# Dune Buggy/Sandrail Buildup



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*I've come from the Dark Side (Buggy Buildup)*

I usually hang around the MKIV forums but you'll be able to see more and more of me around these parts. The reason I am here is because I have decided to build a dune buggy.
I recently picked up an engine out of a trashed '71 beetle along with the transmission, swing arms, brakes, etc.... I dont have a truck so I had to figure out a way to get this thing home and as you can see I managed.
















Next the engine was dismantled to see what damage had to be repaired. When I drained the oil from the engine about a gallon of water came out as well







there is plenty of rust in the intake manifold so that is my idea of how it got in, good thing these blocks are aluminum or I would have been in a lot of trouble. Other than that everything seemed to be in decent condidtion, but we decided to replace pretty much everthing anyways.

















Now it is time to get the heads reworked and cook all of the parts that can not be sandblasted to help in the cleaning process. Hopefully I will be picking up a frame in a couple of weeks to keep this project on track. 
I will keep this thread updated as we moove along, and If anyone has any advice/tips/general knowledge they would like to share with me that would also be great.
*UPDATE 8/6*
I just finished mediablasting the intake manifold, tower, and the oil cooler attacher thing (dont know what else to call it) I forgot to take before pictures but you can probably imagine what 35 years of grease and grime looks like. I think everything turned out really good, everything looks brand new.








The heads are next, I spent some time with them in the parts washer and cleaned them up pretty good but they arent as clean as I would like them, so I think I'll mask them up and mediablast them as well. Here is a pic of them after the parts washer and before mediablasting.








I think I will to the same for the block, I'll just be extra careful masking it off so no critical surfaces get blasted. Well, that is all for now but expect to see more pictures of the cleaned block and heads next week sometime.


_Modified by DubsMcGee at 8:37 PM 8-6-2006_


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## wrenchmonkey (Feb 1, 2003)

*Re: I've come from the Dark Side (DubsMcGee)*

Welcome back from the Dark Side Luuuuuke...








The pic of your Golf with the AC engine in back reminds me of the Monster Garage episode in which _he_ mounted an AC engine with a large prop into a waterbug for swamp riding...
You'll probably find it's least costly to just replace the heads with new ones vs having those heads rebuilt and machined anymore...


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## rave337 (Aug 1, 2006)

*Re: I've come from the Dark Side (DubsMcGee)*

Nice you use your cosmic like I used my Rave. Transport motors and other parts. I transported VR6 and parts for the mkIII


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## Tuggle (Aug 19, 2005)

*Re: I've come from the Dark Side (rave337)*

looking good


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: I've come from the Dark Side (rave337)*


_Quote, originally posted by *rave337* »_Nice you use your cosmic like I used my Rave. Transport motors and other parts. I transported VR6 and parts for the mkIII

Yeah man I had so much crap back there, engine, transmission, swing arms, brakes, and a box full of random greasy stuff. It made for a very careful and uncomfortable drive home.

_Quote, originally posted by *rave337* »_used











_Modified by DubsMcGee at 9:07 PM 8-2-2006_


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## Vee Dub Nut (Oct 22, 2002)

*Re: I've come from the Dark Side (DubsMcGee)*


_Quote, originally posted by *DubsMcGee* »_
When I drained the oil from the engine about a gallon of water came out as well







there is plenty of rust in the intake manifold so that is my idea of how it got in, good thing these blocks are aluminum or I would have been in a lot of trouble. 

Cool Project, Nice GTi too...
BTW, the blocks are magnesium not aluminum. The heads are aluminum though..


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## Tuggle (Aug 19, 2005)

*Re: I've come from the Dark Side (Vee Dub Nut)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Vee Dub Nut* »_
Cool Project, Nice GTi too...
BTW, the blocks are magnesium not aluminum. The heads are aluminum though.. 


x2

isn't it magnes aluminum alloy??


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: I've come from the Dark Side (Vee Dub Nut)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Vee Dub Nut* »_Cool Project, Nice GTi too...
BTW, the blocks are magnesium not aluminum. The heads are aluminum though.. 

Good to know. I see you also have the exact same GTI as me http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: I've come from the Dark Side (DubsMcGee)*

Yay for progress!


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: I've come from the Dark Side (DubsMcGee)*

*Update 8/9*
Finished up some media blasting of the heads and the block today, I still have some sheet metal to do but nobody really cares about looking at that (in fact since there is barely anyone in the aircooled forum I dont really know why I am doing this at all, oh well). So here are some pics, I remembered to take before and after this time
































Tomorrow, provided we get the crank back from being polished (didnt need grinding







) and the gears pressed on, the engine will start to take form. I'm also still in the market for a frame, so if anyone knows of one or someone that builds them in the twin cites area please let me know.


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## eyelashout (Dec 12, 2005)

*Re: I've come from the Dark Side (buggyman)*

i appreciate this thread


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: I've come from the Dark Side (buggyman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_Hmmm...bad tin=bad cooling.
Please keep posting your progess.There's been a lot of postings from newbies and oldies over time that ask things like "Why does my car just quit on a hot day?" because they don't know,or have forgotten how to,keep an aircooled engine running under difficult circumstances.
You're doing a great proper job on the rebuild,and everybody who's watching appreciates the fact that you're sharing it,I do!









Thanks for the kind words, I guess I'll post up some pics of the sheet metal before and after blasting/painting. I can not wait to be done blasting, friday should be the last round


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: I've come from the Dark Side (buggyman)*

I know the importance of the tins. I am working on this project with my girlfriends dad who has built buggies before, and he is teaching me a lot about the aircooled world. I was not going to post any pics of the cleaning of them because of all the pics I already have posted of mediablasting. But I have changed my mind because I want to record the entire transformation of this project.


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: I've come from the Dark Side (DubsMcGee)*

*UPDATE 8/11*
I finished cleaning up some of the sheet metal, but unfortunatly I still have more to do in the cabinet














I took another step forward and did some painting today, and things are looking really good. I can not wait to see this engine complete still with many original parts that look new. 
before blasting








after blasting








primered








painted








We will be getting the crank back next week. It turns out that one of the wrist pin bushings needed to be replaced but everything else is on the up and up. Once that happens you wont have to look at any more pics of bead blasted parts, and you'll get to see some real progress. Man am I excited.


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## kimosullivan (Aug 12, 2002)

*Re: I've come from the Dark Side (DubsMcGee)*

You might want to go back and bead blast the oil drain plate, the round thing with six little holes around the edge, bottom center. The side that goes up, or at least the gasket surface around the rim. Or you could sand it flat to remove any warpage and ensure a good seal. Otherwise, everything looks beautiful. Keep us posted!


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: I've come from the Dark Side (kimosullivan)*

The drain plate did get blasted, it is partialy covered up by one of the lower tins in the after blasting picture. I also decided not to paint the other side of it and the insides of the valve covers just incase some paint would flake off and get into the oil passages and clog it.


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## VampsWagen (Feb 2, 2004)

That's really cool


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## [email protected] (Apr 12, 2005)

i did the same thing to all the suspension components on my scirocco project.


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: ([email protected])*


_Quote, originally posted by *[email protected]* »_i did the same thing to all the suspension components on my scirocco project.

Yeah, I'm not looking forward to doing the trailing arms. On a good note, we got the crank back and all the internals put back in the block last night. Pictures and more info will be up shortly







(once I can get the pics off my camera)


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*UPDATE 8/18*

*UPDATE 8/18* 
Well like I said before we got the crank back from being polished and the rods got checked as well. One of the rods was a little out but the guy that checked them said it would not be a problem, they also got brand new bushings pressed in. 








We then greased all the bearings and journals with assembly grease and put the rods on the crank and torqued to the recomended torque of 22-25 ft-lbs. we also made sure to give the nuts a good tap with a flat punch to ensure that they do not come loose.








Then we started to put the case together following instructons provided by "How to Build a dune Buggy" (I forget who it is by but if anyone wants to know more about it just ask and I'll find out). We greased up the lifters with wheel bearing grease to make sure that they stay in the block when we went to put it together. Also we put a light coat of silicone on the halves to ensure a proper seal when we put it back together.
















Finally we got the block together and the sealing nuts torqued to 18 ft-lbs and the non sealing nuts torqued to 14 ft-lbs. everything went together pretty smoothly other than a slight hiccup with the installation of the cam and the crank bearings mooving around. That is all we accomplished last night because of the misquitos eating us alive. 
Next I will be deciding what I want to do about the heads, either get the ones I have reworked or buy new ones. I have to talk to some people locally about reworking but hopefully I'll have made a decision by early next week. 
I would like to also thank Don "Dirty" Lee (the guy sealing up the block that has the "Dirty5" ford you see in the background of the last pic) and Miller High Life for making this all possible
































_Modified by DubsMcGee at 10:58 AM 8-20-2006_


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## vanaman (Aug 26, 2003)

wow thats awesome. are you keeping it stock displacement?
steve


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (vanaman)*

No, I got 87.7mm pistons so I think that brings it up to 1650cc. I am trying to get this whole thing built for as little $$ as I can since I still have to pay for my last semester of college







and







at the same time


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## DVR68U (Oct 19, 2004)

hey man keep up the good work,
cheers brenton


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## NoDubsForMe (Oct 15, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 8/18 (DubsMcGee)*


_Quote, originally posted by *DubsMcGee* »_ 








_Modified by DubsMcGee at 10:58 AM 8-20-2006_

whats that in the backround.


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 8/18 (NoDubsForMe)*


_Quote, originally posted by *NoDubsForMe* »_
whats that in the backround.

Dirty's 1935 Ford, he's let me drive it around town and at Back to the 50's at the Minnesota state fairgrounds. That thing is SWEET!!














I'll also get some pictures up of it later.


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## FLATBLACKMK2 (Oct 10, 2003)

*Re: UPDATE 8/18 (DubsMcGee)*

nice project...............


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## NoDubsForMe (Oct 15, 2005)

how was back to the 50's, a couple friends of mine went, never heard how it was.


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## Tuggle (Aug 19, 2005)

*Re: (NoDubsForMe)*

sweet


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (NoDubsForMe)*


_Quote, originally posted by *NoDubsForMe* »_how was back to the 50's, a couple friends of mine went, never heard how it was.

Pretty crazy 11,000 cars and over 100,000 spectators







I camped there the whole weekend and still didnt get a chance to see nearly as many cars as I would have liked to, and I forgot my camera to boot


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

*UPDATE 8/23* 
Within the last couple of days we havent gotten too much accomplished, however we did find the guy that is going to rebuild the heads and lighten the flywheel and we dropped those off to him yesterday.
What we did get done is put the jugs and pistons on, mount the oil pump (I opted for the one that allows you to run a filter), put the strainer in, mount the oil cooler, and put the pulley on. I actually stripped out one of the holes on the sump that the strainer mounts to but we quickly drilled and re-tapped that so it is all good. Also the new woodruf key that came with the crank insallation kit was too big for the slot so we ended up taking that one out and reusing the old one. Other than those two little mishaps everything went together very smoothly. Now on to the pictures.
















I also finally finished sandblasting the sheet metal and got it all painted. And since we are waiting for the heads and have run out of stuff to do we put the fan assembly back together.








And since people have asked about the mystery car in the background of one of the previous pictures here are some more. The car is a 1935 Ford that Don's grandfather purchased brand new then sat in a field for 50 years and was restored during a period of 10 years. The car is almost complete, the only thing that is left is the headliner and some interior panels. The thing is SICK!!!
















edit: One last thing, I have finally found the frame for the buggy!! We are driving down to Webster City, Iowa on 9/8 to pick up a BerrienBuggy Warrior Chassis from Jones Cusom Cars. It will be a complete chassis including rear torsion and front IRS.


_Modified by DubsMcGee at 12:17 PM 8-23-2006_


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## Tuggle (Aug 19, 2005)

engine looks good
that car is amazing


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## MALLMAN (Jan 19, 2002)

*Re: (Tuggle)*

holy crap! i didnt realize that you were this deep into this project already!
so i guess you arnt going to make me S4 faces for a set of RS'?


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Gti12vmn)*

I dunno man, hopefully we'll get this thing done before Christmas and that'll give me almost a solid month to make your new faces








WOOT page 2 ownage


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## MALLMAN (Jan 19, 2002)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

im actually looking to maybe pick up some corvette wheels tonight for a fun little winter project, but we will see about that


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Gti12vmn)*

DO IT! I love they way those look on GTI's http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Anyways back on topic
*UPDATE 8/25* 
Not a big one today but I do have some questions for you aircooled guru's. We rebuilt the carb last night and came across a few interesting things. 
1) The carb that I got with the engine was not listed in the Chilton's manual I have (I do have one for the correct year of the car) The carbs that were listed were SOLEX 34 PICT 2/3 and the one I have is a SOLEX 34 PICT 4. 
2) There is a wierd brass looking fitting in the bottom of the fuel bowl that was not listed on the diagram for the PICT2/3 and we are wondering what it is? (you can see it in the first picture). 
3) The last thing we came across was the accelerator pump diaphram was much bigger than the diaphram that came with the rebuild kit (which supposedly was for all VW carbs) so I guess I am wondering what the deal is with PICT 4? Any information would be great. (you can see the difference in sizes between the diaphrams in the upper right of the second picture).
And some pictures of the rebuild (I didnt take one of after the rebuild because it looks the same as before)








CARNAGE!!!!










_Modified by DubsMcGee at 8:02 AM 8-25-2006_


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

Thanks for all the info and help. The diaphram is not torn but it is cracked so we oiled it up real good before we put the pump back together. So I am guessing that the original owner of this car replaced the original carb with this "newer" one. I have the bugpack catalog and I didnt see any rebuild kits and the one I got from JC Whitney supposedly was for '57-'79 cars







Anyways, I guess we'll see how it runs then take action from there.


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*UPDATE 8/30*

*UPDATE 8/30*
Another smaller update on the project. I got done painting some more stuff, mainly the tower and intake manifold. We also did some cleaning of the transaxle and got that pretty good. I still need to go back and get in the little nooks and crannies with a conical wire brush. Then tomorrow I'll give it a good painting to make it look like the rest of the engine. 
Again I forgot to take a before shot but here are a few progress shots of the transaxle cleaning.
















































This is what it looked like after I attacked it with the wire wheel (the machined surfaces look polished







)








Hopefully we get the heads and flywheel back sometime this week so we can have the engine and tranny done by the time we pick up the frame.


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*UPDATE 9/1*

*UPDATE 9/1* 
Alright! we got the heads back from being reworked, they have new valves, springs, guides, retainers, keepers, a 3 angle valve job, and they were flycut. We also got the flywheel lightened. 

While I was at the shop I decided to pick up some more stuff. I now have a sand seal dipstick and pulley, a new gland nut and washer, new valve adjusters, fan shroud plugs, distributer clamp, and headers (I'm getting a stinger too but he did not have that in stock)
















We also picked up a new starter









So we finally made some more progress on the engine and got the heads put on with little trouble (the pushrods were being a little difficult)








We then replaced the valve adjusters and put the rockers back on and spent entirely more time adjusting the adjusters than it should have taken. Damn 0.006" tolerances
























After those were all on we installed the new flywheel, nothing too special about that other than remembering to replace the *3* shims that we took out earler. Main seal first then flywheel not too incredibly hard to do.
















We still need to torque the flywheel properly, all we did last night was hit it with the impact wrench at it's highest setting.
And then I saw this on my way to work this morning


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## MALLMAN (Jan 19, 2002)

*Re: UPDATE 9/1 (DubsMcGee)*

holy balls. i LOVE your project thread. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
i am still super stoked that you are doing this!


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## dubdubberson (May 31, 2004)

*Re: UPDATE 9/1 (DubsMcGee)*


_Quote, originally posted by *DubsMcGee* »_ 
And then I saw this on my way to work this morning























Damn you go to work early


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 9/1 (dubdubberson)*

Gotta leave the house at 6:00 am


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*UPDATE 9/6*

*UPDATE 9/6* 
Did a little more work last night in preparation for the frame pickup on friday, and ran into a snag or two in the process.
But on a lighter note here is a picture of my girlfriend doing the two things she loves most, talking on the phone and working on engines
















I did some test fitting the other night and it looks like all the sheet metal should go on without too much difficulty, I will probably have to pick up some of those spacers for the fan shroud due to the gap between it and the cylinder tins.








We ended up deciding to change the pulley to a sand seal type instead of the stock ish that was on there. I like the way it looks way better that the original one and now I dont have to worry about getting crap inside the engine. 








I also got a nice billet sand seal dipstick.








Now when we installed the pully we had to put a spacer behind the generator pulley to account for the non stock placement of the new crank pulley and while I was pulling the generator pulley off I noticed that it was cracked pretty bad. The thing is being incredibly stubborn and does not want to come off.
















We did, however make some progress. We got the distributor and fuel pump installed and set to about where we want it. We started the timing about 8 degrees before TDC, if anyone has some input on that I would be more than glad to hear it. The dizzy is a Bosch 009 with a breakerless ignition in it just in case you were wondering what those wires were for.








We also got the valve covers sealed and on, can you believe that those are original? I can barely believe it, I really like the way that they turned out.








And this is how she sits now.








We are driving down to Webster City, IA on friday to pick up the frame from Jones Custom Cars. The owner, Andy Jones, seems like a real nice guy and he has some very reasonable prices. I'm pretty excited to get down there and pick it up, expect an update soon


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## MALLMAN (Jan 19, 2002)

*Re: UPDATE 9/6 (DubsMcGee)*

nice update! cant wait to see the pictures of the frame youre getting http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*UPDATE 9/10*

*UPDATE 9/10*
We finally picked up the frame!!!!!!




































Oh man does this thing look nice, the drive to Webster City from the Twin Cities was fairly uninteresting but you definatly know you are in Iowa when you see a Kum & Go.








We arrived at Jones Custom Cars and immedaitly knew that we were at the right place when we saw all the scavanged aircooled parts lying around the yard
























After I got fitted for the seat position and shifter position he did some final welding and we loaded the frame on the trailer and proceeded to have a few







with Andy Jones and his buddies, a great bunch of people just as I expected http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 








Now it was time for the long, boring drive back, we hit some bad weather so most of the drive was spent trying to avoid rain and such. Here is some Iowa action.








We finally got back to the cities around 11pm (we left the cities at 2pm) and got the frame into the garage to protect it from the elements. Now Don has the best looking garage on the block.








This thing came with a lot of stuff for a very reasonable price. 
Complete front suspension








Battery box








Beefed up torsion arms








Shifer and box








And a chassis brace kit
























I also finished taking the suface rust off the frame with a spun fiber disk in an air drill and some scotch brite. This is what your hands look like after scotch briting a whole frame.








On another note we finished putting the shrouds on the engine, now we are just waiting to get the new generator pulley, coil, plugs, and some fuel line and the engine will be complete.
















We did a test fit of the new exhaust, fits kind of crappy but that can be fixed.








I also finished painting the transaxle, it looks much better now.








We are going to start the final fab of the frame on Tuesday by welding mounting tabs and figuring out the rear shock mounts. Another update then.


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## MALLMAN (Jan 19, 2002)

*Re: UPDATE 9/10 (DubsMcGee)*

man, that looks awesome! im glad the trip went well http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## jonescustomcars (Sep 11, 2006)

*Re: UPDATE 9/10 (Gti12vmn)*

Hey, It was great meeting you guy's friday, to bad you couldn't have stuck around and a few more














I just got done reading the build up, It took me about 30 minutes but it is very detailed. look forward to checking out the updates.


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 9/10 (buggyman)*

I'll look forward to hearing more of your suggestions http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## vanaman (Aug 26, 2003)

*Re: UPDATE 9/10 (DubsMcGee)*

so this is going to be a nearly stock motored street rail?
what are you plans for frame?

steve


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 9/10 (buggyman)*

Wow, I always appreciate the amount of detail you include in your suggestions http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif I'll have to look into the cooling ideas some more, and the suspension and exhaust mods dont sound like a bad idea either.


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 9/10 (vanaman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *vanaman* »_so this is going to be a nearly stock motored street rail?

for now









_Quote, originally posted by *vanaman* »_what are you plans for frame?

I'm not sure I follow you on this one, if you are talking about paint it is going to get powdercoated.


