Stripping her off - 1957 Oval

[0nebadbug]

[0nebadbug]

Somehow I forgot about this past fall & just cruising to a local preserve...


Link

_________________
::: Slowoval ::: LaDawri Sebring ::: '61 Creampuff ::: Dust Storm '66 :::

[0nebadbug]

Hibernation... Suck'zzzzzzz

_________________
::: Slowoval ::: LaDawri Sebring ::: '61 Creampuff ::: Dust Storm '66 :::

[0nebadbug]

Spring's gotta be right around the corner, right?

I'll have to try printing up a custom Bud Vase for her this season ...real soon : )

Link

_________________
::: Slowoval ::: LaDawri Sebring ::: '61 Creampuff ::: Dust Storm '66 :::

[0nebadbug]

My first attempt at designing a bud vase... Might have to make a a few variations & a magnetic base to swap designs as well : )

Hmmm.... I wonder if I could print custom semaphore lenses...

Watching them go from your mind to physical object, oddly satisfying : )

Link

_________________
::: Slowoval ::: LaDawri Sebring ::: '61 Creampuff ::: Dust Storm '66 :::

[0nebadbug]

Grabbed an old Semaphore cover from a box of SWF lenses laying around here & fired up the scanner in scale for 2D to make the 3D design references for the extrusion modeling...

With some luck, hopefully I'll be able to print a prototype by end of next week..

A semaphore lens with the possibility of a custom insert lens, who would have ever thought...

And, the Oval-only magnetic trinket holder fits perfect so far, just waiting for the rare-earth magnets to arrive so I can finish them : )
_________________
::: Slowoval ::: LaDawri Sebring ::: '61 Creampuff ::: Dust Storm '66 :::

[0nebadbug]

Ha, not too shabby so far.. After I filed the nub for it to snap to the cover it fit like a glove...

Now, I'm wondering if I can fit an LED directional array into them : )

_________________
::: Slowoval ::: LaDawri Sebring ::: '61 Creampuff ::: Dust Storm '66 :::

[56Cabrio]

[0nebadbug]

[0nebadbug]

Finally some nice weather! After the big winter dust off and a wash & detail. I rolled out for a nice long ride... 40 mins later, the inevitable sputter & then realized the fuel tap was still on reserve from last fall. Wound up coasting 2 long blocks in total panic to the closest gas station...

One of these days I need to splurge on a ZAR extension lever, so I don't keep forgetting this...

Luckily, the two blocks were downhill. LOL

Keep on living : )

_________________
::: Slowoval ::: LaDawri Sebring ::: '61 Creampuff ::: Dust Storm '66 :::

[0nebadbug]

Wow... This is something you never ever want to experience without any warning what so ever. Especially when you're moving 50mph, while going downhill & approaching a red light. Even more so 10 minutes after you leave a VW show...

The only way I avoided plowing into the stopped cars in front of me was veering all the way over to the right turn lane, go around, blow the red light thru a double 4 lane intersection while praying there wasn't cross traffic I couldn't see. And all of it happened while my entire life flashed before my life in absolute sheer panic mode with maybe 3 seconds to react to it all yesterday.

I have never ever seen a brake line factory crimp just pull out or blindly break for no good reason, let alone, without warning. At a red light 60 seconds earlier, I had perfect pressure at the pedal & brakes fully working... And 60 seconds later, nothing at the pedal at the next red light. And what's even more perplexing, just last week I pulled the gas tank to replace the fuel filter and even cleaned and checked the calipers & lines and nothing remotely showed any signs of fatigue or wear anywhere. Everything's still as clean as the day I put everything together!

Is there anything that would cause a brake line to catastrophically fail like this?
...Other than poor QC or manufacturing.

_________________
::: Slowoval ::: LaDawri Sebring ::: '61 Creampuff ::: Dust Storm '66 :::

[tisius]

oh man, did you buy a lottery ticket right after that....must have been your lucky day; you, your car and the rest of the world directly around you still alive fortunately.

I would invest in a dual master cylinder straight away, then at least you'll have some brakes left if one line breaks open (besides the e-brake, and the ultimate action of putting the gearbox into reverse which will most likely ruin it but might save your life; i've never felt the urge to try that ).

I've not seen that before, but here some theoretical causes I can think of:
Could the soft front lines have been stretched out in turning the steering wheel to the end?
Or maybe the soft lines were twisted when they were installed?
_________________
drive it like you just robbed the bank
you don't have to be crazy to be into VW's, but it sure helps!!
.... if it ain't dutch, it ain't much!

[Mark Evans]

Too close! No E brake?
_________________
'63 Ragtop

[0nebadbug]

Oh hell yes, ebrake was full on and working, garage smells like burnt brake shoes now (which will also be redone now as well) but with the speed, down hill physics and the time to react to it? I had to let go and put both hands back on the wheel to swerve to avoid a concrete median ... missed it by inches and heard the safety grooves sideways but somehow kept it under control...

As far as I know the lines weren't bound or twisted (unless they were in the bag 10 years ago) or interfered with anything when we assembled and installed it. It was a complete Scat kit, we double & triple checked everything and nothing was bound or touching anything.

Removed the lines yesterday... drivers side was perfect & even threw it in the vice and pulled, yanked, twisted & bent the crap out of it in every manner (short of grabbing a torch) trying to see how the other one might have failed but, after 30mins, nothing failed. Though it's pretty much destroyed now but I was going to replace both anyway...

About the only thing I can guess is a flaw at the crimp on the failed one, where the barb/flare of the exposed nipple is, It looks like the PTFE (?) tube inside the stainless sheath just hit the barb rather than going over the barb before it was crimped... Maybe?
_________________
::: Slowoval ::: LaDawri Sebring ::: '61 Creampuff ::: Dust Storm '66 :::

[TinCanFab]

I just read your thread today, saw your pics of the brake hoses on the bare pan and wanted to give you a warning about this. Now, I see at 2019 I'm too late!

