1959 Beetle Restoration Project

[heimlich]

That looks really good. You are going all out on it.
_________________
www.vwnos.com [email protected]
Classic Brands. Classic Quality.
Not all parts are made the same. NOS OE/OEM parts made mainly in West Germany, Early Germany, and Early Brazil are where VW produced the best quality parts and best fitting products.
5% Off your order with coupon code: 5%OFF
Restored Distributors Available (<--Click here)

[jbannon]

Thanks Heimlich! Im enjoying the process of bringing this car back.

[jbannon]

Thought I would share some more updates regarding the body and paint work. The car is nearly done and ready for pickup.

[jbannon]

Project Update:

It's been a while since posting. The good news is the car is back from the body shop and I will start the assembly process. The pan is nearly done as well. I know several of you asked me to take photos of the body in the sun, but we have had nothing but constant rain in Vienna since I got the car back. Once we get some decent weather I'll post more pictures.

Arrival day:

Some shots of the pan:

I still have a few more things to do the pan--install the seal, bleed the brakes, final torque adjustments, bend safety plates into place, install heater cables, transaxle gear oil, etc. Some will notice the changes I made to the pan--updated accelerator from Classic Bug Parts, accelerator cable guide on the transaxle from Butty's bits, "6-shooter" clutch cable adjuster from Airkewld, newer master cylinder, updated torsion arm covers from CSP, etc... I will do a full write up on the pan once it's done and will list the parts and procedures I used to get it done. I was wondering what straps people used on their axle boots? The one's I ham using seem a bit narrow and I was thinking wider straps would be better. Any suggestions?

Finally, given I have access to a lift, I am thinking of installing the motor and just lowering the whole body onto the completed pan like they did at the factory... Anyone else do it this way? Any tips or tricks to make the process go smoothly?

[sportin-wood]

Looking good! Very nice attention to detail.
_________________
.
Paused 66 project bug
.
"Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman. He's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it." --- Jeff Spicoli

[jbannon]

[jbannon]

Apologies for not posting more. But as promised here are are some pictures of the car in the sun. L243 Diamond Gray really is a chameleon color. In the sun it’s more of a gold-green color, and when overcast or in the shade it takes on a more silver-gray color. I hope to post a full update soon on the completed pan and show how we wired the car.

[wdfifteen]

[jbannon]

Thanks for the reply and feedback. It’s greatly appreciated.

Per your question regarding the starter, that is the one that came with the car. I am always amazed how you guys can spot these differences! I’ll take a closer look next time I’m in the shop and provide more details in a future post.

[wdfifteen]

After looking at my starter and comparing it to your pictures, it is definitely a 356A style Bosche starter. I was probably a popular standard style in the '50s, used on a lot of cars, but they are absolutely needed on Porsches.

[jbannon]

Motometer 3-in-1 Gauge

My apologies for not writing more regarding progress on the restoration. Things have been happening, but slowly given a move to a new shop, work schedule, winter, and family obligations. However, we have installed the wiring harness and are working through completing that part of the project. This has taken longer than expected given the need to accommodate Austrian / European semaphore and turn signal regulations, as well as my need to find an elegant turn signal switch solution to accommodate both. I plan to do a full write up on that adventure soon.

Today I wanted to share my efforts to restore and install a Motometer 3-in-1 gauge in the car. This has not been easy. Nor has it been cheap. It also took a long time to figure this stuff out, which made it both frustrating and rewarding (once I finished!) If you have a 3-in-1 and are not sure it works or is calibrated, lack sending units for the fuel and temp gauges, but want to use it in your car, then strap in. I'll go through my process and share some solutions I found that work but are not perfect.

First, let me thank everyone who had posted information about their own efforts with the 3-in-1 in the Samba over the years. I read them all which provided the input I needed to get my gauge to function. Some of you I emailed and your suggestions were equally helpful and appreciated. Please note (and I really want to stress this), these are the solutions I utilized. Your mileage may vary and you may not agree with my outcomes. I did my best to find solutions that worked and were as unobtrusive as possible (that will make sense in a bit.)

The Gauge

I found my 3-in-1 on eBay from a seller in France. While the gauge was cosmetically nice, it had a small ding in the chrome accent ring and the owner was unsure if it worked. Importantly, it did not come with sending units for the fuel and oil temp gauges. I naively thought I could send the gauge to North Hollywood Speedometer for calibration and find sending units locally in Europe. This proved to not be the case. Moreover, as I searched for sending units it became quickly evident that these items were unicorns. Here are a few pictures of the gauge when I received it.

Does it work...

I initially followed the recommendations posted on the Samba to reach out to North Hollywood Speedometer Repair to help with cleaning and calibration, as well as helping with my sending unit problems. However, they told me they were unable to help and couldn't offer any further assistance. After some research I found Abbott Instrument Restoration (https://www.abbottinstrumentrestoration.com), who are based in Oregon, and contacted them with my dilemma. They said they could help.

