Happiness is definitely a '66 hot vw!

[vwcab]

Any updates on this one Nicolas?

[nicolas]

i wish i could say a lot, but in fact only a small bit has been done, the chassis is still not under the car.

i have put my engery in the type3 to get that one running and dailed to have at least a car that can go out this year. i have found it no use to attack two projects and have none finished.

on an upside i have made a swap with Fabs for a stock width front beam, and i do have other parts to put it all together again. i am still not sure what way i am going with the gearbox as in the long run i want a turbo engine with a type2 gearbox, but i only have a core and not an actual good useable box to build in right now. i do have type1 boxes that could be made to a usable IRS box, but they need a checkup as well.

even the old combo NA 2276 engine and gearbox could be an option, but that needs work too, as when i used it at DDD in 2012 the gearbox was not really happy and it seemed at the time the sycros are used up.

that is in short what i am at. 

and as much as i had my mind set on going to Cotswelds in the UK to have a cage fitted this route is becoming more and more expensive as our euro is becoming increasinly less worth compared to the UK pound.
i have no contacts with builders here on the mainland to have it done, and the idea of making my own has been put on hold as i want it to be certified for events. so anyone who can help or point me a bit in the right direction n this is much appreciated. 

[nicolas]

i wish i could say a lot, but in fact only a small bit has been done, the chassis is still not under the car.

i have put my engery in the type3 to get that one running and dailed to have at least a car that can go out this year. i have found it no use to attack two projects and have none finished.

on an upside i have made a swap with Fabs for a stock width front beam, and i do have other parts to put it all together again. i am still not sure what way i am going with the gearbox as in the long run i want a turbo engine with a type2 gearbox, but i only have a core and not an actual good useable box to build in right now. i do have type1 boxes that could be made to a usable IRS box, but they need a checkup as well.

even the old combo NA 2276 engine and gearbox could be an option, but that needs work too, as when i used it at DDD in 2012 the gearbox was not really happy and it seemed at the time the sycros are used up.

that is in short what i am at. 

and as much as i had my mind set on going to Cotswelds in the UK to have a cage fitted this route is becoming more and more expensive as our euro is becoming increasinly less worth compared to the UK pound.
i have no contacts with builders here on the mainland to have it done, and the idea of making my own has been put on hold as i want it to be certified for events. so anyone who can help or point me a bit in the right direction n this is much appreciated. 

by the looks of it I was in a fase of the build where I didn't see much light at the end of the tunnel...

[nicolas]

so fast forward a few years. 

a few months ago I talked to a friend on the phone who asked me about the car... I didn't even know someone even remembered it.
he said I call you every week to hear about the progress. needless to say he didn't, but for me it sparked something.
so I took off were I left the project dwindle and thought the best way to enjoy it is to get it back on the road and go from there.

everything was bolted back together and the engine went back in in NA configuration. BUT the arms of the IRS conversion were welded in wrong. no one to blame but me. after fiddling with it for a few days it was clear it would never work.

so I cut them out again and started again. this time I did have the trailing arms to see and correct if needed. again a few days/week work and after that I checked the floorpan to find repairs that were badly done or not done. I redid that as well. I even made a few mods to fix the midmount and some sort of jack stands.

nothing major when I see the projects from others here on this forum. just what I can do myself and my goal is to get the damn car out for a drive.

happiness is tinkering in the garage. 

[Wout]

And??....

[Peter]

X2

[nicolas]

oh oh...

 

not much has happened. well, some bits were done. the chassis was powder coated and has been back a few months now.
right after I sent it out I started on my driveway and carport.

so a big bummer, but I am hanging in there 

[Wout]

It will come all right at the end  .

During lockdown I also worked 99% on the garden, outdoor stuff and only 1% air-cooled  so I understand.

Wout

[VWGlassee]

A few months ago I talked to a friend on the phone who asked me about the car... I didn't even know someone even remembered it.
he said I call you every week to hear about the progress. needless to say he didn't, but for me it sparked something.

If you want we can all started calling you every week to ask how the project is going? 

I know the feeling. It took me almost 5 years to build mine...
Get that driveway done so you can start on your build 

Yannick

[nicolas]

It will come all right at the end  .

