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zen
August 8th 2003, 18:41
charles says he is about ready to spray. it is all grey primer, side markers are cut, roof is cut and finished. i am going out one night next week to look at it and snap some pics. now if i can get everything else to work timin-wise. it has steadily all been falling apart on me.

decklid will hopefully be done before the car is sprayed so i can get it done all at once. i would hate to think about having to go back and have it sprayed separately. i would probably run the risk of going with the ricer look of unpainted c/f instead.

just heard that ac.net is on at least 3-4 week backorder on the CSP brace i ordered 3 weeks ago. need that in time for the BlitzCraft suspension and brake install. the rest of their stuff (carpet and trans mounts were very timely).

just bought some 951 calipers. hopefully they get to BlitzCraft in time to not slow him down on his work.

cross your fingers for me to make BugJam.

vujade
August 8th 2003, 22:59
glad to hear about your car, that is good news!

now if everything else falls into place, we will both be ready for Bug Jam :D

zen
August 9th 2003, 09:31
just confirmed i am going out to charles' tuesday. will take lots of pics.

southeastvw
August 11th 2003, 14:20
Excellent Zen! Glad to see that the GL is almost finshed! I know still plenty of more work to do, but you got time before the Jam!
I doubt I can have mine ready for the Jam, and If I do it will not actually be complete.

zen
August 11th 2003, 22:25
i hope i will. it has been a long wait. been itching bad to get it back and be driving it. it is hard seeing that RAT engine sitting in the corner everyday doing nothing.

zen
August 12th 2003, 22:06
i went out to see the car today. charles had thrown some ford silver on to check how some areas would lay and is going to work on those areas. this silver is lighter. mine will be darker and blue-er. i have the headlights and some parts with the real color. i will take pics tomorrow when there is some daylight. for those that have seen it, it looks close to identical to my 944T.

i took pics and posted them on the VKG site. go to the member's page (http://www.volksport.net/members.htm) and go to my profile. it is linked off of the body section.

joe, if you want a page like this off of your profile, tell me (or email me) which pics you want included and what text with each.

charles said he should be done this weekend. he is working on a few areas, has to cut in my door contacts (wireless jams!!!), i am having him fill in the fresh air vents on the hood now and then spray it. will pick it up next week. woohoo!!!!!!!

vujade
August 12th 2003, 22:18
very cool Zen!

glad to see you make it to this stage.
it will be done in no time now.

its gonna look really good once its painted :D

NO_H2O
August 13th 2003, 08:13
Great to see it with some color on it. It looks awsome. Chuck does good work. Before long we will be out in force.:D

zen
August 13th 2003, 19:55
just added one pic of the finished headlight housing. it is the only part i brought home the other day. it will give you an idea though. click here (http://www.volksport.net/members.htm) and click on my name, then pics button on the body section.

vujade
August 13th 2003, 20:41
me thinks I like it :D

vujade
August 14th 2003, 08:40
http://www.djsandstorm.com/gallery/albums/bugshow2k3/DSC01180_001.sized.jpg

zen
August 14th 2003, 18:35
nice. very nice. he has good taste. :D

hard to tell with monitor adjustment, but mine will be a bit darker and blue-er. and of course wider and shorter.

zen
August 19th 2003, 07:54
just heard from charles. i had added a few "to-do's" when out there last time so the weekend didn't happen. just got an update though. everything is hung and welded. as he was getting ready to do final sanding he found two more spots to fix. so hopefully he is spraying late this week.

vujade
August 19th 2003, 08:37
sounds like Bug Jam shouldnt be a problem for you then :D

zen
August 19th 2003, 11:43
well, there are still alot of outside factors:
headliner and ragtop wait time
suspension/brakes upgrade (shouldn't be an issue at all)
front and rear windows (only the back is really an issue)
misc small parts still needed

and then there is the factor that i will probably be moving in the middle of all of this. that is now my bigger concern. will have to time the suspension right so i know i can get the car on the ground for the move. we have an offer out and just accepted one that may be a little questionable on delivery of funds. can only wait and see.

zen
August 19th 2003, 13:51
just talked to Dave out at H&N. he can take it in around the first of september and only needs it a couple of days. so i will bring it home for a couple of weeks to do wiring, etc, take it over to him, then back home for the rest. one more duck in the row.

zen
August 24th 2003, 22:37
picked the car up today (minus the doors which need a touch up). i will post some pics in the next couple of days. been busting my butt on house stuff (selling and buying, paperwork, etc) for the last few days. and now have to pack on top of it. fun, fun. i will fit the car in there somewhere.

now the real work/fun begins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! anyone wanting to come over and throw some parts at it, let me know. :D

vujade
August 25th 2003, 01:41
thats great news man :D

mine goes to the headliner shop this week

jhelgesen
August 25th 2003, 08:19
Headliner shop? What a bunch of pansies. I just finished putting the headliner in my 73 bus yesterday, windows start going in this week. If I wasn't such a dumba$$, I would have taken pictures for a tech article. I'll shoot some this week and post them.

zen
August 26th 2003, 08:55
lol. if you are interested in doing a headliner in a chop top with a ragtop, just let me know. :D oh, btw, it has to be perfect. ;)

jhelgesen
August 26th 2003, 09:13
mmm, perfect costs more.