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*UPDATE 9/13*

*UPDATE 9/13* 
Less of an update than questions for the gurus. We decided to test fit the tranny last night and make a plan of attack for tabs and more welding and such. I got a transmount with "straps" but when we went to test them out it seems as if they wern't made right. the rear strap runs into the bell housing and will not line up with the hole correctly.
































and the front strap seems just as bad, it will not sit flush against both the tranny and torsion housing (it will sit flush with one but not the other). The whole thing just seems rally poorly thought out and put together. Any suggestions about getting it to work right, if not I'll just run without them. Oh and one more thing, I am assuming that you dont run any kind of additional transmission mount (poly or stock) with this set up.








However, I did take buggyman's advice and took the front sway off. We'll cut it later and put the pieces inside of the tierods to stiffen them up http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## Tuggle (Aug 19, 2005)

project looks awesome - you do go to work early - and Girl friend i thought that would be your daughter... your a PIMP!


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Tuggle)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Tuggle* »_Girl friend i thought that would be your daughter... your a PIMP!

OMG thats great














It's funny cuz she's older than I am.


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## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: (Tuggle)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Tuggle* »_and Girl friend i thought that would be your daughter... your a PIMP!

I dont think the guy spraying out the tranny is Dubs. haha thats funny cause I thought the same thing, check out the other pics.


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## -SLugO- (Jun 12, 2006)

*Re: (stagger_lee)*

yeah Mcgee is young 20's, lol

dam man i had no idea you had this project! holy cow is that gonna be fun


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## Tuggle (Aug 19, 2005)

*Re: (stagger_lee)*


_Quote, originally posted by *stagger_lee* »_
I dont think the guy spraying out the tranny is Dubs. haha thats funny cause I thought the same thing, check out the other pics. 

sorry
Toby = Dumb lol


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*UPDATE 9/15*

*UPDATE 9/15*
I went back to Dune Buggy Supply yesterday and picked up some more stuff so that we can finish up the frame and get it painted/powdercoated. I got headlights, tail lights, a licenceplate light, IRS shock mounts, a shift rod, a new pulley, a chrome stinger and muffler, longer pulley bolt, shift coupler, exhaust nuts, u-joint, and some tools to make our lives easier.








We finally buttoned up the engine mechanically, now all we need is to get the coil and plugs and it'll be all ready to go.








Trying to decide where to mount the headlights and I would like some of your input on where to mount them, we have narrowed it down to 2 places.
here








or here








Now installation of the IRS shock mounts has us a little confused on where they actually go, we cant figure out if they mount right before the stub axle like in the picture or inbetween the stub axle and the traling arm itself. We are thinking that they install between the axle and arm but if anyone knows for sure please chime in http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
















That's all for now, thanks for looking.


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## air skooled (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 9/15 (DubsMcGee)*


_Quote, originally posted by *DubsMcGee* »_
Trying to decide where to mount the headlights and I would like some of your input on where to mount them, we have narrowed it down to 2 places.

Mount them here. One of my sandrails from back in the day.


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 9/15 (air skooled)*

how well did that work? I'm trying to keep this thing as close to street legal as possible as I will be driving this thing a lot







and good lighting is a must from my standpoint.


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## air skooled (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 9/15 (DubsMcGee)*

They work quite well in that position. I was wondering if you were going to make this street legal since you said you got a license plate holder. You may want to check your local laws concerning the mounting height of the headlights. My friend used to run a sandrail on the street. He t-boned a car once. The rear end came up off the ground when he hit the other car. No damage to the sandrail at all.







Nothing like driving around in a full cage.







Are you going to put a windshield in this? And wipers? If you are you need to weld in some 1/2" flat stock so that you will have something to mount the windshield seal to. Need to get that done before powdercoat. We used to run lexan. Looks like a fun project.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 9/15 (air skooled)*

Yeah, I'll have to check on that. But I did say "as close to street legal as possible" not DOT inspection for me, title in hand







In all seriousness, I do want to have all of the major things there that I would get called on. As for the windsheild I dont plan on running one right away but I will probably change my mind after I take the first pebble to fall off a semi in the face at 50+ mph. I was thinking of running lexan and attaching it with some sort of strap like brackets. The only concern I have is it scratching easily any input on that?
edit: HOORAY!! second longest thread in the aircooled forums!


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 9/15 (buggyman)*

I haven't done much lateley due to some family issues, but I did email bugpak with no reply as of yet. I also plan on ordering the sheet metal for the floor today at work.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 9/15 (buggyman)*

Yeah their customer service isn't all that great. But on a lighter note, I got the sheet metal for the floor ordered yesterday and it arrives at my work today for me to pick up and start working on it. It's a 1/8" sheet of 6061 aluminum, I've been in contact with Berrien Buggy about it and they were saying that I could mount my seats directly to the floor







but I am a little weary of doing that. Buggyman, do you have any input on this one? or anyone else for that matter, I was thinking of getting some 1/4" steel plate about 1.5-2" wide to weld to the frame to make mounting points for the seats. *If anyone has been runing a buggy or rail with seats mounted to 1/8" aluminum sheet please speak up.* Keep in mind that the primary driver (me) weighs around 225 and some passengers would be up around there too. Hopefully there will be an update tomorrow if everything goes alright at home tonight http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## Shawn M. (Oct 15, 2002)

personally I'd have a square stock or tube seat base frame made for the seat. Bolting it to the floor doesn't seem real secure to me. All you need is a square base welded to your chasis (assuming a fixed seat position) to mount the seat to.


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: UPDATE 9/15 (DubsMcGee)*

In my dads rail we actually welded 2 round cross members in between and perpendicular to the paralell frame rails and center rail where the seats are mounted. We chose rounded tube as apposed to square tubing obviously for the strength and it was easier to notch and matched the tube chassis. I hope that makes sense. Our floor panel is on the outside of chassis, so you see the frame rails within the cab area. definitely wouldn't mount the seat to the floor panel, especially 1/8" sheet aluminum. You know how soft it is. 


_Modified by stagger_lee at 7:05 AM 9-21-2006_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*UPDATE 9/22*

Those are some sweet pics buggyman. Is that a CB radio I see attached between the spotlights?
*UPDATE 9/22* 
Well it's been too long since an update, so here goes. We got more goodies from JC Whitney the other day including the seats, steering wheel, clutch package, cv boots, and wiring kit. 
















We put the clutch assembly on, does anyone know the proper torque for the pressure plate bolts? I torqued them to 20ft-lbs but I dont know.








We also dissassembled the axles for a thurough cleaning, those suckers were uber dirty. All of the cv joints seem ok though http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
















I also picked up the sheets of aluminum that I ordered for the floor yesterday. The guy I got them from said he wanted to make someone smile and didn't charge me a dime for any of it, needless to say














However, I wans't smiling trying to drive those bishes to the workshop. One of them was too big to fit in the back of the station wagon so we had to strap it to the roof. I was so scared that it was going to become flying death on the highway.








But it did make it there, and there is enough for a full floor and a skid plate. it is 48" wide and a total of 105" long








We started fitting and scribing it for plasma cutting and if I do say so myself, it looks damn good.








There was no way I wasn't going to see how it looked with the seats on there
















I also needed to see how well I * fit * in there. Turns out that there will be enough room for me and a passenger, YAY














(first pic of me on the vortex)


----------



## vivithemage (Apr 18, 2006)

thank thing is looking great! I just read through all 3 pages and I cant wait to see the outcome


----------



## air skooled (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 9/22 (DubsMcGee)*

Your going to end up hating the solid floor. My first rail had aluminum floors. I ended up cutting holes in the floor to make it easier to clean. Everything gets trapped in the floor. If you run in the sand it will get very deep fast and then how do you get it out. My next rails had expanded metal floors, just like buggyman's. Flip the sand rail over and weld it directly to the frame. Also you might want to consider a foot rest for the passenger. You can see it in my pic on page 2. It would be even better if you could make it adjustable. You could always make aluminum floor mats from your sheet aluminum and throw them in for the days you drive it on the street or go mudding and don't want the mud flying through the floor. Also you can see a bumper on my rail. Nice to have. This is a sand toys frame and IIRC I got the bumper from them. You can mount sheet aluminum to the bumper to keep the flying debris down too. You can always make your own bumper. Keep up the good work.


----------



## air skooled (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 9/15 (buggyman)*









Good times!!! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## Tuggle (Aug 19, 2005)

project is looking great


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 9/22 (air skooled)*

air skooled, this will be mostly ran on the streets and in the mud. There isn't really too much sand up here in MN. I see where you are coming from tho and if I do end up going out to Michigan for some sand action I might go the expanded metal route and set it up to be able to run both solid floor and expanded metal. Plus that would mean I would actuall have to pay for my floor


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 9/22 (buggyman)*

Dennis, take a look at the first pic of the 9/22 update and look at how the seats are positioned in the frame, are you saying to mount them something like that or do I not understand? If we mounted them like that it would give more head room but then take away from ground clearance at the seats.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 9/22 (DubsMcGee)*

Another thing, I have a full set of 4x130 or whatever the drums from a '71 bug are and I was wondering if I could exchange them for the wide 5's on the front or are the spindles set up differently for the different style of drums? I was planning on redrilling the drums for a Ford bold pattern (5 x 4.5") because Dirty has a set of 15x8's for the rear and 14x6 (or 8 I cant remember) that I would like to use. Has anyone successfully redrilled VW drums for a different bolt pattern?
edit: 

_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_The first one to chime in with a correct guess of my handle wins the booby prize.









Is it buggyman?










_Modified by DubsMcGee at 6:10 PM 9-23-2006_


----------



## 1.8TRabbit (Nov 15, 2004)

*Re: I've come from the Dark Side (DubsMcGee)*

THATS GOING TO BE A BLAST!!!!!
I WANT ANOTHER ONE!!!!! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif To take down to Utah sand dunes!!!


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 9/22 (buggyman)*

There wern't too many other seat options but I didi notice if I take the brackets off I would gain another 2-5 degrees of recline which I might take advantage of. The seats are a 6 bolt design and what I think I am going to do is just get some flat stock and weld mounts to the frame parrallel with the floor allowing me to run an uninturrupted full floor. The test fit made me feel pretty comfortable in the frame and the extra recline won't hurt so I dont think the way the seats are made will be a problem. I will keep all the suggestions in mind tho http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*UPDATE 9/27*

*UPDATE 9/27* 
Didn't get a whole lot done last night, more







drinking than anything else really. But we did get the back section of the floor cut and it looks really good.
We took it over to Don's buddy's place to cut it with the plasma cutter, man do I want one of those things so if anyone is feeling generous you can ship me one (IM me for my address) or paypal some money to [email protected]







Anyways this is how it turned out.
























Don is taking off for Texas Thursday morning for 10 days so I'll be going it alone for a while. I plan to weld the floor tabs Thursday or Friday and possibly start making some more for the lights and such. We laid the tabs out approximatly where they will be welded, if anyone thinks I should do it differently please speak up.








I'll also paint the headers with some flat black stove paint tonight after I clean them up in the blaster tonight. Other than that, nothing new but hopefully there'll be some welding pics up early next week


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

Looks great Dubs! Cant wait to see the finished product.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (stagger_lee)*


_Quote, originally posted by *stagger_lee* »_Looks great Dubs! Cant wait to see the finished product.

Thanks! I just got a call from my good freind Bill down at Dune Buggy Supply telling me that the rest of my parts are in, YAY! Now if I could only remember what I ordered and how much money I need, cash is getting scarce







I know it includes a steering column, steering wheel disconnect and some bushings but I don't know what else.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 9/27 (buggyman)*

I will be mounting the seats where there is the most comfort and functionality. I plan on just tacking most of the tabs in place for now untill all the neccesary parts get purchased. About the peadals, I haven't figured out quite how to mount them. I was thinking of bolting them to the floor and then adding an extra steel plate under the floor to give extra support and to ensure that when I am mashing the pedels the bolts dont rip out of the aluminum. Also I haven't even ordered the pedals yet, my plans were to go with hydraulic pedals with two master cylinders, one for the clutch and one for all the brakes. As a redundant system I was thinking of getting a set of dual handle cutting breaks so if the master cylinder fails I'm not sh*t out of luck. I was looking at twin master cylinder setups for the brakes but they are ultra expencive and the goal of this project is to keep it under $5k. So if anyone has thoughts about that please post. Cheers


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: UPDATE 9/27 (DubsMcGee)*

The problem with a floating steel plate underneath is it will still flex with the aluminum. It needs to be attached to the tube frame. Again refering back to my dads rail we welded a piece of flat steel between the frame rail and the center rail, on the bottom side of the tube frame, and tied into the front cross frame rail. Everything is secured to the chassis, and floor and paneling was added on last. We wanted to keep the floor and side panels completely seperate in order to be able to replace panels freely and not have mess with unmounting anything. Again I hope that makes sense.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 9/27 (stagger_lee)*

Sure, that makes a lot of sense. we are doing the same thing for the seat mounts so I guess I'll do it for the pedals too.
I got the headers painted last night with Rustolium's 1200 degree flat black fireplace paint, all I have to say is WW. The stuff went on so nice and dried ultra fast, it acually looks and feels more like a coating of sorts than paint. It was a little too flat for my liking at first but I wiped it down with a dry paper towel after it dried and that gave it a nice satin finish. If this stuff wasn't almost $10 a can I would have liked to use it for everything else.


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: UPDATE 9/27 (DubsMcGee)*

With some things flex is good, definatley not pedals or seat mounts.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 9/27 (buggyman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_I'm still(sigh)working the garage cleanup so as to post current pointed pics of what I ended up with after countless little mods over the years in order to get completely comfortable.I should be good to go tomorrow or Saturday night to show the pics and thinking behind the changes.









Sweet, I look forward to it http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*UPDATE 10/2*

*UPDATE 10/2* 
I definatly didn't get as much done this weekend as I would have liked to. After I burned a small hole in the frame welding I decided that I was not familiar enough with the machine to properly use it. It has a thickness setting rather than amperage/voltage







I did pick up a steering shaft, new clutch arm, quick disconnect, shock bushings, and the amber lights.








I also got the exhaust put on, and if I do say so myself it looks goooood
























I took the mounting brackets off of the seats to see how much of a recline I would gain and I think it'll be better with the brackets off.








Here are the wheels that will be going on the buggy, WELD racing wheels 16x9.5 in the rear and 15x7.5 in the front. Word.








And now for the frustrating part of the weekend. The damn retaining nut on the stub axles will NOT budge







I tried everything from soaking it in JB 80 to heating it and hitting it with the impact. It will just not moove, if anyone has suggestions on how to get those bastards off please fill me in. This is all I really have to say about them.








Page 4 bishes!!


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: UPDATE 10/2 (DubsMcGee)*

The only thing that has ever broke through stuff like that is a 1/2 breaker bar with a 3 foot pipe on the end of it. Jump on that sucker. Longer the pipe, more leverage. You'll either loosin the nut or shear the threads off. Good Luck! I have only been stopped one time with that set up.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 10/2 (stagger_lee)*

I was thinking about doing that but I couldn't figure out a good way to lock the axle from spinning, any suggestions?


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: UPDATE 10/2 (DubsMcGee)*

Good question. I always had a tranny hooked up and an e brake. Hook up your axles, and put the tranny in gear?







i dont know, Im at a loss now. WWBD (what would buggyman do)?










_Modified by stagger_lee at 10:04 AM 10-2-2006_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 10/2 (stagger_lee)*

I was thinking about getting a long piece of angle iron or flat stock and drilling a couple of holes in it and bolting it to the drum and use the floor to prevent the axle from spinning. I don't know how good that would be for the drums but I have 4 extras sitting around.


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: UPDATE 10/2 (DubsMcGee)*

That sounds like a plan. I dont see that wrecking your drum. Have someone stand on the back of the frame too, cause it will probably have soo much torque it will lift off the ground still. Wheres MacGyver B-man when you nedd him?!


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 10/2 (buggyman)*

The seats I have are just a little different from yours, they have a recess that gradually deepens towards the back of the seat so I'll have to make some standoffs when I actually mount the seats.
I see what you are talking about and I plan on giving that a try tomorrow when I go back over there. The peice of stock is actually a .5"x2" square tube but it'll work just fine.
I noticed you are using the stock trailing arms, have you ever had any problems damaging them? Do you stick to sand or do you do some wooded trails also? 



_Modified by DubsMcGee at 8:44 PM 10-2-2006_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 10/2 (buggyman)*

Wow that is some crazy stuff, I can't wait to get mine done. I'll probably end up cutting the front bumps off and since I don't have bump stops in the rear I just won't worry about it







Looking at your tranny strap, there is no possible way that mine will fit like that, the starter housing gets in the way of it too much and the holes in the strap and the holes in the mount will not line up. I cant figure out if it is for a different transmission or what. I think I am going to call bugpack this week to ask about that and the shock mounts. Thanks for all the pictures, they help me visualize what you are talking about


----------



## [email protected] (Apr 12, 2005)

so much of the parts seem to be the same they used later on on watercooled motors.
cool build by the way.


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: UPDATE 10/2 (DubsMcGee)*

Did you ever end up getting that sucker off Dubs?


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 10/2 (stagger_lee)*

Yeah that breaker bar worked wonders. It was like it wasn't even tight, I don't know why I didn't think of that myself


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: UPDATE 10/2 (DubsMcGee)*

Nice!


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 10/2 (stagger_lee)*

Here is a question, if I have a u-joint do I still need to use the steering shaft to steering box coupler shown in this pic? (the circular rubber part)


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: UPDATE 10/2 (DubsMcGee)*

We dont have that on ours, we have just u joints. Looks primitive. A buggyman custom possibly?


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 10/2 (stagger_lee)*

Nah, that is stock if you believe it. I have it on mine.


----------



## po7g (May 6, 2006)

ya its stock, and when offroading beware if breaks, i recommend installing a new one before offroading


----------



## po7g (May 6, 2006)

Oh ya and if your axle nut dont come off with a huge buddy bar, get out the magic fire wrench, heat that nut up and then hit it with a impact and if that doesnt work get ready to get a new axel cause here comes the cut off wheel lol have fun keep up the good work.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (po7g)*

^^^
Done and Done


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 10/2 (buggyman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_
In the second pic of the 9/13 update you've got the strap held down on the driver's side with a clamp and are expecting the strap to fall in line on the passenger's side,that's the hard way,remove the clamp and center the highest prebend in the strap directly over the center casting joint of the trans.Drop bolts with washers from above through both holes in the strap ends,bolts that are juuust long enough to make the trip down through the holes in the cradle and allow washers and nuts to catch hold to the threads.


I tried doing that and it still didn't look like it would work. I guess it may be different after I tighten everything else down, otherwise we do have a contigincy (sp?) plan. 
Looking in the picture in your previous post I noticed that you have the dual master setup for your brakes. I was going to go that route but couldn't really swing the $375 price tag so I ended up getting a single master. Will it be possible to run all 4 corners off of it or did I get myself into a jam? I also purchased a dual handle cutting brake setup to use as a redundant system if the pedal brakes fail.
one more thing, what size steering wheel do you have? I ordered a 13.5" and it seems a little on the large side.


_Modified by DubsMcGee at 7:41 AM 10-5-2006_


----------



## po7g (May 6, 2006)

steering wheel in my opion is what ever you are confotable with, in are firts one we had a small sterring wheel and in the last two we use the grant one from like autozone or advanced auto. its like 25 bucks


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (po7g)*

So I mashed the threads real good on the driverside spindle tonight







but I think I can re-form them with the proper die. Anyone know the size and pitch of the spindle threads? Dennis? 
P.S. pics tomorrow


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*UPDATE 10/6*

*UPDATE 10/6* 
Ok so here is what happened, the nuts holding the drum on the spindle were stuck really good. I tried everything, immpact, heating with impact, breaker bar, nothing would work and the nuts were getting really stripped by this point. So I decided to cut them off or try to at least, I coudnt get in there enough to cut the nut in half so I decided that I would cut a gap between the two nuts, it also kind of seemed like they were stuck together. After that I hit it with the impact again and I dont know what happened but the nut didn't come off, it just started spinning on the shaft. I pried it off to find that the threads in the nut were gone and the threads on the spindle were messed up. The same thing happened to the second nut
























Check out these nasty breaks as well








On a better note, I got the stub axles off and they are sitting in the parts cleaner at work with the cv joints as I type this.








