Wightsparks
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Funny you should say that..
- Thread starter Wightsparks
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Wightsparks
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Need to fix the handling and drive-ability before I put any more power in.
Front wheels are all over the place and the front suspension is the only bit I have not overhauled
Pedals are still too close together for my steel toe capped racing slippers and the steering wheel is too small. Unfortunately the only way to use a bigger wheel is to re-make the front section of frame...
Front wheels are all over the place and the front suspension is the only bit I have not overhauled
Pedals are still too close together for my steel toe capped racing slippers and the steering wheel is too small. Unfortunately the only way to use a bigger wheel is to re-make the front section of frame...
Wightsparks
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Drives pretty well now, moved the pedals and sorted the front wheel (very slight bend in the upright giving a 2 deg camber!). Nice and stable at 60 - though a bit breezy. Another Sandrail came round for a visit and shortly there there will be 3!
Wightsparks
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Took it green-laneing in Salisbury yesterday with a Baja, a military vehicle, the other IOW 'rail, a "beach" buggy and a biker to scout the lanes! . Great fun - though we did hit one slightly wet patch
Car performed flawlessly for 70+ miles of road and about 30 miles off road.
However on the last start up to come off the ferry there was a noise from the front end (I think) of the engine, it disappeared as soon as the engine started. Same thing this afternoon cleaning the mud off. It is a 1.8VVT engine any suggestions ? You can hear it in the vid below just a second after start. So far no affect on performance or running. Ideas as to what it might be welcome!
Should add that it happens with engine hot or cold - Starter motor not retracting poossibly?
Car performed flawlessly for 70+ miles of road and about 30 miles off road.
However on the last start up to come off the ferry there was a noise from the front end (I think) of the engine, it disappeared as soon as the engine started. Same thing this afternoon cleaning the mud off. It is a 1.8VVT engine any suggestions ? You can hear it in the vid below just a second after start. So far no affect on performance or running. Ideas as to what it might be welcome!
Should add that it happens with engine hot or cold - Starter motor not retracting poossibly?
roofman
Purveyor of fine English buckets and mops
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sounds like...whip it off and see if there is any witness marks off the ring
Oh err misses!!!
octo0072000
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sounds like the fan belt slipping remove the belt then start it if it's gone belt tensioner,belt or water pump
Wightsparks
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Might be the belt but the noise appears to be coming from the other end of the engine.
I'll whip off the starter and take a look.
I'll whip off the starter and take a look.
Wightsparks
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Looked like a few marks on the back of the ring teeth, stripped down the starter, cleaned, greased and rebuilt. So far noise is gone 
Ring teeth pic out of interest.
Ring teeth pic out of interest.
Wightsparks
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Our biker scout Tris put together a Vid of the Salisbury outing. I don't do FB but this should work..
mil-spec fab
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I am also fitting an mx5 lump in the back of a fugitive Don't suppose you still have the cad drawing for the gearbox adapter plate as I dread having to mdf the life out of everything to work it all out 
Wightsparks
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As you can see from the thread I used the 002 without the bell housing and chopped the MX5 transmission in half so all my CAD stuff is from that. However when I was originally looking at a straight plate I did find the attached on-line that seemed to be accurate - though I suggest a double check!
Wightsparks
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Thought I would add an update, just got back from the Stoneleigh Kit car show meaning I have driven it about 2,000 miles from the engine swap, not really needed to do a thing to it apart from clean out the throttle body to improve the idle -so happy with that.
Just before I drove the 120 miles to Stoneleigh I did decide to put a windscreen in and add some storage.
For the windscreen I made up a frame from 15mm angle and added gussets to both the car and the frame so it could bolt in and out easily
. Made a template for the glass man and for £60 he cut me a chunk of laminated glass drilled a 30mm hole in the lower edge. A mate had donated the rear wiper motor from a Renault so I combined that with an MX5 wiper blade and it worked perfectly - I would like a bit more sweep and to reverse the park position, but I could not get the arm off the shaft in the time I had. There was just enough rain on the way to justify the work but not actually get wet
.
I stuck the glass in with some rubbery adhesive strip that glass man gave me and sealed up with low mod silicone.
For the storage, in keeping with the Mad Max theme I added what looks like a Baja style spare wheel mounted over the engine - except it is just the outer tread on a board with a light weight alu composite sheet lid
Extra room for camping gear and the the Windscreen makes a huge difference to the driving comfort - and improves the MPG.
