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-   -   Dave's new 1969 mild GL build... (https://www.germanlook.net/forums/showthread.php?t=11987)

owdlvr May 22nd 2020 13:23

There has been quite a bit of Netflix time over the last couple of weeks while I wait for packages of parts to arrive. I was mocking up the engine when I realized I've made two significant mistakes in my planning. I hadn't really planned on either a breather setup, or an exhaust setup. Vintage Speed sponsored the Rally Bug build, and years ago we had talked about doing a German Look car, but I didn't exactly get started on it right away! I reached out Mr. Lee, but haven't heard back. During a global pandemic probably isn't the best time to be asking for sponsorship, and it's not like Vintage Speed needs help "getting the name out" like they did when I built the Rally Bug. I hadn't really been thinking about it, but suddenly I am without exhaust and without a breather (and air filters, it turns out). I dug around in my storage shed, and managed to find the "spare" Rally Bug exhaust. It's the first system I had on the car when we put the 2110 into it, but that does mean it's been raced in Rallycross and on some winter events. It's been dented, cracked, and I damaged one of the flanges jumping the car years ago. I figured "hey, it came off a 2110...it's going on a 2110...it'll fit!" Um, no. I had to cut the flange I welded together off, and basically weld up the system from cyl 2 and 4 to the muffler. This one is setup for heater boxes, but I had a set of new J-tubes kicking around. I'm considering the exhaust system to be very temporary...as soon as money starts flowing in again, I'll be buying a new system for the car. A little exhaust wrap, some heat protection, and the bulk of the horrors are hidden. I can polish out the brown that's still visible (it's actually clay baked into the steel) but I just can't be bothered :P

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My original breather plan was to simply use the CB-Style breather. I actually bought the Empi one figuring that the perimeter bolts were an improvement, but once it was out of the package I realized it just isn't useable. The lowest point in the breather is the valve cover lines, which means when you fill the engine with oil it's going down the valve cover line, not necessarily the filler. Not a big deal, but annoying. I also couldn't get past the look of it. Even if I were to paint it black, it's not really what I was going to be happy with. I ordered some of the breather units I used for the Rally Bug, and then quickly realized that the only reason they fit is because I had moved the firewall into the interior by 3". Well, crap. I thought about welding up my own breather, looked at the firewall boxes that other people use, and the way the berg and CSP systems sit. Eventually I realized that this is a problem best solved by spending money, even though it pains me to see the price I paid. I bought a CSP breather, figuring that it solves the problem while meeting the "look" I was hoping for. But my gosh is it overpriced. I spent how much and they can't even throw their special nut/tool in with the breather!?! Ugh.

Decided to do some weight reduction. Weber window holes are in, and having found the Rally Bug access holes to be a little too small...I went for full access on this car. I wasn't going to remove the rear apron, remembering how much I enjoyed drilling out 40+ spot welds on the Rally Bug, but then I was looking at it and realized I was really going to hate myself down the road if I didn't. Finally, since it's a German Look car, I figured the only appropriate doors for the Weber windows would be carbon fibre. I'm not sure if these were just a joke for now, or if they will stay long term. If you've ever experienced a carbon splinter, you'll understand why I'm wary of using them long term!

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The fuel system has been finalized and all plumbing installed.
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My Vibrant Performance oil line fittings finally arrived, almost a month after the hoses, which means I can start on wrapping this project up! There are no excuses now...if I get it done in the next four days it will be exactly two months between trailering the car home and completing it's German Look transition. I have strong feelings I'm not going to make it :P
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Started with the breather lines. Looking nice and stealthy in the all-black configuration. I'm second guessing how black the engine bay is going to be, enough that I almost made the breather lines with Stainless Steel braided lines. We'll see how it looks when it's all finished. Still have to make a mount for the breather filter, which I'm going to put up on the firewall (as opposed to feeding dirty air into one of the carbs). I've got a large K&N breather filter with a 1.5" inlet, and will run -10 line to it. But I have to make a mount and adapter from -10 to the filter.
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Plugs, jets, and intake mounting access is going to be awesome. Much better than the "almost big enough" windows in the Rally Bug.
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Next up was the oil filter mount. I started with the traditional under the fender bracket, but I've never been a fan of putting the oil filter in the path of tire debris. I also really dislike how the filter is visible from the rear of the car. True, you can use a shorter filter...but I'm also adding a temperature sandwich plate for the oil cooler. By the time you stack it up with my filter size of choice (mock-up filter, not the Mahle/Bosch I actually use) it gets pretty darned tall. I was thinking about other options for mounting the filter, and then realized the perfect spot is under the luggage tray. Three holes through the luggage tray, and a metal plate on the otherside to help spread the loads, and I have a filter mount tucked up out of the way. Friends who have seen it are divided 50/50. Some of them think I should be using the rear under the fender mount, and a shorter filter, and the others think this is way smarter. With the factory insulation on the inside of the tray (trimmed, to fit the meal support plate), the carpet goes right over top and there are no bumps!