I also had to cut the steering coupler and hit it with the air chisel to get it off, but no damage to the steering box. I did something right last night at least
















This is how she sits now.








Don gets back on Sunday and my pedals, steering brakes, gas tank, and other stuff should get to his place on Monday so more updates after that.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 10/6 (buggyman)*

You have got to be ****ing kidding me!!!







Why the HELL would they do that??!? one side but not the other???? man that makes me pissed. Well does anyone have an extra that they would like to sell me for cheap







or does anyone know where to get a left hand die?
Stupid VW bastards. Ok, done venting for now.


_Modified by DubsMcGee at 7:10 PM 10-6-2006_


----------



## po7g (May 6, 2006)

they do that for the wheels when you turn i think. and i think some come cars had reverse lugs on them


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (po7g)*

After I cooled down a bit I did some critical thinking I figured out why they did it and it makes sense. I also was thinking why would they have the passenger side spindle and both rear axle nuts standard thread but have the driver spindle reverse thread? Then I remembered the front and rear suspensions are from differently engineered vehicles. Shame on me for assuming everything would be the same


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

That would be stellar if you find one







I guess if you do get ahold of one shoot let me know :thumbsup: otherwise I'll do some digging.

_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_I was desperatetly hoping that it might have just been a rust issue or something like that

That is what I was thinking too, the driver side spindle nuts were incredibly rusty and I thought they were froze. The passenger side on the other hand was fine.
*UPDATE 10/7*
I gave the stub axles, all the bearings, and the cv joints a good deep clensing. After the cv joints fell apart in the cleaning tank







I had the most ridiculous time figuring out how to put them back together. I guess that is one more thing to add to the knowledge bank.
















However, one thing that I failed to pay attention to is which way the cages were positioned in the joints. I am going to break the cv joints down into 3 basic pieces to aid in my explination/question. The innermost part I'll call the "inner race" followed what I'll call the "cage" that the balls snap into and that assembly fits into the "outer race". Now the cages have a lip on one side that will not allow the inner race to be removed from that side. Does it matter which side of the cv joint that lip faces? I have pictures to explain
Here is a picture of the lip on the cage on the same side as the lip on the outer race








Here is a picure of the non-lipped side of the cage on the lipped side of the outer race








On another note, my gas tank, pedals, cutting brakes, etc... arrived at Don's place yesterday so I'll be heading over there tomorrow to check it all out. 


_Modified by DubsMcGee at 3:22 PM 10-7-2006_


----------



## jonescustomcars (Sep 11, 2006)

*Re: (buggyman)*

If you can't find a spindle let me know, I have a few extras.








also, how do I post pictures on this forum??? I jacked around for a minute but it kicked my ars














so I had another







and still couldn't get it.


_Modified by jonescustomcars at 8:22 PM 10-8-2006_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_
First I have to apologize for not making it to Irwindale,ordered the #5 platter for lunch Saturday and ended up with the #7 smothered in guacamole,it turns out I'm alergic to avocados so I didn't wake up until about 7pm tonight.


Oh man that is rough







I hope you are feeling better now. Andy, I'll give you a call sometime this week about the spindle http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## jonescustomcars (Sep 11, 2006)

*Re: (buggyman)*

got the picture thing figured out







. I will try to post of the complete buggy I am building for the car dealership down by des moines.[IM








I should have it done this week I will post a few completed pictures.


_Modified by jonescustomcars at 2:18 PM 10-9-2006_


----------



## jonescustomcars (Sep 11, 2006)

*Re: (jonescustomcars)*

Well since I got the picture thing figured out here is a couple pictures from last weekend when my cousin let me drive his car, not to bad for the first time driving this year.















As you can tell from the photo I had to use the right side of the car alittle

















_Modified by jonescustomcars at 2:40 PM 10-9-2006_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (jonescustomcars)*

That is sweet!! I can't wait to see it finished. How did you go about mounting the pedals? Are they mounted to just the floor or is there someting supporting them from underneath? Also what did you do for the windscreen that looks really cool, can you take some more pictures of that? And what is the thing sticking out of the back in the middle left of the picture? Sorry about the 20 questions but I need more ideas


----------



## jonescustomcars (Sep 11, 2006)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

The pedals are mounted straight to the 1/4 inch AL diamond plate, I used alot of tabs on the floor and there is very very little flex that I can see, but I am going to put another plate under it to just to make sure. On the windsheild frame I used some 3/16 plate and cut it to fit inside the windsheild bars, But you really have to be carfull welding it to make sure it stays staight were the windsheild will be glued in, suprisingly the glass only cost $130 installed and it is laminated safty glass. As for that dorky thing sticking out, that is the rear bumper that IOWA say's you have to have to make it street legal







but it don't look to bad after you get the tires on. I will take a few more pictures tommorow and post them.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_Dubs,you've been beeped!,how goes the project?









I meant to do an update yesterday but some family issues came up and I didn't get around to it.
*UPDATE 10/12*
I didn't get much done on Tuesday since Don wansn't available to help me with the welding, but more parts came in.The dash, pedals, cutting brakes, clutch slave and bracket, fuel shutoff, accelerator cable, and throttle cable came. I'm still waiting on the tank and kingpins.








I started taking apart the front end to rebuild it and paint it but for the life of me I can not get the tie rods off, and we don't have the right puller for the job so I'll have to pick one up. Here is what the front end looks like right now.
















I am assuming that to get the kingpin out you press out the bushings for the linkpins and it'll slide right out, is that correct?








I also opened up the steering box because it felt a little rough when I was turning it by hand and I discovered that it was a little dry







I'll pack some more grease in there later.








And lastly I put the airfilter and clutch slave on, I know, super exciting right







I'll have to make a spacer for the cluch slave but that won't be a challenge.


----------



## Martinito (Oct 12, 2006)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Gentlemen, very cool post - and perfect timing since I just started a "Build" of my own. I have to admit I went a different route since I don't have the time to start from scratch. I bought a running car for $1,300 and change and then spent double that fixing it up. The plan is for the girlie-girl in my flock of three (See signature below) to have a ride since she thinks motorcycles are for boys. (silly girls!) Next was to make it safer and relatively problem-free. So the CNC pedals and disc brakes are on order, along with the beefed up king pin and link pin bushings. I'm being told the old swing-arm axle is stronger than the IRS, so I'll stick with that but I'm switching to the 5 lug hubs. I haven't decided what to do with the generator yet. It seems to be working okay and there must be a dozen options for upgrades. 
The guy who sold it to me said it was a 1776. I thought he was just being patriotic but I guess there really is an engine that size. Kinda funny when you consider its a German car








I'll post a couple of "before" pics, which is easy to do since it's still exactly the way I picked it up.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Martinito)*

Sweet, that is the same frame I have just put together a little differently. I thought about buying one already built and fixing it up but I decided that I wanted the experience of bulding a vehicle from scratch. Plus they are a little hard to find this far north.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Got some floor tabs welded tonight, pics up tomorrow


----------



## jonescustomcars (Sep 11, 2006)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Well it's really close to being done







I am think the tunnel down the center turned out







for hidding all the wiring and other bs I had to put on it to make it street legal, I forgot to put the frony bumper on before I took the pics though.
I will try to get that spindle shipped tommorow but no promises, I have alot of crap to do because I am taking the buggy to a car show on sunday and want to have the customer come and pick it up from there.








How do I get the pictures to go down instead of across the page














. 


_Modified by jonescustomcars at 10:30 PM 10-12-2006_


----------



## jonescustomcars (Sep 11, 2006)

*Re: (buggyman)*

Andy,please expect an E-mail from me on the quad morph and control cables link. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif [/QUOTE]
Can't wait to see the pics http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
[email protected]



_Modified by jonescustomcars at 11:28 PM 10-12-2006_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*UPDATE 10/13*

*UPDATE 10/13* 
Friday the 13th, I hope nothing goes wrong today








We ended up using a pickle fork to get the tierods off, it destroyed the boots but they were shot anyways. Looks like I'm going to need new tie rod endlinks unless they can be salvaged (they are all crusty and dry).








Well after over a month of having the frame we finally did some welding last night and discovered that niether of us are very good at it. It probably doesn't help that we were welding in areas that were really hard to get to let alone lay a good weld. We did the tops of the floor tabs and will roll it over tonight or tomrrow to get the bottoms. 
















Here is one of my better welds, not too bad for the first time welding something real. At least I don't think it is.








And here is one of the bad ones, it was ultra awkward to get to this one. It'll buff right out
















After a little "buffing." I have a feeling that the grinder will get very intimate with the chassis before we are finished with it.








We ran out of tabs before we got them all finished but hopefully I'll be getting some more soon. Cheers.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 10/13 (buggyman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_Ouch,I've only wire welded a few times,gotta use a midnight mask to get up close and personal with it for a really clean job.
The slag can be buffed out,but the incidental eye damage over time can't.








Just trying to look out for your long term well being!

















Yeah, that picture was taken when we were tacking. A mask was used when actual welding was taking place http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif we got the floor tabs finished today as well as the light tabs. Pictures will be up tomorrow or monday


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 10/13 (DubsMcGee)*

*UPDATE 10/15*
We took a huge step forward this weekend by welding the light tabs. I must say that after a little practice and more accesable welding areas it makes it a whole lot easier. 
































We made some tabs and mounts for the headlights, turn signels, and tail lights. I think they turned out pretty well for being hand made.
































Put all the lights on and I really like the way it turned out.
















I also learned a lesson about welding without gloves, DON'T, UV burns suck
















I also took some time to figure out where I want to mount the seats, pedals, cuting brakes, and the console. We will make a tower for the cutting brakes so that the knobs are about even with the bottom of the windsheild frame. Mounting them there will allow me to easily grab the handles without reaching too far from the shifter.
















We'll proably get the seats mounted, the licenceplate frame figured out, and whatever else has to be welded next week. I've discovered that I like welding but I need gloves bad.


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: UPDATE 10/13 (DubsMcGee)*

Looks sweet Dubs. Now is there any requirements for making it street legal that have to do with front blinkers being mounted outside of headlights, or even maybe even a certain distance apart? Just curious. Looks killer that way, but doesn't look legal. Maybve California is just a bit more strict as with everything else.


----------



## jonescustomcars (Sep 11, 2006)

*Re: UPDATE 10/13 (stagger_lee)*


_Quote, originally posted by *stagger_lee* »_Looks sweet Dubs. Now is there any requirements for making it street legal that have to do with front blinkers being mounted outside of headlights, or even maybe even a certain distance apart? Just curious. Looks killer that way, but doesn't look legal. Maybve California is just a bit more strict as with everything else.









I know here in Iowa they can be mounted inside the headlights but there is a min and max distance they have to be off the road surface, one thing I don't see that we have to have is a manually applied parking brake. It is looking GREAT so far







them tailights and turnsignal lights look the same as what I used, and you only really need one per side in the back because they are dual element bulbs but that looks good with both on there. I will get that spindle shipped out tommorow for sure because I kinda spaced it off friday







Keep up the good work and you will have a sweet ride when you are done. do you need a gauge console and a switch box? I have the ones left over I don't need because I had to many gauges to fit so I just made my own and made it large enough to fit everything in.


----------



## Beau (Oct 15, 2003)

*Re: UPDATE 10/13 (jonescustomcars)*

I think there's also a law about having fenders. 
Who cares though. 
When I had my rail (street built), I got away with a lot of crap. Except doing burnouts and drifting backroads!








I should have never sold that thing!


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 10/13 (beau_layman)*

I figured there is probably something about fenders, I plan on making some ****ty ones that I can bolt on if I get a fix-it ticket for them. I am looking into all the laws and requirements now.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: UPDATE 10/13 (DubsMcGee)*

I just looked up the statutes for MN vehicles. It says nothing about distances for the lights to be apart so there is no problem there. Fenders are required, or devices to keep the wheels from spraying debris back on to other vehicles. And the way the bumper laws are written kind of wierd so I think I can get away without them.


----------



## GLdubber (Jun 13, 2006)

Maybe an opportunity to fab up some fenders 'ala' Panoz Roadster!
http://www.panozroadster.com
http://images.google.com/image...ab=wi


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (GLdubber)*

That is actually pretty much what I was thinking. I would have each fender connected to the moving parts of the suspension, that way I could have a really small clearance between the wheel and fender but never rub







Like the front fenders on the roadster but on all 4 corners


----------



## Tuggle (Aug 19, 2005)

geez this thing still isn't done
jk - looking good


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Tuggle)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Tuggle* »_geez this thing still isn't done
jk - looking good

I think we are doing pretty good for only working on it from 6-9pm Tuesday and Thursday nights after work







Last weekend was the first weekend that any work was actually completed on it.
*UPDATE 10/18*
Don wasn't feeling well last night so not a whole lot got done, but I did make 2 of the seat brackets with the material that we had. 
The harnesses and gas tank were waiting for me when I got to his place. I am very happy with the quality of everything. The tank has good welds and came with powdercoated brackets, it is a 10X30 10 gallon capacity. sorry for the crappy picture.








The harnesses are 3X3 5 point SFI 16.1 approved. These things are beefy







There is no way I will be able to moove when strapped down by these!
















The last thing for today's update are the adapters that Don picked up at a swap meet on Sunday while I was out doing a road course in Wisconsin. Wide 5 to Ford, not too bad for $25. 








Anyone know where I can pick up a set of 4x130mm to 4x4.5" adapters for the rear? or will I have to make them?

HOLLA! page 6


_Modified by DubsMcGee at 9:49 AM 10-18-2006_


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

http://www.motorsport-tech.com/
Not sure what the lead time is, but they do good work, might have them already. Might be a bit more then you're willing to spend but you get what you pay for.
Cant wait to see those rims mounted! Never seen em on a buggy. should look killer!










_Modified by stagger_lee at 8:07 AM 10-18-2006_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (stagger_lee)*

Well if I have to pay more than $25 for them I'll make them myself. I made a set of 15mm's for my GTI that have been on for a while and I haven't had any problems. Working at a place that has a bad ass machine shop has its perks


----------



## Tuggle (Aug 19, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

i was just kidding it's comming along good


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Tuggle)*

I know you were kidding, just giving you a little hell







I've been looking at turbo kits on the samba and stumbled across a company that makes one for a 1641 that'll put 120HP to the wheels at 12psi for $1800







Someone needs to take my internet away


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Is there any special way of getting the steering box back together? I re-packed it with grease and now when I screw down the adjuster to get the lid back on it seems to get "stuck" on something about 1/4" from the lid mating to the body.
edit: Nevermind, I got it.


_Modified by DubsMcGee at 7:16 PM 10-18-2006_


----------



## Tuggle (Aug 19, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

i think that turbo is cheap, does it come with fule management? or how does that even work?


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Tuggle)*

This is the add http://www.thesamba.com/vw/cla...69207 I just went on their website and some of the stuff costs extra but not a whole lot. I think it is a pretty damn good deal.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

*UPDATE 10/20* 
Well, got a little done last night. We took the front end apart and made some more tabs in preparation for some more welding this weekend.
In process of taking the front end apart we got another suprise, a broken torsion bar YAY







anyone know the best place to get replacements?








It looks like this thing has been broken for a long time, these ones came out and they were pretty rusty. Kinda suprised me for sitting in grease.








I also cut off the bump stops, don't want to bottom out and break more shizz.








We are going to cradle the gas tank between a couple of bars so it can sit as low as possible to keep the center of gravity low and also help with vision. We had to cut and notch this bar using only a cutoff wheel, sawzall, and an angle grinder. It induced a lot of frustration and now my welding skills will really be tested looking at the size of the gaps I have to fill
















That's all for now, more updates after the weekend.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Anyone know if the kingpins press out or is there a set screw or something? I got the link pin bushings out but the kingpins are stuck in the spindle and a 6 foot arbor press wasn't enough to get them to moove


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Wow this thread has gone downhill







where has eveyone gone??
anyways *UPDATE 10/23*
We got a lot done this weekend, lots of welding and fabricating. I'm actually getting pretty good at welding, I had to fill some gaps and holes. I think the biggest one was about .5" x .5" My welds still aren't the best looking but they have penitration, so there is a lot of grinding time. Here I am grinding in my sexy welding cap.








Drilling out the holes to mount the seats.








We got the steering bearing mount welded on, you can see one of my welds on here. not the best looking but it's not going anywhere.








We slotted the pedal mounts so more people will be able to drive the buggy with a simple adjustment. We may slot the seat brackets as well to allow for more adjustment.
















We fabricated and welded the seatbelt tabs on, I think they turned out pretty good.
























We also got the steering shaft and u-joint figured out. The u-joint took some major modification but it works pretty good now.
















The last thing we got welded was the licence plate mount, and in the process I managed to have some spatter burn through my pants and make a little bbq Jesse
































Then it was time for a little test drive, The harness' really hold you in the seats, pretty happy about that.








Finally got the old kingpins out, it took a "little" heat but they're out. Here is what the aftermath of a "little" heat looks like


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_
Total bummer on the broken torsion bar,the only way that they were originally provided was as a stacked set,so the one individual broken locknut one would be hard to come by,have you contacted Andy on that?

I haven't been able to get hold of Andy for the last week so I looked all over the place for a new set and to no avail. I think we are just going to leave it be and put it back in there broken for now. I ordered a set of coilover shocks for the front and I think that'll definatly help out with the busted bar.


_Modified by DubsMcGee at 7:05 AM 10-24-2006_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

I talked to Andy the other night and asked him about it, he took a full set out of his and said it was fine. Makes sence since there is no longer much weight on the front end. I ordered some of those cheapo coilover shocks for the front so I figure they can pick up anything that the broken or removed torsion bar cant handle.
And it's still going, got more welding done but I have been lazy and didn't get around to updating. More coming http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

I just cant wait to see those rims mounted. Did you ever fab up that adapter? Did you ever call and find out how much those guys charging for one at the link I sent you? whats your ETA on completion?


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (stagger_lee)*

Instead of going the adapter route (which would cost money) I am going to re-drill the drums at work. Some of the guys out in the shop have been helping me out with machining needs so we are going to do that here (which will be free







) I am hoping to have it done by the end of December-middle of January. I will be heading back to school for my last semester to graduate in May with a BS in mechanical engineering, so I want to get it out of Don's garage. The buggy is currently in his wife's parking space


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

bump for an update. Get anyhting done this weekend Dubs?


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (stagger_lee)*

As requested
*UPDATE 10/30*
We've got some more fabrication done over the past week but still have plenty left to do. We did a custom setup for the gas tank so it is cradled inbetween two bars and recessed to keep the ceter of gravity lower. I like the way that it turned out, I havent seen anyone else do this but I could be wrong.
























To be able to cradle the tank like that we had to move the battery box so there wouldnt be any interferance. A little extra work but in the end I think it will be worth it.








I made the rest of the floor tabs and finished welding them on, we also got the front section of the floor cut. Nothing too interesting about this but I had to weld a few tabs to the front suspension but it worked out pretty good.








The most frustrating ordeal was getting the shock mounts to fit the trailing arms. Heavy modification is an understatment







let me say that the die grinder was an essential tool for this job. But we did get it figured out.
















We ran out of wire so the welding had to stop early on Sunday night, here is what it looked like at that point.








My order from Chirco arrived today so there will be some more progress tomorrow. Hopefully for you guys I get off my ass and do some updates this week


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

Way ahead of you, we had the trans in there the whole time while we were fabricating the brackets, only removed it prior to welding. And as for pulling a Homer, it's happened a few times


----------



## vanaman (Aug 26, 2003)

i cant beleive ive read this whole thing.
you are makeing me want to build an aircooled project.
steve


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (vanaman)*

oh it's fun stuff, definatly less expencive than buliding an equally eyecatching MKIII or MKIV. probably more fun too http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
edit: just noticed your sig










_Modified by DubsMcGee at 9:22 PM 11-1-2006_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Anyone know if you can use swing axle drums (wide 5) on IRS stub axles?? It would make my life a whole lot easier if they were compatable


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

Well from what I've been hearing it looks like I will be redrilling the drums to a Ford pattern. As for the manufacturer of the adapters I have now, no clue, they were picked up at a swap meet. I'll look to see if there is a logo in the casting.
*UPDATE 11/6* 
Got my order from Chirco, brakes, shocks, roller pedal, bushings, etc... the rear shocks will be picked up on tuesday, they are Monroe Reflex with a 8.75" travel. 








