1961 Auto Union DKW 1000 - Will It Run?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ก.ค. 2024
- Today I pull my 1961 Auto Union DKW 1000 barn find into the shop to get it running.
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This Week With Cars - Episode 0063 - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Because of the extreme rarity and being a 2 stroke I would recommend a complete rebuild. What a unique auto.
You can't leave us hanging there dude, free it off and let's hear it run 👍🤞
Nice machine, and a small simple engine shouldn't be too much effort to pull apart, and give some love 👍
I used to own 1956 Ifa-9 which has been built in DDR as a eastern wing of DKW , later known as Autounion. Engines
are easy to work on but delikate. I recommend rebuilding it.
Yep, I agree. This one deserves the full treatment.
I owned two traveled 300 000 miles in them. Here in South Africa Am engineer.
You really need to disassemble and rebuild the engine and transmission. This is a really cool car. It is worth restoring.
Why would a person who appears to be completely clueless even start such a project?
@@grevberg How was he and clueless on what he’s doing
It was the first car made in Brazil in the late 50s. Was made by a Brazilian company under license from DKW.
Crankshaft has ball bearings.
Two other models with the same engine were launched in Brazil: the Candango jeep and the Fissore sedan.
Exatamente foi o primeiro carro brasileiro
I love 2 stroke engines!
I think this was the same model sold by the name Caiçara here in Brazil. The DKW was produced here by VEMAG, and sold several models of the brand in the 50s and 60s. It was a car highly praised by the brazilians of that time. Today it became a rarity.
Hi, these were quite common here in Argentina, if your plan is to restore it, I can help with some replacemente parts. Good luck!
Internal crank bearings could be rusted, usually these are open to be lubricated by the fuel mix in the crankcase, therefore stripping down the motor is required, so engine out is the next step
Crank bearings in this engine are ball bearings ("needle bearings" - "Nadellager" in German if you search for them) - a constant nuisance for Wartburg drivers in the "GDR" (with all the mess to get hold of spare parts and find a garage to repair). They are that way because a two stroke engine is always low on lubricants. If you don't add enough oil to the fuel, these bearings break and the engine gets stuck or makes horrible metallic noise. (probably what happened to your car - when the driver didn't know about it - who in the US knew about 2 stroke engines - your 1961 doesn't have separate lubrication does it?) Western two strokes never got under 1/33 mix (1l oil / 33l gas) - while the last Wartburgs and Trabants run on 1/50.
@@becconvideo It says 1/32 right on the filler cap (1 Oel - 32 Benzin)! So yes, most definitely needs premix. DKW switched to separate oil feed in the early 60s I think.
I'm brazilian.
Old times!
@@becconvideo 1/10 mix (1l oil /10l gas)
Growing up in Kenya in the 60s my dad had a DKW station Wagon. Being a 2stroke engine it was loud like sounded like a awn mower on steroids. We could hear dad coming miles away. This gave us time to straighten out and get our affairs in order. You had to mix the oil and gasoline. Very interesting and unique car.
I believe this is a '57. The '61 has a wrap-around windshield like the picture on your owner's handbook and has a 42hp two-stroke 1000cc engine. Also, the 61 has a vertical instrument pod, instead of your car's round gauges.The wagons were made for more than just two years.
'57 was the first year for the 'cheese-grater' grill ('56 had a horizontal-bar grill)
This should have a 3 cylinder, 38hp, two-stroke 900cc engine lubed by oil mixed in tank with the gas.
If you plan a tear-down, keep in mind these engines have a crankshaft built up of sections pressed together with captive rods/needle-bearings & two of the main ball-bearings.
Thermo-syphon cooling system has no waterpump and 'distributorless' ignition uses 3 sets of points driven off the front of the crankshaft.
DKW was the first to mass-produce front wheel drive cars, with their 1931 F-1 introduced 3 years before the FWD Citroen.
I have a '57 DKW 3=6 Sonderklasse two-door hardtop. 3=6 was their '50s claim that the 3-cylinder two-stroke had equivalent power to a comparable 6-cylinder 4-stroke.
