Ol'fogasaurus black buggy

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Photobucket wants $399 a year for me to use their services. What a rip! The old saying "Ignorance is bliss" continues on.

[Piledriver]

I guess Photobucket is going out of business RSN.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Is RSN the same as "resign myself to it" or are they really throwing in the towel? Since they started doing ads and having you pay not to see them I have been stymied in trying to use their hosting site and also getting a lot of crap slowing or even stopping me from using it. I ignored their queries as just more of the Horse droppings but I guess it wasn't. I'll either have to figure out another place or ...

[Ol'fogasaurus]

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It turned out that my moving the connection of the soft line to the brake line going to the caliper without looking was not the best of ideas.

This is how I did it on my blue buggy and I am still embarrassed to show it. I will probably leave the bracket alone but form the brake line so that the clamp can be use and the bends are at the outside of the CV joint then into the caliper. I still have some things to work out but I want it neat and protected better than it is.

[dustymojave]

I get the same message from Photobucket.

For 12 years I was a faithful customer and referred a great many others to them.

Now they've unilaterally changed the terms of our agreement and kicked you and me to the curb. They have NOT notified me of any such changes to my account which seems to me to be a breach of contract and a breach of their own "Terms of Service".

I don't know of any other services that might serve to replace them. Even today they are trying to get me to sign up for "Free" service that I've had for 12 years and is now worthless. At the same time they try to get me to upgrade my account. Slap me in the face and ask me to give you more opportunity to betray my loyalty? There isn't now and never has been any neon sign on my forehead saying "Stupid". We all make mistakes once in a while. If we repeat those mistakes, then we deserve such a neon sign permanently installed.

So much for my dealing with them. If my photos cannot be seen by others unless they pay, and if I cannot see the photos of others without paying, then Photobucket is no longer of any use to me. I'm going to remove all photos from my account and close it and will only give them bad review from now on.

Goodbye Photobucket.

How did you post that picture in your last post Lee?

[Piledriver]

A little reading that may help
https://www.lifewire.com/free-image-hos ... es-3486329

Note that photobucket also has tinypic that is probably closer to what most folks need/want.
There are numerous alternatives.

[dustymojave]

Thanks for that link, but considering that #5 on their list is Photobucket, and I have tried Imagur and google photos that are also high on their list, I'm not in a position to believe what is said in that article, even if it WAS updated yesterday.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

My wife and I are finally getting over that "thing" going around right now. It is either a bad cold w/the flu or the flu with a bad cold. Talking to guys down on the Oregon dunes they are saying in excess of 3 weeks to 4 weeks to get over it and that is with additional meds from the Drs.. My wife had a mild version of what ever it is but mine went all through my body a couple of times and now has settled in my lower back. I still go down hill every so often as it seems to try to come back. I was finally able to get out in the garage and do some fitting, lifting and figuring on the seat location and the related steering wheel location.

Got a question of sorts; I have moved the seats off to the inside of the car but can't get the seat itself away from rubbing on the body. It is looking to be almost another 3/8th of an inch, at the minimum, to get the body away from the big butt/wide seat base (to protect the upholstery) at anywhere near full seat forward position which is a minimum position for some of the group who are in the 5'3' range.

The main part of the question is since I am using a piece of 1/8" plate to mount the seats on the seat mount do you think I am OK using slots for the seat mount bolts... or not. I am sure it will take the weight but do you think it is a bad idea. I have modified the trial piece so much now that I just want to do it and do it right.

The other thing is that the tubes of the seat mount (http://vwcatalog.empius.com/vwcatalog/2016/402.html) are not what I would call the strongest bit of tubing that could have been used. I think they would be OK before but since the weight is now going to be shifted/off-set to the tunnel side of the mount (and I am not a pudgy bunny, I not the heaviest guy who might be driving it) that I may have to add a web between the front and rear inboard legs and the straight portion of the mount and probably between the two front and two rear legs just to steady up the mount.

I still have to make the doubler for the underside of the pan like Pile brought up.

