SS100 "replica" Kit Kar

[oprn]

Back in the early '70's the shop I worked in would often get tractors and farm equipment to paint. To speed up the process and conserve material we used to "hot spray" them. That was in the days of alkyd enamel paints.

The way we did it was to put a pot of water on a hot plate and set the can of paint in it. Basically that kept the paint at about 210*F. You just filled your paint gun from that and sprayed. The heat thinned the paint enough to spray and it cooled quickly on the metal so it only took one coat to get good coverage. So the only thinner we needed was to wash up the gun and there was far less overspray to clean up too.

Some claimed that the paint had a tendency to go flat quicker when hot sprayed. I have no idea if that was true, we never saw the machinery afterwards.
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Our cars get old, we get old but driving an old VW never gets old!

[Ulu]

I have done that before but I never heated it up to anywhere close to 210°F!

This paint says it works if I can get the air temp up to 55 and the humidity down to 60%. I think I’m going to be able to do that with just a tarp and an electric heater. Maybe. The humidity is pretty high right now.

Also, the floor just wants more work. I am trying to rush things.
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SS100 kit kar
1600cc DP

[Ulu]

Yesterday was the first of two Christmas dinners at our house. Everything went off fine, and there were no disasters. Her family was here, and tomorrow it’s mine.

Things didn’t start until 4pm, so I still managed to cut some pan bracket reinforcement bars for the car and get them cleaned up & welded in. The seat risers are now welded in too

I also got some more rust cleaned up, and prepped for the last bits of welding.

It was a lovely day in the mid 60’s & it looks like prime painting weather tomorrow. Maybe it will happen today, because my family starts showing up at noon tomorrow.

But there is still more welding needed on the fuel tank support. I need to make some more crossmember gussets too.

We were supposed to get a little rain this morning but it came in the night. I am hoping for the 68F they posted for today’s weather.

Here’s wishing you all nice weather for Christmas!
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SS100 kit kar
1600cc DP

[Ulu]

Well everything waits for Christmas, but I am finally back on the case.

I made these gussets from some scrap tubing.

It stayed warm until sundown, so I flipped the frame upside down, gave it a cleaning, and shot 40 oz of satin black. I’ll do the top later, because of the weather.

It’s raining, but somehow I just barely managed to beat the rain. The finish won’t be great, but at least it won’t rust up during assembly.
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SS100 kit kar
1600cc DP

[Ulu]

We had some pretty good rains here but we’ve had several sunny days now and everything dried up beautifully. It was almost 65 today in the boat yard and I decided that it was time to paint the top of my chassis.

I had the chassis all flipped back over on a stand and I cleaned up the whole thing, getting it ready to paint. I was on the last few little plug welds that needed grinding when I got sloppy with a grinder and knicked my brake line. The one that runs through the tunnel. Dangblangthegoshdarnblanketeeheck!

Well no reason to continue painting when I was just gonna scratch it all up leaning over the chassis to put in the new one. I’ll go to the Volkswagen shop tomorrow.

I bought myself a new guitar for Christmas, so maybe I’ll go play some blues to make me feel better. OK, I bought two guitars. The cheap one is for heavy metal. If I get tired of feeling the blues, I’ll wake up the neighbors a little bit.
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SS100 kit kar
1600cc DP

[oprn]

I know the feeling! I had a piece of elm on the wood lathe yesterday and was putting the final touched on the goblet stem. The bowl of the goblet was done and sanded ready for finish and as I pulled the tool away I nicked the finished part. Took a big chip out! Dang!

Fortunately there was enough meat left to reshape it and most of the chip is now gone. Maddening to say the least and no one else to blame!
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Our cars get old, we get old but driving an old VW never gets old!

[Ulu]

In the end it only cost me $25 and a brief delay of game. I had some other things to work on anyway, like my sisters car and another guitar.
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SS100 kit kar
1600cc DP

[Ulu]

We went through a rather wet early winter, which drove me to cover up the project cars and everything else with big plastic tarps and hide out indoors with my guitars.

I bought several more, because they had collector value or because they had sentimental value to me. Kind of the way a Volkswagen has sentimental value to me. Anyhow, it is raining again today so here I am indoors playing with my favorite jazz guitar. Circa 1960 Silvertone semi-hollow, also sold by the maker, Kay, as the Speed Demon in slightly different livery.

