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Yet another buggy build, here goes...........
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jakerot
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 11:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

langan wrote:
You are a Unistrute god. Your build reminds me of mine. My pan was junk I was just going to do a quick build Ha. ended up making a hole chassis.
Looks like you are doing a great job I will follow your build.



HAHAHA thanks Langan. Yah, I build a lot of stuff with Unistrut. Have alot laying around. For my current job I estimate / design / sell it. its like a big erector set.

I am going to look up your build. I can see how a build can just snowball. Every turn, something that needs to be address that wasnt anticipated. Oh well, part of the learning process.
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jakerot
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 25, 2014 11:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here is the link to the engine autopsy in case anyone wants to see a blown engine

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7458123#7458123
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jakerot
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 07, 2014 10:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fit up more of the lift.

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Also got the nepo hat ends fit up.

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Set the fg body back on the chassis along with the lift pieces. Starting to figure out how I want it to go all together: body, chassis, lift

Body sits ok on one side, but the other side will need some modifications.

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Not sure what happened to the body over the rear hump.

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Contemplating just cutting the rear flange all off and fiberglass in a new one snug to the lift.

Now I am just studying how the body sits on the pan in order to determine where to make my relief cuts.

In the last picture it seems the left side of the rear seat is higher than the right. Could explain why the section over the rear hump is so off.
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joescoolcustoms
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 08, 2014 6:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice work.

Those body fitment issues are super common and everyone I have built has fit differently with gaps. I suggest instead of cutting and changing the body, figure out your bolting pattern, then bolt it down slowly. Tighten a turn each night. Heat helps warp the body back to it original shape.

The years are not kind to these body's and they change shape, but, they can be brought back close to original shape with patience. Most of what I see will come back into place. I use a thick weather tight foam gasket that is one side adhesive to seal the pan/body on the final bolt together and the foam takes up the small gaps left and seals the body to the pan.
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Bad News Racing 2018 NORRA 1000 3rd in Class
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Everyone is gifted. Some just do not open the package.

Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone
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neohic
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 08, 2014 8:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Watching to see what you do with the body fit up. I'm in the same boat with mine.
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jakerot
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 08, 2014 11:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the help Joe. Here are 2 pics of the front. It appears the front left corner of the body warped in. So I will start by bolting the right side down, starting in the rear. Then I will work my way over to the left side while both slowly bolting down the body while also trying to spread it wider. It is because of this required spreading why I figured I would need the make some relief cuts. If I don't need to, that would be great.

I do have a heat gun, looks like a hairdryer. Will this get the fg hot enough to give a little? I also have a plumbers torch and an acetylene torch. One way or another that puppy is gonna get heated up.

After staring at it for hours last night I can now visualize how the body has warped, causing the gaps / spaces I see at the front nepo hat area and over the rear hump.

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Weather tight foam gasket......................like weather stripping from home cheap-o?

Neohic, I am waiting to see what I do as well!! Hahaha

Ok enough of me talking about what I am going to do. I need to start doing it. Next post will hopefully have a pix of a body nicely fit up. Female body of course. Laughing oh yah, and maybe some build pix as well.
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joescoolcustoms
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 08, 2014 11:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If yo use the heat gun, do not get it close. Do not use the plumber torch. Heat up a large area because the warp affects a large area and pulls from that area. Once you get it heated, you should still be able to put your hand on it comfortably. This is a slow process, not a 1 hour fix.

The next to last photo looks like your pan is too long for the body, or did you slide the body rearward for the picture?

I have yet to see one old body have a perfect fit on the pan and have not seen many have all 4 fenders dead on. The FG "moves" a lot over time. The last three buggy's I built were a compromise between perfect fit and perfect alignment and unless you have a trained eye, you will not see it.

Yes, the cheap foam weather tight tape from a home goods store.
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Bad News Racing 2018 NORRA 1000 3rd in Class
Best Day Ever Racing 2022 NORRA 1000 2nd in Class and first All Female team to complete the race

Everyone is gifted. Some just do not open the package.

Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone
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Q-Dog
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 08, 2014 12:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Put a straight edge across the forward edge of the package tray. Looks like the body is warped and bending at the battery box. If that is the case the sides need to spread apart to make the center come down.
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jakerot
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 08, 2014 12:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Joe. I know direct flame is a no-no on fg. Was implying the use of an intermediate medium to prevent burning but allowing the heat to transfer. I figure this fit up process is gonna be a weeks long event.

Here are my 4 corners. if the body is too short for the pan, it's not by much.

How much space should I leave between the body and the rear torsion housing?

My thought is to have the body as close to the rear housing as I can so I can maximize the rear leg room. In these pix there is approx 3/4" space. I realize this shift would also affect the front windshield/steering wheel clearance, but I am only 5'-10" so I might have some room to play with.

If the body is still a little short in front after bolting down I was going to slit the corners and fit them up to the nepo hat

3 of the corners look decent in terms of fit up. The front left corner is all messed up.

Q-dog, Thanks. that's what I am suspecting as well. I'll stick a straightedge on it to confirm.

Rear right-looks ok

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Rear left- looks ok too

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Front right - maybe a little short but might stretch longer when bolted to body on right side

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And finally, front left. Looks almost 2" too short due to warpage.

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jakerot
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 12:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well I clamped and heated tightened heated .........until the rear right sat relatively flush on the rear lift. Heated all around. Got it nice and warm, but not too hot. But my mistake was clamping tight first. I should have tightened the clamps only slightly then heated, then tightened and heated....etc.

One of the clamps went through the fg flange. Oh well.

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I took the clamps off after it cooled and it didn't move much. I added a piece of strut and sandwiched the fg body flange between the strut and rear lift piece.

This time I clamped lightly then heated. Since the clamps were on the angled piece of the rear hump, they would rotate down slightly when the fg gave while heating it. I would tighten a little more, more heat, then they would rotate a little again, more tighten, heat, until it was down.

I heated from the back side also. I also focused on heating the piece of strut and the lift piece. These pieces of metal would act as a residual heat source after I stopped heating with the heat gun. Hopefully help to relieve more stress in the fg flange.

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You know, that actually looks pretty decent in terms of fit.

The clamps put dimples in the flange. Not too deep but noticeable. This strut might eliminate/ prevent them but the strut is only 14ga. It will have some dimples too but hopefully not too much. I will upgrade the clamping piece (strut) to a piece of HSS and see how that one works.

Will try to clamp over the hump and on the rear left side tomorrow maybe. Going to remove the clamps to have a peek and see if it moves at all. If not I am going to clamp it back up then start working on the top hump section.
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joescoolcustoms
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 4:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very nice work. Pulled a lot of the warp out to make that a nice fit.
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Bad News Racing 2018 NORRA 1000 3rd in Class
Best Day Ever Racing 2022 NORRA 1000 2nd in Class and first All Female team to complete the race

Everyone is gifted. Some just do not open the package.

Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone
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jakerot
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 9:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

thansk Joe. glad I listened to you instead of hacking this body up.

I will be happier once I pull the clamps off and the body stays were it is.

If all it takes to get the FG to bend back into position is a little heat and some clamps, looks like I might be able to avoid most of the cutting of the body I had feared.

could it be that easy?

If so then my next task is coming up with some sort of spreader bar system so i can work the front right corner.

I had this heat gun in my box for a while now. Used to use it to curve hockey sticks. glad I kept it. found 3 new uses for it last night:

- bend fiberglass

- remove paint. As I was heating the body some of the paint started to bubble up. Not the original green, but the red and black that were painted over. a little scraping and it came off. going to see how much of the crappy black and red I can get off with the gun to help eliminate the sanding.

I am going to guess that since this paint bubbled up so easilly, it isnt ideal to use as a base when I finish paint and it would be best to remove it (via heat gun or sanding).