Could always coat the inside with spray on bedliner. :)

zen
August 26th 2003, 09:36
think you will be ready late september with brakes/suspension? i will be moving 16th and 17th. so the last week of september i think will be perfect. or first week of october.

i am still hunting down T2/181 CVs. ian wanted $110 each. ouch. so where did we leave it? i just need those, output flanges if i am going with T181 and soft lines right? anything else or do you have the difference covered?

zen
August 28th 2003, 10:02
quasi came home from paint over the weekend. still need to colorsand and buff, but it is looking good. more pics on the VKG site (http://www.volksport.net), but here is one...

http://www.volksport.net/images/projpics/zen13.jpg

vujade
August 28th 2003, 10:10
Zen, that looks freakin amazing!

NO_H2O
August 28th 2003, 17:10
LOVE THAT COLOR.:cool:
That car is going to rock. With a little help, we will have it at Bug Jam. Ah- I can see the line up now. I hope they will give out ear plugs at the Jam, because we are going to make some BIG NOISE.:goodness:

Racelook
August 28th 2003, 17:27
That's a great paintjob Zen!!!!!!

SUppaaahhh

Pillow
August 28th 2003, 23:01
Hell-a-sweet looking Zen!!!

ShApE
August 29th 2003, 02:12
:wowwow: that looks beautiful

zen
August 29th 2003, 07:25
thanks guys. i am VERY happy with the color. throwing the parts at it now. no_h20 is coming up next week to help me with some rewiring. just trying to schedule some of the more difficult issues right now like where to get a windshield (standard parts are soooo much easier), color-sanding/buffing, and headliner.

not having a trailer makes this very difficult and expensive!!!!!!

zen
September 5th 2003, 07:54
well, no_h20 came up yesterday and helped me make heads and tails of some of my wiring mess. got the rear and front lighting pretty much done, ran a harness for gauges, ran some sound wiring and wired the three main instruments. once i get my carbon joe stuff i will be able to mount the extra instruments. alarm system/remote entry is next.

btw, got my Westach dual CHT gauge yesterday. what a work of art. and hardly more than a VDO solution.

huge thanks to no_h20. it is good to have friends that are aviation mechanics. :D

NO_H2O
September 5th 2003, 09:15
It was nothing realy. We will do it again, got to get that car to Bug Jam. :D

zen
September 26th 2003, 12:34
you ever feel like the world is against you? i bust my butt to get my car to sanding and buffing last saturday. communicate my schedule. they say no problem. give us 3 days to get the body done. that way i can get it to interior while they do the rest.

well, today is friday (6 days later, 5 minus sunday), and they haven't even started. said they can probably have it done late next week.

so if everything went perfect with interior (not betting on that considering my track record now), that leaves me 4 weeks to pull everything together and have it tested. reality is probably more like 3.

the pressure is on. it can still be done. my chin is up (and so is my shotgun).

Rob
September 26th 2003, 12:59
I hope things work out for you.

There is nothing worse than having to wait for someone else
to do his job :(

Rob.

vujade
September 26th 2003, 13:17
Zen

that sux! I know the feeling :(

NO_H2O
September 26th 2003, 14:15
It would seem that Jake is the only person you have dealt with that has come thru on or ahead of the schedule.

jhelgesen
September 26th 2003, 14:25
You will have brakes at least. I'll be painting the calipers this weekend. Spindles look good, just need to finalize the spacers at the mounting holes.

zen
September 26th 2003, 16:03
yep. have to recheck now with interior to see if i will still be able to hit a gap in his schedule. then depending on that and my house move, i may bring the car back from buffing and tackle suspension and drive train before sending it to interior.

zen
October 7th 2003, 17:16
got the body and fenders back from buffinglast night. woohoo. he certainly had his work cut out for him. as expect, it makes everything look great but really shows the bad spots too. and i have some. overall looks good though.

brought it home last night to knock out a few more things. got the rest of the gauges in, hurt my brain trying to figure out how to fit the cooler with no luck, got the tranny in, and steering column is in.

took it to interior today. not holding my breath on anyone delivering on a date (based on my history with this project), but he said he should have it back to me friday or saturday. that would be too cool as i have nothing planned for the weekend but to work on that car.

time to work on those 951 parts some more through the week. creeping along.

zen
October 10th 2003, 06:44
headliner and top are already done. going to pick it up this morning. a day a head of time. now there is something i am not used to. of course we are under several days of rain now. this morning looks to be spotty and light though. just have to figure out how to protect it without beating up the frash paint.

vujade
October 10th 2003, 08:30
congrats on something getting done when it was supposed to :D

hopefully you & dave will be able to pull it all together.

zen
October 10th 2003, 12:34
it seems to be my week. picked the car up this morning just before the wave of rain came from AL. stayed ahead of it!!!! AND got a call from the glass shop and they already have my windshield cut. one day turnaround!!!!

have a lot of glue overspray to clean up ,but everything looks pretty good with the top and headliner. i will get some pics up soon.

dave is on his way over today to throw some parts at it. woohoo.