I am happy to say that the welding is almost complete and we have started painting! The only thing left to weld is the upper rear shock mount wich we have figured out, it just needs to be bent. Here are some of the newly fabricated pieces.
Passenger foot rest, it was designed for the shortest person that'll be riding (my girlfriend) to be comfortable, taller people will have their knees a little higher than they might like. But most likely all the taller people will be guys so if I hear them whining about it they'll be punished in a fitting manner
















We also contructed an adjustable grab handle. I know that I could have purchased pretty much the same thing and it would have probably looked better but all the clamp on ones would have interfered with the windshield bracket. Turned out pretty decent.
















The last thing that was fabricated this weekend was the steering brake tower, pretty simple, 3 pieces of steel welded together to mimic the shape of the shifter box. I could have got this bent but I was impatient and wanted to practice welding some more.








And the painting begins, all the black parts will be spraybombed rustoleum gloss black because those are the pieces that will probably be subjected to the most damage, traling arms, front end, and all the smaller trim pieces like the grab handle.
















Lastly we got the brakes cleaned up and reassembled, they look brand new dont they?








here is what they looked like before


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*


_Quote, originally posted by *DubsMcGee* »_
We also contructed an adjustable grab handle. I know that I could have purchased pretty much the same thing and it would have probably looked better but all the clamp on ones would have interfered with the windshield bracket. Turned out pretty decent.


















Watch your knees, that looks like it would hurt. Probably would have put that grab handle bracket on top of that crossbar. At least you'll always be driving huh?


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (stagger_lee)*

If it was mounted up top it would have gotten in the way of the windshield bracket. Also, it'll be getting bicycle handle grips. But yeah, watch you knees


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_117mm divided by 26mm/"=4.5",which is the diameter of the wheel bolt pattern,right?

Close but not quite 1" = 25.4mm, 4.5" = 114.3mm. I did notice that on that site you gave me they listed 4 bolt 130mm to 4.5"x2" (I take it the 2" is the stud length?) but they do not show a picture of it, all their pictures are generic. I think I will contact them about that, see if they will send me a picture. I also got to thinking if I redrill the drums some of the bolt holes will be quite thin, the stock location is pretty beefed up on the back of the drum only where the existing holes are though. Some of the holes I drill and tap may only have 4 or 5 threads and that makes me a little worried. But I would also not have to order a part from Australia to bay $89 for it and have to deal with customs and most likely some ridiculous shipping/importation fees


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*


_Quote, originally posted by *DubsMcGee* »_If it was mounted up top it would have gotten in the way of the windshield bracket. Also, it'll be getting bicycle handle grips. But yeah, watch you knees









Maybe you can find some rubber caps to fit over the bolts or even get a goose neck pad for a bike to go over that, or else ouch! Looking good Dubs.


----------



## Tuggle (Aug 19, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

never ordered from Toby


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Tuggle)*

There are probably more things I'll be ordering, if not now in the future for sure. Things will break


----------



## Tuggle (Aug 19, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*








Cheers


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Tuggle)*

Well I asked about my drum/wheel situation on the samba and got some really great help from those guys. Turns out that Thing drums will fit IRS rears with no modifications to either the stub axles or the backing plate/brakes. However, the only rear Thing drums I have been able to find are $160 for the pair


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Does anyone have a source for inexpencive Thing rear drums? It would help me a ton, this project is now moving paycheck to paycheck


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

http://www.thingsforthething.com
buggy posted them yesterday, considering they do restos, they might have a used pair lying around that are in decent shape. worth a try.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

*UPDATE 11/13* 
HOLY CRAP!! only one more thing to weld (upper shock bosses) then it'll be ready for paint. We got the upper shock mounts fabbed and welded this weekend and also the dash mounts. Overall I like the way things have turned out. There will be some clean up on some of the crappier welds that are readily visable but for the most part its pretty good. On to the pictures.
Here are the upper shock mounts, I think they kinda make it look like a truck with nerf bars
















The dash mounts need some major cleaning but they are on there. I still need to make the dash and I need to get guages to do that but I have a design and it should work out.








I said earlier that I got Monroe shocks but didnt really know what they would be like. They are beefy, hydraulic gas assist 8.75" of travel, I think they'll work
















And got more of the front end painted and got the new seals on the arms. Hopefully the new kingpins will be able to be put in this week, the guys in the shop at work have been pretty busy lately but they are still willing to help























That's all for now, the search for paint is on. I know exactly what color I'm going to get but you'll have to wait to see what it is, unless I've mentioned it earlier


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

*UPDATE 11/15*
Hooray!! Done with welding on the frame. The upper shock bosses were the last thing to go on, now time to prep and paint
















I also got the trailing arms and tie rods painted up last night.








I know it's a small update but I was excited.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

So we tried to fire the engine today but could not get oil pressure, we checked everything that we could think of. We took the oil pump out and made sure that it was turning, it was. we made sure that the filter was not clokked, it wasn't. We blew air through the passages in the pump opening, air came out of both the pickup tube and pressure switch hole. We also took the oil cooler off and blew air through there and no clogs. We cranked for probably 5 minutes in 1 minute intervals and still nothing, we even left the pressure switch hole open to check for any signs that it is moving oil, nothing. When we checked to see if the pump was working both it and the filter were bone dry, we then filled the filter with oil, still nothing. The only thing we didnt check was the relief valve only because the retaining plug was really stuck and we didnt have a screwdriver big enough. If anyone has any suggestions or ideas about what is going on please fill me in.
If anyone has a flow diagram for a 1600 DP engine could you please post it up?


_Modified by DubsMcGee at 7:22 PM 11-19-2006_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

We primed the pump better and got oil pressure and we got it running!!! It feels great to look and listen to my first rebuilt engine running on it's own, kinda exciting. There'll be and update with video's today.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

*UPDATE 11/20* 
IT RAN FOR THE FIRST TIME LAST NIGHT!!!!!!
After much messing around we finally got oil pressure and got her fired around 9pm





















The process was a long one went into the garage about 11 am didnt leave till 10. On with the pics.
Here she is just after getting put in.








Then after a few times cranking for a while and not getting oil pressure we took the pump off and blew the lines out. Here's a vid of the kind of cranking we did.

And some pictures of the dissasembly
























Then once we got pressure we had it running for a few seconds then the fuel pump started spraying gas everywhere so we decided to clamp the line









And finally running.


After we shut 'er down we noticed a few leaks, one was the valve cover (we didn't put it on right so we'll get back in there, easy fix).








The other was the accelerator pump , looks like I'll have to order another rebuild kit just for the pump diaphram
















We did get some other stuff done as well. Put the arms back on the front end.








Lost this bolt on top of the grinder and spent an hour looking for it
















Got the trans strap notched and drilled holes for the front strap, gonna need longer bolts for the front one.
















And got the shift rod cut to size and mounted.
















We'll be messing with the timing and the carb this week to get it running good. Hopefully it goes fairly quickly from here on out, I wanna drive this thing


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Awesome Dubs! Im jonesin to see those rims on there still. Rush it with yas!







no really...keep up the good work


----------



## MALLMAN (Jan 19, 2002)

*Re: (stagger_lee)*

heck yes dude! that is going to be freaking sweet!


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Gti12vmn)*

So we went to pull the spring plates off tonight but were hesitant becuase we didnt know how far they would spring back. We also didn't have a great way to "compress" it enough to get it off the lower stop. Is there a trick to pulling them off? Or is a BFH the preferred tool?


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Another thing, we tried to adjust the carb but niether of the adjustment screws did anything. We could not get it to idle without the choke on. Do we need to hook up the solinoid thingy (fuel cutoff? idk) or anything else? The carb is a SOLEX 34 PICT 4 only made for one year for California vehicles. Any knowledge on these carbs or suggestions on what to do would be appreciated.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

*UPDATE 11/27* 
Got some more stuff done over this last week and the holiday weekend. With much prying and some JB 80 we got the spring plates off. In the process we snapped two bolts on each side but we were able to drill them out without damaging the threads. 
We ended up reinforcing the upper shock mounts, now they are pretty solid and will withstand some offroad abuse.








I also decided to add a mounting plate for the electronic ignition box, looks a little something like this.








In the process I managed to rip my forearm open pretty good on a jagged piece of steel. If you have a queezy stomach.......man up
















Didn't let it stop me from working though (as I went inside to get a bandage I got a little light headed and took a digger, don't remember anything







)








We started fabbing up the windsheild frame, we first wanted to heat the angle iron up and just bend it around the frame but we quickly realized that that would not work so we took another approach.
























It needs to be bent a little still to fit in the frame but it is turning out pretty good, hope to have it finished soon but there is no rush.








We also started cleaning the frame for powdercoating, teadious work but it must be done, had some help from a few
















Also the seat brackes make great airtool holders
















Dubs out.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

I'm not quite sure what you mean by cleanup on the heater cable tubes and fuel line feed hole on the left frame horn. Also everything other than the frame itself will be painted Rustoleum Gloss black. I have a theme I'm going for







And yes you have been very good help, thanks.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

Yeah I figured that much, I was thinking of just gluing some rubber plugs or something in there.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

*UPDATE 12/4* 
Here is some progress that we made over the last week.
We got closer to finishing the windshield frame, now all that needs to be done is finish welding the cuts on the backside and weld in the glass stops. I had my first experience with ironworking when we bent the "fingers" on the frame. It eneded up a little twised but I think if we take the torch to it again and get it cherry it'll lay down.
































Buggyman, I took your advice on cutting off the tubes on the frame horns and welding everything up. I'm glad I did, it looks much better now.
















We got it all trailered up to bring it to the powdercoaters today at 4pm, it takes them 5-7 days so I should have it back by the middle of next week.








In the meantime we will be getting the thing drums cleaned up and cut and probably start putting the front end back together. I also have to put the thermostat baffles back in the shroud and lock them open. 


_Modified by DubsMcGee at 9:06 AM 12-4-2006_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Oh and I started making my new dash at work with one of the guys in the shop, it should be finished this week. It's looking pretty bad ass.


----------



## GLdubber (Jun 13, 2006)

Awesome work, can't wait to see it fresh from the Powder Coat. Keep up the goods!


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_(My color guess...Vikings?)

OH GOD NO! I'm going for an old school racing theme, which will be revealed when we get it back. And about the accelerator pump, that pin is loose and slides down like that when the engine is running. I'm going to epoxy it into the place it is supposed to be pressed into.


----------



## nickross (Feb 13, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

This thread is awesome! I stumbled on it while looking for Beetle pics. I'm an Audi guy (I own a 4KQ), but a while ago was in quite the search for a baja bug. I can't wait to see it all finished. Makes me want to start a project... ugh I need to get done with college.








Anyway awesome thread and keep up the great work!


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (nickross)*


_Quote, originally posted by *nickross* »_ugh I need to get done with college.









So do I









_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_
I kinda figured that if I went extreme to the obscure I'd get you to spill a clue.
























Now dont get your painties in a bunch







it's not like I'm making you wait 6 months to see what I have in store, it should be back from powdercoating early next week



































http://****************.com/smile/emgift.gif

















































<------- this is me being excited


_Modified by DubsMcGee at 9:33 AM 12-8-2006_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

I got some Thing drums from German Motor Works via a link you posed somewhere else and stagger then posed here. The dash is in progress, one of the guys at work is helping me bend and punch some .063" stainless for a custom dash. No more real progress on the engine, we don't have any way of starting it off the chassis.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

*UPDATE 12/13* 
The final assembly has begun! We picked it up from the powdercoaters yesterday, for the price they did a pretty good job. If anyone in the Twin Cities area needs powdercoating done I would recomend Powder Coating Technologies in Plymouth, MN. 
Check this out, I just looked a little closer at their page and found something. Take a look at the last little picture in this pic, that sure looks like an aircooled cylinder tin and intake manifold to me, fate brought me to them
















Time for the unvailing.........
















We also hauled ass last night and got some stuff back on after we got it back to Don's place. The spring plates went on a little easier than they came off, probably thanks to the new bushings and spring plates.








By the time we got them compressed enough I thought the ratchet strap was going to snap and cut me in half







We got the trailing arms back on as well as the freshly cut and painted Thing drums. The 5 to Ford adapter is on the drum in these pics. I was going to put the wheels on and take a picture but they look like crap right now and need to be FLITZ'ed
























The last thing we got done was putting the front end back on, the spindles still need to go on but it was the season finale of Nip/Tuck last night so work needed to stop. 








Oh, and If you somehow hadn't guessed the theme to my buggy...this should pretty well explain it.


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

YEAH BUDDY!! F-in Beautiful Dubs. Great color, so clean. NICE NICE!


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_"I got some Thing drums from German Motor Works"
Did they give you the real deal?,if not,I'll throttle 'em for ya!,I'm in the neighborhood







.Thanks Greg and Arda,you're both the best!

One had VW cast on the inside of the drum and the other did not, so I am guessing that one was real and the other wasn't?


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

*UPDATE 12/14* 
Did a little more assembly last night and finished up my dash. I built the dash at my work with one of the machinists, most of it was done using the big hydraulic punch and break but we did not have a 3.375" punch for the speedo and tach holes so I had to open them up using one of the EZ Trak programmable mills. I really want one of those for my garage.........bad







anyone feeling generous?
















We got the engine back in and the tank laid in to see what it'll look like and I really like the way everything is coming together. 








Put the spindles back on, everything seems to go back on much easier than it came off
















And got the steering column put on.








We also finished drilling the mounting holes in the floor, I plan on getting some of the brush on bedliner for the floor to add some traction. I have heard that if the surface you brush it on is too smooth that it'll peel right off, has anyone had experience with this stuff? Should I take some heavy grit sandpaper to it before I brush it on?


----------



## sKasse (Nov 10, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

this is a sweet project







http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Are you gonna plug the heater ports on the fan housing or are you planning or running some sort of heater system? You should run a couple of tubes up to that hole in the bottom or back of your seats. Heated seats!

















_Modified by stagger_lee at 8:27 AM 12-14-2006_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (stagger_lee)*

haha that would be sweet, although if you look close enough you can see the freeze plugs already in the ports.
edit:
SKasse, you might be able to check it out in person at Volksport the car show III. Havent decided yet if I'm going to enter it.


_Modified by DubsMcGee at 10:32 AM 12-14-2006_


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

I stand corrected, I can see the driver side now theat you mention it. Looks sweet though Dubs.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

anyone know the diameter, pitch, and length of a stock type 1 CV bolt?


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

Actually the non "VW" drum looked to be in a little better condition than the "VW" drum, the casting was smoother and had less gunk built up. They both machined fine and I have noticed no flaws whatsoever. 
I have been looking other places for CV bolts, mainly McMaster-Carr, and have stumbled across some socket head cap screws with a class 12.9 rating, 174,000 psi tensile strength, Rockwell "C" harness 37-44, and meets both DIN 912 and ISO 4792 standards. Are these comprable to the stock CV bolts? I have gotten some inconclusive comments from a couple of other sites. Personally I don't see a problem with using these, but then again I have never built a car before.
another thing, I have the choice of 45mm or 50mm for these bolts and I don't know how far the stock ones stuck out the back of the stub axle. After the shock mounts were welded on the trailing arms I would say there is no more than .25" between the back of the stub axle and the front of the shock mount so real estate is limited. Advice on which length to get would be appreciated.


_Modified by DubsMcGee at 11:00 PM 12-16-2006_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

*UPDATE 12/18* 
Got more done this weekend! I picked up some spray on bedliner from the parts store to do the floor, it looks great but I really don't think it will last all that long (I was able to scratch it off with my fingernail







) But I'll show pics anyways. I prepped the floor by taking the DA to it with 80 grit paper, then I wiped it down with grease and wax remover.








This is after 2 coats I think, I ended up butting 4 on (2 cans). This stuff stinks so bad, resparators are a must.








Here it is installed.








We started on the wiring, Don got most of the harness made up while I worked on some minor details left on the engine and frame. Here are the guages getting wired up in the dash that I made.
















I ended up having to modify part of the shroud to get it to fit without running into the frame horn support, it fits great now and is not going anywhere.








Some other things that I got done was mounting the steering brakes and putting in and adjusting the shift rod.
















Got the shocks mocked up, just have to pick up some long enough bolts.








Overall it is coming together nicely.








Who needs rearview mirrors when you have chrome headlamps
















One thing that did concern me was when I took the valve cover off to fix the leak from putting it on wrong there were two rubber gasket/o ring/seals sitting in the head. This is where they were sitting and what they look like. Don was thinking that they were old valve seals that were left in accidentily during the rebuild. any other ideas?

























Edit:
I almost forgot another video, we finally got the engine to idle a little and you can really hear the cam. 275* with a .385" lift











_Modified by DubsMcGee at 11:30 AM 12-18-2006_


----------



## NoDubsForMe (Oct 15, 2005)

hey its deff looking good bro, very impressed. i love the colorand love the grab bar for the passenger side.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (NoDubsForMe)*

Thanks guys! 
*UPDATE 12/20* 
We didn't get as much done last night as I hoped, but we did get somewhere. I stopped by Dune Buggy Supply after work and picked up new front wheel bearings and hardware. Got those installed using a block of wood, flat punch, and a big hammer







it wasn't untill I was installing the last race in the drum that I figured out a nifty way of installing bearing races without the tool. Pound the new race in with the old race, then pound the old race back out. It worked fantastic. On to the pics.
Finally got the front end complete, now it is time for a home brewed alignment.








We were putting the new shocks on and noticed a little predicament, the bushings in the shocks are too big







We're going to have to do a little zip wheel modification on these things. 








Another thing we discovered was that the old shock bushings were still on the arms. They were stuck so good that we thought they were supposed to be on there. I'm suprised no one noticed it and pointed it out.
I also did a little more work on the dash, mainly get the ignition switch and headlight switch holes drilled, it was a bish trying to drill through that stainless sheet, it kept work hardening on me







But I did eventually get through.








I did a layout of what the dash will look like when it is finished, the two between the smaller guages will be for idiot lights.








and I found the horn that I had in my old truck, should make for some good times.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Geez, have people lost interest this late in the game? Oh well I'm doing this for me as well.
*UPDATE 12/22* 
Well I didn't get a whole lot done last night due to a company party I was at, but I did get some accomplished. 
Got the hardware for the floor, seats, shocks, cv joints, etc... through one of my work's supliers, so I got a great deal on it. I got all the floor bolts in, there are a lot of bolts holding that floor up (50 to be exact







)








And the CV bolts I got are the same spec as stock ones.








I finally finished drilling all the holes in the dash and got all the switches in, from left to right, top to bottom they are:
High/Low beam, Turn Signals, Ignition, Horn, Running lights/Headlights, Low Oil Pressure Light, Generator Light








Anyone have suggestions on the size and length of stud I should get for the wheels?
Oh, and have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanuchaka (sp? I don't care), Killer Kwanza, Festive Festivus, or whatever the hell you celebrate. Just have fun not working for a few days

















_Modified by DubsMcGee at 9:46 AM 12-22-2006_


----------



## Bariman82 (Jan 26, 2004)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Oh, I haven't lost interest. I just stand back and watch because I really don't have experience with sand rails or aircooled. But I do enjoy a good build thread. In that last video, on the first rev-up, what is that thing that pops out of the tailpipe?


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: (Bariman82)*

definitely no lost interest, Im just sittin back watching and waiting for those rims to be mounted







.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (stagger_lee)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Bariman82* »_Oh, I haven't lost interest. I just stand back and watch because I really don't have experience with sand rails or aircooled. But I do enjoy a good build thread. In that last video, on the first rev-up, what is that thing that pops out of the tailpipe?

The thing that almost flys out is the baffle to help quiet it down a bit. It weighs about 5 lbs so I was suprised to see it launch out that far, its mooved a bit before but nothing close to that much









_Quote, originally posted by *stagger_lee* »_definitely no lost interest, Im just sittin back watching and waiting for those rims to be mounted







.









