Hello! Log in or Register   |  Help  |  Donate  |  Buy Shirts See all banner ads | Advertise on TheSamba.com  
TheSamba.com
 
'74...ish Dune Buggy
Page: Previous  1, 2, 3, 4 ... 9, 10, 11  Next
Jump to:
Forum Index -> Kit Car/Fiberglass Buggy/356 Replica Share: Facebook Twitter
Reply to topic
Print View
Quick sort: Show newest posts on top | Show oldest posts on top View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
BIGMIKEY
Samba Member


Joined: September 24, 2007
Posts: 1102
Location: North East Pennsylvania
BIGMIKEY is offline 

PostPosted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 11:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Speedway shells are 12.625" ID. VW centers are 13.25" (roughly).

Hey neohic. Are all 4 of your donor wheels the same offset? Say all ET31, or ET46? That number is also stamped on one of the raised bumps around the lug holes. As I recall there are 3 different offsets for 4x130 wheels. ET46, ET41, ET34.

Mike T
_________________
BIGMIKEY

Deserter Series 1 project.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=787047&highlight=

1973 Beetle Driver, Marina Blue.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
neohic
Samba Member


Joined: June 30, 2012
Posts: 190
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
neohic is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 6:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

BIGMIKEY wrote:
... Hey neohic. Are all 4 of your donor wheels the same offset?...


As far as I know, a 4" VW is a 4" VW wheel. All of them have a ridiculous amount of paint on them so not much can be made out on them. I took a straight edge to check each one. All the same.
_________________
-Ben

I like to build stuff...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Classifieds Feedback
BIGMIKEY
Samba Member


Joined: September 24, 2007
Posts: 1102
Location: North East Pennsylvania
BIGMIKEY is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 11:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cool. I'm liking the wide wheel and hubcap look. Nice job.

Mike T
_________________
BIGMIKEY

Deserter Series 1 project.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=787047&highlight=

1973 Beetle Driver, Marina Blue.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
neohic
Samba Member


Joined: June 30, 2012
Posts: 190
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
neohic is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 1:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks! Not totally sure about painting the first one black, but I think the body is going to remain silver or change to yellow after some cracks/ holes are taken care of. Might re do it and go with white for the rest. I know getting "finished" is a little ways off yet, but I figure that there's not a whole lot to these cars so it never too early to start thinking. Opinions?
_________________
-Ben

I like to build stuff...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Classifieds Feedback
neohic
Samba Member


Joined: June 30, 2012
Posts: 190
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
neohic is offline 

PostPosted: Mon Sep 08, 2014 4:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow!... almost fell off the map there again! Things are happening anyhow. I finally got a decent camera again so I can better keep track of what going on with my projects. So lets recap a bit... I started with three 4.5" wide wheels and I cut apart the only 4" wheel I had. I found three more 4" wheels in trade. Just to be totally sure before cutting the rest, I went through and double checked the backspacing on the new set.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


... and we're good. Still a buggy on jack stands so that needs to change.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


So this is where things get to be more of a hassle than they need to be. For those who are unfamiliar with my shop, I'm kind of a minimalist. Ideally, I should be using a lathe for the initial cut to keep things nice and straight. Well... I have no such fancy things. So, measure everything a bunch of times and throw on a stripe of red tape.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Then I scribe a line with a cut wheel and pull the tape.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Then send it home.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Now that everything is apart, it's a good time to clean everything up. Again, having the right tools would make life so much easier. In this case, I'm sure it would be best to get everything sand blasted. That could work, but like I've said in the past... I'm way cheap. So, in comes a few minutes with a wire wheel.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Things take shape now.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Again, fancy tools. A square and a piece of TIG filler works great for checking for round.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Let's compare...

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Anyhow, some other stuff happened and I ended up with these.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


What I didn't notice about the wheels before I really started taking a close look at them was the dates. I've got two of them with the dates of 9/67, one with 5/69, and one with 8/70. Do the dates really matter for what I'm doing with them?... not even a little bit. However, what's kind of interesting is the differences them. The two from '67 are actually a little thinner than the later wheels, and they also have this weird square stamping around the valve stem holes. The later do not.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Again, does it matter? No... but it'd bother me knowing that there's a difference. So, the front two are the earlier wheels are the now 8" wide and the later are the 9.5" on the rear. Next is to take my TIG machine and just puddle over the welds. I like doing this just as extra insurance for no leaks. Then it's paint, tires, and then on to something else.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

_________________
-Ben

I like to build stuff...


