# Another Hobby



## Who. Me? (Jan 12, 2007)

Thought I should post a picture of my latest hobby. Needs a bit of work, but it keeps me busy 



















It's a 1956 VW Type 2 T1 Single Cab. Spent most of its life in California before being imported to Belgium by the company I bought it from.

And this is why I sold my RLT29. I needed some parts to fix the handbrake.

It may be a while before I buy any more watches.


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## Faze (Mar 1, 2013)

Looks fantastic, totally love it.

Enjoy mate, it will be a fantastic people puller and investment. :thumbup:


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

You need some EMPI's for that !!!










Nice and unlike those dodgy camper vans you won't get gassed while out and about


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

In the late 60's I had a toy VW truck. 

Later,

William


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## mjsrb5 (Apr 7, 2013)

That's a stunning wee truck, doesn't look in bad nick either from the photos. Have you got any interior shots? And is the bed wooden lined?


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## Iceblue (Sep 4, 2013)

Great know I am regretting selling my vw gp super buggy nice vdub fella


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## Who. Me? (Jan 12, 2007)

Thanks all. I'm happy with it.



BondandBigM said:


> You need some EMPI's for that !!!


 :shocking:



I'm keeping it stock - or as stock as it is now (should have a 1200 engine, but it's been replaced with a 1600 dual port).

I might not get gassed, but I need to get it rolling so I can move it outside and pull the fuel tank - strong smell of petrol inside the treasure chest (under-bed) area. I've replaced the fuel lines, so no smells outside anymore, but inside the treasure chest is quite petrolly.



William_Wilson said:


> In the late 60's I had a toy VW truck.


My wife got me one for our anniversary. 



mjsrb5 said:


> That's a stunning wee truck, doesn't look in bad nick either from the photos. Have you got any interior shots? And is the bed wooden lined?


It looks OK from a distance, but it had a cosmetic restoration a while back, where the body shop smoothed it over with filler (bondo). Unfortunately some rust has come back through since and a big chunk is flaking off the left hand flank. I'll have to see how easily it comes off and make a decision as to whether it's worth taking the chance on taking it back to the original paint underneath...

(The pictures below are the seller's pictures - it went straight in to the garage when they delivered it in late September, so I haven't many pics yet)...










When the transmission was replaced, they couldn't make the handbrake cables fit and, rather than getting custom cables made, they just disconnected the lot and removed the hardware. At some point it's rolled back in to something and the filler on the rear left has cracked as a result (and the engine (deck) lid) is bent - but nothing that can't be repaired










Right hand cill has some rust (minor) that looks to be due to the drains being blocked with some sort of plaster (the underside was caked in it).

This was a working truck but it's worn well. The bed, drop gates and inside the treasure chest were sprayed with bedliner to protect them, so no wood slats, but I can use it as-is.

The cab interior is still in original paint.










Seat vinyl looks original (but torn ). Cab floor needs patching, but it's not a Flintstones car.

It also needs a new battery tray (they all rot out) and a small floor patch (about the size of a Â£2 coin  under the fuel tank).

Underneath is incredibly solid for a 58-year old truck though...










That's still the factory primer. It lived in California so was never undersealed.


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## Who. Me? (Jan 12, 2007)

Some more pics, again the sellers...

Cab










Inside the 'Treasure chest'. This is one of the reasons why I bought a truck rather than a bus or camper. The amount of space for carrying cr&p is amazing...










A lot of of the bedliner on the floor in the above picture was flaking off. I gave it a quick scrape and the original primer, with light surface rust, was underneath.

load bed...


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## mjsrb5 (Apr 7, 2013)

Thanks for sharing the pics mate, looks amazing! I love the minimal interior and underneath looks clean! I hope the filler isn't hiding any nasty surprises but if the rest of the vehicle is that good then it should be fine.


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## martinzx (Aug 29, 2010)

It looks in great condition  It is an expensive hobby, not long ago completed my camper van 

Cheers Martin


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

As I recall, there were different variants offering other box entry and utility options. When you get this one finished, you'll need to collect the entire set. :lol:

Later,

William


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## spaceslug (Dec 3, 2011)

Wow. That looks good already but it will be so cool when it's restored. Look forward to seeing the pics.


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## Who. Me? (Jan 12, 2007)

Thanks. It's time consuming for unexpected reasons sometimes.

Yesterday I was ready to get it back on its wheels for the first time in over a month. When I stripped the rear brakes to install the handbrake components a few weeks back, I found an oil leak from one of the hub bearing seals. At the same time I'm changing the gearbox and reduction box oil and gaiters/boots and a rear-wheel cylinder that I broke :icon18: .

Bought the new components last week, stripped it down cleaned everything up to an OCD-level yesterday (it's a faff to strip the drums - I don't want the hub leaking again) and started to put it all back together. Torqued the last bolt up and the washer underneath split and splayed. Nowhere round here had a washer of the right size and spec, so now I have to strip it all again, clean all the gaskets off and re-do it.

Worst thing is that I rounded one of the bolts - it has a low-profile head and is a VW-only part (it also doesn't fit in a socket very well :down: ) and the part is on 2-3 week back order from VW in Germany.