Happy Motoring, Mark
Sounds like you know your stuff Mike, it's an interesting project for sure
Seem to remember my wagon had freewheel. All synchro box. What a star it would have been with a flat four engine a la Hansa Goliath. My DKW could turn a corner at 30mph with a yank on the wheel. A revelation to a lad raised on Beetles. The hardtops all seemed to be black and white. Well, the 3 in my town were.
We had a 1958 3=6 Sonderklasse four-door sedan as our family car in New Zealand for about 20 years. Ours had the suicide doors, the cheese grater grille, and the same dashboard as this one, with the starter button still separate to the ignition key. As a young lad growing up, I asked Dad why it said " 3 equals 6" on the back of it, and he gave me exactly the same explanation you've described above. Advertising puffery at its finest!
I've seen 2 doors and 4 doors, but never a station wagon version - which Wikipedia says is called a "Universal". It's not the prettiest car ever made, but it's got to be rare now and I hope Steve chooses to restore it.
It's about 30 years since we owed our one, but I think the 3=6 logo perched on the clock normally belongs on the glove compartment lid. The centre of the clock should have a chrome knob to adjust the time. Ours never kept proper time.
The little T handle found in the glovebox resides under the dashboard. I think it's to operate a radiator blind for cold weather running? The free wheel control is also under the dashboard, and you can briefly see the spherical white knob for it under the dashboard in the video. We always ran our car in free wheel mode, as the 3 cylinder compressions on overrun made it really jerky otherwise.
If the filler cap is like our one was, it's quite a complicated and hefty piece. Hopefully the key is still available for it. When in place, the cap just spins round and can't be removed. A small metal cover fits over the lock, and slides to one side to insert the key. When unlocked, a whole piece of lock slides out with the key - and then the cap can be unscrewed.
As Mark mentions, the two stroke oil should be put the tank before adding the petrol/gasoline. So you have to work out how much gas you are going to add and then calculate the correct ratio of oil to pour in first. My long suffering Mother endured years of gas station attendants assuming she didn't know what she was talking about, every time she asked for the car to have 2 stroke oil poured in the gas tank.
Pretty decent summation, Mark. I had two '58 models, one a four door. They had cheese-grater grilles and suicide doors. Eventually, they went to scrap because of rusting out (N.Y. salted roads took their toll). I then had SAABs for years, even a 99 model.
@@snich63 Steve. I used to see a couple of black and white hardtops in Christchurch as a kid. I owned a Universal in '82, but didn't appreciate its rarity. Terrible thing to start when hot. Paul. NZ.
What a great find. I would certainly like to see more of this car but would recommend engine and gearbox removal and overhaul as the essential first step.
The rubber boots for the output shafts are a weak point. Will likely need replacing. Transmissions were good units.
Remove and overhaul
Hi Steve,
These engines are very delicate, parts are expensive and hard to source.
I restored a dkw 1000 s coupe 2 years ago, and the engine was completely destroyed. It's common on these cars because most people didn't knew how to deal with a 2 stroke engine. Most of them would overheat to the point of internal damage.
I recomend you taking apart the engine. The one I did had damage on the head and crankshaft because the pistons were broken in many places.
I had to go to Germany and get a reconditioned crankshaft (they wouldn't send it) and also order new pistons from MAHLE.
It took more than one year to complete the engine rebuild because all the parts took so long to source.
The good news is, there is information available online and new parts can be ordered.
Good luck with your new project, hope to see more about it soon :)
The GDR produced the "Wartburg" with that same engine all the way up until the Berlin Wall came down in 1989 and the production ended as late as 1991, it ought to be fairly easy to get spare parts for it.
Are Wartburg engine parts compatible with this DKW? Or they weren't completely copied the construction in the GDR?
@@MetalTrabant I'm not 100% sure about that, but to my naked eye it looks as if they would be compatible yes.
I overhauled a 1980 Wartburg back in 1992 and from the looks of it, it's the same engine.
A weakness these engines had was the contact points located low down at the front of the engine directly driven by the crankshaft.
The cover need to be kept completely sealed or running trough a puddle of water will ruin your road trip all of a sudden.
@@MetalTrabant Fun historical fact; the Saab model 93 also used that engine, but production of that model ended back in 1957.
This engine might actually be one of the longest lasting in production and most widely used ever.
@@MetalTrabant On the side, I remember the "Trabies" from my childhood and early youth.