Last edited by neohic on Tue Sep 09, 2014 5:40 am; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Classifieds Feedback
BIGMIKEY
Samba Member


Joined: September 24, 2007
Posts: 1102
Location: North East Pennsylvania
BIGMIKEY is offline 

PostPosted: Mon Sep 08, 2014 4:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Liking your process. Never would have occurred to me to "roll" the widening strip that way. Finished weight?

Mike T
_________________
BIGMIKEY

Deserter Series 1 project.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=787047&highlight=

1973 Beetle Driver, Marina Blue.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
neohic
Samba Member


Joined: June 30, 2012
Posts: 190
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
neohic is offline 

PostPosted: Mon Sep 08, 2014 5:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

BIGMIKEY wrote:
Liking your process. Never would have occurred to me to "roll" the widening strip that way. Finished weight?

Mike T


Thanks! I used a slip roller to roll the barrels then finished everything up with the ratchet strap. As far as weight... I have no idea. I'll throw one of each on a scale and see. Probably heavy though. Rolling Eyes

Question for everyone... I'm looking for a set of four wheel spacers now. I want to go with 1" spacers but I don't want to use the crap-tastic cast spacers that just bolt on with longer hardware. What I'm looking for are spacers that bolt on and then the wheel bolts on to the spacer. Something like these:

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Problem is that I can only find 4x130 to 4x100 spacers. Obviously I need 4x130 to 4x130 spacers. Anyone know where to find such fabled spacers?
_________________
-Ben

I like to build stuff...


Last edited by neohic on Tue Sep 09, 2014 5:39 am; edited 2 times in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Classifieds Feedback
joescoolcustoms
Samba Member


Joined: August 08, 2006
Posts: 9054
Location: West By God Virginia
joescoolcustoms is offline 

PostPosted: Mon Sep 08, 2014 6:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just because a simple idea is used, does not mean the quality is poor. I like your methods and may use them one day myself.

As far as weight, no heavier than other widened steel wheels on the market.

Nice work, keep it up and one day you will be driving it!
_________________
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
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Gallery Classifieds Feedback
Wetstuff
Samba Member


Joined: September 23, 2010
Posts: 700
Location: Maryland
Wetstuff is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 5:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Neo, Mr. Skill Envy here... 'interesting to watch your work.

I wanted to switch back to 5-wide wheels from Chevy Cragars on 4-wheel disk brakes. Could not find stock items. These folks made perfect adaptors.

http://billetwheeladapters.com

Jim
_________________
Manx #2614
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Classifieds Feedback
neohic
Samba Member


Joined: June 30, 2012
Posts: 190
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
neohic is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 8:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks! I already looked at the site you provided also. They only carry the plate style spacers for the 4x130 pattern.

http://billetwheeladapters.com/wheel-spacers/3mm-wheel-spacers.html
_________________
-Ben

I like to build stuff...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Classifieds Feedback
neohic
Samba Member


Joined: June 30, 2012
Posts: 190
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
neohic is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 10:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Found a company that makes to order instead of having a big stock somewhere: http://adaptitusa.com/index.aspx

They can do any bolt pattern that'll fit on the same spacer no problem. Got a quote already of $219 for spacers and another $30 for a lug stud conversion kit. Eek!... that's about a quarter of what I already have into this project! Shocked
_________________
-Ben

I like to build stuff...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Classifieds Feedback
BIGMIKEY
Samba Member


Joined: September 24, 2007
Posts: 1102
Location: North East Pennsylvania
BIGMIKEY is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 8:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Why are you wanting spacers again? If it's to get the right offset then I think you can cut the centers out and move them where you want in the widened rim. From what I'm seeing you have the skills.

Mike T
_________________
BIGMIKEY

Deserter Series 1 project.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=787047&highlight=

1973 Beetle Driver, Marina Blue.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
neohic
Samba Member


Joined: June 30, 2012
Posts: 190
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
neohic is offline 

PostPosted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 5:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm wanting to add spacers just to push the wheels out... aesthetics, really. The way that I welded the wheels back together would make for a huge job of cutting the centers back out. I left a 1/4" gap all the way around the inside of the wheel to fill. Now instead of just being welded in the four spots from the factory, they are welded all the way around. I did this with the first wheel, got a tire mounted, and then hung it on the car just to say to myself, "Hu... that really should be out another inch of so". Embarassed

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


After the first one turned out the way it did, I decided to just steady the course and do them all the same. In the end, I think running spacers are well worth the cost over the time it would take to cut them apart again... lazy?... yeah, maybe... Rolling Eyes
_________________
-Ben

I like to build stuff...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Classifieds Feedback
joescoolcustoms
Samba Member


Joined: August 08, 2006
Posts: 9054
Location: West By God Virginia
joescoolcustoms is offline 

PostPosted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 6:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sell two rims, and make two more with proper offset.
_________________
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
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Gallery Classifieds Feedback
neohic
Samba Member


Joined: June 30, 2012
Posts: 190
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
neohic is offline 

PostPosted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 10:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

joescoolcustoms wrote:
Sell two rims, and make two more with proper offset.


