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  #556  
Old March 19th 2018, 02:19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wally View Post
Great report Dave! Sounds like great fun what you do for a living!
And thanks for the tour tips. If I ever get to the US, I have some good musea to go and visit now
haha, occasionally I'll get asked by long-lost friends on facebook "What exactly do you do for a living?!" My job certainly never feels like a job. Hard work, yes. Enjoyable, absolutely!

Continued tackling the list of things to do on the car today, the major points that might be of interest were:


Fresh coat of black on the bottom of the chassis. I hate this job, but rather then patch some sections that needed it, I cleaned the whole chassis and painted it from front to back.


Under-dash area is now ready to go, and looking the business.

No photos, but I fired it up after it's winter break and started tuning the cold-idle a little bit on the fuel injection. There's still no fluid in the brake or clutch system, so I couldn't take it out for a real warm-up.

Found a couple of stripped out bolts in the front transmission mount while doing a nut-and-bolt check on the car. Drilled, helicoiled and new bolts installed. We'll see how that goes. It may explain why I've broken one of the kafer bar mounts twice previously, and again before the winter. Welded and reinforced that bracket, so we'll see what breaks next :P

Dealt with some wiring in the front end, and then looked over at the seat you can see in the floorpan photo above. I had a pair of those OMP seats with the headrest in the car for the Retro-Cars shoot many years ago, and the Cobra Imola 2 seat I'm using is looking quite worn. So, after perfecting the driving position after the pedal install, I of course decided to swap the seat out. Sigh. Fortunately I was able to get the seat in a position that I think will work well. Getting in and out of the car with the headrest is going to be annoying, so I doubt this seat will last long!

Retorqued the heads, and checked the valve train. I have some oil leaks which appear to be coming from the headstuds(?), but didn't show up when I started the car and idled it for 20min (after retorquing the heads). I have a sneaking suspicion the engine is coming out after the road test to find the leak :P

Tomorrow I should get my Motive brake bleeder back, and I can get the car back down on it's wheels. Need to do a front end alignment, and then I should be able to road test it.

-Dave
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'71 Type 1 - Rally Project
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  #557  
Old March 20th 2018, 14:35
ckuhns ckuhns is offline
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Stoked to see you back working on it. I really love that car. I really should start a thread on my Super.
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  #558  
Old March 22nd 2018, 01:02
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Originally Posted by ckuhns View Post
Stoked to see you back working on it. I really love that car. I really should start a thread on my Super.
Yes, yes you should. Don't think many guys have the KW suspension stuff, so your feedback on it would be awesome.

----



Top Tip! Before bleeding the clutch and brakes, confirm you actually installed everything tight and correctly...not just for test fitting. If you don't, you'll be figuring out how to pull the clutch pedal with it full of fluid so you can tighten the master cylinder to the mount. Oops.

After bleeding the brakes, I came to the conclusion that I also didn't consider that by doubling the rear brake pistons, I would need a larger handbrake master cylinder. Oops #2.

Having ordered the replacement parts, and them taking a while to get to me on the island...I figured I might as well take it out for a test drive.

First test drive with the car was, to be fair, less than exciting. The clutch is VERY different from my last setup, and I actually think Tilton may have been incorrect with their master sizing suggestion. The pedal travel is very short, so a smaller master cylinder might be needed to get some pedal travel back in the action. The initial brake bleed was pretty terrible as well, but that is somewhat to be expected. I've always found I need to drive the car for a few km and rebleed to get the job done correctly.

After another bleed, the handbrake came back (fancy that), but still has a longer throw than I would like. The foot pedal, however, feels much better!

The first half of the second test drive was better, but honestly not that great. A race car that runs kinda poorly and the controls are all in slightly new places is not the type of experience I was hoping for out of the shop. About a third of the way through the test, however, I remembered that I didn't build this car for puttering around town...so off to some empty highway, where I put my foot down.

OOOOOOOHHHHH, riiiiiight. THIS is when the car is fun! My gosh it's a blast when driven properly. Before destroying the tires I thought I should return home and get my alignment tomorrow.



