Aircooled VW South Africa

Very sweet.

Congrats

The type 3s the "horns and torsion bar tubes" are a seperate removable piece with a rubber centre mount to the pan and two rubber mounts to the body. Hence the rear engine mount on early 3s and the engine hanger bar on later 3s. Is this what you meant? Makes for noticeable less vibration.

nice bike

Update 17/04/09: The Doldrums

[The Doldrums (often capitalized when referring to the geographic region) is an area of the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean affected by the Intertropical Convergence Zone, a low-pressure area around the equator where the prevailing winds are calm. The low pressure is caused by the heat at the equator, which makes the air rise and travel north and south high in the atmosphere, until it subsides again in the horse latitudes. Some of that air returns to the Doldrums through the trade winds. This process can lead to light or variable winds and more severe weather, in the form of heavy squalls, thunderstorms and hurricanes.

This region is also noted for calm periods when the winds disappear altogether, or are light and shifting. Hurricanes originate in this region. Because of the unpredictable weather patterns, the Doldrums became notorious with sailors because this region's periods of deadly calm could trap ships for days or weeks on end as they waited for enough wind to power their sails.

Not a lot has happened the past few weeks with the buggy project, for several reasons. Pick one - any one

a. Money (or the lack of it)
b. Time (or the lack of it)

.....BUT

The chassis got back from the sandblasters today (thanks IMPI! ), but it is still in Orkney. I will hopefully get it back in two weeks time when I am going through for the 1 May Potch show.

The chassis will then be powder coated, and THEN the re-assembly can start

(and I'll be OUT of the Doldrums )

Update 25/04/2009 - some PROGRESS (at last!)


Quite a lot has happened the past 24 hours! (Out of the doldrums) Armand has been here in Johannesburg for a few days, found a few nice parts for his projects, and left yesterday morning for home. I had to be in NorthWest yesterday for work and we drove through with two cars to Orkney, his home, and the venue for my first appointment. I slept over last night, and today we did a few more things to the buggy

The chassis welding is complete, it is back from the sandblasters and I can go and fetch it on Friday when I'll be going through with a trailer to Potch/Orkney. It is currently suspended from the ceiling in IMPI's garage, so that is reason for the weird camera angle



The cylinder heads are back from the refurbishers - shot blasted, new valve guides, valve seats, valves - the works!




The front suspension was carefully measured, cut and the adjusters welded in - so in other words, it is now an adjustable front supension





I've had 6 of these chromed Porsche 914 steel wheels for a while. They were clearly on an off-roader before, since four of them were widened to such and extend, that they don't fit on a 914 anymore:



The two widest ones were taken to the engineering shop, and the centers cut out:



In this pic you can get a better idea on just how wide they are. That is a 5.5 incher to the right...



With the help of IMPI, the two Sprintstar centers were centered and welded into the wide/chromed 914 outers (this pic was taken earlier before they were sand blasted)



The centers are currently painted with red etch primer, so although they were pretty hot, they are not really 'red hot' as might appear in this pic!



Didn't take pictures of the completed rims, but will post them as soon as they are painted silver and black as the (narrower) front ones

Next step will be to get the chassis back to GP for powder coating, detailing and assembly. I will try this week to have the A-frame flanges cut to be welded onto the front suspension, and then that can be powder coated as well. As soon as the front suspension is received back, the assembly of the front suspension can also proceed. Thanks (once again) for all the help, Armand!

To say I am excited at the moment, is an understatement. I am on CLOUD NINE!!!

looks good pine

I can't wait to see this together.

Those wheels are going to look wicked! Well done.

looking nice

I never knew that a set of widened 4x130 wheels could look so wicked

Are those 914 wheels the same offset as Type 3 Auto 4x130 wheels? I have a set and I think that they would look great if I have to widen them and powdercoat them sparkle silver.

Pine...You have planted an idea here!!

Nice work so far. I really don't want to know how much this has cost so far

Update 04/05/2009

The project took a huge leap forward when the completed (well at least welding-wise ) and sand blasted chassis arrived safely at home in Johannesburg yesterday on the back of the trailer after I returned from the weekend in Potchefstroom and Orkney. Took it to the powder coaters this afternoon, but the owner wasn't there to give me a quote, and I left it there. Will go there again tomorrow morning for an assesment of the personal financial damage.... my arms and legs won't last this project any longer

..but I am EXCITED, nonetheless

The biggest challenge at this stage is to stay patient, and stay thorough. There are indeed many hours of working still ahead

Jy moet fokus my kind

Just got the chassis back from the powder coaters, and I am extremely impressed with the good quality work they did, inside and out!




View from the front to the back, through the tunnel



View from the back to the front, through the tunnel



The funny shape of this pressing on the nose of the chassis puzzled me (since it is covered by a plate anyway), but according to Armand it is the only part of SA-built Beetles that remained unchanged between 1951 and end of production in 1978. Those two little holes are no other than the mountings for the brackets of - wait for THIS - the cable-operated front brakes of early Split Beetles!
(The buggy chassis is mid-70's)



The plate that covers the antique holes...

Looks good! What is the next step?

Starting to look sweet.