Aircooled VW South Africa

I know this might sound stupid, but I have caught myself involuntary starting to rebuild the blue buggy, while I am actually supposed to spend my time (and finances) on the SP2, but anyway - here goes:





Since the accident (read: the death of Hot Wheels 1 ) almost a year ago, I have decided that I absolutely MUST get another buggy - OK, the Bay is nice and lekker - but it is a workhorse at this stage, and there is no time to take it off the road for a period of time to restore it, so it has to wait a while (and work!)



So, as everybody know by now - I got another buggy! But while I initially thought it will be a 'quick fix', some closer inspection revealed A LOT of work that needs to be done

The aim of this thread is to keep the Forum up-to-date with the progress on rebuilding the buggy (yes Blitz, with pics). The idea is that the end product will starting to take form on the Forum, as it does in my garage, without giving away too much information. I have already started a few things, but will tell you more about it later. I have also gathered some goodies for the buggy, starting with the gauges that will be fitted:



Yip, they are Porsche - well, actually a mix 'n match set. The tach is from a 914 - and is ideal for a Beetle engine, since it is calibrated for a 4-cylinder engine, unlike the 6-cylinder (more common) tach. The fuel gauge is from a very early 912, and the speedo is a generic VDO item. I took them today to Speedo Services for reconditioning, and I am delighted to announce that both the tach and the fuel gauge are working 100%! They will now be cleaned, re-assembled and the bezels resprayed black (I polished the tach's bezel, so that is why it looks like something from the engine room of the Titanic ), I'll be getting them back in a few weeks. The speedo will be replaced with a similar one, but with km/h.

I can really reccommend Pierre from Speedo Services in Fisher's Hill - they really know their job, and do outstanding work!

Stay tuned for more!

Good Luck Pine, only saw the pics of hotwheels 1 now for the first time, were you hurt in the accident?! My word, look at that buggy! Perhaps a full rollcage in the new one ?

karmakoma wrote:Good Luck Pine, only saw the pics of hotwheels 1 now for the first time, were you hurt in the accident?! My word, look at that buggy! Perhaps a full rollcage in the new one ?

Thanks Karma, that is a long and very sad story, everything here on TheSamba http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewto ... highlight=

But I LIVE - and that is the most important. All injuries have healed, and I am fit as a fiddle again!

You will also notice throughout this thread that the buggy build is not a matter of just slappinng on some new, off-the-shelf parts, but rather the restoration, cleaning and detailing of existing parts. Ideas will also be thrown around, so everything you see is bound to change without prior notice!

Gave one of the manifolds last night some treatment with a wire brush on the drill's end, the end result is quite amazing (although aluminium goes dull due to oxidation quite fast). Not finished yet, but in the meanwhile:



One of the very few parts that survived from HW1, was the original steel bumper (that came from an oval Baja many moons ago). It was not on HW1 at the time of the accident. Trial fitted it on the blue buggy:



The original white bumpers (front and rear) were taken off, and are available under 'Give-Aways' to the first one interested. They are quite solid, heavy - and UGLY. Dibs to the first one who replies to the correct thread



This one, a brand new Manx-style bumper, will stay in the 'Buggy-closet/Pandora's Box/Treasure chest' for a while



Swop meet find - an old Ranger (?) steering wheel, with a Springbok on the center cap for that 'olde school look'. Might be a bit too big for a buggy though, decision pending -

Pine, why dont you get the maifolds annodised? For example Silver?

(After the clean-up)

Will keep that in mind, thanks Zero. How durable would a clear laquer be?

It begins.....

good luck

Pine wrote:Will keep that in mind, thanks Zero. How durable would a clear laquer be?

You are going to have hard times with laquer. It doesnt really stick well(enough) to aliminium. You can clean it off properly, prep the surface and paint your laquer. But in due time it will just peel off. You see, you need something that can etch into the aliminium. But then you loose the 'buff' that you just created. Best bet is to get it anodised aliminium colour(clear perhaps? not sure if clear anodising exists, havent researched it yet). It is very durable.

Looking forward to seeing how this turns out

I see that you have some wiring issues

All the best with the rebuild Pine. Judging by how HV1 came out, this one should also be a stunner

The speedo will be replaced with a similar one, but with km/h.

I would be interested in that speedo if you are going to be selling it

Way to go bud

A start is a start, all the best. We must talk as I'm trying to rebuild the LWB Buggy that was on Gumtree...........

I'm glad to see you are busy with a buggy again.Good luck Pine.

Thanks for all the good wishes. A mistake I made when rebuilding HW1 (it was blue originally), was to start driving it the moment it was able to drive - so I never got to carpeting the tunnel, covering the 'plank' that was supposed to be the rear seat etc. Hell, I drove it for almost a month before the wiring was done! I won't make that mistake again. This buggy will only ride when completely finished, to my standards.

To me, there are a few key elements that either make or break a buggy - and they are:

1. Colour
2. Wheels (large rear, small front - on vintage rims)
3. Headlights
4. Indicators
5. Tail lights
6. Steering wheel
7. Front bumper
8. Filler cap

The pic above illustrates more or less all those factors combined, so you see what I mean? There is a very fine line between HOT and NOT, and it is mostly a matter of personal taste.

Starting with number 6 - the filler cap. I am looking for one of those large aluminium 'flip-up' filler caps, as fitted to racing cars and especially Cobras. Does anyone perhaps have an idea where I can find one - does not need to be new, just in a good condition?