63Ragtop

Waste not...

Front end off your other machine of mayhem?

Hey man, congrat's on getting the blower working you clever bastard. I was wondering if there is a reason the stays are vertical in both of the above pics? Your wing would be unsupported in the middle and at both ends? maybe inverse the stays? Spread the load across the wing better? Neat idea though man.

yeah, I made it to one of these. Nice to chat with some of you fulla's, had to bail early, the sprogs were getting scratchy.

Cool man, more pic&posts please.

GIZ!

Well that was a interesting 2 hour lunch brake. These brakes are gunna brake me, I just can't catch a brake, the colonel brake dancing, Gimma a brake!This is what happens when you install your hard brake lines before you install your shocks, everything looks fine, clears nicely, close but nice, then add the shell, fenders and other panels, engine, interior, passengers etc...the very tip of the flare on the end of the shocks dust cover was just touching just enough to do this, dunno who built this bloody thing! fortunately the same idiot installed a twin circuit system, so I was able to get off the motorway, but once I stopped had a look underneth the air had got in and I had hardly any brakes at all!

Hey Guys, remember me? Still driving this thing everyday, been trying to get the brakes to work better, had the handbrake button pop off the other day, I had never really adjusted it much, it worked, I had other things to sort out, so i put it back together and carried on. After the button came lose again I realised it was because I hadn't adjusted it tight enough and the clicker was running off the end and undoing its self So, put it back together again and adjusted it more and whatya know? the pedal feels much better too! Not sure how that works but it's much nicer to drive without the pedal going right to the firewall.Re greased and adjusted the king and link pins this week, gave the front drums and bearing a tickle while I was at it, again, much nicer to drive. I also sorted something that had bothered me for years before I took it off the road. The breather on the oil filler would just spit oil mist out all over the back of the engine lid, originally I had a neat little K&N filter here, but after a month or so it got blocked and oil pissed out of the dipstick hole and made a mess. Screwed a right angle fitting in and a length of hose out down under the tinwear with all the other oil leaks and went for the a drive. Whats wrong with Huntly? made it to my parents in Te Kowhai. photo op at the meeting of the watersstill need to get that sunroof replaced and really needs a couple hundard kgs of dynamat, with earplugs its fine. And those assholes need to finish that motorway in and out of Auckland!Stuck in gridlock at one in the afternoon because State Highway 1 is one friggin lane

so you might say "it goes hard for what it is?"

This is coming along nicely. Fancy pants push button gearbox? As I need to do some dynamatting one day, whats the problem? just one of these cunty jobs?

absolutely amazing bro.

Haha, funny clocking cars you know but never met the owner, I've seen you beast around over the years, parked down the concourse sometimes and around the place. Have always wanted to get the front a little lower, but now I don't know, I'm happy with it.

what are these engines and where do you get them from? you do have some choice toys!

all the mk's!

fook yeah! so majestic, these are so sweet, well done that man.

See you guys there.

fuck it, wifeys nightshift just changed to weenesdee, there is no god.

Thanks man, so good to finally drive it again, been enjoying just driving to the shops or whatever, am at little girls swimming lesson now, gets to sit up front coz no airbag, even boring stuff is fun in a rad old car.

Yes Sunday was a good day, very little use of a AK.After the wof and reg last week, first job was to get the wheels all pointing in the same direction.me ol mates at lincon tyres sorted that out, easy, rear was pretty good, I'd lined the axles up with some old marks on the spring plates and it did feel good, but the fronts were 10mm out each side, no wonder it was so scary on the motorway.After a short test drive home, it felt much better, need to go over the kings and links again and should re pack the front bearings with more grease, but first.as we pull into our street something went thump thump thump!rut roewhen I put the rear drums back on the pan, many moons ago, I didn't actually have the torque wrench so I just leaned on the multiplier stuck the pin in and forgot about it.I think I may have over done it???the splitpin and the castle nut were still in place but the drum was lose and the back of the studs had been gnawing at the wheel cylinder.At this point I'm out of time and money, the Auckland VW Club Spring Jamboree is days away and if I have to go on three fucking wheels this car was going!So I pulled out the bits of seal and that mangled metal thing, backed off the wheel studs so they were flush with the drum, backed off the front brake shoe has most of that also seems to have rubbed off and redid the castle nut, without hulk smashing it, and so far so good.I am really regretting not replacing all the soft brake lines now, as I have a feeling this is why the rear shoe has rubbed so hard.So Sunday morning loaded up every tool I own and then some, after checking and checking the hubs, drove down to local gasser and met these guys and girls.and arrived at sunny St Heliers Bay for the cars first wee show.and I thought my car was low.project for Felix?were some really nice cars there.this was one of two corvair engined bugs there.some crazy kidone of the picks of the day for me.really really nice, so I was pretty please to get second place in the 58-67 bug class.not bad for a homemade car!So cheers to the VW club, Matt and the guys for letting/making me lead the convoy in, MichealJFox for the choise pic of me and the family leaving, kiwikombi for the new smaller Dellorto chokes and all the other nice volks I chatted to and said nice things about the ragtop on the day.Look forward to more runs and adventures, now where is that rear wheel???

nail biting time. sorted.

I did take it to the tyre shop and he thought that they are ok he gave me the number of their tech department, but when I rang, they just read from the LTSAs spec sheet. 5' inch is all I could find on line, that what the tyres fit on a smart car. Anyway tyres are the least of my worries, the letters L V and V have been said in quick succession. Again, fuck it.

Certainly caught me out. 145/65/15 to narrow for 5.5" wide rim. Smallest on the chart is 165/65/15 =4-6" wide. Fuck it.

Been have been having a nightmare getting this thing legal, Drove it to work a couple weeks back as I was feeling to weak with a headcold to ride my bike anymore, Knocked off early and went to see Frank at the local vw workshop, but he had staff off sick also and was flatout himself. So I rolled the dice at a nice looking garage across the road from work.I didn't want to leave my baby with any fuckwit or some young guy who wouldn't even know how to drive a real old car, this guy has been in the trade for nearly 30 years and use to own/work on bugs back in the day, Sorted.Or so I thought, it failed, which I was fully expecting, as the brakes are not great and the rear tyres are old,hard and nearly bald. But it didn't fail on any of those things, there were a few small things like rear seat belts are old and one won't adjust, somehow though the rear tyres pasted and the front one didn't because apparently they are full on drift spec stretched tyres, ie to narrow for the rims and the real kicker the chassis number doesn't match the paper work, this was something I've always know about, this car is build from about 12 bugs, but no one has ever worried or picked up on it before, so I was off to the vtnz, handly just up the road also, filled out MR16 change of reg details form, waited a week, computer says no. can't just be swapping chassis numbers around I guess.So now I'm waiting again for the faceless bureaucrats to rubber stamp me a new VIN number and I should be good to go! still need to sort a couple small things but tyres really piss me off,I looked up the rim size they fit on(145.65.15) a smart car and it's 5inchs, these mags are 5.5inch, that an't stretched fuck all and in my opinion, the rear tyres are more dangerous as most of the vehicles weight is on the rear.rant rant ranty rant, I know the guy is just doing his job, but I'm running out of energy at this point.anyway as our recently departed friend Mr Petty sang, Waiting is the hardest part.so I didn't rush hour still sucks

go go go! haha, I had a massive grin by the end of that video, nice work man.