Not a lot of metal in a Trabant, besides the engine, back then 🧐
Such a rare vehicle, it has to be saved and restored to it's former glory. They are great little cars with a unique sound.
Get it back running!! I would love to here the reng-deng-deng of the engine!
This one takes me back a long, long time. My aunt drove one of these for a long time. I will never forget the unique sound it made when driven thru the gears. And here u are with one to be resurrected. Can not wait for the restoration process !!
When your aunt was driving it for a long time, did she reach the end of her street?
@@doubledee9675 Nevermind the end of the street. That DKW flattened the Kalahri desert where I grew up.
Had to shoot it to stop it !
@@henrygreen19 You've got me there. I have no personal knowledge of the car, iyt never having been sold here, but do recollect reports in Autocar and Motor at the time.
Definitely just take the engine out and rebuild it it’s way too crusty to try to get it to run
You are 100% wright, trying to start a engine in such a state means it end! I think I even saw the sparkplug aren't in place, so the pistons will be almost like being "welded"to the cylinder wall and maybe result in braking of internal pieces, only a very carefull disassembly and cleaning and reassembly will rescue this engine of the scrapheap and that would be a shame!
That is what I was going to write.
My Dad had about 5 of these, just as a regular two door and also a pickup. All from 1957 to 1959. I learned how to drive in one of them. Later taking the body off and driving around the farm with it. Great fun!!!
2:50 that is the lifting jack ( useless really ) and an old vw rim someone welded a flange to it.
7:35 cigarette lighter.
8:31 3 equals 6 , three cylinders at two strokes is like a six cylinder.
10:50 distributor is on the front of the crank, behind the rubber disc , it has triple breaker points, one for each spark coil above.
15:08 no oil pan, but a crankcase never having oil, only a mist of two stoke oil passing through.
I know lots about the drive train. Ask me.
In Brazil there is lots of this running in excellent condition , I hope you get it running and full restored!!!
Belcar 1001
I have to admit that I had never heard of this type of car, it’s a good looking vehicle. I would like to see more videos on it.
It's beautiful. Can you imagine how it must have looked when new? It is in such good condition and completely worthy of refurbishment. Someone near me has the sedan version and I find them fascinating. I would love to see you resurrect this rare car to at least getting it driving. Cheers.
my friend hed a dkw when i had my first car a 1956 morris minor.many great memories 50 years ago..you are helping us keep them alive.would love to hear this one running.
Nice to see that some DKW were sold in the USA. Here in Brazil they were produced by Vemag, under license from the German factory DKW, between 1958 and 1967.
This van was called DKW-Vemag "Vemaguet" and they are quite rare as well.
That's possibly the coolest car I've ever seen.
Love it!
Such an amazing car, would love to see more of it. Great find. Thanks Steve!
I also have one of those. Also in blue, but it's a right hand drive because here in South Africa we drive on the left side of the road. Mine hasn't started in more than 10 years. Your video inspired me to get it going again.
I just purchased a similar one through my sister in South Africa. It appears to be a 1958 DKW Estate Car (Station Wagon) that had been changed Into a pickup. We managed to start ours with the minimum of effort. Will be cleaning it up and having it gone through with a fine toothcomb while it's still in Africa because some of the parts are more accessible over there, and then we'll be shipping it to Seattle.
My first car ever was a DKW 3=6 which I bought in 1971 for $100. I lived in Pretoria then. The car had rolled over so I did the body work as best I could myself and spray painted it with an attachment for my mom's vacuum cleaner. 😉
I painted it purple and drive that sucker for many years. Rebuilt the engine once after I burned a hole through one of my pistons. It's an easy car to work on. Totally worth restoring.
Sometimes people do a very good job changing cars into pickups. I am in full support of that if it is done well.
Nice one Steve, looks like your best bet is to pull the engine out and strip it down, there is likely to be a few seized bits in there.
Take it apart and rebuild it! Would love to see it go! It brings back memories of our 1962 Trabant, 2 cylinder, 2 stroke, cardboard and a fast speed of max 80 Km/h.