My CB hoses had the same problem. When you really lower the car, they bend at the crimp going into the caliper as you drive. It took many miles to start showing that they were, in fact, kinking. These were installed in the early 2000's. Having a narrowed beam most likely exaggerated the problem while steering. When I pulled the body off the pan, I noticed right away. It was a WTF moment. See here:

Here is the fix:

Convert your caliper and connecting hard line with -3 AN adapters, then use a longer universal length brake hose with 45 degree female fitting. The beauty of the AN swivel at the caliper is that you can get the hose to be at its most relaxed position, THEN you tighten the nut onto the caliper adapter. If you need any help PM me.

I used to make these hoses everyday at a hot rod shop I worked at. Its made with a mini hydraulic hose crimper you can buy from many vendors, along with bulk hose, end fittings and ferrules. Look at how the fitting port in both of our calipers point straight up. When your at stock height or your trailing arms are hanging down, it doesn't appear to be a problem. Even if you had a freak crimp failure, it's still not a good design. Once those turkey arms go way up from the car being slammed, the hose is being worked constantly. The braiding makes it hard to see the Teflon hose is damaged underneath.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/fra-650205

The one on the caliper depends on what thread its using
_________________
Check out my truck brought back from the dead... http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=420762&highlight=sprayed+blood

They're never really ever finished 58 rag build...
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=658092

[0nebadbug]

Thanks for that info TinCanFab...

Before I pulled all the lines out, I did notice that the failed one on the passenger side was was about 7/8" shorter than the drivers side but, it could have been shorter from the crimp being gone so I'll assume they were the same length when we put them in.

After that, I loosely clamped the line back where the failed crimp was and despite it being slightly shorter, when I checked it for pulling or binding, I still couldn't see it stressing the connection to a degree that would make it fail and as I turned it from left to right & stop to stop. I even looked at our stock 61's lines and compared their length (the 61's are even shorter but much heavier connectors) and watching the behavior between the two were literally identical in every movement. So I'll just say my eyes are simply deceiving me...

But regardless, yeah I do agree, longer & beefier lines, But I'm not sure about looping the lines and then leaving to drag on the pan either. That I could almost seeing that wearing or snagging on something possibly?

As far as fixing this, I'm going to order a new dual circuit master cylinder, can anyone suggest the best one you can buy? I was thinking of ordering WW's German made Dual Circuit master but, if anyone knows of any better one out there I'm open for suggestions... And then later this week or next I'm going to call around to a few local hydraulic hose places to see if any of them will make custom length flex hoses with beefier couplings... And I'm probably going to upgrade the rears from drums to discs too... But I'll probably wait for that until this winter for that... Just trying to salvage whats left of this Summer and hopefully attend some local cruises & a few shows later this fall, fingers crossed...

I don't know... I still can't get this out of my head, even after a couple days now this still has me rattled... I've had brake failures in the past and I could deal with this if there would have even been the slightest or a minuscule warning. Like a soft pedal or noticed a puddle of fluid on the floor or when I looked under before I pulled away from my space at the show. I even had just topped off the reservoir 20 mins before leaving for the show and it was maybe a shot glass low at best...

It's an eye opener when you leave one light and everything's fine and then 1 light later OMG WTF in under 60 seconds... For the first split second I thought I was imagining it, even looked down at my feet thinking I was hitting the clutch by mistake. And then looking back up while grabbing the e brake and then seeing the stopped cars, the cross traffic while assessing the options. If there would have been a car in the right turn? Or if they cross traffic that I could see coming from both sides, ~500' from either side, if this would have happened 3 seconds later? This would have ended with absolute tragic consequences...
_________________
::: Slowoval ::: LaDawri Sebring ::: '61 Creampuff ::: Dust Storm '66 :::

[TinCanFab]

I had single circuit go out on me in the middle of a turn. I know the feeling! I don't know how many master cylinder options are out their for 4 wheel disc brakes, pretty sure they are all just Brazilian or Chinese. I converted to all discs around 2004 and used the master from Custom 1 warehouse, which was the only one I found available at the time for 4 wheel disc. I'm using the Wilwood bias adjusting valve in the circuit to the rear brakes. I was having issues with the rear calipers locking up the tires first. I also ditched the 135 tires and went to 175's. Both of these helped quite a bit.

For the front hoses, let me clarify what I posted earlier- get hoses that are a little longer, but not enough to be rubbing the pan. If you are using a hose with a female AN nut on each end, you can put a slight "curly Q" in it before you tighten the nuts. Then, it doesn't rub on the pan or front firewall.
_________________
Check out my truck brought back from the dead... http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=420762&highlight=sprayed+blood

They're never really ever finished 58 rag build...
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=658092

[0nebadbug]

So, fixed the front lines all fine & dandy, went for a test drive YAY!
...Then the bleeder screw in the rear blows out for no particular reason BOO!

I guess it's new brakes all the way around now... LOL
(here comes another $500, I'm sure)

It's the small things in life that can kill you : )

_________________
::: Slowoval ::: LaDawri Sebring ::: '61 Creampuff ::: Dust Storm '66 :::

[EverettB]

Woah, it must have been cracked.
I've never seen that happen but have them snap when they are frozen in place trying to bleed the brakes
_________________
How to Post Photos
Everett Barnes - [email protected] | My wanted ads
"Water is the only drink for a wise man" | "Communication prevents complaints"
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

[TDCTDI]

Eh, if the bleeder looked like that then all the other crap should have been replaced anyway.
_________________
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.