One of the other things that I remembered when talking to Travis (bikes and buggies) was the steering wheel location problems that came up in the late 40s and 50 and what they found out. In the old days (for me the old days that is, before and just after WWII) the idea was to have the steering wheel centered on the sitting location in relationship to the pedals. I think the Dodge Bros. when to IFS in about '28 and there was some slow movement after that. In the late 30s Chev had their "knee action" suspension but it was so bad people actually paid to have a beam installed from what I understand. Studebaker changed in ~'47 and in '49 Ford and Chev got in to the game but the problem ended up during the late '40s and early to mid-'50s being that the steering wheel location got off-set outboard to maybe as much as a couple of inches due to several different things. What they found out was that most people didn't notice it, at least not that much unless told about it. So, some off-set might be OK; I guess it comes down to how much off-set would it end up being. For what it is worth.

Lee

[Ol'fogasaurus]

I'm finally feeling better... most of the time; both of us are feeling real good then start feeling crummy at times and the runny nose and hacking and coughing starts again. I have now heard, by more than several people who have had it, this is one of those "things" that hang around for a while. Get your shots now as it takes more than two weeks for the shot to take full affect in your body. You still may get it but usually not as bad. I guess Australia had a real problem with the flu this year which is why they are a bit worried over here about it.

This am I modified the trial seat mounting plate I have been working on to add a couple of slots to see just how far I could slide the seat over to miss the body and also miss the turning brake. I made a pair of slots longer than I wanted which got the seat (with the seat track in the same place on the floor of the pan) to move over about an inch. The fit is close on the tunnel side but backing it off a bit, it works fine; the tunnel and the side of the body now have clearance for the seat cover not to rub. I can just rub my fingers along the body and barely touch the edge of the seat with both the seat and the seat track sitting in their forward most seating position (worse case position) I also sat the seat to sit a bit farther forward at full up position than I had it which should work great. I have not got in and tried it at the full, adjusted to the rear, seating position as I still have the left front wheel off and on a stand. Too high to get in and in a tenable position.

I always thought this set of turning brakes had the handles spaced a bit farther apart such as when pulling both at the same time with one hand so a bit of mods may be needed there. Also I may not have to split the assembly (got to look into that more) or still split them and allow the longer rods to take up the small amount of difference (plus there are other ways to do it).

It is also looking like the steering problem (or most of it) may have been solved also. Not fully sure yet but the potential is looking better.

Lee

[Ol'fogasaurus]

I am at the point now where I have to make the slots. The practice piece of flat stock I used to make the trial fit check piece really isn't usable now so now have to cut both the driver's and passenger side finish mounts using the trial piece as a model/pattern. The problem now is to cut, then take the slight arc in the piece of stock out then figure out how to make the slots using the mill part of the combination lathe/milling machine I have. Never tried anything like this before. This and the doublers for the under side of the pan to reinforce the pan where the seats fit.

Once the seats are in place then the steering and turning brakes can be finally located. The same for the fuel tank. I would like it in the engine comp't but it may not fit as the kaffer bar could be in the way. I may piece together an engine case and put a fan housing on it for part of the fit check.

I also have to install the kaffer bar correctly so some other important pieces can be located (the engine cage for instance). Once that is done then the body can come back off so more finish 'glass work can be done.

Not sure who is going to do the cage yet.

Lee

[Ol'fogasaurus]

[I finally got a few minutes to play in the garage so... back in the mid-90s I bought a 10 gallon AL fuel tank and had a fuel sending unit added to it. This was when it was going to be for the street not the dunes so, today, I put the truss/Kaffer/traction bar in the buggy.

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This is the truss bar I was going to add to my blue buggy but wouldn't fit because of the cross-piece between the shock towers being in the way. The two extra sets of bolts are longer bolts due to the spacers used on the Bilstein shocks (see below). Not knowing how wide the shock plus spacers/adapters (again, see the picture below) I chose to make the spacers shown laying loose 2" long which is probably too wide after finding the picture of the shock shown below.

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You can see the spacers and how they work here.

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Since the spacers were too wide (I will shorten them up) the truss bar couldn't be fully installed but you can get an idea here.

