buggy project

[Kevinwterry]

here's some current pics of the buggy.

these are just mock up pics---roll bar isnt near done, not even at the right height. seats are just sitting there.

going to paint it medium charcol grey with gloss black roll cage and other misc. parts.

what do you guys think about the wheels?? they came off the 84 z-28 camaro. think i might paint the gold inner parts black. the rears arnt on yet. waiting for the adapters. should be here anyday now. they are 295/something/15. (cant rememeber the middle number of hand)

on the seats, they are a tight fit. havent decided if i should remove the adjustable head rest or not. i dont ever use the head rest while driving and i dont want the seats to look too tall.

the hole where my old windshield im pretty sure i can fill in. havent seen if the standard windshield goes thru the body or not. im talking with buggyfaron about his windshield for sale now.

some pics of the glass work im doing

basically it sat for 10 months with out much work done to it. i did manage to install the adjusters and it made a huge difference in the stiffness.

even before i adjusted the adjusters i noticed is was looser. i think maybe i just didnt grease the seals and the arms enough on my first install and that made them bind. i was really anal about getting any dirt or grease on my new chassis. it looked too pretty.. now that its been sitting and been collecting dust i didnt care and i greased the hell out of the empi red seals and the front arms. oh well. now i know. i shouldnt keep everything spotless.

[Q-Dog]

Keep up the good work.

I have those wheels ... they were with the body and chassis when I bought it and I've been too lazy to replace them. They are growing on me, but mine need a repaint as the red is fading. I'm thinking of painting them gold, or silver, or black. I would like them even more if they came in a wider size for the rear.

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Brian

'69 Dune Buggy
'69 Beetle Convertible
'70 Beetle

[wythac]

Yer gettin' there man, just keep plugging away. FG work looks good. I must have mocked my car up half a dozen times before it was put together for good(?!). As you know, it is an important part of the process, and prevents a lot of "Aw,s#!t" moments later in the build.

Like the wheels. Like them on Q-Dog's car too, but agree that a color different than the body color might be something to look at as an option. Black painted inserts with your charcoal body color would look great.


So we'll see you at the July PNW Vintage Meet with a completed car, right?

[Kevinwterry]

q-dog....nice looking buggy! the wheels do look good. are they painted with the same paint as the buggy? hows the paint holding up?

wythac.... thanks. and Im trying the best I can to get this thing ready for summer.

almost done buying parts. I have alot of parts to clean, fix up and paint.

[Q-Dog]

Chevy made those wheels in many colors ... white, red, silver, charcoal, gold and possibly blue. 3 of mine are factory red and one is a repaint. My car was wrecked and one of the originals was destroyed. The replacement is the repainted wheel. The factory wheels are fading and almost look pink in some light.

The factory paint is very durable. The repaint is chipping badly.
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Brian

'69 Dune Buggy
'69 Beetle Convertible
'70 Beetle

[Kevinwterry]

just wondering how well painted wheels hold up. ive never used painted wheels before. I figure its going to be alot cheaper to just paint these than to buy a new set of wheels. plus its the only set I have that arnt a rusty chrome combination.

I need to find some of those center hub covers though. they sure clean it up.

[Kevinwterry]

forgot to ask you q-dog...hows the side of your buggy finished? the part where the side pods go. is it just painted? Im going to herculiner the underside of the tub and maybe the sides. i need some pics of sides to help me figure out what to. id like to go sidepods, but just cant justify spending that much on them yet.

[Q-Dog]

I found lots of hubs on ebay ... evensome with blank centers. Search for "Camaro Wheels." Be aware, there are some new ones but some of the new Chinese replacements don't have the metal clips inside and they will not stay on the wheel.

I painted my hubs black cause the plastic was fading.
_________________
Brian

'69 Dune Buggy
'69 Beetle Convertible
'70 Beetle

[Q-Dog]

[Kevinwterry]

random question---- where do I find trim loc or jiffy trim by the foot by the roll in a lenght for a buggy. I looked at trimloc.com and could only find it for abour $250 for a 500' roll. did anyone buy the whole roll and want to sell me enough for a buggy? I just want some basic black trim to help cover the ugly edges the p.o. or the factory did. I can probably sand them somewhat smooth and straight. but I like the look of the trim.

