Aircooled VW South Africa

You got yourself a deal!!

yeaaaaa we have a deal, cool man, there is a change that i might come up to Jozi for a day in November, then i will bring it up for you

Excellent, thanks

Here is a steering wheel that has had the rim diameter taken down and then thickly re-padded....

Something about that pic bothers me - the bottom spoke is still standard length, due to the position of the VW badge. But it seems like the center is - well....off-center? The padding still looks original (and worn)

Pine wrote:Something about that pic bothers me - the bottom spoke is still standard length, due to the position of the VW badge. But it seems like the center is - well....off-center? The padding still looks original (and worn)

Padding looks too fat to be original. Compare to this picture. New steering wheel on an SP

Pine wrote:Update 25/10/2008

Was a bit of a hectic weekend, did not get to do a lot to the buggy - on the road for work all day, pretty gatvol at night, you know the story, but still have to keep the thread alive!

I have more or less decided on what steering wheel the buggy will get - an old 3-spoke SP Beetle steering wheel I got at a swop meet. Have disassembled it and started removing the rubber to have it re-painted and re-covered. This is a genuine VW part, and has a small VW logo just above the the bottom spoke - probaby the only place the buggy will display a VW logo. I do not know what the steering wheel is called, also can't recall seeing it on pics of other VWs in other countries? The splines are the 'smaller' type, like a Golf. Looking for the rubber horn button in the center, if anyone can help?




After some serious negotiations and arm-twisting, I managed to get an old Sanyo Rally FM radio (thanks Beetlefanatic, sorry 'bout the arm )
This is (once again) a sentimental thing - my Mom had such a radio in her 412 Variant when I was small. These radios were manufactured in SA under license of Sanyo, carried the SABS (South African Bureau of Standards) logo, and was a VW option on many 70's SA VWs. Not sure if it will go into the buggy, though - the only music in a buggy should anyway be the sound of an aircooled engine and the wind through your hair

Opened the Rally, cleaned it and repainted the dial. Tested it on 12V - and it works 100% with remarkable good reception.

I have a radio like that in my bug and it still plays "a hond uit n bos uit" coupled to some 6 x 9's... I have the sanyo rally II stashed away somewhere similar but it has a tone setting behind the volume knob too

Pine, your old Volvo rims are alive and well. Will soon be seen on the rebuilt Empi 58.

Hello Andre

Update 9/11/08:

1. Jy moet fokus, my kind - buggy build vs George Challenge

As I said a few days earlier, I'll be spending a lot less time on the Forum in an effort to focus on the buggy, amongst other things but it is that stupid time of the year where it is more hectic than usual at work, so one leaves home early and get back late. Last weekend's camp at Bonnies' and my visit to IMPI this weekend also had the result that not a lot was done to the buggy. In spite of this, a lot of things have started to fall into place, and the progress is actually a lot faster than I expected. I want to restrict myself from setting any target dates, but I've got a funny feeling that HW2 might be finished by this time next year...well, who knows?

Not a lot of money (if any) will be spent on the buggy in the next 3 months, because the savings will go to the George Challenge which will cost quite a lot, mostly for petrol. In the meanwhile I will carry on with the cleaning and detailing of the different parts, with the focus on patience. The chassis and engine is currently at IMPI for some work, and once completed the assembly of the chassis and running gear can start. Keep in mind that nothing has been done to the bodyshell to date.

The past weekend at IMPI was spent mostly to cross a few t's and dot a few i's, but a lot was accomplished. The fibreglass bucket seats, which originated from Flat4Fan's Speedster was given to a lady in Klerksdorp for re-covering in black vinyl.

2. The Sprintstar surgeon

The four Sprintstar wheels I have for the buggy are all 5.5inch wide, but I also have another two which I bought from different people the past year. They both have some serious curb damage, to such an extend that they cannot be repaired. Armand has shown me how to cut the centres out, so that they can be welded into other rims. I would like to mount these two centres in WIDE rear rims, to put on and take off the buggy depending on the mood
The cutting seems to be quite easy, but it is a lot harder work than what it looks like -



Ever seen a Sprintstar hubcap?



3. Raiders of the lost valve covers

When I built HW1, I tried to source a set of original EMPI bolt-on aluminium valve covers. It was at a time that reproductions was impossible to find, and it seemed like original ones, which were sold in SA for around R 25.00 a set in the early 70's have all vanished into thin air.