NO_H2O
October 10th 2003, 21:53
Well, we got the 96 plate oil cooler and fan shoe-horned up in place with a little bracket fabrication, a big shoe-horn and some grease:D . Also got the old brake lines out(hard lines). WE will hit it heavy tomorrow. I ran out of gas today(fist night off and 3 hours sleep in 30 hours).:silly:

NO_H2O
October 12th 2003, 11:58
Well Day 2 is in the books. The list is a little shorter. Hood and Deck lid seal are in, front glass is in and the other 3 window seals are cut(chop top). The front glass was 1 in 1000 shot. The rear window seal was just right for the windsheild without cutting, the others had to be cut to fit and will have to be glued and cure. Most of the wiring is done, and some of the carpet is in. I hoped we could have had a little more done. but you always think that. Next weekend we will hit it again.

zen
October 12th 2003, 21:30
and again a huge thanks to dave for spending his days off slapping this thing together. spent a few hours today getting all of the sprayed on headliner glue off of the back part of the car. crap this guy got it all over the place. luckily a clay bar does a good job of picking it up. the rest of the rubber is sealed.

little by little, inch by inch.

will spend a good part of this week working on the trailing arms probably. that and running down the rest of the car from glue.

NO_H2O
October 19th 2003, 11:21
Well another day of work in and the car has doors, brake lines, CD head unit, more carpet and a couple of other things. We took Saterday off and Zen treated me to a trip to Road Atlanta for the Petit Le Mans. It was Awsome to see the ALMS cars in action. Thanks Zen.

zen
October 19th 2003, 12:34
your keeping better updates on my car than i am. i promised myself that i would be taking a bunch of pics and notes during this build up. i just didn't know i was going to cram it all into 8 weeks. so they are thin. i do have some pics though that i will post maybe later today. some over all pics (which i will take today when i pull it out to get all of the headliner glue off :rolleyes: ), oil cooler crammed in, 944 m/c installed, interior, etc.

it is going to be tight, but assuming everything works, i may make it to this show sans the 944 brakes and suspension. still have to pray that a 944 m/c is going to work right on ghia disks and rear drums. testing in the neighborhood will tell. still waiting on feedback from my post here in the brake forum on it from the experts.

and the ALMS race was fun. nice change up in the car mix. 6 Ferraris (double of previous years), only 1 M3 :( , the usual bevy of 911's with the McKenna team kicking a$$. sadly i thought the LMP mix was poor. audi kicked but as usual, but not enough makes in the mix. i miss porsche, MB, Caddy, and the likes.

sorry for the long post. back to work on the car.

NO_H2O
October 20th 2003, 17:28
I would like to see more marks in the mix too. I think the Audi's have skeered some away with there choke-hold. My hat is off to Panoz for hanging in there. The Audi's are amazing cars. Looks like the Vette's are going to have to do some work to keep up with the Ferrari's.

zen
December 13th 2003, 23:04
OK, it has been a while, but I have added an update on the car with some new pics for ya. check it out here...

zen's car update (http://volksport.net/memberrides/optionbodyzen3.htm)

vujade
December 14th 2003, 08:50
it definitely looks 1000% better then when I seen it at Taccoa :D

jhelgesen
December 14th 2003, 11:16
very nice Zen. Also works to encourage the rest of us to get off our butts.

boygenius
December 14th 2003, 22:01
LOOKING GOOD. :D

yetibone
December 19th 2003, 18:49
Zen, very nice! I like the clean look you got with that roof.

Very sanitary.



Yetibone

yellow73
December 21st 2003, 15:46
Zen,
The car looks great, you have made a lot of progress since I last saw it. Very cool indeed.

zen
December 23rd 2003, 13:02
thanks guys. nigel, we need to hook up over the holidays. i am going to be here just about everyday. you need to come checkout out the new digs. we are right at Ronald Reagan and Five Forks now. maybe we can make it a day when Dave and Pillow can come hang too. either way let's plan on getting together.

btw, i haven't touched it since Bug Jam except for moving it to the new house. i am starting to dig out my tools this week and last and getting back to it. only two months to have it complete with the 944 suspension and brakes and all of the other things i haven't finished yet. doable.

SuperRSi
December 23rd 2003, 13:11
That's a very nice build. You have inspired me to spend more time on my two projects over the holidays.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Thanks for all the help this year.

Randy

yellow73
December 23rd 2003, 23:15
Zen,
That sounds like a good idea. I will try to call you in the next day or so...I would also like to wish everyone a very Happy Holiday Season...I am looking forward to the next year as being a good one.

DORIGTT
December 24th 2003, 00:15
THANKS ZEN:rolleyes:

You really know how to make me feel bad because my Ghia isn't to that stage yet! I wish you would quit dangling that juicy carrot in my face like that!:D

But really, your car looks great and I'm sure we all will get to where we're talking about our adventures in our 'new' cars as opposed to what are plans are for them.

You've given some of us a renewed hope that it can be finished...even though the job, spouse, kids, world gets in the way sometimes.:mad:

Thanks for getting me excited again about what could be...if only I had 36 hours in the day:silly:

zen
December 24th 2003, 00:40
yea, just ask how many times i have needed that inspiration. this has been an on-again off-again project for 8 years. car shows always get my blood flowing. as a matter of fact, i have been spending most of the week already thinking of the next project and remind myself i need to finish this one first...oh, and figure out how i am supposed to afford the next and convince the wife that it actually makes sense that we need another project car. :D

thinking:
GL bus or singlecab (due to the handiness of having something haul crap around)
speedster kit car (so i can bastardize it without guilt. just been looking at streetbeasts.com, not bad pricing)
914 with possibly the autoatlanta 9014 kit (good project pricing with the right donor...rusted body panels, but good underpimmings)

would like to keep the next project in the $10k range and have it spread out over 2-3 years. that may rule out the speedster. oh to dream.

vujade
December 24th 2003, 08:08
Zen

I know where there is a decent speedster for sale... check here (http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4021772&a=30666285&f=0)