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It was getting pretty late last night at this point, about the same time that I realized running the oil lines down the body-to-pan bolts as I originally planned might not be as easy as I thought it was in my head. In fact, it might not work out at all (without machining a whole new set of bolts on the lathe, and making special adapters/line clamps). I've ordered bulkheads to run the lines on the inside of the car, but I'm really hoping to avoid that. The interior is so clean and 'factory', that it would be a shame to run the lines either under, or over, the carpet. Have to spend some time on here to see how other guys have run their lines to get some ideas...

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Wally May 24th 2020 08:49

Nice touch on the black hose and connections!

effvee May 24th 2020 13:58

Push Rod Mods
 
Good morning,
Slow me, I noticed the small oil holes on your push rods. I thought the push rods to some extent rotate. What is the benefit of those oil holes?

owdlvr May 25th 2020 12:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by effvee (Post 92133)
Good morning,
Slow me, I noticed the small oil holes on your push rods. I thought the push rods to some extent rotate. What is the benefit of those oil holes?

On the Rally Bug, we burnt up a set of rockers (at the valve stem end) due to lack of oiling. This was on the first 2110cc, which is setup for drysump. We never determined *why* there was a lack of oiling for the rocker...could have simply been a bad set. But small oiling holes were added to the exhaust pushrods to spray oil inside the heads. No further problems.

I added the oiling holes on this motor out 'just in case'. I actually put them a little too far down the pushrod (was being conservative) but have ordered a second set to correct the hole position. As the push rod spins, it sprays a small amount of oil into the rocker area. At best, it's helping to lubricate the area. At worst, it's only removing a very tiny amount of oil out of the regular system.

Blizzard May 25th 2020 16:24

Have you done any other mods to ensure oil reaches the valve stems through the rockers? For example,
connect the 2 oil grooves in the cam followers,
cut oli grooves in the rocker shaft so oil can reach the valve adjuster screws with higher pressure.
Cut oil grooves in the case behind the cam bearings to improve the connection of the oil galley's in the left side of the case with the right side.
Drill the oil galley for the cam followers in the right side of the case to connect it to the trust cam bearing oil galley. With this mod you create 2 oil connections from left to right.

owdlvr May 26th 2020 00:43

Negative. Never needed to. Two holes in pushrods, problem solved.

Blizzard May 26th 2020 04:21

I'm sorry but I think you're making a mistake with the holes in the pushrods. All they do is leak oil into the heads. Oil takes the path of least resistance, cousing no oil pressure in the rockers. The only bennefit of your pushrod holes in combination with all the HVX mods would be that the extra oil absorbs heat out of the heads. It does'nt do anything for lubrication of the rockers on the rockershaft and even if the hole is faceing the valve, I don't think it will squirt oil high enough to reach the valvetips either.

An unmodified camfollower only delivers oil to the pushrods when the valve is open. That's only 8% of the cam's 360* rotation.

Have you read Bob Hoovers blog about the HVX mods?

http://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/2.../hvx-mods.html

owdlvr May 26th 2020 12:34

Well, in this case we disagree. There are quite a few top engine builders in the USA who have had the pushrod holes as a "secret", as evidenced when we started talking to some of them about the rocker issue on the Rally Bug. The aim here is to get a little splash oiling up on the rocker tips, it has nothing to do with the rocker shaft.

