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1964 Beetle.

johnnyg

Club Member
Club Member
August 23, 2010
1,524
2
Athy
Ooh, this is getting serious now..Loving it.
Two questions Colm

1.The setup for the rear coilovers.Is this going to be a uni-ball set-up or is it another way to eliminate the torsion bars?

2.How hard is it to fit a hydraulic handbrake? I've thought about this before but wasn't sure if there is much more to it than replacing the handbrake.

Btw ya didn't get no gearbox off me so can't take the compliment (unless you f***in robbed it from me :mad:);)
 

whatucolm

Club Member
Club Member
September 2, 2008
614
19
galway
ha,ha-sorry about that! i didn't rob nothin'! i got it from someone on adverts,whos name on there was johnnyghia(unless i,m mistaken ,again)and is an eircooled member,i think.i'm terrible with names and can't remember his full name-dead sound tho.
ya,i am trying to do something like that uni-ball set up.just a big flippin rose-joint bolted on to where the torsion bar cover is.
i'm not fully sure how hard it is to fit the handbrake to be honest.i kind of assumed it plums straight in to the brake line going to the back,but i haven't really checked.hope to be fitting it in the next couple of weeks,as soon as the pedal box turns up,and will let you know.thanks
 

whatucolm

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September 2, 2008
614
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galway
i got a bit more done during the week.got one side of the rear suspension finished.the local machine shop bored out the holes for the 20mm bolt,as i don't have any way or drilling more than 13mm.









 

whatucolm

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September 2, 2008
614
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galway
was all delighted to get me pedal box in the post last week-until i tried to fit it..i knew it wasn't going to just bolt in,but i wasn't expecting it to be so far off.been scratching me head and looking at it for the past week,and wondering if i should send it back,but i really like the look and quality of it,so i started cutting.
took way more cutting and messing than i would have liked,but finally got it mounted solidly tonight.it still looks like crap,but it won't be too hard to sort that out later.









had to drop the bodyshell back on to see if the seats would fit.i was surprised ho well they fit,but need to move them back a bit more.
got me Grant steering wheel too,and the Vintage Speed shifter,which i'm hoping to fit in the next week or so-i will probablly move the mounting fot the shifter back a bit too.

 
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whatucolm

Club Member
Club Member
September 2, 2008
614
19
galway
small bit of progress during the week.got the frame for the pedal box finished.



got smaller reservoirs for the master cylinders,as i thought the ones that came with it were too awkward looking.they are clutch reservoirs from Honda civics.made an aluminium bracket to hold them..





also made a cover for the whole lot from steel..





will have to find a new home for the fuse box now.
also put the Wolfsberg crest from the original steering wheel into the Grant center cap to make it feel a bit more Volkswageny..





 
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trev

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November 11, 2007
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that's some deadly engineering Colm!! The bracketry and cover for the pedals are very nice. I need to find a nice inconspicuous reservoir for the clutch master cylinder in the Jetta, I think I'll be looking for a Honda Civic one now, thanks to you!!
 

whatucolm

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September 2, 2008
614
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galway
thanks Trevor-i had to put a bit of extra effort in,coz i was feeling kind of guilty about cutting holes in it again!
i think those reservoirs are in the two civic models like the '02 type one and the newer '05ish model.
 

whatucolm

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Club Member
September 2, 2008
614
19
galway
I got a bit more done with the Beetle in the last few weeks.took the body shell off again to weld in the seat rails,back a few inches from where they were.have been waiting for a lad to make some shims for the diff for ages-says he'll have them done tomorrow,but no idea which tomorrow he's on about.



i got the Vintage Speed shifter too,but decided to move the mounting point back 100mm.this car was a left hand drive originally,and i think the shifter seems to be more forward in the pre '67 cars?-the shifter linkage is definitely longer,i found out today.anyway it was a bit of a pita to have to sit forward out of the seat to get 1st and 3rd.



i cut out this section and turned it around.also had to drill out the shifter linkage bush mount thingy underneath and turn it around 180 degrees and weld it back.







 

whatucolm

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September 2, 2008
614
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galway
i would love to have disks on the back,but can't afford them at the monent.i got these T3 drums for now-they are a fair bit wider than the Beetle ones-the back plates,shoes,cylinders and everything were identical to the Porsche 924 stuff,so i got one good set between them,and they have the 5*205 stud pattern-although most of the threads are damaged at the moment..



can see the difference in the thickness of the Beetle and T3 shoes here..



and the sloppy workmanship by whatever spider was living in here..



got them cleaned up and fitted anyway..



 

whatucolm

Club Member
Club Member
September 2, 2008
614
19
galway
i got these AVO adjustable dampening coil-overs for the back too,and they fitted without too much bother.a small bit of grinding to the trailing arm was needed,and had to cut and weld a bit to make room for the adjuster knob.it was hitting the trailing arm when the suspension was lowered.









re-fitted the torque bar kit and got her back on four wheels for the first time in almost a year!

 

whatucolm

Club Member
Club Member
September 2, 2008
614
19
galway
Drag day in August Colm?

i really hope so Padraic-i booked my summer holidays for the week before-not to go to France or Spain,but to go to the garage to try and fix me Beetle-i think i'm loosing it..but hopefully make the Drag day anyway!
 

whatucolm

Club Member
Club Member
September 2, 2008
614
19
galway
that's

fuckin

deadly...[/QUOTE]

i dunno Trev-i'm just thinking of all the bits that could brake,or fall off,or explode..hopefully it'll hold together
 

johnnyg

Club Member
Club Member
August 23, 2010
1,524
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Unbelievable work there Colm.It never ceases to amaze me how guys on here get an idea in their head and just go and do it.Excellent engineering skills.