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Spooky gets a makeover
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joemama
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 27, 2022 8:57 am    Post subject: Re: Spooky gets a makeover Reply with quote

Its been hot, too hot to work outside in the middle of the day. So, I alternated working on refurbishing my rear view mirror, since I could do that inside, and other projects. My mirror is aluminum, and was corroded.
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After wet sanding progressively with 220, 350, 500, and 1500, and coated with Turtle Wax. It looks pretty good.
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My front rollbar hoop has brackets welded for the mirror.
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I also worked on fabricating and installing some rock slider rails. It has always bugged me that the bolts that hold the body on, hang down and could be damaged or hang up on rocks. I scored 2, 1" x 2", 46" long rectangular tubing with pretty heavy wall thickness, from the leftover pile at the local metal supply. Less than $11.00.
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Used a floor jack to push it up against the bolts on the buggy, and used a marker to mark the location of the bolts.
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I had a mark for the center of the bolt from the side, and a mark for the side of the nut on the bolt. I used a spare nut to mark the center of where I needed to drill.
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Next, I center punched the spots, and used an 1/8" drill to make starter holes. I then used a bi-metal 1 1/8" hole saw to cut 4 holes thru the top, and 2 holes thru the bottom.
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I used a drill press to drill all the way thru the tube, where I needed holes in the bottom. The drill press kept the location accurate.
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I then used the hole saw to drill the 2 holes from the bottom. The 4, 1 1/8" holes on the top, are to allow the bolts and nuts to cradle inside the tubing. Then, I will use the 2 remaining bolts, and the opposite ends of the tube, to bolt the tube on, and the 1 1/8" holes on the bottom to allow washers and nuts to be installed. I got interrupted when my Thermoworks alarm told me my Boston Butt was ready to wrap.
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Back to work.
I next marked 2" from each end, and drew a line across. I cut along this line, and across one side, leaving a wedge cut, and a flap.
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I scored a line across the flap, 2" in, and at the end of the wedge
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Bent the flap down, and now I have a ramp at either end of my "rock slide rail"
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Welded it all up, including a bead along the score for the flap bend.
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Cleaned up the welds, mostly the side that shows. Here is the rail finished.
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Painted with semi-gloss black Rustoleum.
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And installed
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No more bolts hanging down, and the bottom of the rails is no lower than the part of the pan that indents down for the seats. Some of the trails in Big Bear that we use the buggy on, have rocks. Now I can pick a line that allows me to slide over the rock if I need to.
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joemama
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 29, 2022 9:06 am    Post subject: Re: Spooky gets a makeover Reply with quote

A little more progress. I took apart and cleaned up my breather box
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When I first got the breather box, it came with a cheesy, thin foam filter. I replaced it with 2 layers of sanding/scrubbing pad. Figured this would last longer, and do a good job. I did not oil them, just left them dry.
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I just use 1/2" heater hose for the breather, as its the only thing I could find at the various auto parts stores. I was apprehensive about using heater hose, but the last time I used them, they were fine after 2 or 3 years of use. I tried to buy braided hose, but all my fittings are barbed 1/2 inch, and I could only find braided in AN sizing, and there is no 1/2 inch. I did learn that AN stands for Army/Navy. They have their own sizing. Anyhow, I didnt like the look of the rubber hose, so I bought a braided steel sleeve, and slid it over the hose.
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I used some thick wall 7/8" shrink tubing from Home Depot to clean up the ends. This stuff is amazing, shrinks to 1/4". It shrunk so much, that I couldnt get the hose on the fittings, so after this picture, I cut the shrink off, slid some more up the hose, and applied after installing the hose. I used some spring constant pressure clamps over the shrink, the shrink is so tough, I probably didnt need the clamps. When I was looking for clamps, I found McMaster Carr, actually sells shrink tubing to be used as radiator hose clamps. Not the size I needed, so I used this stuff.
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I did not use the clamps that came with the sleeve, as they were way too large and bulky. My breather box installs behind the right side of the motor, on the buggy body.
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I have hoses going to the filler
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And to both valve covers
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When I first built the motor, 1915 with 110 engle, counter weighed crank, stock heads I worked a little at home, single heavy duty valve springs, it ran just the stock filler/breather, and seemed fine for a while. Once we started taking the buggy up comp hill at Glamis, I started seeing oil coming out the pulley. It does have a sand seal. I think the high revs needed to keep the tires spinning, built enough pressure that now I needed a breather box. Funny thing, when I pulled the breather box to clean it out, everything was dry, including the hoses (probably why the heater hoses have lasted). I have not been to Glamis for years, so I guess the motor has not been worked as hard. I know the sleeves are kind of a cheesy thing, but they look better. If I find I am not happy with this set up, I can always start over, and have a project for later.
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slayer61
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 29, 2022 9:48 am    Post subject: Re: Spooky gets a makeover Reply with quote