With the hole as small as it is, evidence shows we are getting oil spray, and as the pushrod rotates it naturally changes where the spray is going. I can absolutely confirm that it will spray and reach the valve tip. Don't forget, with the accusump I can pressurize the entire oil system on my car without starting it it...which means I've been able to see it in action, with the motor not running.

110,000 miles on the Rally Bug motor, rocker shafts have no appreciable wear, so I'd say any fear of removing oil from the shafts via these tiny holes, is not something I'm going to worry about.

I've read all about the Hoover mods, and simply choose not to do them due to relatively low failure rate of the stock system and time/effort to do them.

But fair enough, all I can tell you is that I've been using the mod for thousands of miles, with success. I wouldn't do another dry-sump motor without it. I did it on this wet-sump motor "just because"...not because I think it _needs_ it.

owdlvr May 27th 2020 01:20

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So one of the longest oil lines in the system, and one of the shortest. Equally annoying to build :P After giving it a lot of thought, I decided to run the lines under the running boards. I'm using 5/8" P-Clips, with machined spacers and longer running board bolts. The heater channels are so solid on this car, every running board bolt came out without issue, and the new ones were put in with plenty of anti-seize. It also allows for some clean routing through the front wheelwell area. I probably should have taken some photos...

All of the lines that aren't visible are done with Vibrant Performance stainless braided lines, while the breather lines and front oil cooler lines are done with the black nylon braid. The front oil cooler lines end just after the beam, where I 3D printed some line mounts that affix using zip ties. I've got a union near the brake line fittings that switches the lines into the Stainless steel braid.
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My aluminium and titanium bolt order came in...too bad the red bolts are basically pink. I was smart enough to order black though. Details matter...
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A friend Bob came over, and we diagnosed the problem with the fuel system (plugged tank outlet), found an issue with a valve guide (a little too tight) and then broke in the motor. So far all is going well! New BFGoodrich Sport Comp 2 tires were mounted on the now finished wheels, and that's when the bad news started to come out. It turns out this car, which has had some light accident damage in the front corner, must have had a replacement fender put on the passenger side. I'm kicking myself that I didn't notice, but I have the classic "two different height" issue up front. The front beam also won't go up as high as I'd like it to, so with the rear set exactly the same as the Rally Bug's street setup, the front end is too low and the car has some good amount of rake. I hate rake. At this stage, it's a good excuse for me to replace the front beam which had the classic 90's installation of the red urethane bushings. A new beam might not get me the height that I want, but now that I've driven the car, it will get me the buttery smooth bearings and bushings that I prefer. I may still lower the rear to match (car would definitely look better), but keep in mind that I'm building this to run Classic Car Adventures events...I'll put 25,000 miles on it a year on all type of tarmac surfaces. A little ground clearance is a good thing.

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Took it out for it's first drive last night, and then off to the alignment shop this morning. The 911 seats were an excellent choice, the motor feels great (but badly needs a tuning beyond the idle jets), and the alignment was terrible. We've got a baseline now though, and I know where the car has run out of adjustment to get the specs that I need. The rear end will come apart for some increased adjustment in the toe settings, and the front end is going to come apart both for that beam, and to figure out why the camber can't be set where it needs to be on the passenger side. We set the car up with factory alignment settings, though (with the exception of the RR toe). Technically I could be out tonigth tuning the carbs and enjoying the car. But I'm a little too wary of damaging the front left tire or fender, so I'm going to be patient.

On March 26th I rolled into my house with the car on the trailer. As I was unloading it, I set myself a goal of 2 months to turn it into a very mild "GL-looking" build. The plan was simply to swap the wheels, black out the trim, improve the interior, fix any mechanical issues, and toss a 1600dp into it for the summer. I got a little carried away...but I DID meet my two month goal! It's May 26th, and I did drive it home from the alignment shop technically "ready to go".

...now I'm going to improve it :P

wouter1303 May 27th 2020 02:34

Looks killer! awesome job you did in 2 months time.
I really like the bumper mod with the oil cooler. Something I had in mind too for the future.