Dude, I've been trying to think of a way to tell you this but I dont think those wheels will make it on the rail. After some persuasion by some of the hardcore rail and baja guys I have decided to not run wheels with the adapters







But how's this sound, I'll mount them up for you and take a pic so you can get an idea of what they would have looked like. 


_Modified by DubsMcGee at 11:11 AM 12-22-2006_


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*








Its all good. that would be cool just because I have never seen those on a rail before. I was thinking that they might be a bit heavy though. What are you putting on there? Old skool centerlines? http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (stagger_lee)*

you know, I have no clue right now. I'm running out of money and time so I am looking for a couple of stock wide 5's to get by untill I can afford some decent wheels.


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

centerlines, centerlines!


















_Modified by stagger_lee at 9:55 AM 12-22-2006_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (stagger_lee)*

they are a little spendy for my wallet. Look good though. I'm playing with the idea of stock steelies in the front and getting another set widened for the rear. Maybe get them chromed or colormatched, I dont think I've ever seen someone widen a wide 5


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

That would be pretty slick rick. I believe there was a thread not to long ago talking about a guy in So Cal,







maybe, that has been doing this for years, widening rims, and specifically VW rims. Lets see what a search brings up. Supposedly he is the man for the job.


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

dude, dubs. I had those hand brakes on my dune buggy, they broke pretty fast.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*

Well that sucks, how did it break?
Air Skooled, what kind of engine did you have in that thing?


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_
1) Recheck http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2992059 for an update on that one.^
2) Is that an ah-oo-ga?,or just louder than heck?















3) Is it possible to trade in the OP lens for a green one to replicate the original speedo theme to help differentiate between the two?


1. Ok, just the seals went bad. That makes me less concerned, it looked like an older rail to boot.
2. both








3. I figure the colors dont really matter since if either the oil pressure drops or the battery stops charging they are both not good and I should stop right quick. Then I can figure out if it is oil or battery, plus red is the easiest color to see.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

Does anyone have a good source on where to get studs for linkpin front drums and thing rear drums? I am having a hard time locating some that will work. Is there an agreed upon size/length/etc... for studding vw drums?


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

*UPDATE 12/27* 
We got a little done before Christmas but didn't get it finished







Hopefully soon though.
I finished drilling all the holes in the dash for the wires and the fuze box and had to see what it will look like when it is in there, I like it
















I also repacked the CV Joints and got the axles back on, anyone know the proper torque for these bolts?








I drained the tranny and replaced the gear oil with something a little more modern and a little less black
















Got the horn mounted behind the pedal cluster.








And got some of the plumbing started, we decided to encase the hardline in rubber vacuum hose to give it a little more protection. We have some steel braided brake like on the way for the rear brakes and clutch slave.








and the morning of Christmas eve we got this mess started. There were only 4 wires left to be connected before we had to leave for church at 3:30, yes we were hauling ass.


----------



## jonescustomcars (Sep 11, 2006)

*Re: (buggyman)*

Damn you been bustin ass it looks like to me







Been a while since I checked in to see the progress, I guess I need to look more often because it just took me 1/2 hr to get to the last page. Everything is looking sweet







keep up the good work. If you email me some pictures when you get it done I can put them on my website.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

well the guys on shoptalkforums.com were adiment about me studding the wide 5's, but after talking to a local one about some different wheels I think I'll be going back to 4 bolt pattern all around.


----------



## jonescustomcars (Sep 11, 2006)

*Re: (buggyman)*



buggyman said:


> Hi again Andy,
> You gave him a great base to build on http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif
> Hey Thanks.
> I am very impressed with all the fab work http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif that has been done, it is great when you have the resources to do it all yourself, I think that is the best part of any project especially when you can picture in your head then build it. keep up the good work Dubs I will have to make it up there to take a ride this summer


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (jonescustomcars)*

*UPDATE 1/2* 
Happy New Year everyone!
Good news, the wiring is DONE! everything works the way it should and looks great doing it. Don finished the dash up this week while I was at home taking care of the dog. The thing looks just as good on the inside as it does on the outside.








We also got the tank in and mounted for the final time, hooked it up and ran some gas through it.








Here are some pics of the lights up and working.
































I also made a new accelerator pump out of an old walbro (sp?) carb kit and it actually helped out a lot but it now squirts gas out of the parting line of the pump. Stupid one year, one state carbs







In process pic.








And onto the gas pedal I am having problems with. The peadal itself works fine but if you floor it the return spring is not strong enough to pull the pedal back, actually it is really hard to pull it back yanking on the cable from the carb. I am going to have to think this one over to find a solution, I think I have an idea of how to make it work but if anyone has some good suggestions toss them out.


----------



## GLdubber (Jun 13, 2006)

Lookin good Dubs, I know I'd be climbing the walls seeing this go together wanting to drive it, so how long before the initial test drive? Hope you take some video of that! Keep it up!!


----------



## Bariman82 (Jan 26, 2004)

*Re: (GLdubber)*

Is it ok to put the gas tank that close to the battery?


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Bariman82)*

It really isn't all that close to the battery, if we kept the battery box where it originally was it would have been directy over it witch would have been fine but could be a little nerveracking.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Anyone know where I can get just this gas pedal? I think it'll work with the pedals I already have. Neal doesn't list it seperatly.










_Modified by DubsMcGee at 2:59 PM 1-3-2007_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

*UPDATE 1/5* 
Well I picked up the last of the parts from a local VW enthusiast for a pretty good deal. He helped me with the wheel problem by getting me some disc brakes for the front and a set of wagon wheels so I went back to the 4 hole pattern all around. I also got a new(er) carb from him.
The spindles needed some work so I took them apart, cleaned, media blasted, modified some parts so they would turn easier, and re-painted them. they should be ready to go on tonight.








I didn't want to blast the calipers because that media gets everywhere, what is the best way to strip caliper paint? The stuff is real hard, when I was blasting the spindles it really didn't want to come off. Are solvents ok to use on these?








The discs are in real good shape, they don't need to be cut or anything.








Here are the wheels and tires, the wheels will be refinished in black or gunmetal when I get the time. But for now I just want them on.








We tried the carb (Solex 30/31) and it seems like the jets are plugged, so a rebuild will be in order. Lucky for me JC Whitney sent me another rebuild kit for free when the previous one didn't have the right accelerator pump in it.








And finally, I got the gas pedal fixed. All I had to do was turn it around. The tighter spring on the carb probably helped too.








It'll be on all 4 this weekend, and if we get the brake line I might even take it out for a spin!!


----------



## dosoto (Apr 23, 2003)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Try some Easy Off oven cleaner on the calipers. Shouldn't take too long of a soak to soften up the paint.
Keep it off the rubber parts (unless you have a complete rebuild kit) just mask the piston area and you should be fine and your hands (unless you - well, let's just say keep it off your hands).


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (dosoto)*

that would probably work, but what would I use to mask it that the solvent wouldnt eat? I probably won't worry about it now unless it is a really easy sure shot solution.


----------



## dosoto (Apr 23, 2003)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

You're not going to need it on there for too long. It may not even be a problem - I use the stuff in my oven and it has rubber gaskets onthe doors - just something to be aware of.
Don't skimp on no-name or storte brand oven cleaner get the real deal (none of the fume free crap either). You will be impressed.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_










We put the wheels on and the tires rub the shocks BADLY







A set of those spacers that are in that pic would definatly work to get them away from the shock. Where did you get those? I would make another set at work but my last day is Friday then I move back to school. 
as for the throttle, I did turn that cable around and the pedal sticks a little but I think a heavier return spring on the carb will solve the problem.
Acorn nuts are a good idea, I may have to consider that.
Oh, we got a box from Yogi's yesterday with *ONE* brake line in it







buuuuuuuuuuuut I took it out for a spin around the block anyways without brakes







All I can say is






































































what a blast to drive, much quicker than I thought. Some problems need to be worked out, front brakes rub on the caliper bracket, carb needs adjusting, shifter needs adjusting, etc..... I think I may take it out in daylight today. Videos Monday.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

I googled "Jackman" and it came up with Hugh Jackman, I tried "Jackman wheels" and just brought me to forum threads that said the company went out of business in the 70's. Is there something I'm missing?


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

The brackets are on the only way for the calipers to clear the tie rod. I think I'll just get part of the disc turned down that is doing the rubbing (it's just a little lip that shouldn't need to be there) I'll have pics up tomorrow.
The wheels and tires are something like 7-8" wide and the tire is a 265 70 I think. I need to find wheels with a maximum backspacing of around 2".


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

Holy links batman!! I'll have to start going through those later. 

_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_just wondering if a side to side swap of the brackets,which would reverse their offset

The other side of the bracket protrudes from the mounting surface so the problem would be worse. making this small cut will solve the problem with no adverse side affects I can see. Update later today.


_Modified by DubsMcGee at 9:40 AM 1-8-2007_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

*FINAL BUILD UPDATE 1/8* 
Now that I have pictures up I can better explain some problems I ran into with the brakes and wheels. Easy fixes, I'm not worried about it. 
First off, the rear tires have too much backspacing so the tires rub on the shock body pretty badly. Pictures are worth 1000 words.








Now onto the brakes, it is easy to see in these pictures that the brackets can't be mounted the other way, or moved to the other spindle due to rubbing/interference issues. The rail ran fine other than some slight grindage, which was mostly paint anyways.








The "lip" I have been talking about also rubbed a little on the lower passenger side linkpin, but I think after a little hammer work that problem has been solved. It will help further once the "lip" has been turned down flush with the rotor surface.







\
Here is the worst of the rubbage.








and a pic of the rotor after the first run.








I also, finally, got the skidplate made at work on friday.








On Saturday I took the calipers and brackets off to check for more problems, but didn't find any. So for the daytime videos there were no calipers on the front and I didn't encounter any problems while driving. 
Now onto the videos. Since the rest of the brake line didn't arrive in time I decided to be careful and take it out without brakes







The first run I didn't really have a problem, but if you look closely in the third video you can see I came in a little fast and had to jump out and "Fred Flinstone" brake so it didnt roll through the garage wall







after that, we hooked up the one brake we could







Large files are marked.
Maiden Voyage (60 some Megs)

Return from the Maiden Voyage (30 some Megs)

Fred Flinstoneing (look close)

Departure with brakes and passenger (Girlfriend's sister)

Flyby 1 (15 some Megs)

Flyby 2 

Return with brakes and passenger (Girlfriend's sister)

Now Don definatly has the best looking garage in the neighborhood.








I am sad to say that on Friday I will be moving back up to school for my last semester, so it is a good and bad thing. We had to make a space to stick the 'rail untill I come back down and we can get all the tuning/adjustment issues taken care of. Here she'll sit for the next 4 months.
















Well, it's been real. I want to thank people for all the help that was given to me:
VWVortex 
buggyman
stagger_lee
tuggle
shoptalkforums 
MNAirHead
sanddude
LeatherNeck
Scott the Viking
David58bug (for bringing me to shoptalk)
TheSamba
JDC
runslikeapenguin
bugtub 
and to everyone else







Peace, I'm out.


----------



## GLdubber (Jun 13, 2006)

Props for a great thread and build-up, Dubs. Sorry to see her put away for a few months, can't wait till you get to work on it again and get the brakes worked out. I'll be looking for the May updates!!


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_Right in the middle of that pic is the road draft tube,there should be a rubber valve at the tip,original p#311-115-541,but now p#253-260-180,that collects and bleeds off moisture within the crankcase and helps prevent condensation inside the case after the engine is shut off in cold/wet weather,you can get one for ~$9 at the dealer or add it to your next order from BFY for a little over a buck.

Damn, I thought that was old nasty electrical tape and I tossed it. Eh, I'll have to buy some tools or something from BFY and get that. There is still some more tuning/adjustment to do so I'll be posting again later on. 
Buggyman, you provided the most straightforward help out of anyone. Very thorough and easy to understand. I owe you some







's I'll make sure to look you up when I'm in Cali testing out the rail


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

Awesome Dunebuggy, I cant wait until i try to rebuild my engine and trany. Great clips and pictures. 4 months without my beloved dunebuggy would kill me


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

One quick question, what is media blasting?? Is it sand blasting?


----------



## stagger_lee (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: (buggyman)*

*Media Blasting*
The media blasting process combines an abrasive
media, a pressurized delivery system and one of
a variety of cleaning chambers. This method
leaves no residue on the cleaned surface, but it is
not typically appropriate for grossly
contaminated parts, since the contaminants can
cause the media to stick together. However,
media cleaning is appropriate for ordinary
machining oils and contaminants. Media
blasting is also used for removing paint and
surface corrosion. Glass beads and sand have
been used as media in this process for years. The
more recent use of plastic, sodium bicarbonate
and wheat starch as blasting media allow the
technology to be used on a wider variety of
surfaces and soils. Abrasive blast waste,
however, may need to be tested for hazardous
waste determination and may increase waste
disposal responsibilities.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (stagger_lee)*

whatever you do, DON'T sandblast soft metal (aluminum, magnesium, etc...) it will just eat the material away. A glass or plastic media needs to be used to make sure the part isn't ruined.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

Haha, thanks buddy. Spring break can't come fast enough


----------



## MALLMAN (Jan 19, 2002)

*Re: (buggyman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_BUMPersticker,freinds needed to see this!
How goes the semester battle?









Wish him luck, they just got like 3 feet of snow where he is going to school!
i saw on the news last week that they got 3.5 inches in 1 hour!


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Gti12vmn)*

Yeah, I almost shattered my oil pan on ice chunks growing in the middle of the road. It came down so fast the city plowed only 1 road and it's still bad today. There was a sweet picture of a rabbit cocooned in a snow drift in the Pioneer Press on Saturday.
Oh, and 1 week till spring break with eleventy billion feet of snow on the ground

















_Modified by DubsMcGee at 2:51 PM 3-5-2007_


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

take the buggy ripping in the snow


----------



## Moonequipt13 (Jan 13, 2005)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*

Nice build, a couple things though...You might not be satisfied with the longevity of those pistons/cylinders, they are really thin. Second, turning brakes munch your diff


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Moonequipt13)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Moonequipt13* »_You might not be satisfied with the longevity of those pistons/cylinders, they are really thin.

Well, I always need a project. Once these ones burn up I'm thinking turbo with some case and head work.

_Quote, originally posted by *Moonequipt13* »_Second, turning brakes munch your diff

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Anyone know if there is a LSD available for these trannys?


----------



## Moonequipt13 (Jan 13, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*


_Quote, originally posted by *DubsMcGee* »_
Well, I always need a project. Once these ones burn up I'm thinking turbo with some case and head work.
Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Anyone know if there is a LSD available for these trannys?

Quaife


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

would quaife by any chance have them for a type 2 transmission with gear reducer boxes?


----------



## Moonequipt13 (Jan 13, 2005)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*

not sure on that one....I did find a quaife durability test though
http://youtube.com/watch?v=xvkICSHrk74


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

lol nice, sure would be good to have them on my buggy
im such a fatty, i just finished eating exactly 1 pound of candy that cost me 5 dollars


_Modified by Happy_person36 at 7:00 PM 3-13-2007_


----------



## Moonequipt13 (Jan 13, 2005)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*

I'm fat too....binge eating FTW


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Moonequipt13)*

They have 2 diffs listed for the IRS tranny, both say they are for the super beetle. There is a 33T spline and a 37T spline, which one goes with which transmission?


----------



## Moonequipt13 (Jan 13, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Sorry, can't help you with that one, try the samba


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

this thread needs front page again. So whens school over?


----------



## MALLMAN (Jan 19, 2002)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*

get that thing out of the back of the garage. itll be warm next weeeek! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Gti12vmn)*

I really want to get it out but I am getting hosed with end of semester bull**** and don't know when I'll make it down next. But come May 12th that'll all be over. Can't ****ing wait.


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

almost there, then you can release the beast. Be sure to make videos! Im anxious to see how it performs.


----------



## Emron (Mar 27, 2007)

I hope I stop by this thing sometime in the future. I can't imagine why I would -- in fact, I don't even know how I got here this time. I'm glad I have -- I've spent the last 3 hours of work reading about this dune buggy (sorry if I called it by the wrong name). I used to call them sand rails, but whatever.
Anyway, cool stuff, bro.
-Emron


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Emron)*

Thanks man, I really want to get it out to cali sometime to take it out with buggyman in his stomping grounds so you never know


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_ I'm







sure







we







can







set







something







up







!









I like the way you think


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

I want to come :'( If only...


----------



## pedrosan (Feb 6, 2005)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*

Awesome buildup man! Im not driving an aircooled dub but seeing stuff like this makes me want one. Looks like it will be a blast!


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

bump


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*

T minus 14 days


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

Sooooo close to summer!


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

How much longer? I want to see some videos!


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

What he said....We'll finish up plumbing the rear brakes and hopefully get the front rotors cut down so they don't rub anymore that week then drive the piss out of it the next weekend if it gets out to my house http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
Oh snap, page 11 ownage


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

DONT FORGET THE VIDS! Lol i am eager to see this thing. Ive read this thread many times


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

Whats up now?


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*

Just got it back home today and it has survived it's first 30 min drive on some back roads. Didn't get a chance to take videos since I didn't know how it would behave at speed. I'll hopefully get some tomorrow and get them up next week.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

what is normal operating oil pressure for these engines? Cold it was running around 40 psi and after an extended run it was down to around 10 to 15 psi at idle. Is that right?


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

Yea sounds about right just as long as it isnt 0 lol


----------



## MALLMAN (Jan 19, 2002)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*


_Quote, originally posted by *DubsMcGee* »_Just got it back home today and it has survived it's first 30 min drive on some back roads. 

hells yeah dude! sorry i didnt call, i had to work until like 730 last night so i ended up test fitting a bbs after that and getting drunk! see you today buuuuddy!


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

Hmm, i guess i was wrong lol


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

I'm doing good, just finished college so I guess I cant complain. 
I am running 5w30 in it, the tach is not working properly right now but the 10-15 psi at idle sounds right around 800 rpm. When it is around 2500-3000 rpm pressure is somewhere around 40-50 psi. I really need to get this tach working right before I can be sure of specific pressure at a given rpm. Temperatures around here remain pretty constant so fluctuations don't really worry me.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Also, anyone know where I can get a cage mountable fire extinguisher? I thought I saw a guy selling them on The Samba but now I can't find them. Any help would be great.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

took her out for another ride today and took some pictures. enjoy
















































































































Wheels need to be refinished, calling gti12vmn, you wheel whore










_Modified by DubsMcGee at 6:56 PM 5-20-2007_


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

sweeeet! That thing is AWESOME. Man i want a chassis like that. Im thinking of that exhaust style as well. Overall, GOOD JOB http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

trying to figure out where to mount the extinguisher. They are in the order of ease to access and non-intrusiveness. Opinions?
1. Driver side right in front of the seat.








2. Driver side parallel to center "column".








3. In center "column" in front of dash.








4. Behind driver seat.


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

I would put it behind the seat


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*

It is not easy to get to it there, I am really leaning towards number 1.
Videos should be up tonight


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Did someone want VIDEOS???? Sorry, my point and shoot is lame and only takes 30 second videos.


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

That is really really cool.
Looks like it handles smoothly, and engine sounds great! Just watching this makes me more excited to get my license and drive.


----------



## VWeezly (Jul 5, 2005)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*

Great vids! You gonna bring it to trashwerks?


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (VWeezly)*

sadly no, I have something going on that day.


----------



## GLdubber (Jun 13, 2006)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*


_Quote, originally posted by *DubsMcGee* »_trying to figure out where to mount the extinguisher. They are in the order of ease to access and non-intrusiveness. Opinions?

Have you thought about mounting it on the vertical part of the cage, kinda behind and left of your head. I'm just thinking you would want it accessable near the engine where any fire would start from? Also wanted to say the sandrail is lookin really good, are you going to paint your wheels black? http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
There or maybe at one of the vertical bars that would be to the left of your clutch leg when sitting.


