The Cal-look Lounge

Hi
I've been reading everybody Else's posts, so I thought I had better make a contribution..
I went to a few shows this year, Chimay then Le bug show,finished off with a trip to DAS at Bitburg, after 29 years of owning a bug. I thought that drag racing looks worth a go,so I started looking around for a car to have a go with,It would nice to try and get into the 12's but all that seems a long long  way away....
I picked up the car in the late summer from a guy about 20 miles away,who had bought a house and had ran out of money and enthusiasm.
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The body and pan were already separated and had both seen better days.
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I had the body and pan blasted,most of it got swept up,but I did have a bit left.

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I'am sure you have all seen worse, but i seemed like more holes than beetle.

Anyway new pans, heater channels, and front and back and its slowly going back together..
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Another oval saved 8)
What's the plan for the motor etc??
Cheers
Kev

Hi Kev

It took me nearly 2 hours to work out how to re-size the pictures on my first posts,so that's why it was a bit short of words. I nearly lost the will to live. :D

Motor is going to be based around 82mm CB crank and 94mm b & P, I also picked up a new case from heritage on a special offer day.
I have not really decided on the heads but this is my thinking
Heads CB street eliminators
CB 1.4:1 rockers
Webber 48 Ida's
Cam fk 87 or 89
But I'm open to suggestions as I'm definitely no expert.
Just ordered some Ercos from pier side, and I'm taking it up to Cotsweld to have the roll cage fitted next month,then back home to sort the paint out.
suspension I've got a 2" narrowed beam,with some dropped spindles
Front brakes CB or csp disc conversion
Rears Drums but would like to upgrade to a wider shoe,but type 3 bits or few and far between.
Anyone got any suggestions please fell free,to chip in.

And maybe someone could help me out with this one, the cars appears to be on a later pan but i'am not sure.
Is there a plastic bush on the gear shift rod,I don't remeber taking one out and the one I have got does not want to fit.
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Also is the rod supposed to have a bend in it
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Cheers
Ian

Yes it has that bush on it, there is a bracket that hangs down inside the tunnel just after the shifter mount, the bush fits in there[ the old one probably dried out and broke off long ago] , then the rod slides in from the front and goes through the bush, it can be a bi*ch to fit, make sure the rod has no corrosion on it, if it has then sand it with 1000 grit wet n dry or similar so it is real smooth, lots of grease on the bush and keep trying, it should be easier with the tunnel opened up like, there is a metal clip that goes round one end of the bush
and yes it should have the bend on the shift rod :)

sounds like you got a cool project going together their, nice to see another one being saved 8)

cheers Richie

Hi Ian,

Sounds like you've got a pretty good plan worked out! ;D
I'm building the pan for my '56 right now & that's the bush that goes into the bracket in the tunnel just to the rear of the gearshift hole, the flared end facing forward.
My pans a new mexican so has a different shift rod but it has a bend & definitely not straight.
Not sure from the pics if you've got a later pan or not, the shock mounts are an obvious give away if its oval era or later.
I fitted early T3 drums to the back of my '55 race car with late T3 backing plates etc but its converted to IRS, pretty sure that can go onto a swing axle too?
Keep the pics coming ;D
Cheers
Kev

Thanks Guys,will have a few sherry's tonight and get back up to the garage in the morning..and have another go. ;D

Welcome to the Lounge Ian, nice to see another Oval drag car in progress. I will be watching this thread with great interest, keep up the good work.