DORIGTT May 27th 2020 11:44

Dave,
Are you using 7" wheels front and rear?
Also, i see you're running 205/40 ft, are the rears 225/45?

owdlvr May 27th 2020 12:18

7" wheels front and rear. 225/45 on the rear, 205/50 on the front (in case the photos don't show)

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DORIGTT May 27th 2020 14:20

Thanks.

Clatter May 29th 2020 17:37

FWIW, one of the best things I did to make my ball-joint beetle handle better was to maximize the amount of camber in the front.

Bugpack (IIRC?) sold these eccentric adjusters that have the hole offset more than stock.
Really makes the thing point-n'-shoot.
Cheap. Easy. Works.

Love your builds.
This last one you killed it..

ian godfrey May 30th 2020 05:35

Sometimes the beam can be a bit bent, but also the pan head can suffer from accident damage. Maybe check the frame head is not bent up/down on one side compared to the rear torsion housing, because a quite small twist in the frame head is a lot worse out at the end of the beam

owdlvr May 30th 2020 14:32

Car has definitely had an accident in the front right corner, which may be part of the issue. Measurements I took suggest the frame head is good, but it could be the 30yr old cut and welded beam (for narrowing and lowering). I have a new 2" narrowed beam here I can swap in, but that might cause me some other issues. So instead, I re-dimpled the leaves, machined the end of teh upper beam tube and reinstalled...thus getting me the needed camber adjustment up front.

Tire clearance with the driver's side fender is still an issue, and I'm basically resigned to needing to purchase two front fenders for the car. Don't think I'll be rushing to that conclusion, but I also said I was going to do this build on a budget. So...

Lowered the rear end again the other night, but not enough, so it's out to the garage for attempt number three!

owdlvr May 31st 2020 00:43

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Lowered the rear, but not too much. I think I'm happy with it here...but find myself shopping for front fenders. Trying to decide if I should do flared 4cm, or just regular 4cm wider...since I'm only going to do the fronts, probably can't go flared.

Arnoud June 1st 2020 06:12

The car looks great!-the evolution of a Cal-looker:):):)

DORIGTT June 2nd 2020 17:49

Owdlvr,

When you say you machined the ends of the upper tube, does that mean you shortened the tube to 'suck the upper arms in' which increases the amount of available negative camber?

If so, how much shorter did you make it, and how much negative camber are you able to get compared to the standard beam?

H2OSB June 2nd 2020 21:21

Dave, couple things. First, the car looks A-MAZE-ING! No two ways about it.

Edit: Only one thing. I decided the other part wasn't appropriate for your build thread. I copied and pasted my question directly from here to a PM.

owdlvr June 3rd 2020 02:09

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Hows this for "made in america" quality?! Car hasn't been parked outside for more than 45min and the dash is already cracking!

Quote:

Originally Posted by DORIGTT (Post 92159)
Owdlvr,

When you say you machined the ends of the upper tube, does that mean you shortened the tube to 'suck the upper arms in' which increases the amount of available negative camber?

If so, how much shorter did you make it, and how much negative camber are you able to get compared to the standard beam?

Okay, so car went in for it's second alignment today, and they were able to get the whole car within the spec that I asked for. Only problem is I arrived right at closing to pick it up, so I don't know how much camber we actually have in the front until morning. My instructions were that I need a minimum of 1.5deg negative, but would prefer to see 2deg with a maximum of 3deg. As the passenger side is the problem, I suggested they find the maximum it will do, and if it's within my spec simply make the driver's side match. I'll post up the numbers when I get them.

When the car left the first alignment both wheels were set at 0deg (as per the printout). The passenger side was at it's maximum adjustment, and the driver's side had room. I swapped out the eccentrics, and could measure 3.5deg of max negative camber on the driver's side using my digital angle finder (not a precise way of doing it!). I pulled out the beam, upper spring pack, and flipped the pack so I could redimple it. I put the passenger side dimple in 3mm from where the original dimple was. I then machined 1mm off the end of the housing. I could get a max of 2deg negative on my gauge, pulled the pack a second time and this time used my grinder (gasp!) to take off roughly 0.5mm off the end of the housing as I wasn't fully into my new dimple. Now I could measure a max of neg 3 deg, and figured it wasn't worth pushing any further.

