My first set of auto body hammers.

January 28, 2014

Ever since I started teaching myself how to do auto body work, I have been wanting to buy a good set of auto body hammers and dollies. When I checked the catalog of Snap-on and Mac Tools, the prices of their tools are way above the regular tools in the market. I guess quality tools does not come cheap. 

The very first auto body hammer I bought was a hammer that I purchased at a local swap meet for $3. I bought it so that I could have something to use while I am refining my welding skills. 

Every time I go to Pomona swap meet, I would check out if anyone is selling Snap-on or Mac tools but I can’t seem to spot anybody selling them. I also did not have any luck finding them at vintage VW shows in southern California. I have been checking the website Craigslist.com everyday but majority of the auto body hammers being sold there the cheap ones. 

Finally, I had an idea. I decided to check out the items being sold in Craigslist.com outside California. I spotted a guy selling 3 Snap-on body hammers and 2 dollies for $180. I called the phone number listed on the ad and a guy answered the phone. When I told him that I am from California, he became a bit suspicious and did not really wanted to talk to me. 

It took another two weeks or so before I found another advertisement in Craigslist.com and this time from a person in the state of Michigan. The guy from Michigan was selling 3 Mac tools body hammers, 3 Mac dollies and 1 Mac  light spoon for $120. After studying the pictures in the ad, I decided to call the phone number in the ad. An old timer with a southern accent answered the phone and after I told him that I am calling from California, he told me that he does not want to deal with long distance buyers. I did not want to lose this one and so I had to explain to him that I am a legitimate buyer and I am willing to send them the money via US postal money order. I also explained to him that the U.S. postal money order is known to be the safest way to send money to someone you do not know. He then said that he will talk to his wife who will be the one to decide if we will proceed with the transaction. 

After I hang up with the guy, I waited for a couple of hours. After no call came in, I decided to send a text to the old guy and gave him my home address, work & home phone number and where I work. I finally got an email from the wife of the old guy who told me that they are willing to sell me their Mac tools if I send them the money via US postal money order. I got a call from the lady seller the following day and she seemed very nice. She and her husband are now retired people living in a small town where neighbors live a bit of a distance from each other. Though I am a bit hesitant to send money to total strangers, I figure that these folks are worth the gamble because there are no huge indicators that tells me that they will run away with the money.

It took 5 days to my check to reach Michigan using a first class mail stamp. I received a text from the seller informing me that that they got the check and they are now on their way to the postal office to mail me the tools. After 3 days, a box arrived at my doorstep and when I opened the box, I found the Mac tools in good condition. 

Today, tested the hammers & dollies on some damage vintage bus hubcaps. I felt more comfortable with the Mac tools because they are solid and handles better. 

I read an article written in an auto body fabrication forum that tells people to continue buying different styles of dollies because you will always find a way to use them as you continue working on auto bodies. 

The sad oval 1956 bug

I was driving home last Monday when I saw my neighbor waving asking me to pull over. After I pulled over the curb, my neighbor asked me if I would be interested in buying an oval bug that his friend owns. I said, “sure” because there is not a lot of  pre-1957 ovals specially the earlier split window bugs. My neighbor seemed quite excited which tells me that he has a commission agreement with the owner. 

My neighbor handed me his cell phone and the owner of the bug was on the line. I asked the owner basic questions like: Does your bug have a matching pan? What kind of paper work does it have? Type of engine? Owner said that the pan is original, he has the title and the engine is a 1641cc. 

We drove to a house about a mile or so away for me to check the bug. The bug is painted Dove Blue. But when I checked closely on the edges of the interior, I discovered that the paint underneath the dove blue is either ivory or possibly light beige (which is one of the original colors for a 1955 type 1). 

The bug is slammed really low. The front probably has only about a 3 or 4-inch ground clearance while the rear has about a 5 to 6-inch ground clearance. I checked the condition of the floor underneath the bug and it has nasty scrape marks on several low areas. The front apron had been disturbed before but has no signs of frontal collision damage. The bottom of the wheel well is partly gone and has a combination of rust and road scrape damage. The interior area under the hood is painted black and when I lifted the hood, its left side sags a bit causing a metal strain on the right side. From this strain a small rip opened up on the right side of the hood just after the hood prop. The dash seemed to be in good shape except the control knobs are all not original. The steering wheel does not match the year and the sun shade is obviously from a 1960’s bug.

Looking at the small details of the interior, I have the impression that this 56 bug was probably a stock rolling shell before and some young guy decided to buy it. This young guy is probably a “Lowrider” fanatic and decided to slam this 56 bug to create his VW version of a lowrider vehicle. In my personal opinion, it would have been better if the previous owner just lowered it to just achieve that Cal-look style. 

Though the paint seemed descent, it has several noticeable runoffs at different parts of the bug. The roof also has a slight dip area that you will only notice if you follow the curve of the whole roof. I don’t know if a heavy kid sat on it at one time. 

I spoke again to the owner over the phone and asked him how much does he really want for his bug. He kept on telling me to “make an offer”. To force him to spill out a number, I decided to use an old negotiation technique by probing how much has he spent on the bug. This is how our conversation went:

Me: “Are you in this bug for $3000?” 

As I expected, the owner became a bit annoyed and answered, “Huh?! Are you offering me $3000? Heck NO!”. 

Me: “I am NOT offering you $3000. I am just asking you if you are IN THIS bug for $3000?” 

Owner: “This bug is worth way more than that. I know people from West Coast Customs and they told me that my 1956 bug is worth about $10,000 to $12,000”. 

Me: “Let me do this, I will run the numbers on how much it will take to bring this bug to stock condition and I will give you a ring. Is that ok?”

The owner agreed but what I was just simply trying to do is to end the conversation as smoothly as I can. 

The following evening while I was eating dinner, my door bell rang. It was my neighbor and he told me that the bug owner wants to make an offer to me that I cannot refuse. Though I know in my heart that there is no way I will shell out any money for that 56 bug, I hesitantly agreed to talk to the owner on the phone again. 

The owner told me that he is willing to sell me his bug for $8500. He claims that at that price his bug is a “give-away”. I politely explained to him that I don’t feel that his bug is for me. I can tell that he is desperate to off-load his bug to someone else and plans to use the money on another vehicle whom he seemed excited to own. I told the owner that I would gladly purchase his car IF it was in a complete stock condition. Unfortunately, the 56 bug has been modified to an extent that I am not comfortable owning it at any price. I suggested to him to place an ad on thesamba.com and hopefully someone else will agree to buy his bug. 

Whoever owned that 1956 oval prior to its current owner committed heresy because he/she desecrated it. Back in the 1970s and 80s, VW bugs & buses were so plentiful that they were a dime-a-dozen. People were just trashing them to the point that they are rendered unusable. 

Awhile back I saw a short black & white film that showed several split & oval window bugs being dropped into a vehicle shredding machine that chewed to bits these iconic vehicles. I felt like hunting down those lunatics who were responsible for destroying those rare bugs. To this day I flinch whenever I recall that horrifying short film. I guess during those days the split and oval windows were not as valuable to car fanatics as they are right now.