During lockdown I also worked 99% on the garden, outdoor stuff and only 1% air-cooled  so I understand.

Wout

at least you got 1%!!! if putting the chassis in a different place counts I get 0,2%

A few months ago I talked to a friend on the phone who asked me about the car... I didn't even know someone even remembered it.
he said I call you every week to hear about the progress. needless to say he didn't, but for me it sparked something.

If you want we can all started calling you every week to ask how the project is going? 

I know the feeling. It took me almost 5 years to build mine...
Get that driveway done so you can start on your build 

Yannick

yes, that could work, but I it was tried and tested last year and almost worked. I just need to get it done (all of it) 

but thanks for the thoughts, I only now found my way back to the forum because of the notification and what was/is still boiling under my skin can be put into practise in the next few weeks, months, centuries 

[volkskris]

Any progress Nicolas? 

[nicolas]

Any progress Nicolas? 

yes, but not much.

I have been trying to get the fuel lines sorted. the hard lines are in the chassis and I have finally ordered a fuel pump and now I hope to get a good idea on how to run it, what connections to use and get it made.

but mostly I seem to be working on others engines. which is great but not helping my own project... 

[nicolas]

you get a few years were at least someone asks you if there are any updates, but even after a few years it all goes silent... rightfully so.

but, here here here! I found some time to get the car a bit better together. I even took it out for a drive. the plan was to make it to EBI, but that did not happen. I found the engine overheated.

I am still looking into that. the MSD coil exploded (that was a new one to me). I didn't even realize it. I thought the cable just popped... for whatever reason. maybe that is why it gets hot. maybe just install a magneto...
anyway, the oil lines I got are not making me happy, as I can't get the correct angle or length to make it clear the exhaust and still fit on the bracket of the bumper. I don't want to go back to the bracket on the exhaust, so please let me know how you route your oil lines and what mods you had to make?

[Glauco]

I don't want to go back to the bracket on the exhaust, so please let me know how you route your oil lines and what mods you had to make?

I used AN lines but got the same problem with the S&S header so I just made a bracket that holds the lines away (but still in between) the exhaust tubes. If i get back from holiday I'll make a picture.

[nicolas]

another question I have since I am fiddling at the rear (that sounds nasty  ) is do I need a traction bar? I have it all solid mounted and a mid mount, but maybe I need some sort of berg cross bar for the engine... don't know if it is needed. I had massive wheel hop before, but that was a completely different setup. there isn't much from the old frame left at this point.

so far I have a stock front end (instead of a narrowed one) no height adjusters, dropped spindles, disc brakes.

the rear is IRS (Richie I do listen  ) vw trailing arms, dual spring plates, 24mm torsion bars (for now), solid mounts, all new redone gearbox, bus axles (still no big axles, but good for now), type3 drums, midpoint and solid mounted. no trapezium or any other mounts at the moment.

[leec]

Hi Nicolas,

I still run a berg traction bar even with a full cage which ties to frame horns.

[richie]

Hey


I think i would with your car to help, with no cage its  even more useful

cheers Richie

[nicolas]

OK! got the torque bar and installed it yesterday late afternoon and night. they are quality, but the brackets are not easy to mount or find the ideal place for. looks like the ones on the cradle for the gearbox may need to be removed with a different header. now they are mid mid between axle and header.
one question I have is, do you tighten the bars outward or inward? or the long one one direction and the shorter ones another? I still don't know what they do, except that they keep the shock horns in place. maybe the frame horns as well.

push or pull? or neither? 


oh and I took the trailing arms off to reset the torsion bars (yet again) but better now, when everything is loose anyway. I found it too low. and after looking at a 100 pictures of cars... I still don't see what is 100% right... 

[richie]

I pre load them slightly with push force.
Torsion bar "height" setting is mostly personal preference for looks I think. Ideally it should be as low as possible keeping wheel camber around zero and have plenty of shock movement still but normally that's not possible to achieve it all   [this is with thicker torsion bars so no pre load]

[nicolas]

I pre load them slightly with push force.
Torsion bar "height" setting is mostly personal preference for looks I think. Ideally it should be as low as possible keeping wheel camber around zero and have plenty of shock movement still but normally that's not possible to achieve it all   [this is with thicker torsion bars so no pre load]

I am halfway there then. I like the looks    and it sat a bit too much once I rode it before, so I set it 3/4" higher now so when it settles it will be ok. the stops were getting close to the rubbers. so it must be better also. it's IRS now! so camber issues are far less  it's still a lot of fiddling to get it all right. it also has Porsche torsion bars and they need preload due to the weight of the engine and still a smaller diameter. they are also the longest type, so again, for now they will be one, until I know what I really need and change accordingly.