This same car was produced here in Brazil by an industry known as Vemag, that bought the auto union blueprints and tooling. In fact the VW beetle was a huge success and ended by swallowing the DKW market... There were other models besides this on the video, there was a coupe model which was a hit among taxi drivers. The blue smoke and the typical noise of its engine are still well remembered here in Brazil. In the beginning of 70's still there were some of them on the streets. I remember going to school in the back of this car. The suicidal doors were a big turn off and during the last years of production ( I guess, 1968, but not sure) this car already had regular doors. Congrats for your car!
Steve is the real thing. He knows what he's doing. It's a pleasure to watch and learn.
Wow, I"ve never seen a DKW estate before. And it's in amazing shape! Please fix 'er up! :)
Disassemble the engine. It's amazing that you can still find these oddities, especially here in the USA.
As I recall, these engines had needle bearing rod journals.
This car brings back good memories! A DKW 1000S (the one with the downsloping rear) was our family car in the early 1960s when I was a young child.
With the rarity of this car, repair it for certain. 3 = 6 was the slogan that made it famous in Europe. The 2 stroke 3 cylinder engine was a strong as a 6 cylinder 4 stroke. My dad's first car was a DKW. He spoke of this all the time. The fuel mileage was very good. He said he could run a tank a month. At the time he was a salesman for his father's printing company and had to drive all over the Netherlands. Love to see more!!
you really need to get in contact with 2stroketurbo...he drives a 3-6, and that is not even the weirdest...good luck. Great project.
Pull the engine and tear it down. :D Nifty ride!
Agreed, disassemble.
It does't have too many moving parts - it is a fairly simple construction with some weak spots (the "Nadellager" - needle bearings)
@@becconvideo 9 moving parts motor.
My dad had a DKW which sounded like a pop corn machine when it was idling, had a beautiful interior and a joy to ride in. Had to put oil in the gas tank with each fill.
Please don t give up!! I love the car and your methodical approach to bring them alive.
lived in Germany as a kid ...isetta- vw bug- dkw - merc that was the pecking order on the streets of Berlin daily below that were any number of home built mostly 3-wheelers and on the upper end were American cars (my dad drove a '57 Buick Roadmaster) and Patton tanks
well - at the Kuh'damm at least. At Stalin/Karl Marx Allee these days: DKW (IFA) F8, P70, Trabant, Wartburg and if you were part of the nomenclatura: Wolga and Tschaika for the gran Leader.
Go for it! I'd love to see you get this going.
Thanks for sharing this unusual and interesting car with us. Lots of great comments down below and a few who seem very knowledgeable. Great to see your video get such an enthusiastic response. Look forward to seeing more of this car here!
I have just returned from 1964. My brother in law's dad became owner of the 1958 DKW coupe that had been rolled and totaled. He got it for nothing and made it into a hunting vehicle. Brother in law towed the car across South Dakota in 64 and the car was stuck in first gear.. He called me and asked if I would take a look at it. Neighbor and I drove into Rapid City and towed the car into the black hills where I was working. He told me a few things about the car, such as it was a 4 speed on the tree and required a quart of oil into the gas filler then add 5 gallons of gasoline. 5 gallon cost about $1.25 then. On with the getting car out of first gear. I jacked up one side of the car and while my neighbor jimmied the gear shift. Amazingly it took less than 30 seconds and the thing popped and was out of gear. What an amazing drive it was, 4 on the tree and front wheel drive, What a thrill it was to drive, hell nobody had ever seen a 3 cylnder 2 cycle engine and front wheel drive was about as rare. The top and rear fenders had been removed so the thing was quite light. Take a sharp curve and the rear end bounced all over the place.
Thanks for allowing me to recall some of the good thing I got to remember, love your channel
Oh yes. I want to see that car running dow the road. 3 cylinder 2stroke, never imagined a car like that.
New subscriber, I'd like to see an engine tear down & rebuild. I've seen a few channels with DKW's but they're already restored so no engine work
Pretty much every car you bring in is fascinating. My favourite cars tend to be those I grew up with and this particular car isn't one of those but despite that, the fact that it's so rare and quirky holds a certain fascination.
Such a cool, rare car. Love to see you continue working on it.
Oh man, this is probably one of my favorites so far. I would love to see a full mechanical restoration, and maybe some clear coat over that patina. It just looks like a good ole family hauler. I'd love to see more of this thing- engine rebuild, everything.
