The Baja Bug - First Timer's Thread

[dustymojave]

Oh, I think I understand your situation much better than you think I do.

Its a PITA to get to. But you're gonna HAVE to get to it and fix it. It may be lacking or need a replacement for the seal washer. It may be the body of the switch itself that's leaking. I was just proposing a way to fix it if you do not plan to get a new one.
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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.

[EnjoyNukaCola]

Anyway, did a lot of work inside. I further cleaned up the wiring I had done a while back with a wiring block so I could run some accessories. It also has a digital voltmeter, dual USB ports for charging and of course a cup holder. (If you look closely you might see my avatar on the window).

Working on fitting the hood and headlights properly before sealing off the trunk area with some canvas. I have some caster shims to install, double tube front bumper to get and Hella lights to wire up.
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"when i go to drive it i get to like 5-10 mph it is at high rpms and gets higher the faster i go when i shift up to second the rpms drop is this normal or what and this is my first vw please help"

[EnjoyNukaCola]

Also Richard, I am sure it's leaking from the prongs on the switch. Real bugger but I've been putting it off long enough. Do you know the thread specs so I can pick up a plug in advance?
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"when i go to drive it i get to like 5-10 mph it is at high rpms and gets higher the faster i go when i shift up to second the rpms drop is this normal or what and this is my first vw please help"

[dustymojave]

Nope. Don't know the thread. But it's not likely to be a common one. Probably cheapest and easiest is a replacement switch.

I see you've been influenced by it being a "Baja Bug". Mexican blanket/poncho upholstery, steekers all over... Orale pues! Chee loooks Messican mang!

Actually, aside from a little light teasing, I LIKE the upholstery. I'm not a big fan of stickers, but whatever blows up your skirt.

I'm a little curious about the NASA and other aerospace stickers I see on the window.
_________________
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.

[EnjoyNukaCola]

I can understand the stickers not being for everyone. I wasn't sure if the dash stickers were going to work, but I spent time arranging them in a clean way, no gaps. They actually cover up a lot of holes on top of the dash and old paint, so it was a bandaid fix that I tried to tie into the theme. May be hard to see them all but some are VW's, pop culture icons, racing products and some just random that I thought were funny. I joke around a lot, so I don't take it too seriously. Personally, there's not a single sticker on my daily.

I made the door panels from scratch. Bought a sarape and cut it into door panel pieces and a had leftover slice I ended up laying down the tunnel. I also cut panel frames from plastic sheeting, so they won't absorb moisture like the OG particleboard stuff. It's loud and colorful but I think it goes along with the car being that Baja Bugs are loud and obnoxious to most. You would not see something like this anywhere other than Southern California, so it's a tribute to my home state and the original Baja Bug scene where most had stickers on everything and colorful stripes painted up the sides.
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"when i go to drive it i get to like 5-10 mph it is at high rpms and gets higher the faster i go when i shift up to second the rpms drop is this normal or what and this is my first vw please help"

[EnjoyNukaCola]

As for the aerospace stickers, I got them from places I've been to and people I've met. I have mentioned that I am going to Cal Poly Pomona to finish studying mechanical engineering. During my last internship I worked on manufacturing projects for structural components on next generation Airbus and Boeing airliners. Airbus A350-900/1000, A330NEO, Boeing 777X, etc. SOFIA stands for the Stratospheric Observatory for Infared Astronomy which is an ongoing "mission" with NASA to capture infared images high above most of the moisture and interference in the atmosphere. Its a German telescope fitted to a Boeing 747SP (special performance). So at 41,000 feet a hole opens up in the side of the aircraft so a 9ft diameter lens can point into space. Coincidentally the jet lives in Palmdale, not far from dustymojave.

Also been inside JPL and Boeing Satellite Systems in El Segundo (over 5 billion dollars in that facility). I think motorsports is still my end goal, but I would not turn down the chance to intern or work at JPL/ SpaceX. I considered postponing school to work for Eibach Springs. As of Friday I was going to be interning with Honda Performance Development, but will be turning it down for several reasons.