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Mounted the front spoiler, which involved trimming it to clear the oil cooler fittings and drilling two holes to pass the oil lines through. I've mounted it with six aluminum button head bolts. It's definitely more rigid than the Rally Bug's setup, but I may want to put some supports out to the fenders on each end. Lots of debate on my social media about whether I should go body colour with it, the front end does look very 'heavy' now, but I definitely prefer the ease of maintenance with the black. Rally Bug spoiler simply gets a fresh coat of spray-bomb every now and again.

With the carb tune relatively dialled, and the alignment set, tonight the car got it's first extended run. Only about 100km, but good for a first run! The car is excellent. All of the power of the Rally Bug, the handling is solid, and I could actually talk on the phone through the bluetooth while cruising! The suspension is definitely stiffer than my other cars, so less weight transfer into the corners, but stickier tires compensate. An excellent first impression though.

Good thing it was only 100km, I had some light leaks from the oil cooler fittings and it seems both inner CV joints have puked out a bunch of grease. I wonder if I missed the "check CV torque" item on the list :P

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Tire rub is an issue on the driver's side. If CSP would actually get back to me with a shipping quote, I might bite the bullet and get some 4cm wider fenders. The other option is to mill down my spacers from 18mm to 13mm to see if that will do it.

Funny enough, I actually miss the 5spd from the Rally Bug way more than I thought I would. My 5th gear is the same as a stock beetle 4th, so it's not about highway cruising...I miss the options in the mountain corners! This car is also lacking any cupholder, which needs to be changed asap. All of the "VW" options from our parts suppliers suck, so I need to fabricate something I'm happy with. Lastly? I really miss the Rally Bug shifter. Mark Hargett isn't making any of the Porsche units I modified...so we may just need to reverse engineer one for this car...

Bogara_ZO June 3rd 2020 15:21

Congrats Dave, car looks superb, well done! :cool:

Concerning the front spoiler I would avoid color matching as it would make the front end optically higher and narrower which is no good on a - already narrow - standard. A friend of mine did it on his silver car and it looked awful (I am trying to post pics later). After he went back to black and the car looked ok again. If you wish to highlight it somehow I would rather put some solid red stripe (a la GTI) on it or just a KAMEI sticker wich contains red as well.

Hope you solve the rubbing issue soon. Check your PMs ;)

owdlvr July 11th 2020 00:33

I haven't had much to post for a month, because I've been driving the German Looker as much as possible, and broke my whole shop down to do an epoxy floor treatment. Emptied the bigger half of my shop into the single-bay side. Cleaned the floor, ground the floor, primed the floor, epoxied the floor and then top-coated it. My concrete is in poorer shape than I had hoped, but overall the floor is so much better than it was. Sweeping actually brings a smile to my face. Without everything in the shop, there is so much room for activities!!

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Almost 4,000km of testing done on the German Looker. Took it camping in Ucluelet this weekend, which is on the very western edge of Vancouver Island, and the western edge of Canada. It's a twisty, remote, 100km highway betwen Ucluelet and my house and I had a surprisingly open highway on the way back. I've been running with a self imposed 5,500rpm limit for break-in purposes, and finally decided to open it up to 6,000rpm. The cam, with 1.25 rockers, should still be making power to 6300 so I was curious to see if it would keep pulling. It sounded GREAT...and then it didn't.

The bolt holding the end of the rockershaft on the #2 exhaust end backed out, and was set free to roam around the inside of the valve cover somewhere between 5,500 and 6,000 rpm. I found the bolt, the rocker shaft end, a shim, and two lash caps floating around when I pulled the cover. One of the pushrods and tubes was quite badly damaged. The pushrod was significantly more banana'd, but this is after some work trying to straighten it on the side of the road so I could limp home. I, probably wisely, decided that it was far smarter to tow the car home instead of limping it with a badly bent pushrod.

While waiting, I got to figure out pulling the front spoiler on the side of the road (requires removing the oil lines).

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And, just as I finished, the flat-deck arrived for my ride of shame back home. 