That's an option too. If I were to do two, I'd do all four all over again so they're all deeper. Not really looking forward to pushing the reset button on any of them though. Right now what I need to do is get the buggy mobile again. Most likely what'll happen is just finish the wheels the way they are, get the tires mounted, and then rearrange my garage for winter. I can always go back and reassess the situation.

On a side note, is it strange to anyone in warmer states that I have a turn over with my vehicles from cold to warm months? When it's nice out, my Beetle and my '88 Jeep get moved so they're easy to get out. When it's cold, they go in the back so I can get to my projects easier. Hoping to try something new to my garage parking layout so I can keep the wife's car out of my shop... and the buggy in.
_________________
-Ben

I like to build stuff...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Classifieds Feedback
wythac
Samba Member


Joined: August 02, 2004
Posts: 2791

wythac is offline 

PostPosted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 11:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Impressive. Don't know why I haven't seen this thread before. I love it when $imple methods are employed to make custom fixtures for a buggy. When I started on my project years ago I didn't have the welding/fab skills required to make my own custom wheels so I paid hundreds to have it done professionally...I will refer to this thread and try making them myself if it ever comes up again. A brilliantly simple and inexpensive means of solving a very fundamental issue that nearly every buggy builder has to contend with. I think even those without welding skills probably know someone talented and willing to try this on their behalf. Bravo!

FYI, I live up north too and have a similar "vehicle circulation" pattern. The ones getting work done are closer to benches and tools in the winter, the drivers closer to the door. My 81 Eagle and Vanagon see less (sometimes zero) use in a good sunny summer like we've been having while I drive the wheels off my buggy. I do any required work on my "winter" cars while I'm not using them as much, so I don't find myself with only a roofless, heaterless car option in the winter.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
neohic
Samba Member


Joined: June 30, 2012
Posts: 190
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
neohic is offline 

PostPosted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 12:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

wythac wrote:
... My 81 Eagle...


Cheers to another AMC owner! Very Happy
_________________
-Ben

I like to build stuff...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Classifieds Feedback
neohic
Samba Member


Joined: June 30, 2012
Posts: 190
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
neohic is offline 

PostPosted: Fri Sep 12, 2014 12:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Letting the primer breath right now. Soon to be black. Dancing
_________________
-Ben

I like to build stuff...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Classifieds Feedback
neohic
Samba Member


Joined: June 30, 2012
Posts: 190
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
neohic is offline 

PostPosted: Fri Sep 12, 2014 1:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Found another odd difference between the early and later 4 lug wheels while painting. The earlier wheels have dimpled in oval holes in the faces while the later are without the dimpled edges.

Early:

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Later:

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Hu... who knew?
_________________
-Ben

I like to build stuff...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Classifieds Feedback
neohic
Samba Member


Joined: June 30, 2012
Posts: 190
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
neohic is offline 

PostPosted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 1:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tires!!!

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


This little car took on a whole new personality today. First time it's ever had anything more than those tiny little bike tires. I think it looks tough!

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Everything is mobile again!

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


I like how everything sits now that all of the wheels are under it. I don't think I'll use any spacers, but the stops for the steering need to be reset to keep the front of the tires out of harms way. Best part is one less pile in a corner.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Now to pick something else from the box. Very Happy

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

_________________
-Ben

I like to build stuff...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Classifieds Feedback
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Forum Index -> Kit Car/Fiberglass Buggy/356 Replica All times are Mountain Standard Time/Pacific Daylight Savings Time
Page: Previous  1, 2, 3, 4 ... 9, 10, 11  Next
Jump to:
Page 3 of 11

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum

About | Help! | Advertise | Donate | Premium Membership | Privacy/Terms of Use | Contact Us | Site Map
Copyright © 1996-2023, Everett Barnes. All Rights Reserved.
Not affiliated with or sponsored by Volkswagen of America | Forum powered by phpBB
Links to eBay or other vendor sites may be affiliate links where the site receives compensation.