Motor oil leak is one of two things...I think. It's either leaking from one of the cylinder studs (at the head end), or the oil cooler seals are leaking...or both. I cleaned off all the oil with brake clean, and after my tests one of the studs is wet. I'll pull the stud, reseal the washer inside the head and try again. You know, presuming I don't wake up to a puddle of oil under the car.

-Dave
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  #559  
Old March 24th 2018, 02:07
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Changing the seat has created a new problem. I can no longer reach the switches mounted on the side mount...one of which controls the water sprayer for the oil cooler, so I need to be able to reach them!







Figured I'd make a quick strap so I can close the door and lose the armrest. RS style pulls weren't really possible, since the door panels already have holes...so a simple strap it is.









Ugh. That simply will not do. Can't have the door panels looking like crap...so it's off to the drawing board!



Need to head out of my small town tomorrow to see if I can get the material I want for the new door panels I've got planned. On the plus side, it hasn't been dumping oil anywhere!

-Dave
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  #560  
Old March 25th 2018, 19:07
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Hi

I used door pull handles from a bay window as my my door pull handles, I'm pretty sure the same one is used on the roof area of a 1303 as a passenger grab handle.

https://au.vwheritage.com/211867161b...black-vw-spare

Steve
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  #561  
Old March 26th 2018, 01:15
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My solution for ugly door panels involves some ABS plastic sheet, some climbing webbing, and a couple hours of my time to get it all correct. 911RS inspired door panels!









No other work completed...the shop was getting to be a disaster so I spent this afternoon cleaning it up and making sure it's ready for the next project. Whatever the heck that might be.

-Dave
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  #562  
Old March 27th 2018, 12:16
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Turned out really nice! Very clean. How was the weight compared to stock door panel?

Jason
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  #563  
Old March 27th 2018, 14:32
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I didn't weigh them, but it's significant. The two panels were lighter to hands than one factory panel, and that doesn't even include the armrest or all the clips and rubber bits.

They are going to be coming off for the addition of "pockets", because the Rally Bug has zero storage anywhere. I definitely did use the door pockets, especially on the co-driver side, so I need something that's accessible from the driver's seat for things like wallets, pens, etc. When they come off all see if I can get a scale out for comparison.

-Dave
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'73 Type 1 - Proper Germanlook project
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  #564  
Old March 29th 2018, 12:37
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Doh! Had the door panels off again tonight, and I totally forgot to weigh them. Sorry about that.

Storage in the Rally Bug is a definite problem. There's obviously no back seat, and there is less trunk room than a regular Super Beetle. For the most part, on road trips, I've figured it out...but it's surprising how handy the door panel pockets have become. Even just little things like house keys, wallet, gas receipts, etc. all need a spot. On the co-driver side they've got cell phones, pens, navigator crap I don't really pay attention to. We're gonna need some door pockets.


Cut some ABS to fit inside the door pockets and keep 'em stiff, as well as some strips to support them on the backside of the door panel. The rivets will hold them in, big flange on the one side, two washers on the other to keep them from pulling through the door panel.


Three rivets across the top, one in each lower corner (which was fun to install).



Yup, that will work nicely.


With the door panels done, I tore out the co-driver seat, drained the rear brake circuit and started working on replacing the hand-brake master cylinder.


The old cylinder was 5/8 diameter, and is actually a Honda clutch master cylinder. It was easy to obtain and has metric fittings, so I had all the fittings to swap it over to AN fittings. The new master, as you can see, is quite a bit larger. I had to source the 3/4" master from Willwood, and work out the fittings to get the inlet and outlet down to the -3AN sizing that I'm using. Fitting this bigger cylinder under the shifter, above the valve for the Accusump and without hitting the driver's seat is going to be a challenge and a half...


I had to cut off and grind down the casting corner at the back of the master, taking about 3/8" of material off, but it just fits above the valve for the accusump. Banjo adapters to -3AN look a bit odd with the bends, but I don't have to cut and make new lines, and you'll only ever see it in this photo anyways. Things are TIGHT in here!