[nicolas]

not a big update, but I am doing the suspension again.
I will do the steering tube again. nothing major, just a check over and trim the left and right movement with the stop screws.
I removed the line lock to have a simple braking system for the first time. I now will fit it back in again. I was thinking about adding a adjustment valve to change the front rear bias, but I don't know for sure...
I am looking at the torque bar as one side has a scrubbed the axle.
I am also fitting a new sensor as I never really knew what the gauges read. so I did check the oil temp sensor in boiling water and that is accurate. so now I am fitting that and see what we get. before it was a VDO sensor with an autometer gauge. I read that they are not compatible.

I am not doing bodywork yet it seems... oh well. 

does anyone run 10/90 shocks on the street. I got a pair and want to fit them, but I don't know what too expect really... or is this strip only?

[nicolas]

yes! and no...

I got it running right before the SPA 2023 Bug show meeting, but another gremlin threw a spanner in the works and this time it was the gearbox. it kept popping out of 4th gear every other 500m. so not that good. I did drive it for a couple of km.
so the good things that happened are not too bad:
1. I fitted the torque bar in a respectable manner in the end. it fits, doesn't hit anything and I can almost take the j tube off without removing both arms. so it fits and works.
2. the gearbox shifts ok and sits square now. apart from the popping 4th. it fits and works. I did get it back this week and should be good to go and not come out any time soon.

so now I am on another challenge... I want to see if I can fit an EFI system on the 2276... it just never ends... or I keep slacking and I don't push through with anything on this car.  I will make a topic in the technical section about my EFI questions. please feel free to guide me through that adventure. thanks!!!

3. oh... I think I can work out how the car will/can look. I did have help from my daughter on that part. but for now it looks like it always did

[nicolas]

the car was out last weekend. I finally took it to the track (with a tower) to see what it does.
it ended up with mixed feelings in the end. I did a 14,41 run. I had to calm down a lot. the biggest problem was/is/will be the driver. so the calmer I got the better I had control of the car and the better it performed.
it's a starting point from where there is so much to improve.

I redid quite a bit over the last months. I fitted 29mm torsion bars, fitted two gearboxes. ran the engine that had been sitting for 15 years a week before the event for the first time. and then 2 days prior. so driving was n to an option.

I still have wheel hop, so that will need work. the tyres don't help as they are the same as 12 years ago and where not that good then.

[Peter]

traction bar will help for the wheelhop 
for me it did anyway

[Glauco]

Hopefully you can get the car to hook right. Good luck!

[nicolas]

traction bar will help for the wheelhop 
for me it did anyway

yes it does! a vast improvement. I believe this made the biggest difference.
after that I also swapped the header, the muffler and I fitted 48 IDA's. I like that! they seem to discharge fuel quite easily into the engine 
I went to EBI10 (on a trailer) because I drove the car basically 1 time after Clastres in May. I managed to fit the 10/90 shocks and swapped the rear shocks for some KYB gas shocks. the front and rear was adjusted again.

all this on late night shifts and a day of work with a friend.

all this to do a good run and a bad run at EBI and ending it with a engine that made sure it didn't act happy. I believe after checking the ignition that the battery is slowly dying and doesn't stay charged engough to feed the MSD.

I hope to sort a bit more out, fit a second seat and DRIVE! happiness is DRIVING a hot vw. 

[Wünderwolff]

It was good seeing the car in the flesh after so many years. It’s still an incredibly cool car even if I say so myself. Looks even cooler now with some of the modifications you’ve done.

[wolfswest]

It was good seeing the car in the flesh after so many years. It’s still an incredibly cool car even if I say so myself. Looks even cooler now with some of the modifications you’ve done.

I feel the love. 

[speedwell]

 

[richie]

Fabian you did a good job with the pictures to make it look fast

cheers Richie