And heres a nice 914 too... Check Here (http://thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/index.mv?photo+200309100633347658)

zen
December 24th 2003, 11:53
don't tempt me. i would do an outlaw speedster though (flared fenders, etc). i do want a fiber boot though like that one. as for the 914, already thought of it, but hate to rip up a perfectly good body and can't do anything until i sell my other house anyway. i am a year away at least.

zen
February 7th 2004, 01:18
wow. it has been awhile since i updated this. not sure i have the full list, but here are few things that have happened.

the rest of the windows are in and the interior is 95% done. just have to add seats and eventually kick panel speakers and rear speaker box. lastly get the remote entry working (no door handles).

rear suspension torn out and working on fitting a 944 suspension. other threads show what's going on with that, but looks like i am switching from early arms to late as the early don't appear to have added on as much track as i thought and needed. seeing what impact that has on the rest of my parts that i already have for the rear. still need axles and decide what to do about a parking brake.

had to tear out the whole front beam as i couldn't get the bottom adjuster to move. ends up that the bottom end is seized. no_h2o was willing to trade me beams. the new one is refreshed and painted and goes in tomorrow. and hopefully fitting on the spindles and brakes this weekend as well.

plumbed the oil lines tonight. have one last connection to go (the 90 i bought for the return hits the case so i can't screw it in :rolleyes: ). finishing up fuel lines tomorrow. then a little more electrical and put that damn header back on and it will be brought to life. can't wait.

Panelfantastic
February 7th 2004, 13:45
Where are the piccies? :D Progress feels GOOOOD !

...did somebody say axles??
http://pic9.picturetrail.com/VOL267/1824562/3516975/45092522.jpg

boygenius
February 7th 2004, 13:57
Glad to hear about the progress Zen.

Hey Panel, I have the same tiles in my house that are in your picture. Looks like my axles too. :laugh:

zen
February 7th 2004, 15:51
so are you sending me those panel or just rubbing it in? :laugh:

beam is in. steering feels like it is binding somewhere, but i have yet to get the spindles on and everything tied in. same steering box, different beam. the box doesn't align real well with the shaft (vertical axis) and this beam has tabs aligning the box which my old didn't. suspect that may be causing some rubbing.

also, the Momo hub doesn't fit as i would expect it should. if i go too tight on it, it binds against the column and still only get a few threads on the shaft. i confirmed the right part number last night though from two sources.

more to work. going to get the spindles and brakes on first though.

jrinlv
February 7th 2004, 16:17
nice axles, what make are they?? looks good JR

Panelfantastic
February 7th 2004, 16:44
Boygenius, great minds think alike! :D

Sorry Zen, I gotta have these :bawling:

They are the sway-a-ways for a bus/bug conversion (15 5/8") and I'm using bus CV's.

boygenius
February 7th 2004, 17:18
I've got the standard lenght sway-a-way for sale still. :(

Brand new and I still have the box. ;)

zen
February 23rd 2004, 00:44
late arms are in and the track is much better...
http://www.volksport.net/images/projpics/zenrearwlatearms1.jpg

still have to figure out right axles (thought i had it figured out). figure out what i am going to do about the lower shock mount and the e-brake end.

got my last oil fitting and will be locktiting all this week.

engine is wired save two terminal blocks i need to add (thanks nigel!).

throttle cable is shortened and secured.

still have to put the header back on and exhaust (and paint both first) and cut and install sealing tin.

inside wiring is cleaned up.

new/used front beam is painted and in. front brake conversion (951 w/911 rotors) was done until the last bolt going in, which was a caliper bolt), pulled the threads out of the spindle. :bawling: :mad: so have to fix that then the front will be done.

left fender is on and headlight/park/turn wired. thought i knew what the parking lamp wire was...wrong.

seems my gauges only light in the parking light position and not headlight position. hmmm.

less than two week left to get this bad boy running and broken in.

boygenius
February 23rd 2004, 00:55
GO ZEN GO ! ! ! :righton: :righton:

vujade
February 23rd 2004, 13:45
Come on Man, you can do it! :D

kenfyoozed
February 23rd 2004, 16:02
his car will be ready, im going up friday to make sure he has enough time and an extra pair of hands to button it all up. IT WILL BE READY. :haveadrin
neil

NO_H2O
February 23rd 2004, 16:14
Cool Neil, I would have been up there but I'm axle deep to a circus wheel in stuff I have to get done(TDI). This will be the 3rd day with 4 hrs sleep and work on the car then go to work all night. When I get it on the road, :sleep: :sleep: :sleep: :sleep: .

zen
February 23rd 2004, 16:56
lol. you have more sayings than any other southern i know. even over my wife's family! :D

don't go killing yourself falling asleep at the wheel. the irony would be too much. i hate that you are having to deal with several dead cars at once. at least one is on the road. figures it is the bug and not the modern car. :)

nigel was up this weekend help sorting out some wiring. that was a huge help. i will be doing the lack of sleep thing for the next two weeks. figure i will sleep it out the week after the show.

jhelgesen
February 23rd 2004, 17:16
Gee, I think the new definition of german look will be drivers looking half asleep. I'll be doing the late thing myself. Found two holes in the front pan of the 912-6 the size of my fist that were filled with fiberglass resin. Won't take it on the track like that, so now I'm gonna have to replace the front pan on the car. I got 8 weeks till my first track weekend, all my saturdays are booked for the next month, and I still haven't broken the motor in yet. :bawling:

southeastvw
February 24th 2004, 08:32
Good to see it is coming right along Zen!
I WANT to see that Beetle at the show, never know what "might" happen. Both Magazines will be there you know :laugh:

YOU CAN DO IT! :D

zen
February 24th 2004, 09:22
Good to see it is coming right along Zen!
I WANT to see that Beetle at the show, never know what "might" happen. Both Magazines will be there you know :laugh:

YOU CAN DO IT! :D

well there is plenty of incentive between having the opportunity to see what power i can get to the ground, hitting the first show in it and having both mags there. i just wish it would be REALLY complete for you guys. there will be a few little things that won't be done like the rear speaker box and other small things. but that's how it always goes.

my biggest challenge has been and still is getting the right pieces and parts together. i just had another set back last night. at least one of the CVs i just bought is shot. the boot was ripped and the bearings have gouged the star and shell. i still have to clean the other 3 to see what i have there.

i'm at it every hour i can though. :agree:

zen
February 24th 2004, 13:32
well, found a shop to put a heli-coil in the spindle. not what i prefer to do, but seems no one around here welds cast iron and i really didn't want to have to go to a larger size bolt and reem the caliper too.

then, just to be consistent with my project, he calls me in an hour and already has it done, but dispite leaving on of the caliper bolts with him, he puts in a 1.75 pitch (should be 1.5) because "that's all he has" and never checked the bolt. :banghead: so much for consistent hardware. i hate one-offs.

zen
February 28th 2004, 00:11
went to GAD today and got my replacement axles. haven't broken them down yet. i did get some 33 splined axles though so i should have some CV options now.

rear brakes are on. just need shocks and axles in now. front would be done had i remember to get a bearing seal. engine wiring will be done tonight and just have to deadhead the rest in the front. headlights are in and work (parking lights don't, have to find that wire somewhere). oil lines are done (redone with sealant i should say) sans the ones on the case til i know where the header is going. header should go in tomorrow. and starting the bad boy sometime this weekend. wait til my new neighborhood hears that BAS without mufflers. :eek:

bought a fire extiguisher! :laugh:

vujade
February 28th 2004, 08:09
I cant wait to hear it.... :D

NO_H2O
February 28th 2004, 08:55
Me either :agree: :agree:

southeastvw
February 28th 2004, 22:54
Me neither! Hope to see that Bad Boy next Saturday! You can do it! :laugh:

zen
February 29th 2004, 23:20
vrmmm...bmmm...bmmm...bmmm...bmmm...bmmm

IT'S ALIVE!!!!!

got the header installed today. i had to clearance a sizeable amount of my apron which no one else i know has had to do. could be signs of a wreck in the back, but see no indications any other place. but that was definitely a factor in the header being so difficult before.

got a little helping hand from an engine builder who happened to be in the neighborhood. don't know many willing to do house calls. :D (and i am sure that was not setting any precedence) it cut my time down dramatically though.

filled with fluids. checked for pressure. cranked it and...(see top of message).

one thing worthy of noting. carbon fiber is conductive. what does this mean to me? if you have a terminal block with hots screwed to c/f even on rubber mounts...and a terminal block of grounds screwed to c/f even on rubber mounts...they find their way through the screws to each other due to the carbon and tend to make smoke and a nice burning smell. luckily it was caught quickly and no real damage (just some brownish looking c/f and melted rubber mounts). so what do we learn from this boys and girls? don't screw terminal blocks directly to c/f...bad things happen. told you it was smart to pick up that fire ext. didn't need it though luckily.

also got it back down on all fours. bad news there is i get to reindex the rear. i set the plates one click below the lower stop, but the car is about on the ground and killer camber / \. i will get some pics. best guess is one click on the inside and one on the out should fix it. downside to 944 suspension is the arms have to come out to deal with the spring plates.

i also have to extend my brake pushrod. i am at the end of the threads and still have about 1" travel. has anyone else experienced this? we will see what bias looks like. hopefully good as i have no more time for errors and fixes to make it to Dyno Day this weekend.

sorry for the length.

NO_H2O
March 1st 2004, 03:10
Make a new brake rod from a long bolt(cut the head offand round it with a grinder). You will still be able to use a jam nut.

zen
March 1st 2004, 08:09
i mentioned that to jake while he was over and he warned heavily against that due to wear and breaking. i figure a grade 8 bolt would be solid enough, but he didn't feel it would. he recommended welding onto the existing rod and reshaping. i have no clue. thoughts?

jhelgesen
March 1st 2004, 09:16
I would think a correct size socket head cap bolt that was cut down would be okay, those are pretty hard and come in about any size you could want.

NO_H2O
March 1st 2004, 09:36
I would think a grade 8 would work, remeber that 8.8 metric is a grade 5 SAE and a 10.0 is a grade 8 SAE. You will have to get it very round and smooth. I would cut it off with the ziz-wheel and then put you drill in a vice and chuck the bolt in it and use the drill as a lathe(locked at a medium speed) and round it with a file then smooth it with sandpaper.

boygenius
March 1st 2004, 14:34
Have you tried adjusting the spring plates. They are supposed to be adjustable for ride height aren't they.


