08/30/2013

Well, we are getting near the end - (time wise) - will I make it?

The pedals are in and most of the fire system, the wiring is finished and partially tested.  Steering is hooked up and II had plumbed the front brakes, only to decide to change it.  I have gone down several roads only to go back and redo something - to the tune of about 20 hours - It still amazes me how many ways there are of doing the same thing!  Battery is in, and I still have to find a place for the transponder.

The engine has been in but now it is almost complete and ready for oil, not shown but now done is the plumbing for the oil lines and the throttle linkage, which I will probably redo at some point, but the system I have right now is so elegant, I hate to change it.

Now - What is the mystery relay?

I will give you a minute to think about it.......

I was surprised how much power the starter solenoid draws, up to 40 amps on start up (maybe 25 on 12 volt).  I went on line and found that some VW owners made a relay close to the starter so you don't have to draw so much power through the starter button.  The nice thing is that is the solenoid fails, it is one plug switched that puts it back to original.

I had to make bushings for the seat belt, need to make a bracket for the seat and still a lot more to clean up and 1 week to go...

I did a rough calculation and I am up to 124 hours in the last 2 months (sorry honey) and I thought this would be a two weekend job - oops!

Pictures to follow

8/18/2013

Long weekend - pictures to follow but here are some of the things I worked on:

1. Firewall, filter mount and overflow bottle
2. Throttle cable - most of the weekend was related to this - believe it or not.
3. Steering shaft and u joints
4. Looked at the cooling scoops that came with the car but am going to stay with the traditional scoops for now
5. First fitment of seat.


I actually sat in the car for the first time - it is definitely different from my old car!  Also I could never drive a FV in street shoes.

Of course 2 hours Saturday night were spend rebuilding the stater - normally a 30 minute job.  Dropping the armature on a concrete floor was not a planned move, but that led to taking it apart 3 or 4 times more to make sure I had everything back together right - then I found a part I had never seen before - it looked like a slug from an electrical box - turns out it was part of the seal between the nose and the solenoid - after finally reassembling it I painted it (eternal optimist) and the next day put it in an old tranny so I could test it.  It seems to be okay but the solinoid draws a lot of power (ironically the only part I did NOT take apart) but this seems to be normal - VW 6 volt starters typically draw 25 - 30 amps for the solenoid.  Still researching this but I may springing for another starter just in case.  Glad I over-sized the wires going to the start button but might wire up a relay for the starter anyway.

Went to Kmart to by oil and low and behold they had the motorcycle battery I use on clearance at 50% - so I will at least have a new battery!

More to come.

ChrisZ

8/10/2013

LOOKS LIKE A RACE CAR

I decided to take a break and do some body work as a diversion.  I have already decided the tail and maybe the side pods will need to be repainted, so I attacked the tail first.  Did a little fiberglass work and then broke out the spray gun to do some primer.  Looks like it is ready for paint but needs a lot of Bondo to make it presentable.  The big hole was where there was a FF2000 scoop that I think I will keep, But will probably bolt on rather than rivet on.  While I was at it, I needed to make new brackets where the center section located on body studs.  I also strengthened the center section where some cracks were starting to appear.  A pleasant surprise was that the tail worked with my old support rather than having to by or make one. Trying to decide it I am going with the old ducts to use the newer Citation scoops.  Still weeks away from having the car on the track - What I thought was a conversion is like building a kit from scratch - but it is getting there.

8/9/2013

Now its a Pedal Car

When I go the cat the pedals were in bad shape.  They looked like the one on the right with the top bent over.  I straightened out like the one on the left and then welded in a brace to keep this fom happening again.  I double braced the brake pedal.

Here is what they looked like before I adjusted the throw. The previous owner had extensions on the pivot brackets, probably to handle a smaller driver. I took them out and installed an ankle brace. Later I will install some anti-skid tape to the floor - I also have to replace some of the lose rivets on the pivot brackets. Later I found the clutch pedal could not be adjusted enough so I had to take the clutch master off and re-thread the push rod to allow me to adjust it.  I was not happy with the way the threads were cut but because it is a clutch pedal, not worried that there will ever be a a safety problem.  I will have to make a new stop for the gas pedal, but I may also may have to modify it if I can't fit my show on the brake pedal without hitting the gas.  On the Citation, like many Vees, the steering column keeps you from putting your foot any more to the left.

Now if you think that this was a simple process, oh well.  The pedals went together and apart at least three time, and that did not count the time to weld the braces, glass-bead and paint.  Bolts had to be cut, new holes drilled, knuckles skinned.  Now I have to make some changes to the brake lines before hooking them up.

8/4/2013

Look - a dashboard has arrived - the new dash includes an oil pressure gauge - the old one just had a warning light - today I think you need to know more in order to protect your engine.  The dash is made of Lexan, it is one gauge thinner than what was on the car originally, so I might end up making another one either out of thicker Lexan or aluminum.

Notice there are no switches on the dash - I made a switch Module:

On the Citation this will be inside the side pods, I built the first one a little on the large side, I think I can go smaller.  This can be built off the car and can easily be disconnected from the car.

Of course the terminal strip I made is now being populated:

  

I made a single terminal to handle the power from the Master switch.

Next the pedals.