What are your winter upgrade plans?

[wythac]

While I pulled the insurance on my car a few weeks back, I hadn't yet put it to bed before yesterday...and it got me thinking of the literally dark side of owning a dunebuggy in northern climes...time to start getting my enjoyment of my car from seasonal upgrades.

I try to do anything I want to change, and any maintainence, during the winter so I can drive it like I stole it all summer.

I'm going to build a snorkel system from my dual carbs to an air box mounted up high on the rear, maybe install a roof rack and few jerry can mounts. I need to find a compact off road jack and find a good home for that.

Having some elbow surgery soon, but since my punch list is so small, it shouldn't keep me from having everything done.

What are you doing for your car this winter?

[joescoolcustoms]

I have put just a touch over 10,000 miles on my Manx this year and will be changing some items and upgrading others.

Tom, (Tom Kathleen) told me he has suffered valve spring failure at 16,000 miles on single high rev springs. Since Darlene wants to make the ECVW '15 trip to CA and back next year, I will change the valve springs as security.

The M@%&#^ F#*$&!($ urethane bushings keep squeaking on the rear spring plates. I have had them out 3 times and used the proper grease on them, very liberally, and in about 1000 miles, they start to squeak again. I will replace them with WW rubber bushings.

Since I built the buggy in 4.5 month's, not everything got done. Had to cut some corners to make the dead line to run with Vincent and France. I will finish off the items I skipped. Skid plates for both front and rear. (my tube chassis is open up front with fuel pump, fuel tank, steering gear, jack, winch controller all exposed)

The soft enclosure I made has suffered from a lot of use, so I will break out the sewing machine, buy a pack of needles and make some repairs and strengthen some areas including some snaps.

At 8700 miles, I lost a inner rear wheel bearing on the way to MOTB '14 about 75 miles from Nags Head. Last weekend, I lost the other side inner rear wheel bearing. I will hunt to try and find the best wheel bearings I can find and replace them.

I have ran the Type II CV's at 17* for 10,000 miles. That is the max suggested to operate them constantly. I will change them out for a fresh set along with the boots, which are showing wear.

The speedo jumps until around 35 MPH. I will pull out and see if I can solve that problem.

Since my body was in really poor shape when I got it, and repaired it, it is warped to the point it will not seal the passenger side hood-to-body. I will remove the hood and make what ever changes needed to help it seal and shed rain. (Darlene likes dry feet)

A good week of evenings worth of work this winter.
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Bad News Racing 2018 NORRA 1000 3rd in Class
Best Day Ever Racing 2022 NORRA 1000 2nd in Class and first All Female team to complete the race

Everyone is gifted. Some just do not open the package.

Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone

[vincent9993]

Here's ours... Color not selected yet...

[wythac]

Joe,

Dunno if you are using a stock speedo head or stock cable, but I had the same issue with mine. I think it was an overly stiff new cable. It was on this winter's punch list until over this summer it started to diminish and eventually disappeared around 10K miles...I think that the cables we get today just aint what they used to be. Mine was running an elecrtcal pulse generator on a electronic VDO speedometer.

Vincent,

Is it safe to assume by your post you will soon be retiring Canada's "Old Red"? By the way, I think if this thread were a race to the top, you just won it....I'm going on the record now as recommending that this build be off road (start looking for your LP frame head), and that your next cross country trip/challenge needs to be done entirely on dirt roads!

[joescoolcustoms]

[jrailer]

super beetle?^^^^ I just want to get mine done

[slalombuggy]

I'm going to build a fairly tame engine for my orange car and strip out all the race parts I put in it to autocross. Also planning on raising it up a lot and make a nice comfortable cruiser out of it to take the wife for icecream.

I'm building a new dedicated race buggy over the next couple of years with the intent of being able to run it on the longer 2.25 mile course for the 150MPH Challenge at Bonneville and autocross it. It will be a full tube chassis with a stronger cage than the last car

brad

[weasel_ugs]

New pan so basically everything. Swing axle to IRS, full cage, new paint and a bigger gas tank than the 3.5gal on there now! lol

[[email protected]]

Go to front disk brakes because stopping is nice
Toyota seats because the wife bitches about the 73 beetle seats. I have a friend giving me a set of seats.

[GPM]

Few things planned on mine...

Steering column getting replaced and new one will be shortened by an inch or two, just to put the wheel a little closer to the dash/screen and give me a little more room. Steering wheel is getting changed for a smaller wood rim. Getting a complete rewire as there were some bits for the rear lights I've never been happy with as they were a rush job for the MOT and there's been a few changes when we put the Corvair engine in so it's getting a complete rewire. As part of that, I'm changing the Type 3 clocks for Porcshe 911 green faced stuff. Got a tach, Speedo and a combined fuel/oil temp gauge. It's also getting an AS code gearbox which will give me better ratios to go with the Corvair.

[lbass]

new wheel cylinders.
Lower seats in front.
Fiberglass repairs to rear seat and front fire wall.
Add gauges and radio.
New headlights, windshield wipers.
New whip for the beach.

Drive all summer!
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Manx Club Member #4333

[rmckay]

- new cylinders and pistons
- valve job
- replace pushrods tubes
- install a heat-riser manifold
- remote oil filter
- replace the original '63 gas tank
- make a Sunbrella fabric bikini top
- get a few parts powder-coated
- and get the show bar chromed (Maybe. Quotes are here are north of $550)

And with the way things tend to go for me, Vincent and France will probably finish their new Manxster before I finish these few things!
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63 California Clipper

"The trouble with quotes on the Internet is that you can never know if they are genuine." --Abraham Lincoln

[impaleale]

Finish my buggy! That includes a top and heating. Simple right?

[neohic]

I'd love to get the rest of the metal work done. Simple cage... bumpers... that sort of stuff.

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-Ben

I like to build stuff...

[wythac]

Keep 'em coming, there has to be more than a dozen of us planning to work on our unheated cars in the Northern Hemisphere...

One other project if I get the car work done is some minor restoration work on my Heilite Viking. While being pleasantly surprised that my Eriba Puck tows real well behind my buggy, the difference in weight between the Puck and the Heilite can be added to the Heilite as cargo. I carried a full load of firewood in it on one camping trip with no significant difference in handling...not sure I would want a fully laden Puck behind my buggy on a long trip, not to mention the fact that I'm sure a load of firewood in the Puck would destroy the interior on only one dirt road excursion.

Heilite needs a new weather(travel) cover and some new linoleum floor tile. I might recover the mattresses too, but not until I can be sure they wont get damp.

[clonebug]

[wythac]

Clonebug; Im not worthy....I spaced that one. Went last year. Looks like a good turnout. Should have gone, it would have been about half that distance for me....maybe plugs for snowmobile suits should be on our punch lists...

Ambitious winter for you. Look forward to seeing your improvements.

[luvtheeluvbug]

For my mom's car, front disk brakes, fix the bad body alignment up front, properly shorten the clutch cable, adjust the pedals, hook up automatic choke, install a chrome 36 horse fan shroud, repaint the bazookas and convince her to get a chrome Manx style front bumper.
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Fahrvergnugen/ far-fair-gnu-ghen/ Description of a pleasurable sensation experienced when a car and it's driver are in mutual harmony; A unique driving experience; Pleasure; Satisfaction; A feeling experienced by Volkswagen drivers.

[vanderjw]

Floor pans and paint chassis.

[heywebonya]

Nerf bars and side pod storage racks

with expanded metal bottom
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If I knew what I was doing; I wouldn't be building a buggy!