I would go with a high grade bolt for now and replace it later if it bothers you.

zen
March 1st 2004, 14:39
will look into those bolt options. i can run it as is for now. still plenty of pedal.

genius, the spring plates aren't going to make up this difference. will take some pics when i get home. i now have dropped spindles on the front and it is about 2" higher than the rear. my header is about 2" off the ground. i was WAY off. seems stock preload would have been the way to go. best guess anyway...and it better be right since i only have time for one more crack at this.

boygenius
March 1st 2004, 14:52
Do you have beetle torsion bars or the thicker 944 torsion bars???

zen
March 1st 2004, 20:44
beetle torsion bars. never heard of them not working for people so didn't see any reason to change. have you heard of issues? i will do another search in a minute to check. i only had the plates indexed one click below the stop. hardly any pre-load.

pics never seem to do justice to angles. here are two shots of it. i already have the right side back off. just trying to decide how much i should move it. i forget what each click gives you (my second search to do). also in new light it looks like the left is defintely lower than the right. so probably an extra click there.

the camber is obviously way off.

http://www.volksport.net/images/projpics/zenbackafter1stsetting5.jpg

http://www.volksport.net/images/projpics/zenbackafter1stsetting1.jpg

jhelgesen
March 1st 2004, 20:57
Gee, do I see a hint of yellow coming from inside those wheels?

I seem to remember a web site that had the degree change for which spline you move, I'll see if I can find it.

zen
March 1st 2004, 20:58
Gee, do I see a hint of yellow coming from inside those wheels?

nice, ain't they? :D

jhelgesen
March 1st 2004, 21:07
Here are a few hints I found:

<<<<Here comes the real leap of faith. Let’s image you are at the driver’s side rear facing the spring plate. If we fix the outer spring plate on the outer end of the torsion bar and then move the torsion bar inner by one spline (in the counter-clockwise direction - moves the spring plate up and lowers the car), we will have changed the position of the spring plate (relative to the ground) by 9 degrees. Now if we fix the inner splines and now relocate the spring plate (in the opposite direction, clockwise - moves the spring plate down raising the car) we will be essentialy removing 8 degrees 10 minutes from the 9 degrees we advanced on the inner splines, thus resulting in a net 50 minute change in the spring plate position. Think about it, and reread this paragraph until you get it. Due to the 4-spline difference between the inner and outer splines of the torsion bar, adding then subracting these relative angles allow us to adjust the ride height to within fractions of an inch.

If you understand the meaning of the preceeding paragraph you are ready to index your own torsion bars. If you’re lost or confused at this point, get help. Your next question will probably be "But how much do I raise or lower the spring plate in order to get the ride height I’m looking for?" If you are not changing the torsion bars and you are starting from the factory torsion bar position (you did take notes when you took it apart didn’t you?), you can ‘estimate’ the ride height change (approx 6.5mm for a 50 minute change) by using basic priciples of geometry a the rules of the great queen SOH-CAH-TOA. If you are replacing the torsion bars with ones of different rates or did not note the location of the spring plate (dumb-dumb) before removing the torsion bar, the answer to this question, I’m sad to say is: "Trial and error my friend, trial and error." When I bought my new torsion bars, and dared ask this ‘stupid’ question, the customer service rep at Automotion gave me that answer. I thought he was nuts! He also told me it would probably take three tries to get right. I whimpered then cried. My better half Kristine smacked on the head and snapped me back to reality. "Thanks Kris, I needed that."

boygenius
March 1st 2004, 21:14
Nothing wrong with the beetle torsion bars its just that the 944 ones are thicker and stiffer. I was just wondering.

zen
March 1st 2004, 22:24
if i am calculating that right, that means that each degree is 7.8mm. best guess is i need 1" on the right and 1.5" on the left (get the strange feeling i will be doing this a few times). SO, following the method above:

i need 25.4mm or 3.25 degrees on the right. that means four clicks CW on the inside and four on the outside CCW.

i need 38.1mm or 4.88 degrees on the left. that means six clicks inside and out.

does that sound right? am i even close? or am i over thinking this and i should just do a click or two on the outside?

boygenius
March 1st 2004, 22:52
Zen please take measurments when you adjust your rear suspension. Measure the angle of spring plates so the rest of us have it a little easier. :)
Remember to measure the angle of your frame tunnel so you will know the spring plate angle in relation to the cars chassis. :)

zen
March 3rd 2004, 01:00
well, just got the suspension back together. overshot the right side and WAY overshot the left. it is probably back at stock height. had that feeling, but whatcha gonna do. guess is should have known with as much as i had to do to compress the suspension on the left. did you know there is no great way to ask your wife to sit in the car because you need enough weight to compess the suspension so you can put it together? :rolleyes: i ended up with her, a butcher block, and 5 gal gas can in there.

time to take it all back apart again and try to find a happy medium.

genius, measurements are pretty much impossible since i don't have the tools to do it. i'm guessing and it showed.... :mad: :bawling:

not sure what my next guess is going to be. probably one click back on the inside on the right and maybe two outside on the left. dunno. :confused:

boygenius
March 3rd 2004, 03:05
Since you don't have a angle gauge could you measure the distance between the top of the spring plate and the bolt hole in the shock tower for a starting point.

SuperRSi
March 3rd 2004, 14:46
Zen,

Look around the neighborhood and borrow a bigger wife from a neighbor...

Sorry couldn't help myself.