_Modified by GLdubber at 10:43 AM 5-22-2007_


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

Man its awesome, ive looked at the pics quite a few times now










_Modified by Happy_person36 at 4:04 PM 5-22-2007_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

I only got on the turning brake once and didn't really know what to expect. It got pretty sideways on me which made me nervous considering where I was. I need to find a more open area to test it out. I'm more used to ebraking and locking both rears up, this is a whole new ballgame for me. 
I actually mounted the extinguisher in location 3, that way anyone can get to it, driver, passenger, onlooker. Plus it is really easy to see.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

brought it out again tonight and ran into some more issues. First, the tach is still a little goofy, it reads right while accelerating but once it is idling it reads around 1500 to 2000 RPM








Second, the oil pressure gage reads low at idle (under 10 psi?) but the low pressure light doesn't come on, or even flicker for that matter.
Third, there is a slight negative? camber issue with the rear tires (more wear on the inside than the outside). Should I move all the spacers at the pivot point for the trailing arm to the inside or outside? Currently there is one spacer on either side of the trailing arm pivot.


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

for the tach, sounds like a faulty one, unless you are actually idling high, there is no other reason because it just counts how many time the coil fires.
I dont know about the oil pressure gauge.
From what I know, since you dont have gear reducer boxes on the end of your axles (bus(I have them







they give awesome torque) the wheels camber like that, if you had gear reducer boxes, they camber the wheels the other way. I think because vw's have a swing axle transmission, it is impossible to elimate the camber, but i could be wrong.
This is my opinion Im still learning, just giving it my best shot







\
Anyways, however it turns out, you have one awesome buggy!


_Modified by Happy_person36 at 8:33 PM 5-28-2007_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*

Since the tach is reading correctly under load that leads me to believe that it has something to do with the electronic ignition I am running. I have read things about having to put some sort of capacitor or circuit to get it to read right. 
As far as the camber goes, I have IRS (independent rear suspension) rather than a swing axle transmission, therefore the camber is adjustable on the rear wheels. There are two large spacers that look like giant washers that can be placed on either side of the trailing arm at the pivot point to adjust the camber of the wheels. I just need to know which side to place them on to bring the contact patch of the tire out from the inside edge.


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

Oh, lol i didnt know they were different








Id think you would need to put them on the inside.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

I'll have to look in the little holes again, but I don't think there is anything in there. The gages zero when power is turned on. I am having a hard time understanding what you are saying with the lug bolts and straight edge. Are you saying use the straight edge to measure off the ground to be sure that the heads of the lugs are in the same plane? Also, before we took the trailing arms off for the first time we marked the original position and returned them to it when we put them back on. I'll do some more work today and see if I can get it figured out.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

well I got things aligned as much as I could but I still don't quite understand what exactly you were telling me to do. As for the first picture, it was not taken straight on, so it is a optical illusion. The tires are spaced the same from the body. And instead of moving the shocks back and adding spacers I am just going to cut down the standoffs for the shock mounts so they sit straight up and down. Still haven't gotten around to checking the gages for adjustment but I should be able to get around to that this week. 
You mentioned that it looked like the engine is running rich which I think is true, what is the best way to lean it out? Change the timing or something else?


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

Accelerator pump maybe? Btw is your buggy road legal?


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*

accelerator pump is fine, carb is brand new. It is not street legal as of yet, but will be sometime.


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

Werent your pics and vids of you driving it on the road though? Or were those back roads that looked like roads. How did you get those pics of it at local places? I meant that the accelerator pump might be unadjusted, you can adjust it by loosening the screw on it and moving that lever left and right, there a -, and +. - for less fuel, + for more. You may also be running rich from lack of air. Other than that, idle mixture screws on the left of the carb is the only adjustment i think, or jetting but i dont know










_Modified by Happy_person36 at 8:57 PM 6-3-2007_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Happy_person36* »_Werent your pics and vids of you driving it on the road though?

Shhhhhhhhhhh


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

i edited my post look up


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

I drive on the road too







Ive had cops come looking for me. Just be careful, dont want that beauty impounded


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

Yay i was right!







Btw, is it possible to convert a swing axle transmission to IRS?


----------



## MALLMAN (Jan 19, 2002)

*Re: (buggyman)*

'all 4 small bald fat tires rockin through the sand and a burnin up'


----------



## MALLMAN (Jan 19, 2002)

*Re: (buggyman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_I....don't know what that means!















How goes the battle,Dubs?









its froma song. 'little dune buggy'
i was listening to it the night before in the garage and i realized it needed to be Jesse's theme song.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_How goes the battle,Dubs?

haven't gotten a whole lot done lately, I did cut down the upper shock standoffs so the shocks are more vertical. I also picked up a speedo cable, I'll have to get it modified so I can connect it to the sender for my gage. This will have to wait until July. I leave for Greece on Monday for two and a half weeks








Dave, is that a Presidents' song?


----------



## MALLMAN (Jan 19, 2002)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*


_Quote, originally posted by *DubsMcGee* »_
Dave, is that a Presidents' song?

but of course.... POT USA!!!!!


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

What about CANADA?


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

This thread should be pinned


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*

Took it out for a couple of hours yesterday and brought the GPS with to check the top speed. 78 mph at 4000 rpm! Took a while to get there but she drove straight and true the whole time. Also got a little better with the steering brakes, got her real sideways a couple of times. This is getting more and more fun.


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

Awesome! Thats pretty good for a 1.6L if you ask me. Right now im rebuilding my 1.6L, what did you use to seal around the case? Im thinking of just using some silicone.


----------



## air skooled (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Happy_person36* »_what did you use to seal around the case? Im thinking of just using some silicone.

If your going to use silicone use it very sparingly. It will ooze out into the bearings. It doesn't take much. You might want to read my buildup. http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2920112


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

I have read it twice







Sorry for stealing your thread dubs







I definitely will use it sparingly, and ill apply it on the outer part of the sealing surface just so it doesnt ooze into the case.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*

I used a layer of ultra copper thinner than a sheet of paper to seal mine and have had no catastrophes as of yet. There is a minuscule amount of oil being flung from the pulley seal and there is another small leak somewhere towards the rear of the engine, but neither are large enough to make me concerned.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Finally got a speedo cable made, and got it all set up and calibrated. Works pretty good, bounces a little from the suspension travel but reads dead on. Got it up to 82 with only me in it. Lets see if I can break 90 when it is tuned right


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

Awesome, thats pretty friggin fast, i think my buggy tops out around 80 KPH (50MPH) because its geared so low.


----------



## sugarloafer90 (Sep 2, 2006)

hey first off your car is amazing, I am definitively looking into buying a dunebug, I was wondering where you got a lot the supplies you used to build yours. Especially the 5 point seat belt and the head and tail lights.
Thanks for the help,
-Tyler


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (sugarloafer90)*

Thanks, the harnesses were purchased from someone on The Samba that had a bunch of them and most of the other stuff was purchased from a local shop that sold Empi and Bugpak products. The rest is from websites like Chirco and others like it.


----------



## sugarloafer90 (Sep 2, 2006)

Thanks I live in Maine so finding local parts is hard, with the exception of online


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (sugarloafer90)*

you never know, I live in MN and was able to find a place. It doesn't need to be dune buggy specific 90% of the parts I got are for a beetle. Anyplace that builds or repairs old bugs will be your new best friend.


----------



## bkschott (Jun 11, 2006)

*Re: UPDATE 9/10 (DubsMcGee)*


_Quote, originally posted by *DubsMcGee* »_*UPDATE 9/10*
We finally picked up the frame!!!!!!




































Oh man does this thing look nice, the drive to Webster City from the Twin Cities was fairly uninteresting but you definatly know you are in Iowa when you see a Kum & Go.











sorry I am reading the thread for the first time, being from Missouri, I just have to scream it....EJACULATE AND EVACUATE. Nice job on the build....even thought I am not near done reading it yet. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## MALLMAN (Jan 19, 2002)

*Re: UPDATE 9/10 (bkschott)*


_Quote, originally posted by *bkschott* »_
I just have to scream it....EJACULATE AND EVACUATE. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 


haha, wow.


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

I cant stop reading this over and over


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*

haha, brought back from the dead.


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

Maybe one day when my buggy is all done, ill put some paddles on the back and go with you and buggyman. Ill try to keep up with the pro's


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

Fell off page 3


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

So, if I can scrounge up the funds this winter I'll be going turbo by next season.


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

Hehe. Turbo, buggyman you might have a match in power soon..


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_Been having fun with it in the meantime,I trust.









For sure, we had it up at a MSRA event at Brainard International Raceway the weekend after NHRA Nationals and holy crap, what an awesome time. All the access roads in there are dirt....needless to say, the cutting brakes got a workout. They also made the mistake of letting me take it around the road course


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*


_Quote, originally posted by *DubsMcGee* »_So, if I can scrounge up the funds this winter I'll be going turbo by next season.

Turbocharged?


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

haha, buggyman nice link. Your brother sure does know how to setup a van!



_Modified by Happy_person36 at 12:26 AM 9-3-2007_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*

Well I think I am going to buy a welder on Friday along with some fenders to work towards titling the thing. Does anyone have a good way of attaching the front fenders to travel with the suspension and turn with the wheels? I have discs up front and no backing plates to weld to.


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

What type of welder are you gonna get, MIGS are good for little stuff, they lay down ugly welds if you dont clean them up.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

Yeah, just like a prowler. I like the look of the low profile fenders and would really like to mimic that. Machining a plate to bolt to the back would be possible but difficult due to the construction of the spindle. 
The welder I am picking up has fluxcore/mig capabilities and the welds are only ugly if you don't know how to use it. Not as clean as tig but better than arc.


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*


_Quote, originally posted by *DubsMcGee* »_the welds are only ugly if you don't know how to use it.

That hurts my feelings


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_it's gonna have to be a one-off original design unless someone else pipes up here or maybe shoptalk







.
Just for grins,one of the links I searched http://www.federalsandrail.com/index.html

















The one off design was the plan from the get go, I really enjoy doing the fab work and need an excuse to purchase a welder








If I had a 'busa engine laying around you better believe I would be building something like that.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

This is pretty much what I was thinking but metal fenders


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

that thing looks mean


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

might also want to consider getting a license plate on it too







yea yea, i didnt forget


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

thats the best I can do with a mig, pretty ugly as I mentioned. But it just might be because im a newbie at it. I cant wait to see how your fenders turn out.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*

that's not bad at all, now try writing cursive "C's" while you are welding and you will get that pretty weld you are looking for. I was under my car today trying to weld up an exhaust hanger with flux core and it looks like poo so don't get too down on yourself.


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

with migs, welding upside down, and welding downwards are completely different. Supposibly the weld is much more effective welding downwards. On that weld i was "zig-zagging"


----------



## Gary C (Apr 11, 2001)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*

first thing you have to do is dump the flux core.








Flux core is...and always will be horrid for an aesthetically pleasing weld. Nothing wrong with it when the machine and weld are done right from a structural perspective, however... they tend to be awfully ugly. Pretty welds otoh don't nec. mean it's a good weld. I've seen gorgeous welds that have *zero* penetration fail from looking at them the wrong way..and the flip is horribly ugly welds with 100% penetration. Looks are only one minor slice of the pie. 








done with a 110V mig, at the recertification site. 
Ignore the crappiness of the old picture. That was screwing around getting the welder setup for the I-CAR / AWS certification test for non-structural steel collision repair. Structural I had to weld together a series of coupons that had to fit in the jig and pass their visual as well as destructive tests - passed that first shot as well. Anyway. Those are the backsides of plug welds and the top side of a butt joint with backing on either 16 or 18 gauge steel 3 x 5 coupons... I can't remember which as it's been 2 years since I re-certified. Talk to me in another 3 when I go to renew it again and I can tell you.










_Modified by Gary C at 6:15 PM 9-16-2007_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Gary C)*

Dumping the flux core is my plan once I get the coin to buy a tank. I'll be grinding these welds down if they will be visible. I would like to take a class at the local CC to get some more techniques. 
On another note, you are a good person to ask this question. What is the best method of welding with flux core and solid core wire? Push or pull? Or does it come down to preference?


----------



## Gary C (Apr 11, 2001)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

It honestly depends on the weld and what position it's being done in. For literal overhead welding (rocker panels, reskinning quarter panels, things of that nature) while you are laying on your back and welding overhead I personally like to pull on a horizontal surface just for visability's sake, where if it's an overhead vertical everytime I'll work WITH gravity and pull the weld down towards the ground. That said for 'in position' stuff it depends on what it's for. Pushing and pulling both have their merits. Honestly when you push the weld you tend to get a touch better penetration, the trade being you are putting more heat into the panel and generating a larger bead, height and width wise. Pulling tends to keep the height down with a smaller bead, but tends to have a smaller "footprint" for the bead, if you will. For my certification for non-structural it was 50/50 as they have you do a lot of in as well as out of position and true overhead stuff. Reason for the split is they test the beads for not just strength but also visual inspections, being height, width, length, amount of the suck-back at the start / finish of the weld, along with penetration on the back side, heat effect zone, etc. 
Being a bodyguy I like to put as little heat as possible into the panel to keep it from warping, so I like to pull my welds, as I'm mainly doing non-structural work and usually metal finishing with as little filler as possible. As such minimizing the heat into the panel and heat buildup from grinding the weld down is a *great* thing. When I *do* wind up doing structural panels and frame work, 9 times out of 10 I'll push. For sheet metal I have a 110V Miller that I setup with 75/25 and .023" ER70-6 wire. For frame work it comes down to a 220 machine setup with 75/25 and .030 wire, however I also have a spool of .023 along with .035 and the liners for each. 

That out of the way for Aluminium (yes, you can MIG aluminum, use a spool gun.... forget the liners, personally they bird nest way to frequently even with a straight shot out of the machine as far as the whip is concerned) I will ALWAYS always push, as it results in a cleaner bead as you are welding INTO the flow of shielding gas, not away from such. I'm personally not a fan of working with aluminum in general, save for the shaping itself as it's much more malleable than steel once it's been annealed. Keep in mind you might have to reanneal it once it starts to get work hardened again, and in the shop it really only works on the 'friendlys' being 1100 and 3003 aluminums. Lightly soot the thing with an oxy/acy and then burn it off..and woila. Once it's slowly cooled to work temp you can work to your hearts content (almost) on an e-wheel, planishing hammer or with shot bags and hammers / dollys. That's neither here nor there though, so that's all I'll say about that.


----------



## coorslight (Jul 31, 2007)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

when it comes to mig welding you want to pull . now if you are using a spool gun with aluminum you want to push even that can be a bit tricky


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

You should throw one of those fan shroud cages on just like mine :







It sure wouldnt be good to have a rock, or a bird







fly into the spinning alternator fan.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*

I was looking at those, how do they attach? my doghouse doesn't have any sort of lip to tighten the hose clamp onto. 








I've had plenty of rocks go through that thing so far but I don't think too many were bigger than what could get through that screen.


_Modified by DubsMcGee at 6:49 AM 9-21-2007_


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

Mine attaches with a "ringclamp?" but my doghouse does have a lip. I dont know how you would get it on without running some metal screws into your shroud.


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

http://www.uline.com/Browse_Listing_6015.asp This might work?


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

Holy crap, Oktoberfest > comprehension. I'll get back to you in the morning.


----------



## GLdubber (Jun 13, 2006)

Hey Dubs, here's some fenders for ya...
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3464244


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (GLdubber)*

Yeah, that is what I am looking to do. But those ones are attached to drum backing plates, witch I don't have. I think I have figured out a way to attach them to the caliper carrier and caliper that could work out. Things have been put on hold until November since I have a test that I have been studying for since July on Oct. 27


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

So how goes the grind?


----------



## 69vwstreetbug (Oct 15, 2007)

Not bad


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (69vwstreetbug)*

update coming sometime tonight


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

I finally got motivated to start working on it again today. I wake up to a message on my phone telling me that I have a present in the garage and I go down and find these
















I couldn't have been happier. The one that is taken apart looks like it ate a rock but the other one looks to be in great shape. Apparently there is only about 30k on it. Now I've got to figure out how to make it make me go faster.
So far my list is higher pressure fuel pump, emulsion tubes (possibly new carb, buggyman?), fab a header, figure out how to run the vacuum line for the wastegate, plumb oil lines, and generally figure out how to make this a turbo engine without completely tearing it down and rebuilding it. 
I also made a little progress on the fenders as well, I had to slit them and bend them to fit the curve of the tire a little better. I cut and welded them and they fit great now but they looked like crap after I ground down the welds, so I picked up some body filler and went to town. This was the first time I ever used it so it's not the best but a lot better than it was without it.








































I have to sand this one down a little more, you can definalty see the filler through the paint. Now I think I'll be spending a lot more time working on this thing.
Oh, and here is a dog in a sweater.


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

Nice!


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

So are you going to take all the good parts from all 3 turbo's and make one?


----------



## air skooled (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Here's a link to a turbo calculator. It used to work on his site on another page but I guess he wants you to download it now. It will help in sizing the turbo for your application, among other things.
http://www.turbofast.com.au/freesoftware.html 
There is a book called Turbochargers by Hugh MacInnes, HP Books. 
http://books.google.com/books?...psp=1
It's been around for awhile but has alot of good info. You're compression is probably around 7:1 so you will be OK. It would be best with a turbo cam though. You will have to richen up the fuel mixture.
Oh, and here is a dog in a sweater.










_Modified by air skooled at 2:10 PM 11-5-2007_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (air skooled)*

Buggyman, I've been researching this for a while whilst waiting to get a turbo and I have decided to go with a blow through, It seems that it will be better for my application since this isn't a sand only vehicle and I won't be wide open all the time. Most of my research has come from here http://www.shoptalkforums.com/...light= 
Are there emulsion tube and such for a Solex 30/31 to make it ready for pressure? I've seen people run them before.
Air skooled, I already have the turbo, it's a k03 off of an s4 so it might actually be on the small side, but thanks for the link, some of that stuff will probably help down the road.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

Well I found this and I think it'll help until I can get a better carb.
http://www.shoptalkforums.com/...12523


----------



## Joe_Cool (Dec 19, 2005)

I know maybe someone will shut me up but, 
it would be nice if you get a watercooled engine
it will make your buggy faster, I think....
it an incredible project! I like it very much!
you can check out mine... it's in this forum..
it says: a buggy all the way from puebla, mexico.
ciao!


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

*Re: (Joe_Cool)*

Stick with the aircooled motor http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*

Just purchased this








I've decided to not mess around making the 30 PICT turbo ready, this should be a little less experimental.
As far as going watercooled, I wanted to build a classic rail from the start. When I get bored with it, it'll be upgraded. Watercooled is a possibility, but not now.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

I got the carb the other day and put it on, I can get it to idle but when I give it fuel it dies. Does anyone know enough about these things to help me out? (buggyman







) It also looks like I am missing some parts for the throttle linkage it doesn't look like I have anything to hook the cable up to.
I've got it this far.








But I have no clue how to hook the throttle cable up with these, they are the only remaining pieces that I have.








As far as jetting goes I have a picture. The very top little piece (I don't know what it is called) has 160 stamped on it, the emulsion tube is a F7, and the jet is a 105.


----------



## air skooled (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Sounds like the accelerater pump isn't working. Look down into the carb and see if it squirts fuel when you push on the throttle (engine not running).


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (air skooled)*

That could defiantly be it, I don't hear it squirt like I did on the 30 PICT. I'll have to check that out, I think I'm going to rebuild it regardless.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

I ended us cannibalizing one of the other carbs I had for the cable linkage and it works ok but it is binding. I think I'll have to find another way to hook it up. 
I checked the jets again and it's definatly stamped 105 and is quite a bit smaller than the 160 air correction jet. So would the 105 be 1.05mm and 160 be 1.60mm? Is that how it works?
the Idle jets are stamped 50.
The accelerator pump looks like it may be leaking a little bit (there was a little fuel on the pushrod for the pump) could it be leaking from anywhere else? around the shaft? Overall the carb seems pretty tight, there isn't any play in the shaft that I could feel.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

Great info Buggyman! That allen wrench actually came from my toolbox not with the carb, I was using it to take the barrel nut off the throttle cable, I guess I wasn't clear








I have no info on the PO, I got it from a guy that got it at a swap meet and never used it.
Now for jetting. I'll probably go ahead and pick up the 145 mains and 60 idles, but I'll hold on to the 160 airs and F7 emulsion to get the thing running. Now I know you aren't the turbo guru in the family but when I throw this turbo on I am guessing that I am going to have to bump everything up a notch if not 10







I've seen the turbo specific emulsion tubes for the IDF but jetting I am clueless. 
If I push 10 psi through the engine from the turbo that equates to 1.68 times as much air as I would be pushing through the engine without a turbo. Would that mean I would have to increase the size of the main jets/air correction jets by 1.68 times as well? And would I have to increase the size of the venturi's? I'm guessing I could get away with leaving the idles where they are at since the engine will not be under boost when they are active.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (69vwstreetbug)*

The first link you posted seemed a little biased towards dells, however it held some good information. Too bad his little formula doesn't work







I read through some of the other links you provided and I see what you're saying about the information given is very specific. I've asked the turbo gurus over at Shoptalkforums about jetting, we'll see what they come up with.