Daughter and I had a fun time hanging out with the shiny buggy crowd from www.Beachbuggy.info
Just before I drove the 120 miles to Stoneleigh I did decide to put a windscreen in and add some storage.
For the windscreen I made up a frame from 15mm angle and added gussets to both the car and the frame so it could bolt in and out easily
. Made a template for the glass man and for £60 he cut me a chunk of laminated glass drilled a 30mm hole in the lower edge. A mate had donated the rear wiper motor from a Renault so I combined that with an MX5 wiper blade and it worked perfectly - I would like a bit more sweep and to reverse the park position, but I could not get the arm off the shaft in the time I had. There was just enough rain on the way to justify the work but not actually get wet. I stuck the glass in with some rubbery adhesive strip that glass man gave me and sealed up with low mod silicone.
For the storage, in keeping with the Mad Max theme I added what looks like a Baja style spare wheel mounted over the engine - except it is just the outer tread on a board with a light weight alu composite sheet lid
Extra room for camping gear and the the Windscreen makes a huge difference to the driving comfort - and improves the MPG.
Daughter and I had a fun time hanging out with the shiny buggy crowd from www.Beachbuggy.info
Wightsparks
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The IOW Sandrail club + honorary North Island Baja member, took a trip to Devizes/Marlborough for a drive round the BOATs. - Some of which turned out to be closed so all the planning went and we made it up as we went along. :-\
Still a good time was had by all, sad that the 3rd IOWSRC member was ill and had to cancel but hopefully next time.
Note the added soft top on mine hastily made from 2 layers of vinyl and a stainless pole - we dodged the rain all day except for the last 10 miles down the M3 and it was torrential - stayed amazingly dry!
Still a good time was had by all, sad that the 3rd IOWSRC member was ill and had to cancel but hopefully next time.
Note the added soft top on mine hastily made from 2 layers of vinyl and a stainless pole - we dodged the rain all day except for the last 10 miles down the M3 and it was torrential - stayed amazingly dry!
Wightsparks
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A quick sandrail project I was not going to bother with as it is supposed to be for sale (I had kept it for winter snow hooning - only to find no snow, and now no car sales either 
) -a flip up bonnet.
Front end suspension - the only remaining Beetle part! - the white board is just an ali-composite dam that I made up to keep water and cold air from shooting up the legs of driver and passenger
View from underneath with the lid on
After a bit of head scratching I thought the best way to mount the bonnet would be 3mmx 50mm flat bar shaped to the fibreglass to provide support, this can then be bolted and bonded on. Nothing is flat or exactly square so it took a little fettling
flat ba
Following the usual mantra of "when in doubt add MX5 bits" I chopped an MX5 clutch pedal bushing tube in half - that has an exactly 12mm hole through it. I'll weld these bits onto 2 lengths of 6mmx 25mm flat bar that can then be bolted to the vertical beetle torsion bar tube separators.Then I'll weld on 6mm drilled flat to the 50mm to match and should be good to go.
Eyeing up a bit of (not very) Stainless kitchen cabinet bar handle to make the 12mm pins.. TBC...
) -a flip up bonnet.Front end suspension - the only remaining Beetle part! - the white board is just an ali-composite dam that I made up to keep water and cold air from shooting up the legs of driver and passenger
View from underneath with the lid on
After a bit of head scratching I thought the best way to mount the bonnet would be 3mmx 50mm flat bar shaped to the fibreglass to provide support, this can then be bolted and bonded on. Nothing is flat or exactly square so it took a little fettling
flat baFollowing the usual mantra of "when in doubt add MX5 bits" I chopped an MX5 clutch pedal bushing tube in half - that has an exactly 12mm hole through it. I'll weld these bits onto 2 lengths of 6mmx 25mm flat bar that can then be bolted to the vertical beetle torsion bar tube separators.Then I'll weld on 6mm drilled flat to the 50mm to match and should be good to go.
Eyeing up a bit of (not very) Stainless kitchen cabinet bar handle to make the 12mm pins.. TBC...
Wightsparks
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Naa, had lots of fun doing the engine/suspension change and bombing around in it on/off road, time for a new project as of the two parts I enjoy the build/design/problem solving most.
Welded, primed and painted the hinges, chopped up the cabinet handles and drilled for a pin or ring, just need to bond and mount to the car. I was originally going to put a gas strut on it, but it does not need it and positioning the strut so it is positively closed is very awkward.
