I read alot that people have found and are selling NOS parts it got me thinking what has happened to the equipment from the factories that build VWs in Australia in the 60's .

If its out there and I might be dreaming here woundnt it be a good Idea to find it and start making new parts and pieces with in reason here in Australia?

I watch them making beetles on youtube and those giant presses must be somewhere. Anyone know their fate or am I dreaming HaHa.

The dies for the panels have to be cleaned, polished, oiled, maintained on a very regular basis and stored. It would have cost millions per year just to store the old dies, so off to the scrap metal they went.

dubai, I love your way of thinking but I don't think we have much luck of this ever happening.

I use to think the same about an SLR 5000, why cant they just punch out new parts and build a brand new one today. If it were that simple, I think we would still have new old cars :-) and that would be the best. But then I guess old cars would be as interesting :-(

Kev

all those presses and dies are now Re O bar in a sky scrapper some where in CHINA

all that stuff was scrapped in around 1977 or so

ITS GONE

and even if you did find them the cost of wages and electricty would be way out of the question and it would attract a
9-000-000.00 percent CARBON TAX i

New cars cost between $20K and $40K for the most common models. You can get some cheaper ones, but they don't suit as many people, and the more expensive ones just keep going as far a price.

You make the decision to keep old cars on the road by buying an old car. I have three cars with an average age of 41 years old. No air cond, power steer, elec windows, cruise control, central locking etc. Only one of them has carpet. Plenty of maintenance and running costs. No depreciation in value or looks. Have owned the vehicles for an average of 13 years each.

I know its a pipe dream but a car club in the UK I think its MG? have the dies etc and they produce all the parts required to make a new body its not a commercial venture but a really good thing if your after a new body made from the original dies.

Does anyone have actual evidence other then here say what the fate was though.

Thanks for your replys guys.

Probably another unsubstantiated rumour, but I was under the impression that the Oz dies went to the Brazillian plant. I rekn Phill will know for sure.

I read on TROVE somewhere, that when the Clayton plant was eventually dismantled, much was scrapped but some machinery was shipped to ANI in Sydney. I doubt that the body dies for VeeDubs would have been of any interest to ANI. Probably the panel die presses would though.

In recent years, one of the Gurus in the US 356 Registry had business dealings with an engineering works in Melbourne, who still had one of the very rare CrownWheel and Pinion grinding machines - still in use.

There is no hearsay. Unless proved otherwise, all dies are scrapped.

Rod and Lloyd Davies' book says, in 1968
manufacturing and press shop tooling were transferred to
Volkswagen AG,VW de Mexico, VW Brazil and VW South Africa.
Probably why the last beetle looked like our '67s

Probably should add that the presses needed to shape the thick original metal
would be two stories higher than those needed to make the tinfoli I have seen lately.

If you have any leads on the Oerlikon machine that was used to make the crownwheel and pinions, I would love to see it in action!

Crownwheel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8zoNybp_zQ 

Pinion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83RTVdXggx4&feature=related 

its not about our vw's but these guys are build parts for our ozzie muscle cars
http://www.newoldcarcompany.com.au/ 

Yes, I saw the program with them making new old MG's,.. very cool stuff.
It would be great for those looking to build a pristine example of an old car.
Me??? I like old stuff with history,.. preferably atleast twice my age,.. lol
then again I think we're lucky here in OZ that there is lots of old stuff still around that isn't completely stuffed by rust.

Quote:

Originally posted by dubai I read alot that people have found and are selling NOS parts it got me thinking what has happened to the equipment from the factories that build VWs in Australia in the 60's . If its out there and I might be dreaming here woundnt it be a good Idea to find it and start making new parts and pieces with in reason here in Australia? I watch them making beetles on youtube and those giant presses must be somewhere. Anyone know their fate or am I dreaming HaHa.