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## Who. Me? (Jan 12, 2007)

While I was rebuilding funds to get the hub parts and tools (I bought a torque multiplier to deal with the rear hub nuts - they have to be torqued to 253 ft-pounds and I have to crank them up while the hub gasket sealant is still setting) I got to work cleaning up the front end.

At some point someone drove the truck through something that looks like plaster. It crumbles off most of the underside, except where it mixed with oil or grease on the front end and there it set like old chewing gum. Two-inch thick chewing gum, in some places.

Before (right hand side)...










After (left hand side)...










When I service the front end I'll get it properly clean, but getting that far took me almost a day of Gunk-ing and scraping. I stank and was black at the end of it. At least I can get to the grease nipples now. I'm hoping it wasn't like that for too long - there's no way that anyone could have greased it while it's been like that.


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## Littlelegs (Dec 4, 2011)

That looks great....)


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## chris l (Aug 5, 2005)

I love spllts and have had a few, including a Samba and a double cab LHD drive pickup, which came with crossplies...

Yours is gorgeous.

Fun getting the rear hub nuts off, isn't it? I used a scaffold bar to stand on...


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## Who. Me? (Jan 12, 2007)

chris l said:


> I love spllts and have had a few, including a Samba and a double cab LHD drive pickup, which came with crossplies...
> 
> Yours is gorgeous.
> 
> Fun getting the rear hub nuts off, isn't it? I used a scaffold bar to stand on...


Thanks. Chris, got any pictures of yours?

I used an Empi 'nut whacker' to get the hub nuts off. Didn't fancy the scaffold pole option for getting them back on.

My wife doesn't believe the tool is actually called a 'nut whacker'. She thinks I'm making the names up just to be smutty


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## chris l (Aug 5, 2005)

Most of the pics are either in store, were lost in the divorce or exist , now, only in memory....

Is that a 1200? I liked to fit a 1500, which I think is the nicest flat 4, with a centrifugal distributor; 009? and a Weber, Holley or a Fish carb. The original Solex carbs are pants and their auto choke element rarely works. The 1200 box copes well and it gives a but more life round town.

Keep the original motor for popping in for shows and for when/if you sell it.

A friend managed to get the 1800 from a 411LE in, replacing the injection manifold with a home made twin carb arrangement.

That was fun. As is replacing the throttle cable.

I also liked converting them to 12v but leaving the original starter motor in; doesn't half turn over!

You can't beat the ratttle of a flat four!

Get the tappets right, replace the carb and fit an 009 and they're sweet and smooth.

I always gave up on heat exchangers, fitted a straight through exhaust and an Esperbacher heater.

I once took the engine out, on the drive, replaced the clutch and had it running again while my wife was making a cup of tea... so easy to work on.


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## Who. Me? (Jan 12, 2007)

chris l said:


> Most of the pics are either in store, were lost in the divorce or exist , now, only in memory....
> 
> Is that a 1200? I liked to fit a 1500, which I think is the nicest flat 4, with a centrifugal distributor; 009? and a Weber, Holley or a Fish carb. The original Solex carbs are pants and their auto choke element rarely works. The 1200 box copes well and it gives a but more life round town.
> 
> ...


No it's got a later engine and transmission. I'd have loved it to have the original engine, but it was used as a working truck until quite recently, so someone fitted it with a 1600 dual-port with a centrifugal distributor. Still trying to work out what gearbox it has in it though.

It's been converted to 12v. I was pleased about that as well, if only because I can hide an accessory socket somewhere to keep a sat-nav topped up.

Interesting about the carb. Mine doesn't like to idle from stone cold, I have to give it a little gas until it just starts to warm, then it'll tick over nicely. I've been suspecting the auto-choke might be the problem. I'll check it out when I do the engine service.

My wife's granddad is coming over from Germany at Christmas. He had a few beetles in the 1950s and 60s, during his time in the Army over there (BAR), so I'm saving the engine service till he arrives.

We may well pull the engine, as I think the flywheel seal is leaking (I'm crossing my fingers that it's the oil cooler seal, but it's dripping oil all the time, so I have a feeling it's the flywheel seal). I'll replace the pushrod tube seals at the same time and then do the valves etc. I think he's itching to tinker with it.

It's helpful that I'm quite tall - the back of the truck makes a perfect work-bench. I had to dismantle my old work surfaces to get the truck in the garage.


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## chris l (Aug 5, 2005)

The twin port engine was, IMO, a shame. Trying to get more power from the flat four created new issues...

TP engines always seem to oveheat on No. 3 (front left cylinder); I set the tappets looser on 3.

Often the overheating is bcos the vertical oil cooler inside the fan housing was enlarged for these engines, and can inhibit the airlfow to 3.

The oil cooler may also block up due to the engine bay seal and sound proofing degenerating and being sucked into the fan and then deposited on the oil coller vanes.

Consider an external oil radiator and fit an oil temperature gauge, the single most important instrument for an oil cooled veedub !

Thank you, Ivan Hirst.


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## Who. Me? (Jan 12, 2007)

Thanks Chris, I think Muir's book refers to No.3 being a problem if cooling isn't working properly,

I'll bear the extra rad in mind (and an external filter), but it'll be a while before I get there.

The dipstick on mine has been replaced with a temperature sender, but there is no gauge in the cab. Need to trace where the wires go!


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