Bruce and Garret Abbott are a father and son team, and specialize in restoring vintage gauges. They are especially good at finding solutions for gauges where parts don't exist. We initially agreed on sending my gauge in for cleaning and to make sure everything worked inside. In addition, I wanted them to repair the small blemish/ding in the chrome trim ring. We would then explore options for a fuel and oil temp sender. Bruce and Garret were incredibly helpful, patient, and worked the problem. They were also very communicative, and worked with me when I thought I could find a fuel sending unit at a large car show here in Austria. However, when that didn't pan out, they quickly pivoted and said they could build a fuel sending unit, which they did (more on that later...) During the process they sent me pictures and videos, and really engaged with me in the process.

Something to consider when going this route: This is process is not inexpensive. Please make sure you get your cost estimates up front because the price is going to sting. I highly recommend Abbott, have used them multiple times now, and will be sending them some future work. But you pay for the quality and attention to detail.

Fuel Sending Unit

Abbott built a custom sending unit that would very accurately show the fuel level in my tank. The unit itself has modern internals, and requires a hole cut in the tank and a flange welded to the tank for mounting. At the time this was my only option and I had them build the sending unit. Here is a picture.

A lot of time passed between the sending unit being built and bodywork and paint being completed, and during the interim I found a late 50's VDO fuel sending unit locally and wondered if it would work. The VDO sending unit did not require a hole to be cut in the tank, and instead mounted via a small hole drilled into the filler neck. I preferred the less obtrusive and smaller hole in the filler neck versus a large hole and welded plate in the center of the tank. I also felt it would look better and be more period correct. I called Abbott and asked them what they thought. They were unsure, but asked me to send the gauge and sending unit and they would run some tests to determine if it was possible. The sending unit itself was rough and needed to be restored, but I was curious if this approach would work and sent them the items.

Garrett from Abbott and I had many phone conversations about this part of the project; a lot of back and forth ensued and the entire process felt very collaborative. Abbott had never restored a vintage VW VDO fuel sender, and the internals had them scratching their heads on more than a few occasions. In the end they were able to make the sending unit work with one big caveat: it would not be as accurate as the custom made sending unit, and I would be sacrificing accuracy for a less obtrusive sending unit. I felt that was an okay trade off given I still had the reserve lever and accuracy was never a strong point in old VWs. Here is a before picture of the VDO sending unit (I said it was rough!):

Here is photo of the restored sending unit including the installation of a separate ground wire (which updates the original sending unit):

(BTW, I will sell the other sending unit if anyone is interested)

Oil Temperature Sending Unit

Based on the discussions in The Samba on OHM ranges for the 3-in-1, I found a new screw in VDO sender that would work. The VDO model number was 1120 / 17554400. However, this approach was not perfect. Garrett had to apply his magic to get the sending unit to read correctly with the gauge, and like the fuel sending unit, the temp gauge reads “mostly” accurate versus exactly accurate. Given the temp gauge doesn’t display numbers and mostly indicates if the motor is overheating, this solution worked well enough. Having an original Motometer sending unit would have been ideal, but I was never able to find one despite some tenacious efforts.

Where to Mount the Oil Temperature Sending Unit

My original plan was to use an adaptor to mount the sender next to the oil pressure sending unit via this setup from a company I found in Germany. Here is picture of the adaptor and the proposed setup:

The adaptor holds the oil temp and oil pressure gauge, and fits into the existing oil pressure hole in the engine case. However, after some back-and-forth discussions with Garrett on the adaptor, he felt placing the sensor closer to the oil pickup area would produce more accurate results. I opted to go with Stefi G’s oil plate sump and place the sensor in the plate. This would permit the sensor to be as close to the pickup area as possible, but would also require a sensor and wire to be run to the bottom of the engine. I am not fond of having the sending unit exposed to the road, so will see how things go and adjust if necessary. Here is a photo of the plate.

Placement

I used the opening behind the small factory grill in the 1959 dashboard and purchased a new grill with round opening from Grumpy’s Metal to display the gauge. The gauge is 60mm in diameter, which is slightly bigger than the factory hole opening. In order to fit the gauge you will have to modify the opening. Here is a picture of the new grill and the metal that will need to be modified:

The metal was modified before paint, and this is the end result:

If I was to do it again I would make the openings slightly larger to better accommodate the bracket that holds the gauge to the grill.

I also modified the wire mesh behind the grill, and used laminated cardboard as a backing material to "seal" the grill. The metal mesh was sandblasted, cut, and then painted an off white to approximate the original flocked meshing. Here are some pictures:

And some pictures of the installed gauge:

Final Thoughts

Given my experience and efforts with trying to use the Motometer 3-in-1 gauge in my car, I thought I would share a few final thoughts that may save you a lot of money and time.

- Buy a gauge that looks cosmetically decent, has a nice chrome ring, and has all of its parts and brackets. If you can find a gauge that has its sending units and has been calibrated (it works), buy it. This is the more expensive option, but paying more up front for a working gauge will save you a lot of money and time down the road.