Agree:)
By the looks of those crank bolts, someone probably seized it at high speed. A soft seize can come apart alright though.. I've never touched a DKW, but I do daily drive a Trabant 601. So screaming 2 strokes appeal to me. I've seen enough seized, an chunked crank roller bearings. Even had bearings pop on me (made a awful racket that shook the whittle cotton body panels nearly off! Drove it home 2 miles, after a better crank all was well. Mein Trabi engine cases are disposable(uses a rotary seal system, that wears the case out).
These water cooled 2 strokes mean you can get away with running any quality outboard oil. I gotta run air cooled only stuff(higher temps) or it can foul out .. No good when sitting in traffic, right before getting on the interstate. I run a 40:1
Personally I'd fix, and or rebuild what ever needed. Then drive it just how it looks. This would be my daily, then Herr 601 for the weekends.
I'm sure you know, later on Wartburg, Barkus used this 3cly engine design.
Good luck. This type is even very rare here in Germany. Absolutely worth restoring.
Hi! I owned a 1959 DKW-Auto-Union 1000-S which I fetched from the Stuttgart factory and drove back to Bern, Switzerland, where I was living. Brought it home to South Africa a year or so later, where I ran it happily until mid- 1962. The A-DKW-3=6 estate gwas an alternative buy. What amazing cars - especially the motors!
I’d recommend a complete engine-gearbox dismantle: these cars rely on unstored oil (only in the fuel) to keep running. Don’t risk spoiling it.
Another interesting car!,that i would like to see more of.
Also i think the engine would
be straight forward to strip and free off. Its a little bit like an old saab 2t.You could produce some first class smoke driving that down the road.lol
Thanks for another good vid.
These are also very rare in Europe where I live. Be gentle and pull the engine. And yes, a clear coat on that beautiful patina would look nice. Looking forward to the next video. 👍🏻
Looks like someone went to town with a disc-sander, that "patina" screams, im to lazy to finish painting, so i just clear coat it, for that (eyesore) retro rusty style, adding no value whatsoever!
I just saw this video today, 3 months after you posted it here so I may be too late. I also own a DKW 3=6 (1957 coupe) which was in a similar condition when I acquired it back in 2004, after it having sat for 46 years. Got mine running and been driving it almost every weekend since! My advise would be not to remove and dismantle the motor just yet! First instead, take your time and add various types of penetrating oils, wd-40, whatever, down the spark plug holes to let it continue to seep in and keep incrementally turning / rocking a little more and more to get it to make a full rotation. It already looks as if you have a small start in movement as it is! Don't try to rush it, take your time. Remember also that these cars have a freewheel device lockout, and that if it's engaged wont help you any if you're trying to roll it in gear to rotate the engine. If you can get a full rotation, then you're 90% on the way to firing it up.
This is a most indestructible piece of machinery,my father worked for the factory back in the 60s
Thee is a TH-cam channel based in Portland USA which has a lot of info on DKWs
This needs to be disassembled, otherwise your risking damage on rare parts.
These Deeks were a lot of fun, a friend of mine had one in the mid-60s. Well worth rebuilding I'd say.
What an interesting car, thanks for sharing, love to see it running!
this small sw was also built in Brazil from 1958 - 1967, very rare anyway
I would be concerned of severe damage to the engine,so a teardown is in order
I just love seeing you work on your very interesting and unique cars. I really wish you made more videos all together. I do want to see you work on this as far as I`m concerned one of a kind Auto Union . It like nothing else I`ve ever seen. I don`t know if you should keep trying to lube up the engine internals or dissasemble it completely as this is so unique. I just want to see more of you great work on it either way. Thanks for the videos. I seriously wish you could video more for us. Great superior content IMHO.
Brilliant video ! inspired and subscribed ! I made a video the other day on starting my Ford Prefect, all didn't go to plan but your video here cheered me up ! Thank you !!
Please, Please engine rebuild and Restore, Steve !
Looks like the head might come off a bit easier than a modern Audi. 😁
Definately get it running, you will be very pleased, they run very well, I salvaged a 800s engine, stripped it, found the crank needed no work, ( they are indistructable ) so I balanced the ports, gasflowed everything, opened the inlet ports and took 6mm off the piston skirts. Then lightened the flywheel which gave instant acceleration.
It did 125mph which on my car at 8.5 cwt was 130hp. unlimited revvs and lots of fun for 6.5 years. let us know when you start again.