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That was yesterday. Not being one to wait around, today I drained the oil, pulled the motor, and tore it down to get a full list of parts I'll need to put it back in service. There was nothing suspect in the oil, filter, or sump plate. All lifters ride their bores smoothly, and without any damage. Dodged a bullet on this one! New pushrods, new pushrod tubes, and it should be good to go. I'm picking up new rocker assemblies as well, but might end up putting the same ones back into service.

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H2OSB July 11th 2020 04:11

Bummer. Coulda been worse, so count your blessings.

effvee July 11th 2020 05:31

Isn't the push rod bent? What caused it?

owdlvr July 12th 2020 12:54

push rod is very bent. That photo is after I worked to straighten it enough to limp home, but decided otherwise.

Bolt on the end of the rockershaft backed out, and went bouncing around the valve cover. Rocker moved off the lash cap, it too went flying around. Total damage is one push rod, one push rod tube, one valve keeper and a nick on the rocker I need to file/stone out today before reassembly.

H2OSB July 12th 2020 13:08

But hey, Dave, the garage floor looks nice :)

owdlvr July 13th 2020 02:29

Haha, the floor is awesome. I seriously don't know how I lived with it before.

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Engine is reassembled and back in the car. I need to remount the front spoiler, and then fill it with oil for a fire up. Here's hoping we're good!

-Dave

effvee July 13th 2020 06:41

Concerning your garage floor, what kind of coating did you use?

owdlvr July 13th 2020 18:02

ArmorPoxy Ultra, with the military top coat.

effvee July 15th 2020 06:07

Thank you

owdlvr July 31st 2020 21:17

So, after suffering a valve-train issue, and newly installing the engine into the car...what would be the best way to ensure it's strong and ready for use? Why, a 5,148km road trip...right?!

The trip was needed to create the rough notes which will become the route books of four different Classic Car Adventures events. I can't post exactly where I went, as my routes are usually kept a secret until the event, but I did make it all the way out to Calgary and up the Banff corridor for an upcoming Hagerty Touring Series event which I am producing. The engine performed on the entire trip flawlessly, using only a litre of oil for the entire run. Most of that litre is either under the motor, or on the inside of the engine lid as I didn't realize until day two or three the oil pressure sender was leaking from the threads! Whoops.

The starter, however, was giving me fits for the entire first half of the trip. When I built the car, I used a brand new "rebuilt" AC-Delco starter. Back when I was machining the front face of the starters to fit the Rally Bug and 901 trans swap I was using AC-Delco rebuilt units as they were cheaper. Failure rate was about 1 a year, so I was sure with the starter being less than two months old it must be the ignition switch. First I wired a hot-start relay, then I wired an all-new ignition switch, and then I wired a 60amp pushbutton direct between the battery and starter. Even that failed to engage the starter reliably.

Mid trip, I stopped at my best friend's house and pulled the starter out. At that point, I discovered the solenoid was faulty...and would both jam, and/or heat soak. Fortunately Concept-1 in Calgary was only a day away...and Ken fixed me up with a new WOSP high-torque starter, and thanks to some mutual friends I managed to borrow a hoist to install it instead of doing it in the Concept-1 parking lot! Once the new starter was in, the whole trip was perfectly flawless.

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https://scontent.fyvr3-1.fna.fbcdn.n...c0&oe=5F4AE6E8

https://scontent.fyvr3-1.fna.fbcdn.n...30&oe=5F4A463B

https://scontent.fyvr3-1.fna.fbcdn.n...bc&oe=5F4B98AD

Now I have to figure out how to get 9 days of bug guts off the front of the car...

Wally August 2nd 2020 07:48

Amazing scenary! Thanks for sharing. Car must be in top shape to make such a journey without problems, so well done!!

DORIGTT August 3rd 2020 19:16

Dave,
Do you have any issues with tires rubbing / contact under bumps and such?

owdlvr August 5th 2020 13:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by DORIGTT (Post 92293)
Dave,
Do you have any issues with tires rubbing / contact under bumps and such?

hahahahahahaha. Do I?!

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...dd9b232f_b.jpg

Short version, yes I do. But in order to solve the problem I either need to narrow the wheels, or fly to Germany to get the CSP fenders I want. One of which I will do over the winter months.