Still having hassle with this bush or I could be a complete Lemon.. If you look at the metal guide,it has a slight flare on it.. all the other pictures of guide i can find are much thinner and would locate it in the plastic bush.but mine seems much wider. Any way a picture paints a thousand words..
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I will post a picture of the rear end of the chassis if that  helps identify it, any help would be much appreciated, my only thought is maybe buy a new guide and replace it coolair have these one and the locating ring is much thinner
http://www.coolairvw.co.uk/Item/Shop_by_Vehicle~Beetle_Products~Beetle_Levers_-P-_Pedal_Products~Gear_Shifters_and_Linkage~Gear_Shifter_Linkage/111701255B/Front_Gear_Shift_Rod_Guide_-_All_Years_-_T1-C-KG-C-T3_-P-_T2_-OB-1955-66-CB-.html

Picture of chassis
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And thsi is someones idea of a seat belt mount that you can just about push out with your fingers. :o
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From memory you instal the bush and retaining clip first. Then grease it up and grease the shift rod and slide it though the installed bush. Does that make sense?
Lee

From what I can figure out the bush locates in the mount in on e grove and the retaining ring in the other, but the mount is flared so it's too wide for the bush.  I'm thinking for the  sake of my sanity I will spend the £13'quid and swap it over with the one from cool air as the bracket is much thinner. 

Hi Ian,
Looks like the wrong bush to me, as Lee says the bush goes into the guide first then the shift rod passes through it.
The bracket on my car isn't flared but has the exact same bush.
Learn something new every day eh! ;D
Cheers
Kev

Another Day and a bit more done, Repair panels to repair panels.. :)...  Got rid of the dodgy looking heater channel blank bits.. Thanks to Dave for the kick up the ass, today I was about to put up with them, but knew in my heart they wouldn't have looked right..It just had to pointed out to me that I would have always been cheesed off with them.any way all done..

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AND NOW LOOKING MUCH BETTER 

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The bush saga has been put on hold,I ordered a new mounting bracket this morning..

I am so happy you did that to the heater channels :)

We did that to my '67/'68 - so glad my new car is a later model! :D

If you look at your rear, upper shock bolts, they are at a right angle to the centerline of the chassis . . . newer cars have the shock mounts at an angle. You have an early (before'61) chassis. It did not originally have a plastic shift rod bushing.
Also, be prepaired to do something to adapt your front transaxle mount . . . i.e.; type-2 nose cone, weld in a front mount from a newer chassis, etc.
Nice project . . . keep up the good work!!!

56 Blitz thankyou sir.    I've been thinking I,m going nuts every picture I could find showed the bush,  I only cut the bottom out to make it easier to run new fuel lines and brake line. Trying to imagine how many hours I would have spent trying to push it through the handbrake hole,with out being able to see the flare.
the dilemma now is do I leave it or replace it with new one that I have bought.. I wonder if the shift rod is a different diameter,maybe the old saying if it ain't broke...it must have worked for the last 50 years.
Hi Lee
 yeah they look a lot better! it just seemed a lot of hassle,to be cutting up new panels but on the other hand we have had to cut and adapt  every other panel to make it fit. I did look at the klassic fab channels,but I tried to buy them from their UK supplier and gave up after six months of waiting .that  was for a different oval that  we are doing for my wife a nice resto, with a few upgrades. Actually the wheels I bought off of you are for that one, it's been put on hold, while I empty the bank account on this one. :D

Hi Ian,
Did you buy some wheels from me ???
Lee

Whoops Sorry Got the wrong Lee  :D to many Lees ..My wife is actually called Lee as well.  And I'm easily confused.
As a general question what size trailer does everybody use,been looking at a 14ft one but may need to occasionally pick up a bus. I know the weight is an issue but would a bus fit on a 14ft trailer. I know the sensible option would be to buy a 16ft one but they seem huge in comparison.

My 56 is exactly the same. Early cars did not use a bushing for the shift rod; the bushing began in 1960. No need to weld a new bracket on, just keep that area greased very well. I have put many miles on my 56 in the last ten years of ownership and never had a problem with the shift rod.

Hey Ian . . . sorry . . . . where’s my manners? Welcome to The Lounge!!! And thanks for sharing your build with us!
I groan when I read why you cut open the tunnel. My daughter helped me replace the fuel line in my pan and we spent less than 90 minutes on it. And the brake line runs outside the tunnel.
I have heard of others that replaced that bracket so the bushing could be used, but I did as Lawrence suggested and cleaned the shift rod and greased it where it goes through the bracket.