Given (probably) a Chenowth 2lw, a few vintage buggy questions

[jimmyhoffa]

Weeellll... Unfortunately I know this conversions only fits the hole that the 091 style starter used to live in. Doesn't work on a bug trans.
_________________
1974 Chenowth 2RL #1244 Street Legal
My other car isn't ridiculous.

[Sandbar Norm]

Google VW Starter Adaptors. Their are ones that work with bug, 3 and 5 rib trans.
I did my a different way.
I taped the mounting holes and threaded alum rod and lock tie some plugs in the orig mounting holes. Then drilled the bug mounting holes in the TDI starter.
It works good and no problems for may years.
If it ever stops working I will buy or make a adaptor so I can just buy a starter at the auto parts store and install.
I have seen some people use a die grinder elongate the orig mounting holes.

[Bashr52]

Is it any TDI starter, or is there a specific one?

[Sandbar Norm]

[jimmyhoffa]

Yep, that's the monster! I had two TDi cars in college too so I'm very familiar with the power of this bad boy.

In other news, I had a deep spiritual experience connecting my LED flasher to a ground. It took 15 minutes, which explains why this car took me 2 years. First, I used a weather pack plug. Then I was like wow that seems too bulky for the application and clutters the fuse area. So I went to the shed and got something out of the scrap pile with bullet connectors...

Stole the insulators...

Aaaand done. But it took 15 minutes to connect my flasher to ground, which is why people don't get along with me when I'm working.

_________________
1974 Chenowth 2RL #1244 Street Legal
My other car isn't ridiculous.

[jimmyhoffa]

I've been tooling around, and destroying wheel bearings at an alarming rate on one side, so I took it apart and started measuring. Apparently one of my bearing bores was out of round by about .008", but I had room to burn since the bore actually shrank when I welded near it. The outer bearing bore was fine though, which is good because that's the hard one to fix.

The setup:

The Machining:

So that went back together much easier, after a final roundness check with a dial bore gauge. Ended up getting it down to .002" out of round, but only in a few high spots so it'll be fine.
_________________
1974 Chenowth 2RL #1244 Street Legal
My other car isn't ridiculous.

[jimmyhoffa]

Finally decided to get my rear suspension set right in the middle of the "adjustable in a useful range" setting, as far as indexing torsion bars. I found a very easy and probably sketchy way of taking it apart and putting it together.

_________________
1974 Chenowth 2RL #1244 Street Legal
My other car isn't ridiculous.

[cbeck]

Not sketchy until the cinder blocks come out.
_________________
My cut in half and rebuild thread
www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=647779

[Cody Loren]

Those Bessey clamps are good for everything !

[dustymojave]

[jimmyhoffa]

Haha dusty I got 'er back together with no noteworthy dismemberment, and better yet, just in time for our local spring VW show! I've been driving a bit more.

Then I went and got me a SAMMICH for lunch.

It fits nicely on my 12' trailer and tows well so it's easy to take places.

I'm still carb tuning, but it's definitely drivable.
_________________
1974 Chenowth 2RL #1244 Street Legal
My other car isn't ridiculous.

[jimmyhoffa]

Just a few more glory shots of my car as I work on it. I definitely am giving up on not having carb preheat. It hasn't frozen up or anything, its just a little troublesome. I'm in the middle of a much nicer 1915cc build with a better cam for the situation and all sorts of things I learned on the first engine I'm currently driving.

I also really want PRP roadster seats because they're narrow enough to fit my old skool frame. I want a windshield too.

_________________
1974 Chenowth 2RL #1244 Street Legal
My other car isn't ridiculous.

[Cody Loren]

Sure does look better out of the garage! I guess it’s time for a parking brake too!

[heywebonya]

Great job, really digging the tire size set up. The front brush guard is perfect.

Parking brake is a must have (especially after a long winter sitting unused)

Great job.
_________________
If I knew what I was doing; I wouldn't be building a buggy!