Funny thing, I've never been on a plane (that's moving).
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"when i go to drive it i get to like 5-10 mph it is at high rpms and gets higher the faster i go when i shift up to second the rpms drop is this normal or what and this is my first vw please help"

[cbeck]

I like bart.

[dustymojave]

My dad was an instrument electrician for Lockheed Skunk Works, and then a NASA/DOD Inspector. If you've ever watched the movie "Apollo 13", while that deal was going on, 2 FBI guys showed up at the door and took dad away for a couple of days while they figured out what went wrong and who was responsible for it. Wasn't dad. Mom worked in QC for a number of aerospace companies. Both had hands-on things that are now sitting on the moon. Some years ago, we had a young man living in our home whose dad was the head programmer for the Global Hawk development. A close friend was a member of the ground team for Spaceship 1. Many of my friends and neighbors work in aerospace. I drive past that NASA hangar where that Sophia plane is maintained/parked on the way to Walmart. I also drive past the other side of that facility where the shuttles were built. To the north is Edwards AFB where the shuttles were developed and did their initial landings. When shuttles landed there, they did a u-turn over my home to the tune of a very loud double sonic boom so they would come down headed into the wind. Attended a number of shuttle landings on the dry lake bed at Edwards. Just to the east, is the facility where Predator drones have all been flight tested. Beyond that are the manufacturing facilities where they're built. New ones are coming out as I understand it. I did structure fabrication on a DARPA unmanned vehicle project and an unmanned USAF flight trainer project...

I'm surrounded by this stuff. So that's why my interest.
_________________
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.

[EnjoyNukaCola]

Cool stuff. I've been wanting to get a Donaldson style air cleaner and mount it below the rear window for a while now. This surplus site has the housing for a good price (http://www.armysurpluswarehouse.com/military-issue...eaner.html) but where would I be able to get the intake cap, filter element, hold down brackets and tubes? I'm tempted to get one now and look for that stuff later.
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"when i go to drive it i get to like 5-10 mph it is at high rpms and gets higher the faster i go when i shift up to second the rpms drop is this normal or what and this is my first vw please help"

[dustymojave]

Those items are generally available from tractor supply houses.

I have one that's been in my garage since the early 70s. NOS, I haven't used it yet. Bought it for my 1st Baja back when they were the cool shizz, then changed the carb to a Weber and that changed my air cleaner plan. I have plans for it on my Glitterbug fiberglass buggy now though.

I bought an air filter element for the similar filter housing in my buddy's Ford tractor a couple years ago from a shop in Santa Clarita. I don't remember what shop it was now. But I remember the guy asking if it was a Donaldson housing or a Ford. In that case, it's a Ford, but they had filters for either housing.

Instead of the restrictive air inlet cap that looks like an old school valve cover breather cap, look into a rubber elbow to clamp on the inlet tube to keep junk and rain from falling in the top. The aluminum scoop piece for a UMP filter housing may fit. Or a PVC or ABS pipe fitting. Possibly even a hot rod carb intake horn.
_________________
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.

[EnjoyNukaCola]

Tractor supply house in Santa Clarita CLOSEST one might be Tractor Supply Co. in Acton LOL. I'll probably run an elbow off the carb and then a u bend back upwards to the filter. It'll be easier to mock up once I order the housing. Will the breather cap restrict airflow to a 1600cc? I doubt it considering the Land Rover crowd mounts theirs on the front fender and it feeds a small block.
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"when i go to drive it i get to like 5-10 mph it is at high rpms and gets higher the faster i go when i shift up to second the rpms drop is this normal or what and this is my first vw please help"

[dustymojave]

Whether an air cleaner will be restrictive to a particular engine depends on the size of filter housing you get. They are made in a huge variety of sizes that all LOOK basically the same. If you have a choice, order one that is sized for 2-3 liters.
_________________
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.

[EnjoyNukaCola]

I ordered the filter housing, 40 bucks shipped. I believe it is Donaldson part no. FWG052510. There's one on Ebay right now for 200 shipped A quick search led me to a readily available filter, FRAM CAK256 for about 25 bucks.