I'm a big fan of those hose clamps. I have drawers full of them in assorted sizes. Very Happy

Have you ever used the shrink tube with the adhesive inside? The stuff is just about indestructible. It's a knife fight to get it off!

Be safe.
_________________
Cusser wrote:

... Most folks are idiots when it deals with electrical !!!


67rustavenger wrote:

3/4 race cam? What's missing, one of the lobes? Shocked


Paul

'68 Manx clone... Sears??
2276 built on AS21 case
W-125 w/ GB 1.25:1 rockers
Mahle forged pistons
CB 4340 crank
CB H beam rods
deep sump
44 HPMX
EMPI GTV 2 STG II wedge ports
CB Magna spark
1 5/8 merged collector w/ hater stinger
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joemama
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 29, 2022 10:06 am    Post subject: Re: Spooky gets a makeover Reply with quote

No, I have not. I have always wanted to use it on our old boat, but have not had occasion to use it. Great to know from someone who had experience with it, and sharing the knowledge with those who might be reading this thread.
Thanks!
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joemama
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 30, 2022 5:54 pm    Post subject: Re: Spooky gets a makeover Reply with quote

Got my tach delivered. Its been difficult to find a Sunpro MiniTach II, Seems most places are out of stock. I thought I found one, ordered it, but a Bosch Mini Tach showed up. Ill go ahead and use it, as I believe its the same thing, different name. Looks like Bosh bought up Sun.
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And my crusty Sun
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I need to stay with this tach, because they use this bracket
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Its meant to be hose clamped to the steering column, but I welded mine on, many years ago.
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Here is what it looks like installed. Not wired yet. Tucks in nicely and easy to see.
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I also started working on my rear bumper, Ill have photos in a day or so.
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 04, 2022 5:19 pm    Post subject: Re: Spooky gets a makeover Reply with quote

My friends brother in law is involved in offroad racing, and let me use a tube bender at their race shop. All I had to bend was the 2 tubes that support the bumper from below, and the ends of the crossbar, to kind of look like my front bumper.
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While I was there, I took a couple of pictures to share with you guys.
A class 5 car
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One of 2 trophy trucks
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Inside the cab of the trophy truck
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Here is what a rear tire looks like after 600 miles of racing on the trophy truck.
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Definitely not a budget sport. At least, not my budget. Amazing how offroad racing has evolved from when Bruce Meyers raced the Baja.
Here is my new bumper, just kind of adjusting things prior to tacking it together
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I also made provisions for pulling wires for license plate light, and a backup light. I drilled a hole in the back, and middle of my bumper cross bar, as well as a larger hole where the brace bar to the shock tower will weld to
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and a hole on the shock tower brace bar, for wires to come out of
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I fed a substantial wire thru the holes, so after welding, I can use it to pull my electrical for a license plate and backup lights. I hope this kind of shows what Im doing. The tube hanging down with wire coming out of it, will actually go horizontally to the shock tower. Once tacked, itll be easier to show. I started tacking it together, and the welds looked horrible, and I realized I was running out of shielding gas. So will finish welding in the next couple of days after I get more gas.
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 06, 2022 10:33 pm    Post subject: Re: Spooky gets a makeover Reply with quote