_Modified by DubsMcGee at 6:55 PM 11-19-2007_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Venturis are 28mm


----------



## air skooled (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Here. http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3551368
Now leave buggyman alone. He has IM's to take care of.


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

Buggyman your garage shelves are so neatly organized! I swear it looks exactly like the opposite of mine


----------



## air skooled (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

On the jetting(Ohhh!,you're gonna love jetting 
_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_ 
It may prove more economical shipping wise to order up a range of jets both just above and below your target,every time I went into SmallCar or AutoHaus I'd ask for one thing and walked out with two







,so I have some spares here including some F7 ET's,the correct drop arm,other arms,air-idle-main jets....,
What the?
"Now leave buggyman alone. He has IM's to take care of."











































Ohhh,that's just too funny http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 

Glad I can make somebodys day.








My answer to jetting these carbs. Weber jet drills. Drill them out or solder them up and drill them smaller. Get to where you need it and then order the ones you need. This saves alot of TIME and MONEY. These have saved me so many headaches. Looks like I need to replace the missing drill bits.


----------



## The Nick (Aug 28, 2006)

inspiring!


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

*Re: (The Nick)*

Whats going on with the turbo?


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

*Re: (The Nick)*

Edit : Double post


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*

I bought a house, the turbo project has been put on hold. I'll be back to it when it warms up a bit more.


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

Well congradulations on the new house, I sure cant wait until spring either


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: I've come from the Dark Side (DubsMcGee)*

Turbo parts have arrived, stay tuned


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: I've come from the Dark Side (buggyman)*

Man, whoever owned that carb before me messed it up pretty good. And was it dirty, oh boy. Hopefully it works better when I'm done rebuilding it.
oh, and turns out my girlfriend loves the smell of carb cleaner










_Modified by DubsMcGee at 9:39 PM 2-15-2008_


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

Whats new


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*

This

It's taken me a while to get it running but yesterday I finally got it to start. I was having real problems getting it to run, I thought I may have switched some plug wires around, not the case. I thought I may not be getting fuel to the carb, not the case. I thought I wasn't getting spark, again, not the case. Turns out the new intake boots I ordered sucked and ripped.








So I modified the old ones to work better and put them back on, put everything else back together and she fired right up! In the process of all of that I adjusted the valves, and good thing I did too, some of them were way out (~.015-.020")








This has been my temporary workshop while it has been bitterly cold out, and yes I am using an ironing board as a workbench.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Buggyman, I've got some Q's for you. When I was originally talking about the jetting of the carb you recommended this
1600cc-1835cc
28mm venturis
145 mains
165 airs
F11 emulsions
60 idles
I drilled the mains out to around 145, not sure what they actually turned out to be since I used a # drill (it was close) and left the rest of the jets the same, 160 airs, 50 idles, and F7 emulsions but I changed the vents to 32mm (for the turbo). The engine idles fairly well right now and doesn't die when I quickly give it some throttle (as seen in the vid) but when I slowly open it up it seems like it leans out way too much and dies. It would run before and I could get it to rev up to around 5K if I went slowly before I rebuilt it. Should I throw the 28mm vents back in there and try it with those or should I look at re-jetting?


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

I think I remember buggyman warning me about those crappy red intake boots. I never noticed you were using them. The black ones are better


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*

Put the 28's back in and no difference really, it still dies at about 1/4 throttle. Kinda weird since I could really get it going before I rebuilt it. 
What is the deal with the cold start circuits on these carbs? I have the block off plate for it but I was talking to someone over at Art Thraen's place and he told me to plug both the starter jets and the spring loaded starter valves as well. I don't have them plugged right now but should I, any advantage in leaving them unplugged with the blocking plate on there?


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

The idle seems pretty strong and the mixture screws are set about 1 turn out from seated. From what I've been reading with 145 mains you should have 200 airs, I'm running 160 airs right now, could that be more of the issue than the idles?


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

I've read through those articles and didn't find them as useful for someone that is as inexperienced with carbs as I am. This website has some really good information on Webers and I've learned quite a bit about how they work.
http://www.carburetorclinic.com/
I got a boost sensitive FPR when I ordered the turbo stuff from CB, it can be seen in the upper right of this picture. I'm guessing that I can hook it up without the turbo and it'll just reference atmospheric pressure and I can adjust from there. I'll just have to figure out which hose goes where first.








I'll have to see if I can get a range of jets from the dune buggy guy around here to try out.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_"From what I've been reading with 145 mains you should have 200 airs,"
http://www.cbperformance.com/carbs.asp 


Touche


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

It's going to take some time before I get it to the point of being drivable but when I get there I'll have to start all over again to get the turbo working right. Any suggestions on the range of jets I should pick up? I'm thinking 140, 150, 155 mains (have 145 on there now); 155, 165, 170 airs (have 160); 45, 55, 60 idles (have 50) or should I skip some of them?


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

I'm still confused about why it ran in the higher RPM range before I rebuilt it and after the rebuild it does not


----------



## air skooled (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*


_Quote, originally posted by *DubsMcGee* »_ Kinda weird since I could really get it going before I rebuilt it.

That is your first clue right there. You have something wrong in the carb. Make sure that the gaskets are the right ones. Did you compare them to the old ones? You could be blocking off a passage if the gasket is wrong. Also did you blow out all the passages with an air compressor and make sure that they were clear. Also check the jets to make sure they are clear too. It doesn't take much to clog up a passage. I listened to your vid and it sounds like it is running on 2 cylinders. Definitely too lean. If you want, I will look and see what the jetting is on my carb. It is a 44 mm. Isn't yours a 40?


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (air skooled)*

yeah, mine is a 40. 
Before I rebuilt it, it took a lot to get it started but once it started it idled (not as good as it does now) and if I, very slowly, opened the throttle it would rev up all the way to 5000 if I wanted it to. But the if I got on it quick the accelerator pump didn't do it's job and the engine died.
During the rebuild I took every piece apart and practically emptied a whole can of carb cleaner into the thing and blew everything out with an air compressor before putting it all back together. the kit I got came with 2 gaskets that looked identical to the one that was on there before so I put one of those on, I didn't see any difference between them but I'll check again. Now it starts up real nice (the idle is set really low right now which is probably why it sounds like a tractor) and It'll rev a little if I get on it quick which tells me that the accelerator pump jets are cleared. 
One thing that I am thinking that could explain it is that the valves in the cold start circuit were stuck ever so slightly open giving the engine enough fuel to make it through transition and into the main jets. When I pulled them out one came out with a little resistance and the other was pretty well stuck.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

One thing about the carb was when I got it the PO extended the holes to mount the air cleaner base through the body of the carb back by the cold start circuit







they didn't break into any passages but came close to the starter jets (which I found out later are not used in VW's) So to be safe I filled the holes while I was rebuilding and chased the threads out for the starter jets. When I chased the threads I went a little deeper than the original threads. The starter circuit is blocked of with a block off plate so I think these jets and the starter valves are non operable anyways.
I talked to the carb guy at aircooled engineering and he told me that when he is rebuilding these carbs he fills the starter jets with lead and pulls the starter valves, taps the hole and installs a plug. So that really makes me think that the issue is not there.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

The red circled area is the cold start circuit (the brass in the upper part are the jets and the lower stuff are the valves) and the black is where the holes were.








Edit: not my carb


----------



## air skooled (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Run through the troubleshooting chart here. http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3551368
I still think that something is clogged/blocked somewhere. Have you pulled the jetstack back out for inspection? Also the idle gas jets can get clogged very easily, if it has them.


_Modified by air skooled at 9:15 PM 2-27-2008_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (air skooled)*

I'll have to read through that again. Another thing, I don't have that brass plug down by the accelerator pump inlet in that picture I posted. I'm guessing it is just to keep dirt and other junk that settle to the bottom of the bowl out of the accelerator pump and jets. Probably not a big deal as long as I put clean fuel in?


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

Faaaaaaaaantastic







Any idea where I would get my hands on one of those?
edit:
"pump exhaust valve" item 13 on weber sheet 18950.138, I see it now. Grrrrrrrrrrrr!


_Modified by DubsMcGee at 10:27 PM 2-28-2008_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

You don't think I should get the stock size of .55 right away? If I get the closed one what is the difference between that and just plugging the port with a set screw?
http://www.racetep.com/weber/40IDF70.pdf


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

I spoke to Art Thraen again over at ACE and ended up picking up 055 pump jets, a 035 exhaust vavle, the starter jet that I needed, and the Plugs for the starter valves on his recommendation. A little more than I wanted to spend but with the amount of help those guys have given me and if that's what it takes to get it running I 'spose it's worth it. But still, $18 for shipping


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

I just find it amazing how you know all this stuff. Art actually told me that for a single weber on a VW engine you shouldn't use anything other than a 035 exhaust valve and 055 pump jets. 
I pressure tested the carb today and it passed the smoke test







http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif No leaks around the throttle shaft @ 10psi as far as I could tell. Makes me pretty happy. This is how I did it if anyone ever needs to do this same thing.
Taped a 20 oz soda bottle to the pressure hat and melted a small hole in the bottom for the compressed air nozzle.








Used incense as my smoke source (nice laminar flow so detecting a leak would be easy)








And the rest speaks for itself.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Just got all the stuff, installed it and it still does not want to rev up. I'm going to take the carb apart again and clean it out once more.
So when I was talking to Art about the jets and such he told me to plug the two starter valves by taking the rings, nipples, and springs out and tapping the hole and putting a plug in to pin the valve against the bottom. He also told me to plug the bottom hole in the starter jets with something and actually sold me one jet that was already plugged. Is there any reason to not do this and leave everything the way it is?


----------



## air skooled (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

WOW. Nothing like getting a POS carb. Shoulda just bought a new one. You would have been better off in the long run. And you think you got troubles now...just wait till you get that turbo on. Especially a blow through setup. Have fun. You have a HUGE learning curve ahead of you.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_unless he's recommending that because you will be drasticly raising pressure internally when the turbo is introduced which might pop them back into play inadvertantly at boost,but I can't see that affecting anything until the turbo is introduced,so you may want to clarify that with him







.









Pretty much exactly what he said. He also told me that they do all that to every carb they sell there, so I'll probably go ahead and get that taken care of tomorrow.
No long squirts from the accelerator jets yet so I'll clean that circuit out again along with every other passage in the carb. I'll probably run a thin soft wire through them all to try and get any lodged debris out.
As far as the carb being a POS, I don't think that it is quite at that point. PIA (pain in the ass), yes, but with how dirty it was and how much I've been messing around with it, it might just still be plugged somewhere.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

I win.


----------



## air skooled (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Took ya long enough.







http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

I was hoping no one was going to ask that............I had the axillary venturis in upside down








oh well, it gave me the chance to tap the starter valve holes, plug the starter jets, and give the carb another thorough cleaning.


----------



## air skooled (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

No actually...I win!!!. And your welcome.

_Quote, originally posted by *air skooled* »_
That is your first clue right there. You have something wrong in the carb.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_
That's what prompted the brake light switch mod,pull left-the left brakelight goes on,push right-the right brakelight goes on,hit the pedal-they both go on







.









I like that. did you just use two pressure switches? one on either side after the turning brakes?
Sucks for your buddy, how's he feeling now?


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Just ordered my fuel pump. It's an inline jobber, do they like to push or pull? I'm thinking push and mounting it as close to the fuel tank as I can because I have a great place for my boost sensitive regulator back there.
Another q, can low pressure fuel hose (i.e. carb line) handle 25 psi? I'll probably be seeing pressures around 15 psi at the carb and I want a little safety margin. I would rather not have to buy high pressure fuel hose for after the regulator if I don't have to.
I love how this has become a 3 person thread


_Modified by DubsMcGee at 12:50 PM 3-8-2008_


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

3 people talking, 1000 people listening.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

First day over 40 here in quite some time, really got a chance to do some more work. I got the throttle cable and linkage sorted out, probably not the best way to do it but it'll have to work.
The new linkage works so much better and is so much simpler in operation than the other one.








I had to add a fairly hefty spring in the back to get the pedal to return, buggyman, I remember you saying something about not adding a return spring to the other end of the shaft so I heeded your advice on that one http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_
Did you just epoxy the cable guide tube shank into the air filter base after bevelling the hole at an angle







?,or is that 2 custom made bevelled sleeves,1 upper and 1 lower pinching the the tube in place







?,the angle of attack looks perfect







http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 

The whole assembly was purchased from CB performance, I just added the big spring. I wish I was that good.
http://www.cbperformance.com/c...D=534

_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_
The fuel line "SAE 30R7 NOT FOR FUEL INJECTION" written right on the hose,the specs for 30R7 run up to either 35 or 50psi depending on it's diameter.........I see a chafe on the line running from the pump to the carb in a previous pic due to it rubbing on the inner edge of the old linkage boss on the manifold







.

Good to hear about the pressure rating on the hose, looks like it'll work for me downstream of the FPR. I don't think that is chafing that you are seeing, I think it is just dirty. I haven't driven it since I put the carb on so there really wasn't any way for it to chafe. Those lines will be gone anyways once I get the new fuel pump.

_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_Cleanly route the plug cables up next to the fan shroud using 3 http://www2.cip1.com/SearchRes...earch to keep them up off the hot cylinder tin and flappin' in the breeze,the holes are already in the shroud to accomodate 'em and plugging those holes with the clips just decreases the amount of cooling air intended to run over the cylinders and heads that's bleeding off through them







.

I've actually got those clips, they might not be in at the moment because of how much I was messing around in there but they will be back in soon.

_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_The K&N air filter is dry and white,gotta mist it with some K&N filter oil which greatly increases it's filtering ability and tends to turn the cotton element red

This came with the linkage kit and I'm just using it for the time being, the pressure hat will go on as soon as the turbo is mounted, then there will be no need to oil it. I don't want to waste any of my k&n oil if I don't have to.


----------



## Jeepr21 (Jul 28, 2004)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

DubsMcGee... Sorry I don't really want to read through all the pages... buttttttttt... you are putting the turbo on top of the carb basically... where the air goes through the carb and into your engine.... what type of carb do you have? does it have a float? 
The whole Turbo/Carb discussion must have already been addressed, but i'm going to reiterate because it very well might not have been... when you turbo"charge" the air going into the engine, you are basically forcing air into the motor. this means that when the carb opens to spray the fuel in there... will it have enough force behind the gas to force it into your motor as well?
what can happen is that pressurized air will cause more pressure in the carb then what your pump is capable of (I noticed somewhere that you got a larger psi pump)... thus air will be forced back through your fuel line, and could cause issues with gas coming out of your tank!








how familiar are you with turbo's?
I would suggest Megasquirt and a Ford EDIS system... with Injectors... then you can run an Electric fuel pump for more psi...
http://s18.photobucket.com/alb...o.flv
This is my senior project... we had to run 40psi through the fuel system... so consider the amount of pressure you have to run in your motor. I can provide you with ALOT more information if you want.
I plan to do exactly what you're doing, only fuel injection + turbo (maybe smaller)...
the larger the turbo, the longer the spool time... is the turbo the right size for your engine? 
if you have all this covered then sweet deal!... but i am just trying to give you some more info if you lack it. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
I've seen your buggy and its awesome... and very soon i'll be aquiring one


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Jeepr21)*

all covered. The blow through that I am doing will be possible because I am going to run a fuel pump that is capable of putting out 100 psi then running it through a boost sensitive fuel pressure regulator that will decrease the pressure to about 5 psi above boost, I'll be running about 10 psi of boost so that'll increase the fuel pressure to 15 psi not allowing the carb pressurized with 10 psi of air to push fuel back up the lines. The turbo is a K03 out of an Audi S4 and is actually on the smaller side for my engine. I don't want to go fuel injected right now because of the cost, and headaches it'll give me trying to figure out how to control it all. Someday it'll happen, just not now.
If you want to know more about blowthrough turbos check out this thread.
http://www.shoptalkforums.com/...light=


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *buggyman* »_
"so there really wasn't any way for it to chafe."
"they will be back in soon."
"don't want to waste any of my k&n oil if I don't have to."
Just keeping an eye out







http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif .









and I appreciate it http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

I got the turbo apart this afternoon and rotated the bearing housing so I could let gravity drain the oil (before the drain port was on top and the feed port was on the bottom, not gonna cut it). It took a little effort/heat to get it apart but it came apart fairly easily.








Here it is back together with the feed port where it's supposed to be and the compressor housing pointing where I want it. I don't know if it'll work the way I have it with the wastegate actuator where it is but I'll give it a try.








I also had to file a little of the bearing housing down buy the oil drain to make clearance for a bolt head. I left a sharp inside corner which on afterthought probably wasn't the best idea but looking at the other side of the oil drain there is another sharp inside corner so I'm guessing it won't be that big of a deal.








Oh, and the fuel pump arrived today.......getting closer and closer to putting it all together


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Got the header in the mail today and slapped it up for a test fit. Looks like it'll work out really well, I just need to notch the skid plate to clear one of the flanges. 
















I'll be bringing it to work to fab up an adapter to go from the T3 mount to the K03 mount, a block off plate for the wastegate flange and and exhaust flange for the turbo.
This is what I'm thinking for the exhaust at the moment, it'd be really funny but probably wont work too well.


----------



## Jeepr21 (Jul 28, 2004)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*


_Quote, originally posted by *DubsMcGee* »_I don't want to go fuel injected right now because of the cost, and headaches it'll give me trying to figure out how to control it all. Someday it'll happen, just not now.
If you want to know more about blowthrough turbos check out this thread.
http://www.shoptalkforums.com/...light=

the briggs project ran up to about $2000 for everything... engine/turbo/oil fittings/lines/fuel pump/fuel reg/ oil filter/fuel filter/etc etc etc... however... the awesomeness is priceless, because its currently on a gocart...
no matter how you do it... it's going to be a headache. Carb+turbo fuel injection+turbo. Fuel Injection is not hard at all!







... all the info is out there... just have to know where to look. it's actually REALLY easy... Megasquirt has TONS of information on their website... 
Alot of Turbo info too, take a look 
http://www.megamanual.com/index.html
Also you want to look into Intake Plenum's (spell?)... basically there's a certain radius that you want your intakes to be so air will enter your engine the most efficient way... it will help... btw, our turbo briggs made 13hp untuned... 260% power increase... can't wait to see it when it is tuned.
Now off the topic of turboing for a second... what pages in your thread shows your front end of the sandrail? at work and can't see the pictures atm, and i'm just to lazy to search through it all. 
My front end is welded on, and wanted to see if thats what you did or if you bolted it on. the guy did a crap job welding it too, so i was thinking of cutting it and fixing it to be bolt on. my other option is to leave it and just reinforce it and clean it up. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 


_Modified by Jeepr21 at 9:26 AM 3-25-2008_


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Jeepr21)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Jeepr21* »_
the briggs project ran up to about $2000 for everything... engine/turbo/oil fittings/lines/fuel pump/fuel reg/ oil filter/fuel filter/etc etc etc...


Apples to Oranges, you can't really compare costs of fuel injecting a B&S to an ACVW, sure it is the same principle but there is going to be a cost multiplier for the parts.

_Quote, originally posted by *Jeepr21* »_
no matter how you do it... it's going to be a headache. 