Binge watching on Xmas eve, 2020. Can't be too many of these in USA. I think tis time Leno had you on so you can share your unique car collection with the world. He'd be thrilled to see all the Euro offerings in it. Happy Holidays!
Being what it is and how rare the parts are I would definately remove and strip the engine
Please restore it!
A couple sort-of sad/funny DKW tales.
Back around 2000, I went with a local guy to look at a couple of DKWs he'd stored in a barn.
He told me that about 25 years earlier he was regularly driving the one car. Then it developed a major engine problem. So he bought the second DKW for parts, but never got around to doing anything because it turned out the parts-car had a seized engine. I asked him what was the problem with his original car. He said the engine was smoking real bad, obviously burning way too much oil and he thought it was probably going to need a major overhaul. I reminded him that two strokes naturally burn oil and they smoke, especially if the carb is too rich or there's way to much oil in the mix!
He smacked his forehead when he realized what I was saying.
Sadly, after sitting in an unheated, leaky barn for a quarter-century, rodents and mold had consumed the interior, and the engine had seized, along with everything else that deteriorates on a long-neglected automobile!
On a more cheerful note, when I got my 57 DKW, back in '97, the body was in excellent shape. But I had to fix multiple problems with the upholstery, brakes, gas-tank, fuel-pump, steering and gearshift. One day after my DKW was finally driveable, a lady friend stopped by after dark, and asked for a ride. So I fired it up, and before it was even moving she asked "Why is my window all fogged up?"
I replied "Well actually, your window is rolled down, and you're seeing the two-stroke exhaust!"
Good thing she wasn't an EPA agent!
I used to call my DKW "The Mosquito-Fogger!
Typically after they're warmed up, off the manual choke, and the oil-mix is correct, the smoke mostly disappears.
Happy Motoring, Mark
Around 1967 a friend in Germany had a DKW just like this except his had a sensomatic clutch less gear change, in fact the clutch was electrically operated by a switch on the gear lever. Amazing car.
You need to SOAK the engine and TAKE YOU''RE TIME before you start to try to move the engine and try to soak them 2 bolts to...the time spend comes back to you in the end!.
pull the engine out
Wow, my grandfather had one of those. A pleasure to see it again.
My brother and I had an Auto Union identical to this one in the early 70's. Rigged up a 2 gallon oil can for the fuelmix since the gas tank was rusted out. It was a 4 speed on the column and I would drive it around in the woods until I needed to back up at which time I'd shut it down and walk back to the house and get my brother to come and find reverse! I would love to see you get it running .
pull the engine down
Yes, and don't overlook the fuel pump, it's likely no good. The original one on one of my "DEEKs" came apart and ruined a main bearing causing it to spin in the case and ruining it as well. Replaced the engine with a short block available from DKW at the time (1964, White Plains, N.Y. dealer). After repairs, an electric fuel pump was used, fitted inside the trunk.
Take the engine apart..
I remember in my youth my dad had a DKW. It was a Bleu one with white top. It was in the Netherlands. You could smell that everything was new. And the sound of the engine was like a Kawasaki motor. Very nice car. It was the years 66-68 - I think it was the auto union 1000S 4 doors.
This fellow is to be applauded. Great videos Sir. Real good engineer. Thank you Captain.
I would travel to Munich when travel restrictions subside. The Mercedes/Porsche/Audi factory museum is a great resource. You are going to need a parts manual and some contacts in Europe but you can get the parts. What a great adventure this will be!
You absolutely have to do update videos on this thing. What a wierd and very very cool little car! I can't wait to see what you are able to get it to do in the next video.
Being the wgn. model makes it so great! The 1st. Saabs from about '50-'55 had DKW engines though they were 2cyl. Good for you for having an interest in such a unique car. Perfect original patina. Just do mechanicals at least for now. Have fun!!! DVB from Me. US.
I had one for a while in the 1970s. It's a mixture of old and modern. At 1:19 note that it has split folding rear seats that fold flat. The engine layout of inline engine in front of the axle with gearbox behind was used by later Audi cars until they switched to transverse engine. 😎 The two stroke engine sounds fun but does smoke a lot. 😱
My 1st car was a 1959 3=6, 2dr Coupe. It was lots of fun. Loved that car. Definitely want to take the engine and check out the crankshaft bearings.