Continuing to work on the bumper. I have added attachment points for the license plate. I do not need to make a place for the license plate light, as I am using some LED combination license plate bolt/lights. Saw these in another thread here, and thought it a good idea. I also made brackets for backup lights. I am using some small LED clearance/ground lights. These are very bright, and should work well. I had a hitch on my old bumper, and I cut it out, and plan to use it on this bumper. Its primarily for a bike rack, so I can still bring a couple of bikes if Im flat towing the buggy behind the motorhome. I also have a small Harbor Freight trailer, that I use to take kayaks to the lake. It weighs very little, and would be fun to tow it with the buggy. I also need to weld in tabs for a small aluminum skid plate I have used before. I will make my own, so I can adjust to use the holes already drilled on the skid plate. Also thinking of welding some brackets to the drivers side brace bar to the shock tower, to hold my fuel filter.
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I never mentioned it, but I had hoped to have the buggy ready for the Manx Club Big Bear event, happening this next weekend, but not quite ready, need another few weeks. I think I will go to Big Bear for the day, on Saturday, primarily for the "Show and Shine", and check out what will probably be a couple of hundred buggies. I should come home inspired to get the buggy done.
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joemama
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 07, 2022 10:24 pm    Post subject: Re: Spooky gets a makeover Reply with quote

When I cut off the hitch receiver off the old bumper, my blade wondered, and I kind of messed it up
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I filled it with weld, and ground it smooth. Better.
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Im going to inset the receiver into the cross tube. This will give a better welding area. Used 2 hose clamps, to mark my vertical cuts.
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And some angle aluminum I had laying around, to mark my horizontal cuts. I centered the angle the best I could.
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Used a sawzall to cut along the hose clamps to the horizontal line, both sides of tube. And used the hose clamps and same angle aluminum as a horizontal cutting guide. Both sides.
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Finished cutting with a handsaw.
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Checked for clearance
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And ready to weld.
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joemama
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 12, 2022 6:55 pm    Post subject: Re: Spooky gets a makeover Reply with quote

Here is a picture with the hitch on the bumper. Also, you can see on the drivers side, where I plan to have my fuel filter. Hoses will go thru the tabs, and the filter will float in the middle. Im going to have to redo most of my welds on the bumper. Something is going on with my welder (besides me), and I was too stubborn to stop. So lots of grinding in my future.
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I also worked on my rear seat back. The seat cover is stapled to a shaped piece of plywood that I had painted with some oil based paint. The wood was a mess, completely rotted.
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Amazingly, the foam and vinyl cover are still good. Back when I was doing fiberglass reapirs on the body, I went ahead and cut a new piece of plywood,this time only 5/32", so it would better bend to the contour of the body, and coated it with resin. I used tee nuts to hold 4 bolts in place, that will feed thru the metal frame thats behind the body, and attached to the cage. I used the bolt to pull the tee nut into the wood. I used red loctite on the threads, so hopefully the bolt wont back out if I need to remove the seat back.
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I used spray adhesive to glue the old foam on the plywood
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And stapled the old cover back on.
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Previously, there was always a gap between the seat back and the buggy, and leaves, dirt, water, all lodged in the gap. So, I decided to add a piece of foam along the top of the back of the seat back, and wrap a piece of vinyl that covers the wood, around it.
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Here is the seat back on the buggy
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I did not tighten the seat on, because I need it loose to add some lap belts that I ordered, and Im using lock nuts, so didnt want to wreck those. But you can see how the foam "gasket", seals the gap.
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Sorry about the blurry picture.
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joemama
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 18, 2022 8:13 am    Post subject: Re: Spooky gets a makeover Reply with quote

Not much to report on. My daughter is getting married in a few days, and I have been directed to making some things, as well as prepare a father of the bride speech. I did purchase a cover for the buggy. I looked into covers for UTV's. There are many on Amazon, for 2 seaters, 4 seaters, and most show length as well as height. The shape looked appropriate. So, I took a length measurement from front bumper to rear.
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Came up at 140". I think the cover I bought is 142" long. Its a little looser than I expected, but seems well made, has a reflective top area to keep heat down, has a couple of vents towards the top to release heat, has elastic around the bottom, and has a couple of straps to secure it.
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I need to clearly mark the front to make it easier to put on. Hopefully this cover will help protect the buggy from the elements, and keep it nice.
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 31, 2022 9:17 pm    Post subject: Re: Spooky gets a makeover Reply with quote

Well, back from daughters wedding. 5 days of driving, helping set up, etc. and all along trying to keep up with young people in their 20's, took a while to recuperate from.
I added some modern amenities to the buggy.
Replaced the old "cigarette lighter"
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with a "power port". Still need this for a small 12 volt compressor, for when I need to air back up after airing down
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same picture, you can see an led light, its on the underside of the dash, a second one on the other side, to serve as cockpit lights. Also added a USB port to the side of the dash
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Slowly making my way thru the electrical. Lots of confusing issues.
I also think I want to cut 2" from the attachment points of the rear bumper. I think it will look better, sticks out too far now. Gives me the opportunity to hopefully have better welds.
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SteveM.
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 03, 2022 4:14 pm    Post subject: Re: Spooky gets a makeover Reply with quote

Great story and project, very impressed with your skills!