I pressurized the system with a motive power bleeder, and bled the rear circuit without issues. I should have remembered to bleed the circuit before mounting the hand brake master, as you can see from the mounting angle it traps air. A quick manual bleed moves the air from the hand brake into the rear line, and a second power bleed empties the system. At this stage of my evening, things started to go sour. The handbrake feels wonderful. It's got a good short stroke, and while it does require more effort than my pre-winter setup, it's not bad. I hit the foot brake, no air, and then a second pump and the pedal started to sink. What?! I pumped a couple more times, and that's when I heard it...the tell tale squirt of brake fluid leaking somewhere. Of course, to find the leak required a couple of more pumps...and that's when I realized...I've emptied half a reservoir of brake fluid INSIDE the Rally Bug.

Funny part about having all your brake lines run inside the cabin. You don't have to worry about rocks cutting them, you don't have to worry about them corroding due to road salt. You do, however, have to worry about leaks! The brake fluid was pooling under the driver's seat, which normally wouldn't be an issue except I had been adjusting the seat belts with the new seat. The 6pt belt extras were lying on the floor, instead of wrapped up and ziptied as they usually are. Sigh. Well, didn't need the last 6" of brake-fluid soaked belt tails anyhow, so I cut em off.

Closer inspection of the leak, however, determined that it was actually a pin-hole, and squirting high pressure brake fluid onto the center tunnel, and was then spraying everywhere like a garden hose. A whole roll of blue towel and a can of brake clean later...and I think the interior is clean :P

Cause? A casting flaw in the 7/16 banjo bolt I bought. The sealing flange, had a nick in it.

-Dave
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'58 Type 1 - I bought an early!?!
'73 Type 1 - Proper Germanlook project
'68 Type 1 - Interm German 'look' project
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'93 Chevy 3500 pickup - Cummins Swap

Last edited by owdlvr; March 29th 2018 at 12:43.
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  #565  
Old March 30th 2018, 15:03
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Back together and ready to go? Here's hoping!

-Dave
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'58 Type 1 - I bought an early!?!
'73 Type 1 - Proper Germanlook project
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'93 Chevy 3500 pickup - Cummins Swap
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  #566  
Old March 30th 2018, 23:34
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I was under the impression the floorpans in our cars wouldn't allow those sexy pedals to fit!
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  #567  
Old March 31st 2018, 00:31
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Your impressions would be correct. You'll need to go back to see how much of the front bulkhead I had to cut out to make these fit. The pedal set I really wanted to use (Tilton's 600-series, master under foot), won't fit without cutting away significant portions of the heater channel on both pan and body.

This old(er) set of Tilton pedals are less rigid than the current generation, but ever-so-slightly narrower, which allowed me to make it work. Keep in mind that I also cut them into two pieces and narrowed the distance between brake and clutch to make it work. The washers underneath are D-shaped, not round, and You install one pair of bolts, and they hold the nuts for the second set of bolts. Have to use Allen heads, they are that close.

Lots of work, but I got 'er in there!

-Dave
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'73 Type 1 - Proper Germanlook project
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'75 Type 1 - Family Heirloom
'93 Chevy 3500 pickup - Cummins Swap
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  #568  
Old April 1st 2018, 14:12
Hulken Hulken is offline
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What thickness are the ABS door panel?
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  #569  
Old April 2nd 2018, 02:14
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1.5mm, or 1/16"...can't remember if this stuff is sold in Canada as metric or imperial thickness. But they're so close it probably doesn't matter.

-Dave
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  #570  
Old April 3rd 2018, 00:08
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Well, ran out of fuel in the bug today. Was out doing some tuning and spent 30sec panicking as it was suddenly going lean and nothing was making sense. After a couple of brain cells kicked in, the problem was obvious. I ALMOST made it to the gas station too...but nope, pushed the car the last 100m. At least it's light!

I'm off for three or four days of scouting roads for my Spring Thaw event at the end of April. It could get a little interesting, the weather when I left my house looked good, but now they're calling for rain (which means snow on the mountain passes). Could be a "fun" drive, as I didn't bring my winter tires. :P Tires are technically legal, but not something I would choose to drive in snowy weather on a mountain pass.

Ah well, could be worse. Car is setup like it should be on a race track, not a road (little snappy in the front end). Brake bias is much better, but I haven't romped on it to be sure. Might want to sort that before I hit the mountains! Today I sent my best friend Connor a brilliant Craigslist find. His response was short, and to the point...and quite fitting here:

"It's like you have short term memory for stupid ideas."

heh heh.

-Dave
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