- You will need to trim some metal when installing the gauge in a 1958-61 car given the square hole is not big enough. However, it's a small amount of metal and won't affect the dashboard significantly if you decide to not use the gauge later on. In my case, the previous owner had drilled quite a few holes under the dash and one hole in the dash, which were filled. I figured I wasn't starting with a pristine dash, and making the slight change to the opening didn't bother me. Your views may vary.

- If you don't have sending units, you can find close approximates that will get the job done and may be cheaper. I have found that there are more 50's era VDO sending units for sale on the Samba than Motometer sending units, which is helpful. These gauges were never completely accurate when new, so the use of good-enough sending units is okay, especially if it lets you use the gauge.

- If unsure about the working condition of your equipment, send your gauge and sending units to Abbott Instrumentation for calibration and testing. Garrett and Bruce are very helpful, will gladly describe their process and costs, and importantly, are refreshingly honest, candid, and don't over promise.

Vendors / Parts

- Abbott Instrument Restoration

https://www.abbottinstrumentrestoration.com

- Grumpy's Metal

https://grumpysmetal.com/gas-gauge-bezel-2-3-8th-single-hole-lhd.html

- Stefi G

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2387984q

[pastellgreen]

[jbannon]

Thanks for email! Much appreciated. Great question on the tail light height. The fenders are from Klassik Fab and I assumed the hole placement was correct given they are the Oval versions. Looking at the photo the holes appear high, but in person they look the right height. However, if you have measurements please send them and I’ll check.

[Rome]

Like pastellgreen I also have a critical eye for taillamp positioning. I found this image in the gallery (lovethatconvertible) for snowflakt taillamp mounting holes. It compares well with your fender holes, as I usually use the outward kink in the fender mounting flange as the reference for the taillamp hole height. That kink is at the top of the 14 1/4" line. The holes in the gallery photo compare well with those on your fenders. Yours might even be a finger-width lower.

Using that outward kink on both fenders, you can draw an imaginary horizontal line between them when at a low viewing point and see where that line intersects each taillamp. Using this shot (dc gallery) the horizontal line appears to intersect the snowflakes along the top of the snowflake portion of the reflector.

And a similar low-angle shot, on StockSteve's '60-

[jbannon]

Rome, thanks for chiming in and providing the reference photos. Ill be in my shop tomorrow and will take some quick measurements, but agree with your assessment.

Once again, I enjoy the feedback and conversation, and appreciate everyone sharing. Its what makes working on these cars so fun.

[pastellgreen]

thank you Rome, comparing all these pictures they calm me down.

[VWNate]

1.21.2024

Late to the party as usual, I too have an October '58 #113 in Diamond Gray, it's a U.S.A. specification car that's amazingly original if battered and rusty .

I'll prolly come back with many comments s I read through all six pages .

I'm curious about the modern clutch hook ~ the clutch pedal is held by a screw and not a pin ? .

Your old clutch hook looks to be in extremely good shape, I wonder if the case hardening was better then as the clutch hook in my '59 is essentially unworn so I re used it .

You keep saying "you can see how bad this was", here in America in Southern California the wear and abuse is almost always far, far worse .

I'm pleased to hear you like the BBT fenders, I bought a right front one for my '59 and was nonplussed to see it is made in Taiwan .

Could you perhaps detail more about the parts tumbler ? .

I also wonder how the heck you managed to remove the 6MM bolts holding the running boards on in that lacy badly rusted panel .

My car sill has the original running boards and I want to save, de rust and reuse the hardware .

FWIW, I've been using dilute Phosphoric Acid in my ultrasonic bath to clean and de rust lots of little things, the sheep metal bits and hardware come out shiny like new wherever the aren't any pits .
_________________
-Nate

One last Beetle : 1959 #113 DeLuxe survivor ~ 36HP & full synchro tranny, 6 volts etc.

[VWNate]

Powder coating the floor pans or any other part exposed to the road is a serious mistake as it's a given that chips will develop and then water gets in and creeps along between the nice looking powder coat and metal with catastrophic results in a shorter time than most can grasp .

HONDA learned this the hard way when they (briefly) embraced powder coating of Motocycle frames .
_________________
-Nate

One last Beetle : 1959 #113 DeLuxe survivor ~ 36HP & full synchro tranny, 6 volts etc.

[VWNate]

I'm keen to learn about the heater cable clamps as I've never seen one like this before .

36HP engines used a P.I.A. three piece barrel clamp, hated by mot VW Mechanics back in the day, I'd save them from junked engines/cars and was pleased to be able to use them on my current '59 .
_________________
-Nate

One last Beetle : 1959 #113 DeLuxe survivor ~ 36HP & full synchro tranny, 6 volts etc.

[VWNate]

Where did you source the nifty glass bowl fuel intake filter please ? .

TIA,
_________________
-Nate

One last Beetle : 1959 #113 DeLuxe survivor ~ 36HP & full synchro tranny, 6 volts etc.