Also the plug for the transmission is the same as many metric oil drain plugs, thread is 18 x 1.5mm. This is the type of plug I am using to seal the hole.

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"when i go to drive it i get to like 5-10 mph it is at high rpms and gets higher the faster i go when i shift up to second the rpms drop is this normal or what and this is my first vw please help"

[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.

[EnjoyNukaCola]

There info far down on Volumetric Efficiency and CFM.
http://zoomaviation.com/programs/vw_engine_specs_&_formulas/

Example 1:
What is the cfm for a 2000cc VW at 4000rpm and volumetric efficiency of 75%?
Answer:
CFM = DISP(cc) * RPM * VE / 56633
106(cfm) = 2000(cc) * 4000(rpm) *.75 / 56633

More here:
http://india.donaldson.com/en/engine/support/datalibrary/065857.pdf

The Donaldson I bought is part no. FWG05-2510 with 2" inlet and outlet. Its rated flow is up to 102CFM, so it should be adequate for mild VW engines.
https://catalog.donaldson.com/productDetail/en/A/G052510?productId=11948&skuId=s11202
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"when i go to drive it i get to like 5-10 mph it is at high rpms and gets higher the faster i go when i shift up to second the rpms drop is this normal or what and this is my first vw please help"

[dustymojave]

Interesting web page. It's about use of VW air cooled engines in light aircraft. My dad built a VW engine about 1969 for a plane used to set a world air record of some sort. I believe it was across the US, but I don't remember much of the details, like what sort of plane, etc.

The calculators are handy for anybody messing around with VW engines.
_________________
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.

[EnjoyNukaCola]

Noticed something odd today. I leaned on the bumper and when I stood up the car didn't spring back up. I can push the front end down and raise it up by hand.
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"when i go to drive it i get to like 5-10 mph it is at high rpms and gets higher the faster i go when i shift up to second the rpms drop is this normal or what and this is my first vw please help"

[dustymojave]

That's not uncommon. It might indicate that the shocks resist motion enough to prevent it returning without more inertia. It may indicate that the front end needs a lube job. (a common term for that issue is "stiction" - more damping effect from friction in the front suspension.)

If it does the same when you drive it over bumps, it's a problem. If it does not, then it's not a problem.


Most cars do it to some extent. Which is why when you are aligning the suspension or setting torsion bar adjusters, etc., you need to bounce the car so it will settle normally before taking measurements or changing the adjustment.
_________________
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.

[EnjoyNukaCola]

You'll never guess what I did (I greased it ). It has zerk fittings top and bottom. More importantly the top jam nut on the adjuster was loose. I jacked the front up and reset the adjustment. Perfect now.

On to a bigger issue. I swapped from an aftermarket intake manifold to an OG manifold with one piece heat risers and a 34 to 30 carb adapter (for many reasons). I adjusted the float bowl to 3/4" from the top of the body. It doesn't drip when I shut it off anymore, but I have a persistent stalling issue on downhill braking and hard cornering. If it doesn't stall it stumbles for a second. Starts right back up, so the driveability is meh. Theres also a flat spot off idle, which is new since I swapped manifolds. Propane vac leak test makes me think its the throttle shaft, which is supposedly a brand new rebushed piece. Since I had the carb off it's also developed a light leak at the pressed in fuel inlet. Frustrating!
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"when i go to drive it i get to like 5-10 mph it is at high rpms and gets higher the faster i go when i shift up to second the rpms drop is this normal or what and this is my first vw please help"

[dustymojave]

My biggest concern in what you say there is the leak at the fuel inlet. There've been many VWs burned to the ground from that tube popping out of the carb and the pump spewing fuel all over a hot engine with electrical connections that may spark.

It may be better to pull the tube out and thread the hole for pipe thread. 1/16 or 1/8...I don't remember which fits. Then install an AN/JIC or SAE flare to hose fitting or...???
_________________
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.