I had to do a little work on this one to make it entirely playable, but it is now, and I got it at a bargain price. Even better, I had a $$$$ rifle that I really hated and I hated all the $$$$ gear that I had bought for it as well. I sold that all to fund my Guitar purchases.

I’m not showing you the inexpensive imported Telecaster, the expensive American made Eric Clapton edition Stratocaster, the custom built locally made Stratocaster, clone, or the other two 1960s Silvertone guitars. I also bought a ‘65 Silvertone 55w tube amplifier, and a more modern Ampeg 200w for the bass.

I guess I didn’t mention the bass guitar, and I also bought a Hawaiian guitar. Fun on a burn baby! (yeah the sale of that one rifle did not fund all of this. I spent my fun money for the year.)

In spite of all of that extravagance, one of my favorite Christmas presents was this Sambaesque aquarium ornament From my granddaughter. It’s in my foyer and I call it Hurley’s bus.

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SS100 kit kar
1600cc DP

[Ulu]

Before my guitar hoarding stopped I had bought several more, include some relics, which I rebuilt. Also amplifiers and accessories.

But I finally got back to my VW relic yesterday.

I put in the new brake lines and master cylinder, pedal set, control cables, and now I’m trying to locate the brake hose brackets.

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SS100 kit kar
1600cc DP

[A E Numan]

Glad to see you back! Now get to work.

[OCD Garage]

It can be a daunting task when you are creating most everything from scratch, but sometimes a break can renew your interest once you get started again!

[Ulu]

Thanks guys. The beat goes on, but it is 100F an I quit for today.

The front axle and all the steering are filthy and I took it apart for major cleaning.

I bobbed off the unneeded “finger” from the pitman arm. Also the stop it could never hit anyway.

It’s on this stamped ugliness, which will get modded for easy access to steering adjustments.

Also the steering stabilizer bracket had to go.

There’s the last bit hanging by a thread.

That area is all burnished down now, but much cleaning remains.

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SS100 kit kar
1600cc DP

[oprn]

Not going to use a steering dampener? Maybe I missed it in your thread but why not? Or are you just mounting it differently?
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Our cars get old, we get old but driving an old VW never gets old!

[Ulu]

[Ulu]

She’s gone.

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SS100 kit kar
1600cc DP

[Ulu]

Burnishing the axle.

I wanted to weld up the front shock towers before paint. I didn’t want to see a rusty seam in my paint later.

Also these are just spot welded & old, and wanted reinforcement. I went all around these, except for the drain port on bottom. I didn’t use filler.

These tubes were filled with grease to make the springs slip, and it keeps water out. It also burns. There are rubbers inside too, so I did six feet of short 2” welds, skipping around, and switching sides, to let it cool. I also cooled it with water around the rubber bushings & seals.

The tops had been trimmed a bit ragged, but needed welding. Also filler here. Though dirty and old inside, I still eventually got solid welds by argon purging.

Flipping the axle flat so I don’t have to weld out of position.

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SS100 kit kar
1600cc DP

[oprn]

[Ulu]

Oh no, I drove it at 55 over an old patched up road without issues. I was amazed. Remember that the weight distribution is much different than stock.

I haven’t had it faster than that. I might never. It has not been on the freeway.

I also drove it on that road without front shocks, no damper, and it went well.

Now when I get done the car might have less caster, because the frame isn’t sagging in the middle. That will mean shimming the head. Maybe a lot. By my estimate it may have changed as much as 2deg.

Also weight distribution will be different than stock. The car will be heavier. I think it was 1260 lbs empty & wet. I probably took off 150 lbs of rusty crap and added back 250 lbs of new steel.

So everything changes and we won’t know anything for sure until it gets driven.
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SS100 kit kar
1600cc DP

[oprn]

The added wheel base will for sure decrease the need for extra castor. I am surprised it was that light as found. My Manx copy with no roof, side pods, thin fiberglass seats and no roll cage clocks in at 1432 pounds wet.
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Our cars get old, we get old but driving an old VW never gets old!

[Ulu]

Looking back, I guess that 1260lb was without gas or front shocks.
Call it 1360 for now. I will weigh it officially later.

Meanwhile, the cleaning continues. I am down to some little corners I must scrape by hand. I’m not taking the suspension apart yet. I’ll work around everything.

Today started too cold for paint but now it is just right.

But it’s not there yet. Dirt remains.
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SS100 kit kar
1600cc DP