I partially disagree, there probably will be a headache with the carb but I already have the knowledge and resources to get it going right now. If I went fuel injected there would be a learning curve that would take me a few months of research, getting all the parts, tuning with a computer vs. a screwdriver, etc.......
Turbo carb = headache Turbo FI = Migraine
Bottom line, I want to have a purely mechanical engine ATM just for the simplicity and the fact that everyone has Turbo'd FI engines. How many Carb'd turbo setups have you seen rolling around








I do appreciate all the information you are giving me though, don't get me wrong. When it comes time for me to go FI I know who I'll be talking to http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 

_Quote, originally posted by *Jeepr21* »_
what pages in your thread shows your front end of the sandrail?

Page 8


----------



## Jeepr21 (Jul 28, 2004)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*


_Quote, originally posted by *DubsMcGee* »_
Apples to Oranges, you can't really compare costs of fuel injecting a B&S to an ACVW, sure it is the same principle but there is going to be a cost multiplier for the parts.


its more like Macintosh Apples to Green Apples
The only cost multiplier would be fuel injector and intake manifold. The rest of the parts can ALL be used to turbo a car. (the turbo can too! if its a small car!) the turbo was $450... 500 shipped... you can get a pretty decent turbo for that price that is alot larger...
fuel injector X4 and slightly larger... ours was custom ... however incorrectly advertised as a high impedence when we needed a low... but we still got it to work. simple setting in MS. the intake manifold was stainless steel with the plenum (which you should also look into for your current setup!!)
Research the Plenum!!! that has nothing to do with FI, it has to do with airflow... 
we did alot of other machine work... such as had the 32:1 tooth wheel lasercut ... manifold... exhaust... all fab work... and free... good thing... that would have run another $2k all in all.

_Quote, originally posted by *DubsMcGee* »_
I partially disagree, 
Turbo carb = headache Turbo FI = Migraine


I will agree to disagree..heh... they're both headaches non-the-less which you do realize. a computer can actually tune by itself... and then you can FINE tune it after... AND there are already so many people who are using megasquirt, that you can steal their maps/settings and it would probably almost be a direct plug and play... Europe has alot of 1.6liter engines... and with that there is alot of tuning systems there... My gti runs DTA which came from europe... and I actually contacted a guy there who had customers with similar setups to my car, and he gave me their maps to try because my map is really poorly configured. (yes a headache)... Carbs dont get along with me very well... so I'm really just out to get them... still I can't wait to see the progress so dont take my critizism the wrong way. I had a Jeep for my first car, and I replaced the carb... 3-4 times ... they're easy and stuff... but i prefer fuel injection more.

_Quote, originally posted by *DubsMcGee* »_
Bottom line, I want to have a purely mechanical engine ATM just for the simplicity and the fact that everyone has Turbo'd FI engines.


heh you make is sound so easy! why not go for higher compression and ported heads with more aggresive cams? you can gain alot of power from that without a turbo. granted you might not gain reliability and daily driver status... but do you plan on riding this everyday all over the place? if so... then i guess turboing might be alright... what is the compression of the cylinders right now? are you going to lower them? you should just bolt on a subaru boxer 4 cylinder and be done with it








prolly will cost less too hehe
You need to get a variable boost turbo (i think thats what it's called)... its awesome... they are on mainly porsche... but i think the saturn skything has one too... research them they're neat.

_Quote, originally posted by *DubsMcGee* »_
I do appreciate all the information you are giving me though, don't get me wrong. When it comes time for me to go FI I know who I'll be talking to http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 


Maybe I should to a Fuel Injection setup with a turbo and we can compare the 2... that would be interesting. I have a turbo that is a good size for my engine too (i think)... also from an audi i believe (much older model however)... its a KKK K16 or something like that... but first i need to get my engine running and attached... along with EVERYTHING else haha... maybe by then you'll wanna switch to FI








EDIT: when i get home i will look for my plenum calculator we made in excel... it will calculate the length of your intake runner, as well and plenum radius and diameter (I think)
EDIT EDIT: ALSO... if you dont have this book... go buy it! "Maximum Boost" that is, by far, the most informative book you could EVER own on Turbo systems. It is well worth the money (i think its only like $20 bucks used) http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 


_Modified by Jeepr21 at 3:20 PM 3-25-2008_


----------



## air skooled (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (Jeepr21)*

Either way the engine he has now will not last very long with a turbo on it.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (air skooled)*


_Quote, originally posted by *air skooled* »_Either way the engine he has now will not last very long with a turbo on it.

why do you say that?


----------



## air skooled (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Stock crank, recon rods, recon heads, not balanced. It wasn't built for a turbo. Needs forged pistons, you might have that though. Should have a turbo cam for best performance. I would keep it under 5 psi boost. You will be stressing all the stock parts. Look at it this way. You're learing how to turbo a motor with not much cash spent. Have fun with it but know in the back of your mind that it won't last.


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (air skooled)*


_Quote, originally posted by *air skooled* »_Stock crank, recon rods, recon heads, not balanced. It wasn't built for a turbo. Needs forged pistons, you might have that though. Should have a turbo cam for best performance. I would keep it under 5 psi boost. You will be stressing all the stock parts. Look at it this way. You're learing how to turbo a motor with not much cash spent. Have fun with it but know in the back of your mind that it won't last. 

Very true, I realize this isn't the most ideal setup but it's not like I'm the first person turboing a virtually stock ACVW engine. There are no plans to go balls to the wall with this setup, I'm planning on keeping it pretty mild, it's merely an experiment and a really fun project.


----------



## Jeepr21 (Jul 28, 2004)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

I found a REALLY good picture of a sandrail with a turbo setup on the back... I'll post the pictures when i get home today.... its a pretty nice setup too. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Jeepr21)*

So I need to tap the case for the turbo oil feed and I am going to pull the plug up by the distributor and the oil pressure sender port. It looks like I'll have to tap it 3/8" NPT, will there be enough wall left there to be safe or am I going to have to figure out something else? Also what is the best way to pull those plugs?
Pic for reference.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

I got quite a bit done in the long break since I last posted, not sure if anyone is still following this but at this point I'm doing it so I can look back at the progress.
I made an adapter to allow me to bolt the K03 to a T3 bolt pattern at work, fairly simple but works pretty good.
























I also got and tapped a fuel pump block off to use as the oil drain from the turbo.








I'm using AN-3 braided brake line for the oil supply and AN-10 for the oil drain. I ended up tapping the case 1/4 NPT.








I spent this weekend plumbing the oil lines and getting the new fuel pump and regulator mounted and set up (I broke 2 10-24 taps off in the holes and had fun getting those out







). The fuel pump is capable of 100 psi but the regulator brings that down to 3 psi over boost. Once I got the fuel down to 3 psi it really started running much better as well.
























Oh, and buggyman, you'll be happy to know I picked up a bunch of the rolled edge hose clamps for all the fuel line http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## MALLMAN (Jan 19, 2002)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

mother ****ing right!
Looking good. I want to be around when it gets run the first time... please let me know!


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (MALLMAN)*

You better make it over soon, it's going to be run (minus the charge pipe) sometime this week and probably more over the weekend. Maybe we could drive it around with the turbo on but no boost a little bit









Before I put the charge pipe on I need to figure out the CR of the engine and purchase copper head spacers if needed and then find a bender or someone to bend me up a pipe.


----------



## MALLMAN (Jan 19, 2002)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

word. i will be out in stillwater all weekend working on the gti. maybe if i come back out on saturday i could stop by.
i cant wait to hear that sucker.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

Woke up with water in my walk in closet (bedroom is in the basement) this morning







luckily it was not much and it made it to the drain for the furnace but I am praying that I don't get home from work to a disaster. I think it is from a downspout that isn't in the ideal location, so that is on the list of things to do asap.
I am planning on using synthetic or at least a synthetic blend in the engine from now on. I think the issue with VW/Audi was they routed the feed line too close to the exhaust manifold and that is why it would coke in the lines. I would like to hear what the techs say though, it's always good to have a recommendation or two from someone that does this for a living http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
The fuel pressure regulator recirculates all unused pressure (fuel) back to the tank so the pump doesn't dead head at all. Also all fuel hose before the regulator is rated for fuel injection use so a burst line should not be a problem.


----------



## VWVortex4life (Sep 16, 2007)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Man if I had an ounce your auto knowledge and some more money...I would love starting a project like that...props man...mad props.


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (VWVortex4life)*

Thanks, but before I started this project I hadn't done anything more complicated than changing my oil. It's all about the research, resources at your disposal, and being very meticulous when you actually get into it.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*


----------



## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

I forsee serious horsepower







Dont forget to post vids of it doing wheelies.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

She's running







and boy does she sound mean. I had it running on Thursday with the turbo, pulled the plugs to take a look see and pulled out (not stripped, actually pulled the threads right out of the head) putting them back in. So yesterday I helicoiled all the plug holes so hopefully that doesn't happen again. Got it all back together and fired it up. 
Pics and videos tomorrow probably.


----------



## MALLMAN (Jan 19, 2002)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*


_Quote, originally posted by *DubsMcGee* »_
Pics and videos tomorrow probably.


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (MALLMAN)*


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

I really need to figure out the jetting, it seems to run ok and I get on it a little bit and it still runs ok, then I try again and it starts sputtering and coughing. I took all the jets out, blew them out, put them back and it runs like a champ again until I get on it a little bit. It almost seems like they are clogging up.
I'm going to drill the airs out to 220 as suggested by Scott the Viking over on shoptalkforums and see what happens.
the others are:
140 mains
50 idles
turbo e-tubes
again, all suggested by STV.


----------



## air skooled (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (buggyman)*

I did??? Someone needs to do that to me.







Anyway, sounds like you are running lean. An air/fuel gauge would be a good investment. That way you will know exactly what is going on at all times. Keep up the good work. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://autometer.com/media_new...id=66


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*FV-QR*

I'm going to try bigger idles and mains tonight and see if that makes a difference. I'm working on getting a wideband to tune it right but I need to get it to a point where I can actually drive it to be able to tune it, the way it sits right now it probably wouldn't make it into 2nd let alone around the block. 
I don't have the proper modulator rings for the turbo because I can not find any, and the one guy that makes them has not been around for quite some time. Everything I have read about the turbo set ups talk about mod rings instead of velocity stacks, they neck down right above the top of the carb a couple mm smaller than the venturi's to get an high velocity area up there as well.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: FV-QR (DubsMcGee)*

Ok, I put 60 idles in and it definitely drives better, still kinda dies in 1st going up my driveway around 1800-2200 rpm. But, now it's not idling as well, it's acting erratic and blowing some smoke, a very small amount of black while it's idling and white after I rev it up. I also have to turn the idle adjustment screw almost all the way in to keep it running. 
I ran it in a circle in my yard and got it to do the sputtering and coughing I mentioned a couple of posts up.

Took all the jets out and blew them out, put them back in and it idles again, like the idles got plugged







(semi-erratic idle).

More idle (gets weird at the end)

It does ok under quick loads now (quick forward and reverse, sounds a little weird in reverse)

Idle and white smoke.


Bigger idles (70) and mains (160-165) to get it to idle with the adjustment screw cranked down and to make it through transition without loosing power? 


_Modified by DubsMcGee at 7:50 PM 5-20-2008_


----------



## air skooled (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: FV-QR (DubsMcGee)*


_Quote, originally posted by *air skooled* »_ And you think you got troubles now...just wait till you get that turbo on. Especially a blow through setup. Have fun. You have a HUGE learning curve ahead of you.









Don't give up. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: FV-QR (buggyman)*

What about this?
"This is all based on the important fact that your speed screws are not open more than ½ turn if they are then that is also an indication that you have a lean Idle circuit. You are cheating by opening the throttle plates and exposing additional progression holes in the transition."
taken from http://www.redlineweber.com/ht...s.htm
Maybe I'll take the turbo e-tubes out and put the F7's back in and see what happens since I am running such low boost right now (1-3 psi).


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: FV-QR (DubsMcGee)*

I put 28mm vents back in and wow, that really improved the idle. I was able to turn the idle adjustment screw out a bit (but not as far out as it should be) and actually was able to take it around the block (only made it into 2nd and didn't take it past 3k) it stuttered a little bit after the shift and when climbing up my driveway in the lower rpm range but a vast improvement from yesterday. 
Right now the mixture screws are only about 1/3 to 1/2 turn out from seated but the idle speed screw is turned in 2 turns from contact with the throttle lever. Not sure which direction I need to go now, the above article makes me think I need to go bigger on the idles. 
I haven't touched the mains or airs yet.


----------



## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: FV-QR (buggyman)*

Slowly but surely I'll get there, once I get a wideband hopefully this'll go a lot quicker. I put 65s in and it didn't really do as much as I hoped it would. To get a 900 rpm idle I had to turn the idle adjustment screw in 2.5 turns (yesterday I'm guessing, purely on how it sounded, it was idling around 600 rpm with the 60s and the idle adjustment screw in 2 turns) and the mixture screws were about 1/3 turn out from seated.
Got some more videos, first one shows some flat spots around 2k (the blobs on the very top of the tach are rpm, first blob = 1000 etc...) and the second video is of idle and small amounts of black smoke upon quick throttle (you really have to look hard to see it). I need a better camera for videos :x 


Bigger still? Should I go up another 1/2 size to 70 or should I just make the jump to 75? 
It feels like it drives better over yesterday, not as much hesitation and it will climb my driveway now without issue. It stays running in 3rd at low rpms as well. I have been adjusting the mixing screw after each jet change and right now turning it out over 1/4 turn makes it run like poo. I have them set at the point where it runs the best and that is about 1/3 turn out from seated. 
*It will stay running with the mixture screws all the way turned in and fully seated the way it is set up now *


_Modified by DubsMcGee at 7:19 PM 5-22-2008_


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## ekulnoyl (Jan 27, 2006)

nice build.... I have meyers manx type buggy that I'm building right now, I will also be doing a turbo on it... my camera is broke though, otherwise I would get some pics.


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*FV-QR*

Thanks, it's pretty fun and interesting doing all this stuff and getting it to work right.
I threw this together tonight, I may attempt making a few of these if I can get the relationship of the hole through the body of the jet to the hole in the front for the different sizes (looks like it could be 2:1). I could probably make some mains and airs pretty easily as well.


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*FV-QR*

I don't suppose you have a caliper that you could use to check the diameter of the holes in the bodies of the 60s or 65s or both? If you could somehow verify by measuring (or at least visually comparing them to the caliper jaws, which is how I "measured" them at home) that the holes in the 60's are 1.2mm (.0472") and the holes in the 65s are 1.3mm (.0512) that would allow me to move forward quickly. 
Don't work too hard this weekend.


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: FV-QR (buggyman)*

I need to FedEx you a case of beer or something







It definitely ran best with the 65s in there and I even took the carb apart again when I switched vents and blew everything out with compressed air and I could feel it coming out the bottom and top of the carb when I blew through the jet holes. Where does the idle circuit draw fuel from? Maybe that passage is plugged and I don't know it. I'm going to start out with 65s again after I clean the carb out again and take it from there.


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: FV-QR (buggyman)*

I blew out all the passages in the carb again and they didn't seemed clogged. Do the main jets/emulsions have anything to do with the idles since the idle circuit is fed in the jet stack passage?
I just ordered an Innovate LC-1 Wideband so I can get this right on the quick, I'm finished putzing around.


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*FV-QR*

I'm going to have to monkey around with everything a bit more once I get it all back together. Up until now the air bypass screws have been locked shut, I'll crack those open like you say and see if that helps at all.


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: FV-QR (DubsMcGee)*

I almost think the idles are too large. I have completely closed the mixture screws and I am able to turn the idle screw out more than I can with the mixture screws open at all and it idles really nicely.


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: FV-QR (buggyman)*

well I am in Orlando this week at a conference so I will not be doing any work to it. and I'll probably wait until I get my wideband to mess around with it any more, I want to see exactly where my AFR is. I'm bringing it to a show next weekend and it is in a running state right now so I'm going to leave it for the time being.


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: FV-QR (buggyman)*

I've been pretty busy lately so I haven't gotten a chance to post up, buggyman has been in contact with me still trying to help me get on the right track and I think we are much closer.
I put the 32mm vents back in and cracked the air bypass screws open and was able to back the idle speed screw out a little and open up the mixture screws about 3/4 of a turn and it idles with an AFR in the mid 12s at 900 RPM. At 3000 rpm under no load the AFR sits right at 10.0. This is all with the turbo hooked up. I http://****************.com/smile/emlove.gif this wideband, takes the guessing right out of it.
Another thing, I brought it to a show (Eurowerks '08) last week with 175 other cars and brought this home


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: FV-QR (DubsMcGee)*

I just took it around the block and it hesitates pretty badly on upshifts and sudden throttle and I can hear it backfiring through the carb (at least that is what I think it is) every so often. It stays idling though.


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: FV-QR (DubsMcGee)*

http://www.innovatemotorsports...=8860
I put NGK B7HS plugs in and switched up the jets to what JohnConnolly recommended, 110 Airs, 130 Mains, and 50 Idles. Huge difference, it's idling now like it should, mixture screws ~1 turn out and idle speed screw ~1.5 turns in with the air bypass screws closed.
I'm getting about 12.5-12.7 AFR readings at idle, low 11's at 2k with no load, and mid to high 12s at 3k with no load.
It is still leaning out a lot (mid 20s) when I give it fast throttle, I turned the accelerator pump adjustment screw all the way in and it didn't help. Should I try a 0 pump exhaust valve? The exhaust valve that is in there now is a 35 and the pump jets are 55s.


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## MALLMAN (Jan 19, 2002)

*Re: FV-QR (DubsMcGee)*

Glad to see that you are still working on getting this set up correctly! 
http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*FV-QR*

I'm taking a break for a while, it is on the verge of being not fun anymore. I can't let that happen.


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## MALLMAN (Jan 19, 2002)

*Re: FV-QR (DubsMcGee)*

Understood!
The gti is currently just sitting because i have had enough of it in its current state....


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## Happy_person36 (Dec 22, 2006)

I'm just going to throw this out there... arent 009 distributors known to cause hesitation, and a flat spot under fast engine acceleration?


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Happy_person36)*


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## grimjkj (Mar 10, 2009)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

nice,finally got it street legal huh?Any updates to this buggy?


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (grimjkj)*

Yup


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## animated_jetta (Jan 23, 2007)

*Re: UPDATE 9/10 (MALLMAN)*


_Quote, originally posted by *bkschott* »_

sorry I am reading the thread for the first time, being from Missouri, I just have to scream it....EJACULATE AND EVACUATE. Nice job on the build....even thought I am not near done reading it yet. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 

YES!
that's what we call it at Truman State!
mwhahaha

sorry, i know that's like 3 pages back, but i cant help myself...










_Modified by animated_jetta at 6:54 PM 3-10-2009_


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## grimjkj (Mar 10, 2009)

*Re: (DubsMcGee)*

Nice!I see a new turbo too!Keep us updated!


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## buggyman (Aug 24, 2004)

*Re: (grimjkj)*

"I see a new turbo too!"
Drawthrough maybe?





















.


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*FV-QR*

nope, still blowthrough.


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## buggyman (Aug 24, 2004)

*Re: FV-QR (DubsMcGee)*

Solve the adiabatic problem yet?
I know







,I'm werkin' ya for more info than neccessary





















.


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## DubsMcGee (Jul 31, 2005)

*FV-QR*

We'll see. I'm changing out so many parts that I'm going to have to start over (not that I got anywhere before). Bigger turbo, new carb body, big valve heads, CDI Ignition, etc... I think the small turbo just didn't have the flow rate for the carb. I'm also thinking about bringing it to a local shop that deals with a lot of aircooled stuff for the tuning.


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## oneunder (Mar 31, 2009)

DubsMcGee said:


> We'll see. I'm changing out so many parts that I'm going to have to start over (not that I got anywhere before). Bigger turbo, new carb body, big valve heads, CDI Ignition, etc... I think the small turbo just didn't have the flow rate for the carb. I'm also thinking about bringing it to a local shop that deals with a lot of aircooled stuff for the tuning.


Rise....RISE from the dead you silly thread.

I have heard about the build, and now got to read about it.

You most definitely need to finish/fix this.

I mean, I knew you were smart....but I didnt know you were THIS smart. 

Good hanging out with you the other night...will do it again soon.


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## duffmanh06 (Apr 22, 2008)

for serious, update please?


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## GolfGLIII (Aug 2, 2009)

Yeah im hooked, wheres the update?!


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