[jspbtown]

http://www.mcmaster.com/#trim-molding/=fv18rx

Always great people to order from.

[Kevinwterry]

so. its been awhile since I last posted. ive rebuilt the engine, installed it, painted the body, now im trying to fit up the exhaust.

ill post pics as soon as I have time. its a process.

does anyone have pics on how to get a 4-1 exhuast system with muffler to work with a type 3 engine? ive got passenger side done. drivers side is kicking my ass.
its a stinger style exhaust with a j pipe and muffler.
I had to lenghten one pipe 4", another 3.5". they were both easy straight add ons.

the drivers side is different for some reason. they both need about 4" leghth added. but they are about 2" different in hieght. they also hit the type 3 cooling shroud.

I need to post some pics to explain. just wondering if anyone has ever mounted that type of exhuast to a type 3.

[Kevinwterry]

okay. another update. im currently at a bar getting some food to go. ive got a bunch of pics to post. its really coming together now. engine totally put back together, fired it up even. runs great when cold. kinda wont idle when warmed up. I just sorta bench ran it. electric chokes arnt wired up yet. just droped a fuel line in a gas can and ran a wire to the coil.

exhuast is fitted up, welded and painted. looks pretty cool. usually all you see on type 3 engines is the "cannon" type.
all I had to do was lenghten the pipes and cut and roll #3 exhuast pipe near the head. also had to cut and roll the dipstick tube to clear the muffler.

started bolting down the body. I made an 1 1/2 x 3/16 plate to mount the body to the pan. it goes down each side of the pan. basically just one continuos washer rather than a bunch of seperate ones.

so now ive started wiring. pulled the wires through the wire loom I glassed in. labled all the wires.

now my question for you guys. how do you hold your wires in place? I dont want to drill holes for wire clips. if I was thinking ahead I should have glassed in some more wire looms or clips or even some wood to screw some mounts into. I thought about some kind of glue. but I dont know what kind people have had success with. I used the rustoleum bed liner stuff in the engine compartment. its basically thicker paint. I can take some off to install wire clips if I need to.

[clonebug]

I took a piece of plumber strap and used some J-B Weld to glue it to the fiberglass underneath the sides of the buggy. Put one every 18 inches to 2 feet.

I took a grinder and cleaned the fiberglass real good to give the glue something to grab on to.
Only one came loose in 8 years so I just re-glued it during winter maintenance and it has held just fine since.
It looked like I was too stingy on the J-B Weld on that one.
Put a wire tie through the holes to hold the wire loom and you are set.
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[didget69]

For wire conduit, I use the Southwire Liquid Tight 1/2" conduit from Lowes/Home Defect, then glass it into underside of body. I like that the conduit has a 90-degree fitting on one end that I use at front of buggy to turn in at driver's side & drill hole for it to fit through. The fitting has a waterproof gasket & nut to attach fitting to fiberglass sidewall. This conduit is slick inside for easier running of wires.

http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?partNumber=732...;cId=PDIO1

If you need a longer conduit, you can remove the straight fitting & add additional conduit with a splice coupling - or buy a longer roll of conduit.

Southwire Ultratite - http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-25ecodZ5yc1v/R-100...ifications

I make my home-improvement trips serve dual duty for my buggy improvement needs...

bryan
_________________
I never found the need to impress people with any mechanic certifications, trophies or track wins... unless it was for Mom to post on the refrigerator door.

[jspbtown]

I used some sump pump hose from HD. $10 for 20 feet. More than enough for both sides or two projects.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100119536/...reId=10051

[Kevinwterry]

i already glassed in some wire loom under the drivers side fender from front to back. im talking about how to secure the wires to the body say in the engine compartment, or the headlight wiring from getting tangled up in the tie rods. usually id zip tie to the frame or screw a wire clip to the inside fender where you cant see the screw sticking out.

I think im going to have to grind off some bedliner and jb weld some clips in. I just hate the thought of making a mess out of something I already finished.

[didget69]

[didget69]

[Kevinwterry]

here is some pics on how the buggy is coming. so the exhuast is done. as you can see i had to cut and roll the dipstick tube to clear the exhuast.

the self adheisive zip tie mounts look like something i could use. like i said, i glassed in a wire loom along the side of the body, but i should have put some in the front and rear also.