Double-Double’s Adventure Bug Build

[Double-Double]

[joemama]

I have Herculiner on the underside of my fiberglass buggy, as well as on the inside of the floor pan, and the sides inside the buggy. Its all a pain to clean, and after a few years, it looks kind of like worn rubber (mine is black). Dirt gets trapped, specially on the pan and sides, ans its hard to clean, even when I just take a hose and hose it out. When you use a towel, or sponge, because its abrasive, lint, etc. gets left behind. I think the look would be kind of cool, but what a pain if you ever want to change it. On my class 11 style, I used a single stage acrylic enamel from Restoration Shop, its inexpensive, and its been very durable. They have a product called Hot Rod Flatz, that I want to try next. Its a satin that comes in colors. Love your project, keep it up.

[Double-Double]

[Double-Double]

Got more steering and suspension parts cleaned up to bare metal and painted with Steel-It today. Also got most of the rear end sanded down and cleaned up. Go from grinder with wire wheel to steel brush to Emory cloth to brake cleaner to get 50 years of dirt and oil cleaned off. Will probably finish up the front and sand the floorboards tomorrow and clean up my shop finally. I will move the chassis over and flip it upside down this weekend so I can clean the bottom for epoxy primer and seam sealer.

[Double-Double]

Managed to get the front area sanded down today and get started on taking the protective paint off the floorpans. I hope to be able to flip this thing over on Monday and do the bottom, and then epoxy primer and raptor one side and do the other side after a week curing time. Seems like it's going pretty smoothly at the moment.

Unfortunately have to spend a little more money than I thought I would and get a new rear brake backing plate because someone broke the adjuster stop off one and also tightened one side of the e-brakes more than the other so the little nipple was broke off the e-brake handle. I may find a way to modify that handle since it just centers up the bracket which you tighten the cables on. I may try cleaning this one up and taping a small screw hole in it so I can just use a machine screw instead of the nipple. Oh well, that's life, gonna do it right so that means buying parts!

[Double-Double]

Got 90% of the pan stripped of the crappy paint today. Was gonna epoxy primer it start of next week but the box with my gun was opened and resealed by UPS so someone has a new gun on me now. Had to file a claim and reorder so now I have a couple days for it to be delivered to tinker around a bit more. Oh well, such is life. Guess I will just pull the cables now so I can plug the holes with earplugs and get things taped off before flipping it over to the back side.

[Matt Wilson]

Nice progress - now's your chance for a rear torsion bar adjuster to be installed into the middle of the rear torsion housing.
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1972 Standard Beetle
1969 Baja Beetle

[Double-Double]

[cbeck]

Do the bolt. I did the tubing/pin and the tubing pulled off center during final welding, making it way too hard to install the pivot bolt.

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

[Double-Double]

What if you drilled the tubing after it was welded and pivot bolt reinstalled so you could get it right on?

[Double-Double]

Got the top of the chassis all the way cleaned up today and ready for acetone then primer. But will flip over and do the bottom first so I can paint both sides the same day. I masked off and sanded the emergency brake / heater control area and cleaned then up and painted with Steel-It as well as the chassis number area next to the access tunnel.

Will figure out IRS pivot pin retainer before I finish prepping the chassis for paint. After that is welded in I will get the epoxy primer on and then Raptor bedliner.

[cbeck]

The welding heat pulled the tubing out of line with the pivot bolt when the tubing was fully welded. Lined up great when it was only tacked. The problem was not with the way the cotter key slid in.
The baja bug @buggy book also recommends welding some flat stock from the out board ends of the torsion tubes to the flat part of the floor pan. States the current small hook can break loose when beat on hard enough.
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My cut in half and rebuild thread
www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=647779

[Double-Double]

I decided to go with this solution for the backing out pivot bolts. I saw them when I was on Kartek just now looking for that kit to lock them down but I think these safety wired up will do the trick plus you can use a regular box wrench instead of the pain in the butt Allen head down that’s cool too!

https://www.kartek.com/parts/type-1-beetle-irs-rea...-wire.html

[Dark Earth]

I installed these recently ...

... after "tobiism" suggested them.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...;start=147

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My Build: '69 Baja - Dark Earth Version

~I'm almost done. I just lack finishing up.~

[oldschool5er]

The bolt head setup is by far the better one because it won't allow the pivot bolt to loosen even a tiny bit. The cotter key or even a bolt put through a tube style will allow the pivot bolt to loosen up the tiniest amount that will cause it to start fretting and over time that ruins the threads and binds up the pivot bolt when you try and take it out. The bolt head or big allen type just don't allow it to move. The fretting with using a cotter key or small bolt through the tube is a known problem and many have experianced a stuck pivot bolt because of it.
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HRE in Westerville,Ohio

Full machine shop with all types of CNC. Rapid prototyping available, CNC Plasma cutting, 3D printing and Laser engraving.

[Matt Wilson]

I've used the same ones Dark Earth showed above. Seem to work fine. The annoying part is that kits like that always come with SAE hardware instead of metric.

Remember, that those Allen bolts are supposed to be torqued to 85 lb-ft, BEFORE you weld on any sort of specially clocked retainer.
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1972 Standard Beetle
1969 Baja Beetle

[Double-Double]

Got the front beam stripped and cleaned up today. Hung it from my ladder so I could wipe it down and paint it in one shot. Covered it in the black Steel-It of course. Also decided while I was inspecting the beam to keep the roller bearings and bronze bushings since they are all in excellent shape instead of using the urethane kit I have. So I will just have to order new torsion spring seals from Wolfsburg West when I get the steering bolt lock down plates I forgot to order.

[tobiism]

Man you are like a machine getting stuff done LOL. Everything looks great but what are you going to do about suspension stops for the front beam? And you are not going to strengthen the beam at all by welding the seams or adding gussets?
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"There has never been a genius without a hint of madness."
-Albert Einstein

[Double-Double]

[tobiism]