now resolved with a 3 step plan.
1. walk away.
2. have a cuppa.
3. use much brute force.
The interior has been stripped, cleaned and refitted.
Haven't taken a pic of the finished interior yet, there are a few small jobs to do. I decided it was time to take it out for a spin, probably the longest drive its had for a number of years.
You may notice the rear window is not fitted yet... There were a few running issues so its had a tune up & final checks (timing, points gap, carb adjustment, checked heater flaps, torque wheels, adjust brakes etc) and seems to be all good now. The tracking was also done.
You know a car is almost ready when the polishing starts. It is coming up better than I hoped (half done for comparison).
And now it is looking like a car again
Engine issues are now resolved with a 3 step plan.
1. walk away.
2. have a cuppa.
3. use much brute force.
The interior has been stripped, cleaned and refitted.
Haven't taken a pic of the finished interior yet, there are a few small jobs to do. I decided it was time to take it out for a spin, probably the longest drive its had for a number of years.
You may notice the rear window is not fitted yet... There were a few running issues so its had a tune up & final checks (timing, points gap, carb adjustment, checked heater flaps, torque wheels, adjust brakes etc) and seems to be all good now. The tracking was also done.
You know a car is almost ready when the polishing starts. It is coming up better than I hoped (half done for comparison).
And now it is looking like a car again
Rich135 said:
That looks great. What are the plans for underbody protection? Paint of all that nice colour with some kind of black underseal, or just leave it to shine through and risk stone chips?
It is staying as it is - that's how it left the factory 59 years ago. I don't imagine it will be doing many miles anyway.
Thanks for the positive feedback.
For comparison, this is how it arrived -
And this is how it looks today -
Plus a couple of shots from the MOT station in the sunshine. Needless to say, it passed
I'm loving the small tail lights of the early cars. Next step is to get it UK registered.
For comparison, this is how it arrived -
And this is how it looks today -
Plus a couple of shots from the MOT station in the sunshine. Needless to say, it passed
I'm loving the small tail lights of the early cars. Next step is to get it UK registered.
gary71 said:
Both good in different ways. Many people can’t relate to old cars and getting spanners/welders out.
Personally love it, just looking back at those floor pan photos! Wow!
The MOT man commented on the new floorpans. I pointed out they were in fact 59 years old (i'd studied the spot welds in detail whilst i spent DAYS cleaning them)...Personally love it, just looking back at those floor pan photos! Wow!
BTW, enjoying you resto blog immensly!
I've managed to put a few miles on it now. A considerable number of years have passed since I have driven something this old and some observations were made - the steering is wayward. The brakes are awful. Hills represent a real challenge (I can't remember the last car I owned that slowed considerably when encountering a slight gradient).
But my rose tinted specs are intact, it is a lovely old thing to cruise along in and gets more attention than the NSX. There was a problem with the indicators but, like most other parts on it, the relay is adjustable.
Indicators fixed. Managed to get the fleet together, very happy with both of them, even if they are more different than chalk and cheese.
But my rose tinted specs are intact, it is a lovely old thing to cruise along in and gets more attention than the NSX. There was a problem with the indicators but, like most other parts on it, the relay is adjustable.
Indicators fixed. Managed to get the fleet together, very happy with both of them, even if they are more different than chalk and cheese.
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