Archive for May, 2014
May 2014, The State of my Stalled Project
by Garage Weasel on May.05, 2014, under General
Sometimes, a picture just says it best – life takes over and the restoration project comes to a halt. For a year, two, or maybe more. As you can see, nothing has been done for a really long time. With great intentions of getting started and to keep going, I never did. I recently started following the progress of several home-garage restorations on volkszone.com and saw one project that showed a picture much like these after a long pause in progress. So I figured that I would do the same and show the reality of my stalled project. It did give me hope, though, to see others stop for long periods of time and start back up and actually finish the job. I will not make any promises or lofty goals, but I will say that I am once again really interested in this project.
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A Carrier for the Engine
by Garage Weasel on May.10, 2014, under Engine
Although it’s a small thing, I did get something done towards the project. A while ago, I bought a small mover’s dolly to make a carrier for the engine so that I can easily move it around and get it out of the way when I need space. It cost me $12 at Harbor Freight. I made a small box out of scrap 2x4’s that is about the size of the bottom of the engine casing and attached it to the dolly. I then placed the engine on the dolly. Like I said, it’s a small thing, but it is so nice being able to wheel the engine around the garage without having to lift it. I just need to take a router and remove enough wood along the sides next to the heat exchangers so that it will sit flat and not be raised on one side.
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Some Pics of the Engine
by Garage Weasel on May.11, 2014, under Engine
Here are some pictures of the engine. This is obviously not the original 36HP engine that came with this car, but a 40HP replacement. I was told that a rebuilt engine was installed not long before it was parked for good, due to electrical problems. I don’t know if I will rebuild and use this engine or get a 36HP one and rebuild it. I would really prefer to have a year-appropriate engine as I want to get it as stock as possible. I’m not so interested in performance and just want it to run as it did originally.
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I'm anxious and curious to see just what condition the engine actually is in. It's been nearly 30 years since it has been in use and I'm wondering if it was trashed then or if it was in good shape and other factors were the reason it was put into storage.
VIN Plate\Brake Fluid Reservoir Well Donor Panel
by Garage Weasel on May.11, 2014, under Body Work
A while ago, I started looking for a replacement for my VIN plate\brake fluid reservoir well and found a 1958 donor front clip that included one on thesamba.com. The seller agreed to cut out and sell me just the area that was attached to the panel for $90, including shipping. It is a little banged up, but nothing that can’t be straightened out. There is also a bit of surface rust, but it is in much better condition than the one on my car.
The first 4 pictures are of the panel still attached to the donor clip and the remaining 5 are of the donor cut-out that I purchased.
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