My Rail Thread

[Axitech]

[Aerindel]

[Guardian1]

Thanks for the replies guys!

Didget, yes I know about the shocks, it has been beat into my head by several members already. I actually already have some gas shocks picked out, the link to them is a little earlier in the post.

I planned to put a fan on the oil cooler, I never thought about the location of the cooler or if a line busted!!!!! (The plan was to keep the cooler at its current location and just add a fan) So where would the ideal location be for it? or how often does the oil lines break?

The break lines are also the "to do" list. All of this is new to me, so it takes a lot of forum reading and googling. But its fun, as I have said before, I think I have more fun working on the buggy then driving it!!!

I was able to get out in the garage this morning. I did not address any of the above, but after installing my permanent windshield, I was no longer able use my side mirror, so I welded on a tab. I am happy with the results.

[dustymojave]

My buggy seen in my avatar had the same Parker Push-Lok oil hoses for over 30 years. Gates sells very similar hose called "Lola". Parking indoors helps a lot for such things to last. Some hoses do not last for more than a few months. I got turned on to the Parker Push-Lok hose when I worked at a plastics company and drove my Baja Bug to work. A 4 month old cloth braided oil hose burst when I started the engine to leave work one day. The guys in the shop had just removed several feet of Parker Push-Lok hose from an injection mold, where it had been used for coolant lines. I had to wash out the anti-freeze and then remove the water with alcohol, but the hose worked so well I replaced all the hoses on my Baja and plumbed the 58 I was building with the Push-Lok and then did the same for my buggy. The hoses on my 58 Baja were installed in 1976, they were replaced in 2009 without having failed. I think that's pretty good service. The hose isn't cheap, but cheap stuff won't last. Motion Industries sells it for about $3/foot these days. Fittings need to be "push-lock" style. The Hose then needs no hose clamps.
_________________
Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet.

[Guardian1]

So I am going to tackle the fan on the oil cooler and adding snubbers to the backend. I talked with the good people down at Appletree Automotive and I now have a better understanding of what I need to do for the oil cooler.

I ordered from Appletree:
http://www.appletreeauto.com/INLINE-THERMO-SWITCH-3083-10/
http://www.appletreeauto.com/BUMP-STOP-ROUND-STACKED/

I also plan to hook up a relay, fuse and Fan indicator light. (I have not ordered this stuff yet, I want to make sure I have all the correct components first)
Fan - I was planning on mounting the fan on the outside and using it as "pull".
http://www.ebay.com/itm/301703996000?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Relay - http://www.ebay.com/itm/261661550774?_trksid=p2055...%3AIT[url]
Fuse - http://www.ebay.com/itm/161703555657?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Indicator light - http://www.ebay.com/itm/281512465779?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I do have a question, I know I want to hook up the inline thermo switch as close to the motor as possible, so I plan to hook it up right as it come out of the motor in front of the fan shroud. But would I hook it to the top or the bottom one?

I plan to get some 90 degree elbows for where the oil enters and exits the cooler. (Any ideas for the fittings?) I am noticing some stress marks in the hose because of the hard angle it has to take. I will also look into the Push-Lok hose and a means of "shielding" the fittings up top so incase of a line break the spray will be directed away from the driver and passenger. (Thanks for the heads up Didget)

[dustymojave]

[Guardian1]

[dustymojave]

_________________
Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet.

[dustymojave]

But if it's too easy, it isn't worth doing.


_________________
Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet.

[flashho]

I had trans cooler hose on my car and it lasted about 1 month in the desert. Now I am using Parker hose 836-8, 400psi and high temp.[ 300 degrees, I think]. Still looks and feels like new after a year. Peace of mind was worth the high costs of the hose.
_________________
rant _ classified ads with out pics are almost worthless

[Guardian1]

So the parts are starting to flow in from UPS, I end up getting the urethane bolt on snubbers that Uh60ce suggested, they only took a few minutes to install. Short term, they will help to keep the brake lines from getting pinched by the shock.

One of the part that arrived was the oil cooling fan, so I will work on a mount hopefully today, I plan to give about 1/2" clearance from the cooler.