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I slid the fuel tank in and lifted it up and it will fit into the hole I cut in the body so many years ago. It will sit more than 4" above the truss bar so all looks good; now just build the bracketry.

Lee

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Wow, I made it... had a birthday today, 75 years. No one thought I would make it this far. I even got a birthday email from an old supervisor I had.

Anyway, I got some time in the garage after a lazy day; I finally trimmed down those shock spacers by about 1/2" then put the truss bar back together. It does fit better now but I hope my guess to the length was close enough.

The next thing is to mount the fuel tank to the pan. What I am currently thinking of is to put a 1" X 2" rectangular tube between the two shock mount towers laying it at an angle on the shock towers (starting at the flat spot where the ground cable threaded hole sits and going up towards the mount itself) with the idea of it being not only to mount the tank to but to help the truss bar support the shock mount tower itself I could box the shock mount tower which I still might do. I'm not sure what gauge I can get the tube in but it won't be too thin.

Another reason to add support to the shock tower was I was planning on using the pickleforks to tie the bottom of the tank mount to and since the truss bar also supports the pickleforke there might be some need for additional support. I will bridge the mount in several directions so by the time you add a full ten gallons to the tank and the mount I suspect I will have close to 100#s involved.

I'm planning on making the top out of angle iron but not sure if tube or square/rectangular tube but the mount does have to sit higher than the turss bar and not have the gas tank cap closer than an inch of so from the bottom of the body in that area.

The whole mess as to be able to take a fully loaded bouncing around on both flat and dune/hill sides.

Any other ideas?

Lee

[Ol'fogasaurus]

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Monday I went the metal recyclers; I had started to get some 1 X 2 rectangular tube but changed my mind and got 1 X 3 and set it in place laying back on the shock tower. The big problem there turned out to be that the bolt for the shock and Truss bar was awful close to the tube. Even though the tube here would have been flush with the edge of the shock tower I wasn't real happy with it.

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It looks to be an easier build as it lays flat so should be able to be an easier build. Not sure yet but this is my current thoughts.

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I got the Truss bar bolts and now it is tied somewhat in place. I needed to do that to see if it would be in the way or not. The answer looks to be NOT! I still have to level it out but that is the easy part.

Hope this helps someone else.

Lee

[Piledriver]

I'd hook those diagonals to that and ditch the existing kafer brace crossbar.
Its not designed right anyway, the triangulation isn't.
weld some tabs on the 1x3 near the ends, or just weld in some 1x1 and sell the kafer brace complete.

The result will be stronger, simpler and cleaner.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

I do like your idea!

I am figuring that the 10 gallon fuel tank, when full, will be just short of 80#s or a bit more if you add the weight of the tank and mounts. Add to that a considered a max 3G drop or landing which translates to ~300#s of load so... am/will I be I pushing things a bit???? After those two hard drops I took when the crest of the dune collapsed dropping me something like 15 to 20 feet causing the suspension to fully collapse to the stops and to the shocks (BJ beam) but I do have better shocks now. I think I would also have to bend the truss bar mounts on pickle fork a bit more but that isn't much of a problem.

I just went out and checked: even moving stuff around it won't work The spreader of the truss bar is a bit higher than the 1 X 2 and the tube just barely clears the transaxle by not much more than 1/4". The truss bar diagonals just barely clear the bus CV joints and half-shafts as it is so lowering the one end down makes if coming into contact with the drive train. I would have to do a lot of building for the tank and the Truss bar to make things work. Its getting heavy enough as it is now. Damn, but you do come up with some of the best suggestions!

If you noticed the notches on the inside of the fender well, they were made when the buggy was going to be street legal with no body lift and a V6 in it. I had made kind of a truss bar like your suggestion but with no spherical rod ends. It connected to the pickle forks a bit too far in front of the relief for the CV joints (for the same CV clearance problem), not at the end of the mounts so once I realized the additional problem I had created I tore it out. I have learned a lot from here and the old Buggy Talk Forums.

I'm still going to have to think about this a bit as I do like your suggestion. It also solves the problem of the long bolts for the shocks (which also bother me) and for the cross-piece.