[dustymojave]

Hey guys...Why are you raggin' on him about a parking brake? He has dual parking brakes. Portable and usable at any wheel. Readily replaceable and inexpensive. Universal, so they can be loaned out to anyone else in need.


Besides, they're old school.


If the car gets garaged, you can easily fit modern suspension seats in that Chenowth frame. Plenty of room.
_________________
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.

[jimmyhoffa]

The subtitle of this little post is gonna be called:

Leakin' Gas and Haulin' Ass.

Because I've been doing plenty of both of those things, thanks to RJS Racing Equipment and my personal fortitude.

So, I got my car ready to take to work for the first time, 15 miles, mainly highway. Finished at a loose midnight, or so.

Made it to work no issues! WEEEE! Naturally it was the talk of the town because it's a machine building shop and all the guys are into cars and bikes.

Took it to dinner for a fried chicken salad and a Budweiser to celebrate.

The way home from dinner was when the fun started. I smelled fuel, big time. I killed it and rolled to the median, fully expecting to die in a fire.

There was fuel raining out of the bottom of the steel can onto the right CV axle and starter/transaxle.

Walked 2 miles home, got the truck, trailered it home. Wasn't about to get anything on that car hot again. I'm thinking I very narrowly dodged an explosion.

Turns out, RJS doesn't use fuel-resistant gasketing anywhere on their fuel cells. All the rubber on the cell was mush, and waxy feeling.

When I had gone over a bump, fuel had sloshed out of the gaps in the mushed-out gasket, and out the edges of the steel can. I found all sorts of rubber in the cell, and had to take it out and clean it. It was probably 4 hours of work, and I also had to cut new Viton gaskets for everything. Here's one of them. (Side note: Proud of myself for not dropping a single nut into the fuel cell while taking off the filler neck.)

RJS was unable to be reached for comment. I called a few times and talked to someone and left a callback message, then gave up. I figure I'm on my own on this one. I was kinda bumming because I spent more than the average midwestern buggy dude on a fuel cell because I was concerned about safety but the Chinese spun aluminum one in my shed would have likely never done that.

Either way, I'm back in action. Ripped up to Sonic last night to show those lowered import kids what a real hot rod looks like.

Talked to cBeck on the phone for a while about windshields, we're local to each other and we are both thinking about different types for various reasons. 65MPH is pretty brutal, just cruising. It's like sitting on the hood of a car on the highway.
_________________
1974 Chenowth 2RL #1244 Street Legal
My other car isn't ridiculous.

[cbeck]

_________________
My cut in half and rebuild thread
www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=647779

[dustymojave]

I suggest for both of you to make the windshields readily removable. Desert offroad racers have long used windshields mounted in aluminum sheet frames that bolt on or use dzus fasteners. I originally planned to build my Hi Jumper as a street registered, dual-purpose buggy back in the mid 70s. I had plans to use a rubber seal around the glass so it would not pass through the roll cage, then NASCAR-style clips bolted to the cage to retain it. The clips were to have thick vinyl or neoprene rubber tips.

Part of my inspiration comes from this car (from "Baja Prepping VW Sedans and Dune Buggies" - 1970):

_________________
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.

[cbeck]

In mo, if you present a windshield to a safety inspector it must be labeled, laminated safety glass. At this point you must also have wipers. Thinking a piece of lexan, held on with threaded billet tube clamps that is easy to remove. Primary purpose is to give wife 1 less thing to complain about.
_________________
My cut in half and rebuild thread
www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=647779

[Augie]

Have thought about a windshield on mine for several years. Might mean I will have to replace the lower bar, as it is not in plane with rest of cage. Another option is filling the gap with a rolled piece of aluminum, but would require some tabs to hold it. Then there is the wiper issue, but think a hand operated one will work. Try not to drive in the rain! As long as I keep it under 30 it is not much of an issue, but sustained speeds over 60 on the expressway beats you up.