- hardware dryer. cleaned some nuts and bolts in degreaser and used the heat gun to dry them off so they didnt develop surface rust. WD40 does the same thing as well but I ran out. Just checked them out and they look rust free for the most part.
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jakerot
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 7:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, with the holidays n all didn't get too much done. I did, but I didn't if that makes sense.

I fought with the FG body with some heat guns and straps...........not much luck getting the front firewall to line up right. So I cut the corners of the body. Drilled holes first where the cuts will end. Now I can make the front fit up all nice.

I figured, through the process of building this buggy I am going to lift the body off the pan quite a few times. So I didn't want to have to fight with the body every time. So I cut the FG so I get it all lined up nice, and making the assembly of the body to the pan easier. That's what I am hoping for anyways.

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Got the napo hat lift fit up well. Not too bad over the rear hump either.

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And I got a new addition to the garage. Picked this up on CL for $100. Disassembled , cleaned, lubed the chuck and motor. This thing purrs like a kitten now. Will come in handy when drilling the mounting holes through the lift.
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jakerot
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PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2015 10:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well it is a slow go for sure. Savoring my build. Someone said that here. So true.

Anyway still fighting with the body-lift-chassis mating.

Re-did the connection on the body for the hoist. Now I can fit the hood onto the body without having to undo it, unlike the previous version.

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Looks like my body is in need of a nose job.

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Finished welding up the lift for the most part.

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Got the lift bolted to the chassis

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Slit the corners. Looks better

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Front corners are slit already.

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That's it for now.
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jakerot
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 08, 2015 11:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ok. Well after a few more house projects, I finally got back on the buggy build.

Got the body lift all drilled out and bolted up to the chassis

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Then got the body and the body lift bolted to the chassis.

Ground the outside of the slice to a relative knife point both sides. Wasn't perfect.

Foil taped the sliced front corners.

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Laid up 3 layers + 3 layers on each side with 0.75 oz chopped strand mat and polyester laminating resin. Added milled fiberglass and Aerosil to the resin.

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Going to lay up some 1708 X 50" VECTORPLY on the front corners tomorrow. Guy at surf FG store recommended it. Maybe 2 or 3 layers, not all at once.

It's progress. Once body, body lift and chassis all bolt up nice, it's time to get this thing on wheels.
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Glasser
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 09, 2015 7:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

All that fab work it tight! Nice job!!
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My build up http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=265364&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
Project#2. Neighbors build up. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=327008
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BIGMIKEY
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 09, 2015 1:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You are solidly on the right track in my opinion. Build the chassis to be symmetrical. I have read that you should build the floorpan to fit the body. I reject that if the body is warped. Make the chassis dimensions, left to right, symmetrical. A mirror image. Then make the body fit the chassis. These really old bodies have shrunk and distorted in unimaginable ways. Adjust them so the fit is right. Eliminate twist. Make sure that the tire exposure is even. Etc. Many of the best builders on the SAMBA have done just that and it shows in the final product. Great work so far.

Mike T
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jakerot
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 09, 2015 9:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks guys. Very Happy

Ended up laying up 4 layers of the VECTORPLY each side today. Not sure if I did it right. In my haste I didn't use the roller on each layer as I laid it up and only rolled it after all 4 layers were laid up. Looks like air bubbles remained. Not sure. The flash from my camera does make the picture look worse than it is.

Was convinced the roller got the air out. Pushed the light spots with my finger while the resin was setting up. Felt solid. Didn't move.

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jakerot
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 10:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

More fiberglass

Chopped mat on the bottom.

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Then added some VECTORPLY on the bottom of the front corners.

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Then added more chopped mat over the VECTORPLY on the sides to hide it a bit.

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Looks ok I guess. Tapped with brush to get air out. Started to get a little sticky towards the end. Will hit it with grinder a little more. Looks like it worked for the most part.

Went to self serve frozen yogurt place with wife and kids yesterday evening. Grabbed a dozen or so of the waxed cups they got. Good for mixing resin in.
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joem32380
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 03, 2015 2:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Is it just me or does it look like the frame head isn't in line with the tunnel?


Got the napo hat lift fit up well. Not too bad over the rear hump either.

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