I think something must be getting lost in the Babblefish translation. Maybe I should just be posting the finished product and not the build up.

IT IS NOT FINISHED. When it is done it will be very safe and very strong.

Jason

looking good

just an idea instead of going up to the dash again for the front mount maybe mount it into the wheel wells. a lateral bar spaning the two. this way if you wanted you can make it double as a shelf like cover it with one of the bambo/straw shelfs = very sleeper :)

I really like that idea, but as you can see from the pics I've got speaker pods in there that I really don't want to have to redu. As well, the bar would be a definate shin breaker in a severe accident, and would also be a heck of a lot heavier and require more holes to be drilled. I do think if I had a full cage that is EXACTLY what I'd do though.

I got these high strength stainless T-bolt clamps from a local hydrolics place. I'm planning on using both of them on the steering column to clamp a bracket onto it. I should have the whole thing done this weekend, so look for some new pics then.

Jason

Finally figured out what sort of bracket would be the lightest, easiest, and strongest.

http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/252563.jpg

http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/252565.jpg

http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/252566.jpg

Jason

I got a little carried away with the weldling, as I havn't got the MCs in there yet and there may be a small clearance issue. It's possible I'll have to do just a regular piece of bar, not the one with the fancy holes, as there may need to be some grinding to clear the MC.

http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/252567.jpg

Here's the J-bolt clamps. Apparently these are very strong and I'm using 2 just in case one were to fail.

http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/252570.jpg

Jason

Looks great Jason! :agree:

nice solution. :agree:

Finally got the master cylinder. Was supposed to get 2, but as usual there was an order mix up. But I was able to install it and I JUST have enough clearance between the MC and the bracket.

http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/261899.jpg

These are the rotors I'm planning on using. Just over 12" in diameter and .83" thick.

http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/261900.jpg

Here is the new MC at home.

http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/261903.jpg

Jason

Superb quality. :cool:

Keep the updates coming.

Really nice looking... One question though

Is it going to be legal with the M/Cs there? I believe its a safety matter thats why im asking. In Europe this would make the car illegal, since the driver can hurt himself ( that would be by impact on the knee area during an accident) on some part of the vehicle ie extruding parts from the under dash


Chris

Interestingly enough, the safety was the very first question I worried about when I had the idea of the reverse mount. I'm not exactly thrilled with the location. I'm going to be putting a cover over the whole thing that has foam in it but quite honestly, if I'm hitting something hard enough that I'm getting near that with my knees, I've probably got some other problems as well. Bugs aren't exactly safety icons, and I'm not planning on changing that too much, but I'm hoping that the fact that I'll be able to out-brake and out-handle any other bug on the road will put me up a notch in the safety department compared to a stock bug.

Jason

Good job on the install! Plenty of ideas to be had here. I was just wondering if the mount would not flex on either of the front corners with your fancy bracket in the middle? I would wonder if it might've been a little better to have two thinner (fancy)brackets extending from the corners of the front of the bracket towards the steering column?

Then again, that assembly might be MUCH stronger than what it looks like in the pictures ;) :D

Just my €0-02 :p

I know it looks a little fragile, but it is in fact very strong. Though it doesn't look it, it's actually triangulated in three dimensions. The rotational forces that would be controlled by the "fancy brackets" are already being handled by the back 2 edges of the frame and the front single bracket is only left to handle vertical forces. The pedal assembly itself actually strengthens the whole thing too. I've stood on it with all my weight and I didn't notice any movement whatsoever. BTW, I weigh about 240!

Jason

Finally got all the brake lines! Had to have a couple custom flex lines made with banjo fittings that will reside on the ends of the MCs. Calipers are no farther along, looks like I might just have a set shipped directly from RPI Equipped to Lanner. What a PITA! At least now I can get all the lines run leaving just the front calipers to arrive and be bolted on. Slow and steady wins the race? We'll see...

Jason

I know how you feel. 1 step at a time. :D