Randy

zen
March 3rd 2004, 21:15
well, left side is back on with a new setting. i took pics and measurements. the right side is another story. there is so much tension on the spring plate that i can not pry it away from the shock tower. 3 hours worth of effort and i have it just about flush with the lower stop. then i have to figure out how i am gracefully going to release the cargo straps and jack to let it down. i hate days like this. took the whole day off work to finish this thing up and spent most of it on one piece that still isn't any further. :mad:

boygenius
March 3rd 2004, 21:28
I am going to assume that you don't have the special tool to release the tension on the spring plates. I used a chain to secure my floor jack to the chassis. Put the shock bolt through the chain and secure the chain around the base of the floor jack. The chain will keep the body from moving up. Use two flat head screwdrivers or pry bars to wiggle the front half of the spring plate out.

zen
March 3rd 2004, 22:59
oh, been doing that. the little bastard just won't pry off. i ran out of juice. will be trying again tomorrow.

jhelgesen
March 5th 2004, 14:21
Wish I could be there to help today, work sucks.

How's the list coming?

zen
March 7th 2004, 23:03
well, well. where to start.

i had a bunch of the VKG guys come up on Friday with a huge helping hand to get my car together. what a great display of what a club is about and of friendship from friends and strangers. combined those guys gave me like 32 man hours in that one day. and we got it together enough that it was ready to roll. it was minus most of the fit and finish and some more desirable things (swaybars, passenger seat, pro alignment) but was good enough to get to Dyno Day.

got up saturday morning. did some systems checks and had to fix wipers and brake lights. all else looked good. then took it out for its maiden voyage. it was a light rain and wet everywhere which was a little scarey, but most checked out well. a little front heavy on the brakes in the rain (was better later in the dry). suspension was nice considering no swaybars.

then there is the engine...

Un-freakin'-believeable power

truly scarey kind of torque. i didn't want to work it too hard considering the wet roads and being cautious with all of the other systems. so i can only imagine what all it has in store.

just before getting to the event a lifter failed. mine was early in a batch that is since known to have some failures. this makes the third engine for jake alone and FAT has lost 7 i believe due to these lifters. it was just a long time before i had my engine installed.

jake was amazing (luckily he was at the Dyno Day). he immediately jumped on my car and was diagnosing. we dragged the car to a buddy's house nearby and pulled the engine and jake just took it home with him. raggs also lent me his truck and trailer to get my car home. you can't beat the people in this hobby.

jake is top notch and has truly shown and earned a great deal of respect. my engine will be back in shortly with a possible subtle change. we will see.

between no_h2o's car and mine, the GL definitely got some attention yesterday.

jhelgesen
March 7th 2004, 23:28
Wow, good and tough luck in the same time. I'm sure Jake will have you up and running soon enough.

Pictures, we need pictures.

vujade
March 8th 2004, 02:04
I can attest to most everything Zen has said, I only wish we could have made it up there earlier in the day on Friday to help out more when we werent so tired from the trip up.

It was awesome seeing Jake do whatever it took to get the job done.

I also was impressed with Raggs offering up his garage and then later on his truck and trailer to Zen and would personally like to thank him for helping out like he did. That was truly one of the nicest gestures Ive seen from anyone in the Volkswagen scene. (BTW, I think Raggs is a closet GLer. I gave him lots of info on Sunday on how to fit 17 x 7 Twists on his Ghia :D )

kenfyoozed
March 8th 2004, 08:52
it was definetly a shock to some for the vkg cars to be out. i Think it was something BETTER for the spectators to look at. something fresh. I do hope your car is back soon and pulling strong. Just remember THINK VW NOT PORSCHE. :laugh:

neil

NO_H2O
March 8th 2004, 09:37
You can't ask for a better bunch of folks than the West GA. chapter of the SEVWC. Raggs is a great guy and would give you the shirt off his back. I helped him out with his 53 Split once (calculate a 12v to 6v resistor for his semiphors) and he gave me a 82mm scat crank and some rods he said he didn't need.
As for pix. I did my normal job of leaving the camera in the car most of the day but did get a shot of Smack on the roller and a few other shots before the low battery syndrome set in.

Massive Type IV
March 8th 2004, 12:46
dyno day was going great till I heard that Clicket clack from Zens engine....

I can only do as good as the parts that we use, thats why ALL I run now are ceramic lifters...

Zen's engine was rather odd. It failed AFTER my dyno session, none of the other have. They all died on the dyno. He and I beat on it for a solid 4 hours and the symptoms never showed up.

I was so worried that we had lost another cam/lifter that I hurried under the car and scorched myself in about 6 different places trying to get the valve cover off.

It was a true disappointment not to get Zens car on the dyno. It was a worse disappointment to have to rip it back down....... Things happen.

vujade
March 8th 2004, 13:54
Jake, it really sux that it happened like that to Zens engine. We were all really pumped to see how that thing would perform.

I will tell you this, I was impressed with how you stand behind your work.
Your level of dedication is truly to be admired. :agree:

zen
March 8th 2004, 21:15
Zen please take measurments when you adjust your rear suspension. Measure the angle of spring plates so the rest of us have it a little easier. :)
Remember to measure the angle of your frame tunnel so you will know the spring plate angle in relation to the cars chassis. :)

genius, here is a pic with the measurement that i last used. i would like it slightly higher to match the front better but think the camber adjustment and spring plates can make up the difference.

zen
March 8th 2004, 21:22
Pictures, we need pictures.

here are a few shots when i just got it home from Dyno Day. dirty thanks to the morning rain and a little high in the back since the engine was already back out, but you get the idea. better pics coming in a month or two.

boygenius
March 8th 2004, 21:27
That's off the spring plate stop.