Just bought my first buggy, will just need cosmetic refresh, but inspiring to read your thread. Great job on the seats, I have the same ones.

I've restored vintage Honda motorcycles but excited to work on the buggy this fall when temps will more tolerable [currently 102 degrees in Central Texas]

And as far as Moore Supply not having a showroom, seems everyone is going to online shopping, showrooms are becoming a thing of the past.
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 8:03 pm    Post subject: Re: Spooky gets a makeover Reply with quote

Thanks for the kind words, Steve. Not sure I have skills, just many years of doing things myself because if I had to pay someone else, I couldn't afford the buggy. Hope you start a thread of your buggy! I have a Honda Trail 90, as well as a CT70. My goal is to have them, and my buggy, and bug, all running at the same time. Hasn't happened yet.
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 05, 2022 9:02 am    Post subject: Re: Spooky gets a makeover Reply with quote

Been having a problem with my turn signals, finally traced it to a bad electronic flasher, thanks to some troubleshooting info I received on Samba. I decided to attach the flasher to the back of my instrument panel. 3M trim tape works great for this.
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Finally decided to deal with my rear bumper. I decided to cut 2" off the length, just didnt like how it stuck out so far. Cut 2" off the bottom tubes.
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and removed the flanges, and cut off 2" from the top tubes
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rewelded a nut inside the bottom tubes. A bolt goes thru the trans mount bracket, and into this nut.
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Put on the bumper, using the bottom tubes, and propped it up until I got the top flanges lined up and tacked. Also changed the exit point for my license plate light, and back up lights, wiring that goes thru the tube, to exit on the inside of the upper tube, not the outside.
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Added the tabs that will hold my fuel filter to the top drivers side of the rear bumper
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Propped up the skid plate, so I could position the rear tabs, and tacked
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Added tabs for the front of the skid plate to the outside of the rear tubes, for easier access.
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When I built the bumper, I was having trouble with my welder, so decided to grind off the old welds, and reweld. On most of these spots, I ended up running 3 beads, to make sure I strengthened any areas that needed it. Here you can see what I did with the hitch. Ground off old welds
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Rewelded
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and finished welding on the back
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Here is what the bumper looks like shortened 2"
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I like it much better. Im all done with the welding. I need to lightly smooth out some of the welds with a flapper disc, and ready for paint.
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 11, 2022 3:34 pm    Post subject: Re: Spooky gets a makeover Reply with quote

I decided to add a small tube that I can run my back up lights wires thru. They will sit near the exhaust, and this will keep them away. The tube will be hidden behind the license plate.
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As I may once in a while, tow a very light trailer with up to 3 kayaks on it (total weight of kayaks is about 200 lbs, and tongue weight less than 40), I decided to add loops to my hitch for safety chains. Looking around my garage, I ran across these hooks cut off old ratchet straps. Sometimes Im glad I save old stuff.
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Used my wire wheel on my bench grinder to strip off the plastic coating, and cut with my grinder and cutting wheel.
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Ready to weld
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And welded
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Ill finish painting, and bolt on back up lights, license plate light, and run all wires thru the bumper
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 12, 2022 7:40 am    Post subject: Re: Spooky gets a makeover Reply with quote

Nice work...I kinda like welding, at least when it's not 100 degrees!
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 13, 2022 11:40 pm    Post subject: Re: Spooky gets a makeover Reply with quote

Avoiding electrical, so worked on skid plates.
I want a separate skid plate for the trans. One that will stay in place when I remove the motor skid plate to change the oil. I started by removing the bend in my motor skid plate. Always hear it was easy if you heated it up.
Worked OK with a BFH
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O.K. Now ready to move on to the trans skid plate, I cut this out of 1/8th aluminum. The motor skid is 3/16"
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It hangs off the trans cradle
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In the front, I already have 2 holes drilled on either side of the shift coupler
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that drills thru the skid plate, and will allow 2 bolts to hold it on.
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The bolts will go up thru the skid plate, and up into the trans shift coupler cavity. The motor skid plate hits the bolts that hold the trans skid plate to the trans cradle
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I applied some duct tape to the area, and used a floor jack to push the motor skid plate against the trans skid plate bolts
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and used a step drill to drill clearance holes for the trans skid plate holes.
All done for today. Its been hot during the day, 95 to 102, so work early in the morning, and later in the afternoon, but this year we have had tiny little mosquitoes that drive you nuts. Mainly bite your ankles, unless youre laying on the ground.
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 13, 2022 11:44 pm    Post subject: Re: Spooky gets a makeover Reply with quote

