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jakerot Samba Member
Joined: August 09, 2012 Posts: 205 Location: SoCal
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Posted: Tue May 14, 2013 9:48 pm Post subject: Yet another buggy build, here goes........... |
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Well, i figured I will start to post some info on the FG buggy I am in the process of building. First time for me. lots of learning. I have been lurking around various buggy sites (mostly samba, ha ha) for almost a year now. just reading and more reading. Planning my attack.
now I am finally starting to work on the pan. lots of rust
So here are the stats:
I got a 1970 VW bug pan. The title / registration is clean. Unfortunately the pan isn't.
I got a FG body, similar to El Lido / Lobo. Probably a generic knock off, who knows. this is the body style I was looking for.
the guy I bought it from gave me a sheetload of parts. even duplicates. Nothing was assembled. he just had a collection of parts and ran out of time / patience / desire.
I got a bug tranny. not sure the condition. hubs spin. shifted through the gears. will have to get it checked out.
I also got a DP1600 engine. PO told me he didnt know the history and wasnt sure if it ran. well it doesn't run. I pulled the fan shroud off and saw the engine threw a rod and punched a hole in the top of the case. oh well. My neighbor just upgraded to a 1776 and gave me his tired 1600. will use it for a core eventually.
I have been buying parts for the last year. tools too.
I also scored a set of US Indy mag wheels, 4 lug. 14" fronts and 15" rears. Started to restore them. I will post a pix soon.
I guess the PO liked the color yellow. I dont. I will change the color eventually.
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jakerot Samba Member
Joined: August 09, 2012 Posts: 205 Location: SoCal
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Posted: Tue May 14, 2013 9:56 pm Post subject: |
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so now I am working on the pan
I built a rotisserie
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sbussard Samba Member
Joined: April 19, 2011 Posts: 432 Location: Pittsburgh, PA (near enough)
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Posted: Tue May 14, 2013 10:15 pm Post subject: |
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Time to get busy!! _________________ Manxter #122
First time, garage built, and living out the childhood dream of owning a life-size Hotwheel!
Check out my build thread-->My Manxter 2+2 |
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jakerot Samba Member
Joined: August 09, 2012 Posts: 205 Location: SoCal
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Posted: Tue May 14, 2013 10:40 pm Post subject: |
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the pan I got was already shortened. I took some measurements and it looks like all is lined up. the bottom of the tunnel wasn't welded however.
the PO made a chevron style cut.
A buddy of mine is acting as my welding tutor. the bottom weld he did however, since it was a little messy.
before
after
ground down the weld then added some flatbar as reinforcement on the bottom
Used a torch to heat and bang some flatbar onto the top / side of the tunnel. just tacked them in for now
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jakerot Samba Member
Joined: August 09, 2012 Posts: 205 Location: SoCal
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Posted: Tue May 14, 2013 10:45 pm Post subject: |
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yah time to get busy is right............
here is a pix of an overhead gantry lift I made. this, along with a load leveler, allowed me to build the rotisserie around the pan while it was suspended. It came in super handy.
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ElijahTurtle Samba Member
Joined: May 26, 2009 Posts: 86 Location: Watauga, TX
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Posted: Tue May 14, 2013 11:05 pm Post subject: Re: Yet another buggy build, here goes........... |
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jakerot wrote: |
I also scored a set of US Indy mag wheels, 4 lug. 14" fronts and 15" rears. Started to restore them. I will post a pix soon. |
Nice! I have the same wheels. Been trying to locate wider ones for the back at a decent price though. Also have to restore mine since the buggy sat in an old dirt floor dairy barn for nearly 20 years.
jakerot wrote: |
I got a FG body, similar to El Lido / Lobo. Probably a generic knock off, who knows. this is the body style I was looking for.
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Is the nose on the hood pointed? If so it might be a Litha Springs manufacture. If not it would likely be one of the ones you mentioned.
Here's the front of my lithia buggy. Body is the same as the Lido/Lobo, but the hood has a pointed nose.
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jakerot Samba Member
Joined: August 09, 2012 Posts: 205 Location: SoCal
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Posted: Tue May 14, 2013 11:21 pm Post subject: |
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I like that pointed front. mine is recessed however. The base color on my body appears to be green flake.
dune buggy archives lists it as X-0011. this is what I suspect mine looked like once upon a time........
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jakerot Samba Member
Joined: August 09, 2012 Posts: 205 Location: SoCal
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Posted: Wed May 15, 2013 12:01 am Post subject: |
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here is a pix of the wheels. 14" x 6" in the front and 15" x 8 1/2" in the rear
the tires are crappy. I will eventually get new ones.
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jakerot Samba Member
Joined: August 09, 2012 Posts: 205 Location: SoCal
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Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 8:28 am Post subject: |
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so now on to the rust.
the ends of the front "napoleon's hat" were rusted out and cracked, both sides
it isn't pretty underneath either
so I cut out the rusted parts. The front of the pans are OK however
some rust inside the napolean's hat. will use some POR-15 in here
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jakerot Samba Member
Joined: August 09, 2012 Posts: 205 Location: SoCal
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Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 8:34 am Post subject: |
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back of the pans had some rust issues too.
One side I was able to just fill in with weld and a small piece of sheet metal
the other side I had to cut out the bad metal.