Cool, that should save me a whole lot of trial and error.
Thanks.








P.S. clear your PM's

zen
March 8th 2004, 21:29
That's off the spring plate stop.

yep with the spring plate fully relaxed. the bottom of it sits just below the bottom stop.

jhelgesen
March 8th 2004, 22:09
Looks good Zen. You know what I want to know, how are the brakes? :) I think you said something about feeling the bias a little. I've found some part numbers on porsche bia valves that bolt in the system, had to get one for the carrera brakes on the 912-6. Guess you got the alt figured out?

zen
March 8th 2004, 22:16
they seemed to the front in the wet. seemed better in the dry. i still need to do more bleeding and testing before i form a hard opinion though. most likely i will want to put a proportioning valve in.

didn't have time to complete figuring out the alt. just ran without it.

jhelgesen
March 8th 2004, 22:27
Looking at the front shot of your car, noticed it needed something. Maybe a stainless insert in the shift rod hole cover with VKG laser etched into it?

yetibone
March 8th 2004, 22:46
Looking at the front shot of your car, noticed it needed something. Maybe a stainless insert in the shift rod hole cover with VKG laser etched into it?

EUREKA! :agree:

Chris Percival
March 9th 2004, 08:59
Zen, love the look of your car. Real clean and well executed. Well done! As with the engine, the weak part that breaks and is fixed will only make the engine stronger..

jhelgesen
March 30th 2004, 11:05
Zen, any updates yet?

What did you finally do for your rear axle/cv combo?

Thinking of putting the gl vert on the road with t1 power and tranny to start to get it on the road. Do the uber motor later.

zen
April 1st 2004, 22:59
no real update. been working on other things lately. getting back to it this weekend. i ended up with 33-spline 944 axles with bus CVs on the outside and my old bug CVs on the inside for now. i have some T181 flanges now and will swap to the porsche CVs once i finish rebuilding them.

if you are ready to cut the deal of the century on that bus, let me know. could be good $$$ for that vert.

jhelgesen
April 1st 2004, 23:15
don't know about deal of the century on the bus, but.....

Should be taking $$ on the camper tomorrow. Had a party interested in the red bus, but they wanted to drive it first, so I've been squeezing in work on the bus to put it on the road. Seats and lights are in, gonna try to rebuild the axles this weekend. They want to trade a running bug (what a concept) and some cash for it.

Saw the cover of UltraVW at their website, nice vert to get me motivated.

Anyone coming to the n vs s shootout in darlington this month?

Supa Ninja
April 1st 2004, 23:58
Zen
I just did a crash course scroll thru this thread, and I gotta tell you, the GL has come a very long ways, indeed. I'm gunna be biting off the red FAT shroud w/black powder coated fan assembly. Are those CCC rear fenders and late alloy arms? What's the ET on rear wheel's? I'm tring to figure out the lil details for my ride still. Any updates with the Carbon Joe custom decklids? I guess that's enough questions for tonight, lookn tough.

Nick

zen
April 2nd 2004, 21:06
thanks for the compliments. as a matter of fact, the whole shroud and fan assembly is going up for sale. just haven't posted it yet. i am going to a DTM since my engine has to be rebuilt now and the DTM is available this time around. let me know if you are interested. they only have 60 miles of use.

they are CCC fenders 2" and 3" front and rear respectively. late 951 ali arms with 17x8.5ET48 rims. '87 944S/951 rear rotors and calipers. dead on placement with no spacers. it took a hell of a lot of work to get there though. i have a set of early ali arms that are going up for sale too. i think they would be perfect for 1.5" rear fenders.

no updates on the decklid. haven't talked to joe in a long time. looks like i won't need it now since i am going DTM, but i think with the availability of the decklid alot more people would be willing to go FAT. the lower stand off i made works very well though. small piece of ali and some bending. hardly noticable and still can lock the decklid. much better option in my application than cutting the decklid or using upper standoffs.

Supa Ninja
April 2nd 2004, 22:17
Cool Zen, you answered a lot of my questions. I'm going to hopefully be running twists so the ET's and width are similar. I already got the late alloy arms, but it's not too late to go with the early, do you think those wheels can be squeezed under the 1.5" wider fenders with early arms? I couldn't tell from the pics, but wut are you doing about running boards. Will the stock sized ones look out of place with the wider fenders? I don't have enough money at the moment to buy your shroud/fan, or i'd jump on in a heart beat. I have access to powder coating so I'll just bite off your style cause I am really feeling it. For me a hole in a 2 dollar decklid(ya I got it for 2 bucks :D ) is no big deal, then hide it with a liscence plate. I might be interested in the narrow control arms. Anyways you've helped a lot with my project, glad to see yours on the road. Mine will be there one day.

Nick

zen
April 2nd 2004, 23:28
nick, late arms will definitely be too wide. look back through the thread (or it might be the "Why T181 Flanges" thread) and you will see some pics as i went through fitment. there is a pic with the early arms and 1.75" spacers that just stick out of the 3" fenders. that leaves me to believe that the early arms with no spacer on 1.5" fenders should be just about dead on (with my offset). just do the math from there on the different offset.

i have carbon joe running boards. they are stock size. i like the look of them. they let the fenders look wide which is what i wanted. i am not a fan of the CCC runners, but have no heartburn for those that prefer them. i will be posting updated pics to my profile on volksport.net soon. the attached pic will give you an idea of the board as it comes into the back fender.