{"id":5912,"date":"2023-03-31T17:24:28","date_gmt":"2023-03-31T17:24:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/longspooncanoeclub.com\/?page_id=5912"},"modified":"2025-11-17T16:27:42","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T16:27:42","slug":"elementor-5912","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/longspooncanoeclub.com\/?page_id=5912","title":{"rendered":"’62 VW"},"content":{"rendered":"
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'62 VW Ragtop<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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I’ve had a long time crush on classic car design.\u00a0 Pretty sure this is genetic, either you fall in love with old cars or you don’t.\u00a0 With me it’s not about speed or handling, it’s more about personality. \u00a0 It started with a ’48 Willys Jeep, which led to a ’56 Austin Healey 104-BN2.\u00a0 When that blew up (sniff) I needed dependable wheels, and back in the day that meant a VW.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Rugged but slow<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Beautiful but high maintenance<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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1961 Type 1 Sedan <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Sherman, please set the Wayback Machine to c. 1980, somewhere in New England.<\/p>

It’s a bit difficult to explain a VW bug if you haven’t experienced driving one 7 hours each way to school in the Northeast in all sorts of weather.\u00a0\u00a0 Especially now, when the driving experience is so much more dependable, warm, and well…safe.\u00a0 But there was an undeniable charm to those 36 horsepower, that theoretical heater & defroster, and the peace of mind knowing that if you hit anything you’d have the gas tank in front of you to cushion the blow.<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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This picture exists because one day, as I was driving back to my summer rental in Vermont, I heard a slight but unusual noise.\u00a0 I checked the rear view mirror and through the swirling dust of the dirt road behind me I could see a tire receding at a leisurely and increasingly wobbly roll into the distance.\u00a0\u00a0 It was very puzzling because the car had not missed a beat – no bang, no crash, no brake drums plowing furrows in the road, no indication that anything was amiss.\u00a0\u00a0 But you don’t see tires just wandering off for no good reason, so I pulled over and sure enough, one of the back wheels had just dropped off<\/em> the brake drum.\u00a0 All the lug nuts were still in the hubcap.\u00a0\u00a0 So after a moment of thanks that this hadn’t happened on the New Jersey Turnpike I grabbed the tire, jacked up the car and put the wheel back on.\u00a0 Then I checked all the other lug nuts, and was on my way.\u00a0<\/p>

It seemed like a moment to capture.\u00a0<\/p>

\u00a0A few years later the bug yielded to a Toyota pickup.\u00a0 I was building furniture and needed to haul stuff.\u00a0\u00a0 Pretty sure I sold it for $500, which is what I bought it for.<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Fast Forward<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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\"\"<\/a>
’59 El Camino: it’s a car, it’s a truck, it’s a Cruck!<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Over the years I would periodically attempt to resuscitate an old car, but other priorities made it difficult.\u00a0\u00a0 I had a ’59 El Camino for a few years, one of the crazier examples of 50’s styling and Americana.\u00a0 Original 283 with high compression heads, why did I sell this again?\u00a0\u00a0 Well, we moved but it also had a fair amount of rust.\u00a0 Rust repair on old cars is something of a bear, so in an effort to escape rust my next classic was 80% aluminum, a ’64 Series IIA Land Rover.\u00a0\u00a0 This was sold in anticipation of another move, but as it turned out, the move never happened, which left a clear void in the classic car department of our household.\u00a0\u00a0 And of course nature abhors a va-a….void.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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'64 Land Rover Series IIa, based on 1940's tractor technology<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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After the experiences I’ve had with classic cars I wanted something simple with great parts availability and plenty of sheet metal panels.\u00a0 But the other thing that happened was that new techniques had emerged for rust repair that looked fairly straightforward and within the reach of the weekend warrior.<\/p>

Back in the day if you wanted to replace rust with sheet metal that was welded in place you would typically use gas welding.\u00a0 Welding with oxy-acetylene involves bringing the joint to melting temperature; the issue is that in the process the surrounding metal also takes on a lot of heat.\u00a0 Being thin, it expands, a lot, so it warps like mad.\u00a0\u00a0 So then you have to hammer it back into shape.\u00a0 After you practice this for about 30 years you get pretty good at it.\u00a0 I could never even get close to figuring it out.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What Sorcery is this?!?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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As electric welding has developed new solutions have evolved.\u00a0\u00a0 Along the way someone realized that the instantaneous heat generation of electric welding can be used to advantage; as it applies to sheet metal repair “tack” welds can be made so quickly that the heat buildup is minimal, which basically eliminates warping .\u00a0 With a little patience this technique can be used to create a continuous weld from a series of tack welds, and Voila!\u00a0 Rust problem solv-ed.<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Rust<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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No rust<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Problem solv-ed<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Armed with this new technology nothing can stop me!\u00a0<\/p>

So I start to survey the field.\u00a0 I’ve always been partial to old pickups but coming off the Land Rover I wasn’t looking for something truck-like.\u00a0 Some of the older Volvo wagons are cool, as are the original Minis, the MGA’s projects\u00a0 are still kind of affordable.\u00a0 I poke around but nothing is sticking.\u00a0 Then one day as I’m driving home I see a classic VW bug by the side of the road, broken down in a pool of oil…its a sign.<\/p>

\"\"<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Into the pool<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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I looked at a number of cars but fell in love with a ’62 VW ragtop that was a factory Turquoise car.\u00a0\u00a0 It was VERY crusty, had been repainted a close but different color, but I knew there was still a work of art under there somewhere.\u00a0 It’s hard to be such a visionary sometimes, but it’s my curse to always be ahead of the fashion curve.\u00a0<\/p>

Thankfully the rest of the world is starting to catch up….<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The car was in NC but the owner was also very forthcoming and clearly a VW guy which was helpful.\u00a0 I even drove from IN to NC to see it in person.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Here's the PO explaining how it was only driven by a little old lady to church on Sundays...<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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It seemed to be in okay shape – some rust, yes, but I thought it could be back on the road pretty quickly, cue the confirmation bias.\u00a0 I grew up in the East, I knew better than to buy an Eastern car, but as we all know, love is blind.\u00a0 It was also my first classic VW so I had a lot to learn, and class was about to start….<\/p>

It arrived.\u00a0 Fallaces sunt rerum species<\/abbr>.<\/p>

School is now in session.<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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1962 Factory \"Turkis\" Ragtop<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Nimium ne crede colori<\/abbr><\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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An interesting illustration of metamerism.\u00a0 The color of this car is tough enough without the bad overspray.\u00a0 Fortunately there are still a number of spots that are factory original that will come in handy for a paint matching spectraphotometer if we ever get that far.<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Reverse<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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With a car like this you need a plan.\u00a0 My basic outline was to get the mechanicals in good shape, restore the factory paint, do a quick upholstery job, and be on the road!\u00a0 Apparently enthusiasm is also blind or at least very myopic.<\/p>

As I started to get into it, the extent of the rust issues hit home.\u00a0 Individually they’re not that bad, but collectively its a lot to deal with.\u00a0 I was also holding on to keeping as much of the original paint as possible, but this started to look less and less feasible.\u00a0 A rough outline of the rusted out areas that would need metal replacement is\/was as follows:<\/p>