In the end I placed an ad in the CAR magazine - 'WANTED - EMPI valve covers', it was only published three months after I sent the ad to them (remember the 'Free Adservice', seems like it is discontinued these days?). A month after the ad was published, I got a call out of the blue from a guy in Pietermaritzburg who had a set for me. Money was paid, it was dry bread and water for the rest of the month but it was worth it. The valve covers made a rendezvous before getting to me in Bloemfontein, they were placed on the Translux Bus from Pietermaritzburg to Bloemfontein, but they forgot to drop it off in Bloem, so it made a detour via Cape Town first before reaching me in the end. Every single km that HW1 travelled while being orange, was done with the EMPI covers - they never leaked, apparently helped cooling the oil, and looked OH-SO-COOL!! The pic to the right is the only remains I have of it after the accident, I picked it up on the scene shortly before I was strapped down by the medics on the spinal board, and taken to the hospital. Guess I will frame it one day for the garage wall..



4. Eureka - another set found!

I am pleased to announce that I have sourced another set of EMPI covers for HW2, courtesy of my good friend Armand. The finer details of the deal will not be concluded in public - but he seems happy, and I am happy so COWABUNGA!!!

They still need some detailing work, but will be fitted to the engine as soon as they are finished. Thanks, IMPI!



Oh, and before anyone get any funny ideas, they are currently being guarded by the official IMPI watchdog called Nala, and she is one MEAN bitch, so be WARNED!!

NIce find Pine. Hw1 looks like it was a great buggy. Hope HW2 turns out even better.

Picture of the month

Ag please Oom Pine, will you take me for a ride in the Buggy when it's done

Update 10/11/2008 - steering box:

There is a popular song by Depeche Mode called 'Behind the wheel' - the lyrics goes something like

My little girl
Drive anywhere
Do what you want
I don't care

Tonight
I'm in the hands of fate
I hand myself
Over on a plate

Nice song indeed, but two things I surely won't do with HW2, namely 'leaving it in the hands of fate behind the wheel', or let a little girl drive it

So thorough attention will be paid to the suspension and steering systems of the buggy in order to ensure that everything works 100%. I am currently working on the front suspension, the beam has been removed and stripped, and all the parts on it cleaned. I have decided to go the dropped suspension route, in spite of my previous posts, but the purchase of the beam adjusters will have to wait a while.

To be honest, I did not have a lot of hope for the existing steering box on the buggy, and if you look at the picture below, you will see what I mean



So I thought 'what the hell' and dropped the entire steering box in the caustic soda solution two weeks ago with the other parts. When I took it out last week, it was a lot cleaner, but had a rough 'grinding' feeling when you turn the steering shaft. I opened it, and took it apart, more out of curiosity than anything else because I have never seen a steering box inside. You can't imagine the disgusting caramel-coloured grease it had inside, and the foul smell. I thoroughly cleaned everthing with a mixture of hot water and Handy Andy and Sunlight Liquid and Cleangreen. Spent the evening wirebrushing all the outside parts, and I am actually pleasantly surprised that it seems to have no wear on the inside

So, for the first time on ACVWSA I present to you a real-life exploded picture of a steering box



It turns out that the steering box is actually from a Type 3, if you look at the part number on the cover



Sometimes it feels like VW has gone the 'Da Vinci Code' route with their parts, look at the clamp bracket of the steering box for example - what the hell does that mean?



Oh, and don't they (the Wolfsburg guys) just love their own badge? These little rubber plugs that fits in the steering box cover have VW logo's on the inside (where no-one will ever see it). They will also be replaced, as they are broken



I want to have the rubber seals and bearings replaced on the buggy's steering box, can anyone perhaps suggest a place in Gauteng where I can have it done? (I'll also leave the re-assembly to the experts ) Don't think I'll paint the 'box, just leave it au naturel so that the magnesium can gradually oxidise and loose the shine, unless someone else has a better suggestion? Were Beetle steering boxes originally painted?

the 13 and 14... well maybe its to indicate a mounting position. Ships are generally (not always) built with odd numbers indicating stbd side (right) and even number indicating Port side (left).

Could be, but that bracket is pretty much 'all side, same side'

I wonder if it could be an indication where locking plates must be used, but then where would the other 12 be?