I welded in some new metal. will add a picture soon |
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jakerot Samba Member
Joined: August 09, 2012 Posts: 205 Location: SoCal
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Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 8:41 am Post subject: |
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started to address the bottom of the frame head. there was a small rust hole on one side of the bottom framehead.
so I decided to wire wheel it and see what I am dealing with. Not exactly what I was hoping for. all these dimples showed up in the metal after hitting it with the wire wheel. a poke with a screwdriver, and the hole in the metal was complete. then another, then another until finally:
the rest of the bottom of the frame head looks OK. went around with a hammer hitting all over and the metal seems pretty strong. Just this one spot is hurting.
So I said enough of this and sent the pan, along with a few other items, on to my local media blaster. no more yellow front beam!!
I want to know what I am dealing with and don't want any more rust surprises. |
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jakerot Samba Member
Joined: August 09, 2012 Posts: 205 Location: SoCal
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Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 8:44 am Post subject: |
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so I am thinking on cutting the bad metal out to check out the integrity of the steel inside the frame head. If it looks OK, then my plan is to fill in the holes with weld and then weld the cut piece back in. Put some POR-15 inside maybe?
I have sheet metal I can reinforce this area with.
Anyone have experience with this kind of repair? |
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joescoolcustoms Samba Member
Joined: August 08, 2006 Posts: 9054 Location: West By God Virginia
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Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 8:54 am Post subject: |
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Quote: |
Anyone have experience with this kind of repair? |
When I get them in that shape, I usually replace the full "bat wing" and move on. For me, it saves time and then I know I have gotten all the weakness out of an important structural frame area. _________________ 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 |
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jakerot Samba Member
Joined: August 09, 2012 Posts: 205 Location: SoCal
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Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 9:26 am Post subject: |
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thanks Joe. so that is my dilemma. cut it all out and replace it all, or leave as much of the OE metal as I can and just repair the bad parts. this goes for the napolean hat as well.
By bat wing I assume you mean the frame head bottom plate?
If I could find a good quality OE bottom plate then I would love to remove the whole thing and just replace it. No brainer.
Of course, the one i saw at my local VW shop had thinner metal than OE.
The napolean hat I bought from there had thinner metal as well.
So I bought another napolean hat from another shop and it was the same POS.
so where is a good shop where I can get good quality parts for this repair?
my third option is look for a replacement frame head at a junkyard. No luck with this so far.
stumped.................
thank you all for your help |
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joescoolcustoms Samba Member
Joined: August 08, 2006 Posts: 9054 Location: West By God Virginia
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Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 9:37 am Post subject: |
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Yes, "Bat Wing" is the bottom frame head plate. Different one for the L&P -vrs- the Ball Joint. The after market bat wings are decent, they are thick metal and come pretty close to fitting.
I agree on the Nepol Hat. They are thin and do not fit very well. I buy them and graft in the parts that are rusted badly, (curved areas, flat areas I use proper thickness sheet steel).
Chances are any used frame head you get will also need repair in some area. _________________ 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 |
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jakerot Samba Member
Joined: August 09, 2012 Posts: 205 Location: SoCal
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Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 9:51 am Post subject: |
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thanks Joe,
OK got it.
I am planning on splicing in the ends of the napolean hat. I will be using some DOM tubing around the pan perimeter to reinforce the pan and provide a body lift. I havent decided on a size yet. I saw a thread where you did the same thing with vwbowtieman that looked great. this tubing should overcome any structural deficiencies caused by the thinner metal on the napolean hat.
for the bat wing, well, I guess she is gonna have to come out. As much as I would like to keep the OE metal, it is what I cant see inside the head that worries me.
lets see what she looks like when she comes back from the blaster..........
thanks again. |
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joescoolcustoms Samba Member
Joined: August 08, 2006 Posts: 9054 Location: West By God Virginia
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Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 10:06 am Post subject: |
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I am actually going this afternoon to pick up my steel for my Sears Rascal build. It will get a 2 X 2 boxed perimeter. This will provide a 1 inch raise in the body, (body lift) and the 1 inch down that a normal pan has. 0.120 wall so it will act as a structual member, give a great place to attach a roll cage to. It will receive a flat floor instead of putting in new pan haves. Makes mounting seats easier. I am also getting 1 X 1 tubing to go across the Nepol Hat and 1 X 2 to go across the rear section. Floor will be 14 gauge, all other roll cage and boxed/rectangle tubing is 0.120 wall. _________________ 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 |
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pallen Samba Member
Joined: February 15, 2012 Posts: 589
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jakerot Samba Member
Joined: August 09, 2012 Posts: 205 Location: SoCal
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Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 10:58 pm Post subject: |
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awesome build pallen!! I have been following it. great stuff.
here is the pan section i repaired. got the pan back from the sandblaster. still got to hit it with grinder
took the batwing off. some rust in there. I think I can work with it.
I am thinking of reinforcing and coating with POR15.
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jakerot Samba Member
Joined: August 09, 2012 Posts: 205 Location: SoCal
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Posted: Tue May 28, 2013 11:05 pm Post subject: |
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here are some pix after I wire brushed
found a dollar inside the framehead. I'll have to find a way to make this a part of the build.
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