Meant to show you how the heavy duty tans front mount hangs where a rock could take it out.
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And why I want a trans skid plate.
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joemama
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Joined: February 09, 2006
Posts: 1635
Location: La Crescenta, California
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 15, 2022 8:30 am    Post subject: Re: Spooky gets a makeover Reply with quote

I have the trans skid plate bolted in place, and the motor skid plate ready to bolt on. Before I bolt it on, I removed my oil drain plate to deal with an annoying oil leak. It leaks just sitting there, not running.
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This oil has been in there for a few years, but not run much. It looked clean, and no water (didnt expect any).
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I had bought silicone gaskets, and new nuts and copper washers
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But when I inspected the drain plate, I see why it leaks, the surface where the copper washers seal against is all scarred up, like somewhere along, someone used the nuts without the copper washers. I never noticed before, and I have not removed the drain plate in many years, as I use a filter pump, so dont worry about cleaning the strainer.
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The plate is also slightly distorted in those areas from someone tightening it down too much. So Im stuck until I get a new drain plate.
I did go ahead and install license plate LED lights that are built into the license plate bolts. I copied this from dlyle Bounty Hunter thread. They look good, and it seemed like a clean solution, but, frankly, if I hadnt already bought them, I would go back to a regular light. I dont like the super thin wires, and the light output is anemic.
My rear license plate was really ugly, with cracks in the paint, dents, fading, etc. But the front plate looks pretty good, so I went to Auto Club, and got a new month sticker, and I had not yet put on this years sticker, so now my front license plate is my back plate, and the ugly one is in the front, where you really dont see it much.
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joemama
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Joined: February 09, 2006
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Location: La Crescenta, California
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 16, 2022 2:25 pm    Post subject: Re: Spooky gets a makeover Reply with quote

I am very lucky that I have Kaddie Shack about 20 minutes away, and while they are a small operation, they always seem to have what I need. I picked up a new, Made in Germany drain plate. They also had the Empi Aluminum one, but at less than 14.00, I dont see anything wrong with this one.
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Although I had bought silicon gaskets, I chose to use the paper ones with a light coat of silicon. I also chose to keep the strainer. Hopefully the coat of gasket maker will help in keeping leaks away. It will make it harder to remove things, but since I have a filter, I dont plan on removing the drain plate for a long time.
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You may notice Im missing a stud. It came out with the nut, so I thought I would coat it with blue loctite, it went in fine, but when I tried to tighten it, the nut just spun off, and only about 1/8" stuck out. I removed it with some needle nose vicegrips and damaged some of the threads in the process, and, again, Im very lucky my friend that used to own a vw shop, and lives about 1/2 mile away, had one for me. I coated one end of the stud with a little silicon, hand tightened the nut until it bottomed out, applied the copper washer, put red loctite on the other end of the stud, and installed it, torqing to 5 lbs. Done for the day, I will let the silicon set overnight, and refill the motor with conventional 10W30.
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With the drain plate installed, I could move on to finishing the skid plate.
First, I ran and installed wiring to the backup switch in the trans. I should have installed this wiring before bolting up the trans skid, as I had to push the spade connectors on by feel. Combined with my poor dexterity, and arthritis in my thumbs, it took quite a while to get this done. Good thing I wasnt trying to undo a clasp, I would get nowhere. With my previous bus trans, there wasnt enough clearance for a back up switch. I ran the wire inside a sleeve, and up thru the same sleeve as the wires coming off the starter.
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Ill have to finish the wiring up top later. I finished bolting on the skid plates.
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You can see where I drilled the clearance holes to let the bolts holding the trans skid come thru, and not hold up the motor skid. The motor skid still hangs down about 3/8" below the trans, but I think that will be O.K. I may try heating up along where the skid sits against the trans cradle, and use a floor jack to see if it will bend up just a little.
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