Impressive amount of people with good knowledge of this rare marque. Take out the engine and do whatever's necessary. A new headliner and general fixing up, but perhaps save the patina. Great channel.
Steve. What a barn find, definitely bring some life back into the old girl. Always surprises me how many common and not so common european cars find their way over the pond.
That could be something super beautiful. Stunning even.Its a shame its the 38 bhp triple and not the later 4 cylinder 1000cc but its not about performance. What a channel. You always have something special.
I actually owned a few DKW's Some sedans and two station wagons. I sold them because parts became a problem. Please note that DKW requires a 6 volt battery and it is a 2 stroke engine. (Clean the gas tank first) 1 pint of oil is poured in the gas tank and then 4 gallons of gasoline is added. Another thing to take note of is that the crankshaft runs on roller bearings. Setting the timing is very interesting to say the least! You need to set each piston separately first. There is a base plate where you removed the points. You set the timing for all 3 pistons by adjusting each set of points on the base plate. You need to find the TDC (top dead center) first by removing the spark plugs, then insert a screw driver through spark plug hole and turning the crankshaft until you find the tdc. Also around the timing is the "spark advance plate" which is located behind the plate where the points and condensers are mounted. There are three coils, 3 sets of pints and three condensers. You will find a small metal plate mounted on a pin with a little spring. As the engine turns faster, it uses centraphysical (turning energy) force the plate to move and then adjusts the timing. Lastly the fuel pump. It i
s mounted on the side of the carburetor and consists of the diaphragm and a spring. There is a hole in the engine block that allows the back pressure of the piston to force air through the hole and onto the diaphragm which pumps the fuel to the carburetor. PS the whole brake system will have to be serviced after all these years. Its a unique and a wonderful car to drive. Good luck!
My brother in law had a running version of the DKW (1953 model) in Durban, S Africa until he sold it a couple of years ago. They did not run it too often but it was in fair condition and still roadworthy. I would like to see the car rebuilt completely as I have good memories of long drives in a friend's similar wagon in the Zambezi valley in the late 60's.
Have always liked the auto history a friend of mine had a 1967 NSU which was cool and way ahead of its time.
I’ve been for a drive in one of these in the UK. It was pretty weird being two stroke with freewheeling hubs. Felt like it wasn’t gonna stop! Very cool though!
Lovely car. My neighbour had one of these Auto Unions in Dublin back in the sixties. Going by the condition of the engine so far, a strip-down is probably your best and safest bet.
My father's first car, he bought it in 1962, it was used, a dark blue, 1957 DKW station wagon. The front grill was different, it was a previous iteration of this model. He sold it in the late 60's after he bought a brand new 1967 1300 VW Beetle.
This one got you a ❤subscriber❤
Hoping to see that 2 stroke engine opened up and checked out.
Very rare car indeed and great sounding when they're running.
Let's see more of her please.
Peace
Charlie 🇬🇧
Whatever is decided, I would enjoy seeing the project move forward.
A good example of the type of simple affordable user-maintainable practical estate cars that modern manufacturers don't understand.
yes please! I love the car and really like your style of presentation and would love to watch more!
Love the rarity of this car and would love to see more work done on it
I was a member of the DKW Club of America over 10 years ago. They haven't been active lately.
Their newsletter was titled "The Blue Cloud"!
My father had one of these when I was a child back in brazil. You can find almost everything that you need to rebuilt this vehicle there.
Hi Steve, great find. These State wagons were built in Brazil too, untill 1967 under Vemaguet name. Some parts are are still manufactured, like universal joint rubber boots. There are clubs to support restorers. Hope soon to see your jewel fully restored. Good Luck;
I owned a '59 DKW back in 1966. It was a great little car. I drove it up and down the west coast several times. So much better than a VW. I suspect parts are near impossible to obtain now. I think it's been 20 years or more since I last saw a DKW being driven down the road.
I had never even heard of Auto Union, so it is obviously pretty rare. I would definitely not leave anything to chance or do anything half ass. Be very careful and do everything correctly so that you don't make things more difficult for yourself later, or risk damaging anything else on this car. I can't wait until you put out more videos on this car. I love learning about cars I have never seen before.