DORIGTT August 7th 2020 21:58

Dave,

If you would entertain me, what alignment settings are you running / did you find works best with your setup?

How much ground clearance do you have, and do you have to be especially cautious?

Would you share the stl of your horn button mount?

owdlvr August 8th 2020 00:51

If you don't see me reply with all your answers by Monday, remind me! I'm away from home for the weekend.

-Dave

DORIGTT August 8th 2020 15:31

Will do.

Thanks.

DORIGTT August 13th 2020 03:21

Hey Dave,
Just a reminder...

owdlvr August 14th 2020 02:09

2 Attachment(s)
Okay, so I thought I'd be able to figure out where I put the alignment print-out, but it's buried in the box of accounting to be sorted, and I haven't dug it out yet. I can tell you that I'm running 1.5deg of negative camber on both sides, factory toe settings, and zero caster shims, letting the caster settle where it is. My caster is steeper than anyone else seems to run, or suggest...but I prefer the snappier feel on the steering, and don't mind the fact that it doesn't "unwind" as quick automatically. I drive the car, not the other way around.

Rear is factory toe setting, -2deg of camber, possibly -2.5. That's one of the things I wanted to check.

My driving style in a Beetle is to get as much braking done as I can before the corner, in a straight line. I'm initiating the corner, just as I'm rolling off the brakes. Typically I'm fully off the brakes by the time I've "turned-in". I'm rolling onto the throttle before the apex, steering the car with the throttle. I'm not breaking the rear end loose, but the throttle is definitely used to help steer the car through. The Rally Bug has a very narrow warning that things are going to break loose, and when it does (on Tarmac) you better be ready for it to snap. Because the traction coefficient is lower on gravel or snow, it's more predictable on the transition into sliding. Breaking it loose on tarmac becomes a "oh S***!" save-it moment.

The German Looker didn't have enough bite on turn in when I initially set it up. There was a moment of understeer before things would turn-in the way I like, and I found it very unsettling. Figured it was sway bar or spring rate related, until a buddy suggested I lower the front tire pressure. Changed it to 18psi up front and 26psi in the rear on the German Look vs the 20psi up front and 26 in the rear of the Rally Bug I was running...and all is right with the world.

The German Looker is way over tire'd. Between the size and tire choice, it's so sticky I haven't found the limit yet...wet or dry. I haven't pushed it wet super hard, because it's been on open roads and I don't know how bad it will snap, but I can't even get it to give me any warning. I've pushed things hard enough in the dry that something is flexing enough to push the brake pads back in the caliper...but still it won't slide or even deviate from the line I'm pointing it at. It's both awesome, and totally scary, at the same time. :)

It's low. Really low. 86mm between the spoiler and ground at rest, 90mm between the bottom of the shock tower and the road at rest. I've never scraped the beam or shock towers, but I scuff the front spoiler on every drive that's been spirited. Keep in mind all my roads are mountain roads, and have frost heaves, broken sections, etc. I bob and weave, but I'm not going to slam on the brakes. I consider the front spoiler paint to be a disposable and presume I'll be removing it and repainting it every oil change. I consider the actual spoiler to be somewhat disposable. I'm not going to purposely wreck it, but if I'm having a great drive and it hits the ground...I'm not crying. If the drive makes me smile, I'm okay with it. Speedbumps and driveways, though, make me cry. Mostly because I forget to factor in the 86mm clearance and have done some stupid maneuvers that were totally avoidable. Similar to my lowered '58. I've hit the front apron while leaving a plaza, which just hurts. It's 5kph, you can bloody see it, and it's just total brain fart that causes the damage. For the most part, though, I wouldn't say I need to be "especially cautious" like I see some tuner guys. I take the German Look everywhere, and even took it on (smoother) dirt roads for camping. It's my lowest beetle, but it's not so low that I can't use it.

STL files are here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/85gj6svnnm...ttons.zip?dl=0

...at least until I notice the access to my dropbox is a little high :P Keep in mind that I model everything in Rhino3D, and then convert to STL. It can make some interesting file issues, but they still print fine for me in this particular case. Single and Two button versions in the zip file. I sure hope I put the right versions in!


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