VW 1300 '72 GT3

[Fiatdude]

All the different sanctioning bodies and their different rules suck -- -- BUT if you have a cage in the car and go to a track they will want you to conform to their rules or better -- I find that when I go drag racing -- they Hate my 1 1/2" bars -- but they are legal in SCCA -- and you have to have all the 'correct' harnesses etc etc etc.....

You should see the HATE I got when I wanted to go Lands Speed Racing -- my cage doesn't even begin to meet SCTA specs -- so I'm stuck in the street 130 mph or 150 mph classes, but they don't allow E85 in the street classes -- so I don't get to even participate

[modnrod]

STREET car........ 

For my car, I've sometimes thought about a bar running alongside/above/inside the front heater channel, meeting up with another bar that runs across the front inside the firewall, as a possibility to provide a bit of protection for the footwell area without being too intrusive.
Perhaps that could tie in with a low-mounted door side-bar?

[Fiatdude]

My cage is tied in the front beam

[-Alex-]

There is less room with mendeola front end, but its possible to put tube between it and rollcage. I am waiting some pics from Coolrydes  http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=401807&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=1220&sid=8cf8826d94a594df17c700b66a3db039

[-Alex-]

Now fits the seat with doorbars, and doors can be actually closed. Seats are quite wide, so doorbars had to be bent from two locations. Testfitting rear coilovers..

[richie]

As you aren't trying to conform with any rule book why not make the door bars removable? there are some real good joints available to do this, then you can leave them out normally, also with all the factory sheet metal in the front I wouldn't add a bar to the beam, it will be so stiff if ever you have an accident it will do more harm than good, there will be no crumple zone at all and particularly on the road a minor accident could end up doing you a lot of harm

cheers Richie

[-Alex-]

Ok, good points.  I thought of making sidebars removable, as they are not yet welded.  But going in and out is not so bad, atleast compared to old cage's doorbaars.  You dont see so much cages that are tied to front axle, at on least semi-street cars etc.  But it still gets me thinking, because at legs there is no any kind of protection at front collision.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=445097

[richie]

But at least if you had them removable you could have them at the correct height[ between elbow and shoulder when you are seated and strapped in if I remember correctly] which yours at the moment aren't which would keep more tech inspectors happy


cheers Richie

[-Alex-]

Still, car is not a racecar, or racing at any class.

It should relativily easy to put tubes to front bars like mendeola did:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/909/D8UJFf.jpg

[jaqo]

I don't agree with Richie and I would definitely add some tubes from the cage to the front suspension. With this kind of suspension it'll probably still be less stiff then a stock beam beetle and as for the crumple zones I wouldn't use a space where my legs are as a crumple zone.

[-Alex-]

I like the idea of tubes from cage to mendeola bulkhead also, it should protect at front side impact and front impact too. 

[jaqo]

Just out of curiosity - could you tell me what's the spring rate on the front mendeola coilovers? It should be written somwhere on them.

[-Alex-]

Hello, Springrate is 225lbs, i think they are 9" long.  I havent bought yet rear coilovers, i need to figure springrate for them first.

[-Alex-]

So far here we are, 99% of sheetmetal work done, and yes, we did put plastic body filler, but only a thin layer, because lines were so straight at repaired places.   Unfortunately, i have to postpone painting to next year when budget allows.

[-Alex-]

Car has been few months at my garage, doing some little fixings.   I just might change the painter when its time to paint.





Also bought few german parts for german car at spring

[-Alex-]

Done some paint removing etc small jobs   Roof is  bald now

[andy198712]

nice one! loving the porsche cooling shroud, who makes that one?

i'd be interested in the quality of the linkage too as i was thinking of making a cable linkage but that looks easier

[-Alex-]

Hello,

The shroud is made by Thorsten Pieper from Germany (he makes also the drysump pump, tool steel lifters etc).

[-Alex-]

Hoses to front oilcooler goes trough pan, one hole is needed to mendeola bulkhead (plate behind front plate).









I'v decided to put the drysump tank to inside cabin, like most of germanlookers what i have seen:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/540/xgJCXo.jpg
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/537/0bfOb6.jpg
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/661/vQsfUs.jpg
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/661/NeOfnc.jpg
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/673/Q9wd6a.jpg
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/673/BZmYrI.jpg
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/540/4vztvQ.jpg
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/673/HtASkk.jpg

[-Alex-]

It looks like that few things at body  must be redone again or re-repaired

Nosepiece doesnt fit at right side wery well, tried csp front fender there is about 10-15mm gap between it and fender.

Rear sides needs also redoing, too bumpy and distorted repairs now.

Small things needs fixing, inner fender at right side has few small holes.

[-Alex-]

I did assemble at weekend these steel prototype brake parts, hats for AP 330x28 rotors and bracket for Porsche 996 calipers. (Rears are 300x24 with leftover 986 front calipers).

They fit great, spindle seems to turn enough until it hits to lower A-arm. Now very close to the correct design, which for i will be using aluminum. Now at all steel these are heavy as hell


In a month or so i start bodywork again, too cold now and not enough sun

Also bought my first own Mig welder about two months ago

[Nico86]

Amazing stuff 

[-Alex-]

In a past week i have been fitting berg bus 5-speed.. let the pictures tell most of the story.

Because of the big engine, Rancho etc recommended aluminum bushes instead of rubber bushes with berg mounts.

I did cut the torsionbar tube area at right, but thin sheetmetal above needed just little hammer only.

First i thought of putting hard urethane bushes, and then bigger rubbers  75x50 with threaded M12 ends. Problem with midmount rubber brackets that they may hit to 944 alu IRS arms, so i designed lasercut highstrengt steel 15mm/10mm  flat offset steel midmount, instead of rectangular tube.

Any comments? To each end it can handle 350kg loads where 75x50 rubbers are.

[-Alex-]

At winter / spring i got fitted the twopiece rollcage properly, now it is more symmetrical and coworker visited at garage for welding.













Also bought nice drysump tank, which holds about 6-7 litres of oil and at the bottom 2 litres below scawenge line.

[-Alex-]

Just recently i got my Wasp stage 2 muffler, and it fits really well with 944 turbo rear arms and 4-piston calipers. Looks like i have a lot of room.

Wasp header also did fit with ease  














Transaxle needed more room, so cutting was needed to body and patch was made.. Still, far away from paint.

[-Alex-]

I was going to fabricate 911 / T2 style rear engine mount, but i think bumper mounts arent designed for constant vibration and stress. Berg traction bar would work, but it is little bit crude. 

Seems like there is a lot of high hp cars without traction bar and they work fine. I think truss bars / käfer cup braces work as well. Also i have wide transaxle midmount with the 5- bar käfer cup brace.