After looking over what I will need to do, I realized that, it will not be this easy.

[jcmyers]

here's a pic of the front kyb gas shocks i got from Chirco this week for $140
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153182947612893&l=56a9cbdcbd

night and day difference from what was on there originally and yeah they're pry not great for off road, but just what my rail needed. looked on craigslist for awhile but couldn't find these type shocks

[TDCTDI]

You need to secure that brake line to the trailing arm, by leaving it loose, it will fatigue & fracture just by bouncing around.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[2RL]

When you get to the point of wiring up the fan, make sure one side of the temp sensor switch is grounded somehow. If its not it won't turn the fan on no matter how hot the oil gets.

On the old engine I had in my rail I had the fan wired through an on-off-on switch. One side was controlled byt the thermostat and the other was a manual override. I did it that way so that if for some reason the thermostat didn't kick the fan on I could manually make it run continuously. That and a temp gauge to monitor things and it worked good.

If I remember correctly I used a relay to make it work, and controlled the ground side of the circuit with the switch or the temp sensor depending upon which position the control switch was in . It wasn't difficult to make it work.

[dustymojave]

[Guardian1]

I plan to go with KYB gas shock too, (I am glad to hear they are good!!!) I will probably get them towards the end of summer with a new ceramic stinger exhaust and the baffle/spark arrester combo. Jcmyers, what type did you get? are they the same one I linked earlier in the post? I cannot open the link. I don't have a Facebook account

As far as the brake lines go, I really cannot tie them to the trailing arms because the PO did not make the brake lines long enough to begin with. At some point (In the near future) I will redo all the lines. I still need to research how the lines are "suppose" to be ran and what parts I will need to do it the correct way.

Wow, thanks for the explanation Rich! I was trying to explain how everything was ran to the guy at Appletree, and I am certain he is still scratching his head. That will actually work out perfect splicing in at the oil filter.

Over the weekend, I was able to get the fan mounted over the oil cooler. I will admit, I was very cautious and worried about welding and grinding around the motor and gas tank.

From the safety stand point, I did empty the gas tank and I used some shingles to cover the motor while I worked. I was not sure how to go about this? at the very least I figured someone might get a laugh.

Here is a wiring diagram of how I was thinking of wiring up the fan with a switch!!! (thanks uh60ce) I have 85 and 30 jumpered on purpose, I really don't see a need to run it up to the ignition.

[cbeck]

take the oil cooler adapter up to your flaps and pickup two plugs to replace hose barbs and drill a 1/2 hole between both passages and clean well. Cheap, local, and fills hole in shroud.

[2RL]

That'll work the way you have it. The only difference between the way you have it and how I did mine was that the switch controlled ground instead of power. By controlling the ground with the switch (or the temp sensor ) the relay carries all of the high current load. The way you have it the switch has to carry the full load. As long as it's up to the task you should be fine though.

Looking at you schematic, in order to wire it how I'm suggesting you would do the following:
Remove the switch from the 85 terminal and put it on the 86. Wire from 86 to center connection. One leg going to ground, the other to the temperature sensor. Switched power comes in to terminal 85 (accessory side of ignition switch or some other switched power) terminal 30 is always hot, but you can switch it as well. That's really all there is to modify, the rest of it stays the same.

[jcmyers]

I don't believe there's a difference between the white and silver and they run $60 something a piece usually. I'm really enjoying these shocks, it's a much nicer/safer ride.

[Guardian1]

I went ahead and picked up a 50 amp 3 way switch per your advise uh60ce. I still need to put your wiring idea on paper to understand it. As of right now, I am just waiting on the rest of the components in the mail to get it wired up.

Jcmyers, those look like the shocks I plan to get. I am glad to hear they made a big difference, I am guessing it will make a huge difference on my rail, coming from the empi coil overs. The color of the KYB shock does determine if it's a front or rear shock. ( based on the conversation I had with the gentlemen at Appletree)

And thanks for the money saving tip cbeck! But I suppose if it will work with the current set-up and not create any problems, I will hold off on modifying the that for now. ( but I am guessing somewhere down the road I will want to correct it)