I hate the lingering effects…but moth balls do seem to work pretty well.

I use dryer sheets. The kind you put in with your clothes in a dryer. The smell keeps them out. Or you could try mothballs, they say that works well also.

Good to hear from you, Royal. Welcome. Look forward to seeing your posts and photos of your car.Why not send me a shot for our TD Replica calendar? PM me for my email if you’re interested.
edsnova40846.7089930556

I’d try a garage.  need to be out of the weather any way. 
By the way I have a dog that keeps mine away from the camp sites

10 feet should more than do it. I believe it’s #2 gauge for the red wire, maybe #3 for the black. I’m using a deep cycle marine battery because she’s seeing infrequent use in the cold months. Probably put a trickle charge on her this year too. 

Cat

Question for those with the battery in the trunk. How long are your bettery cables (both pos. and neg.) and where did you get them? If I follow the CMC assembly manual and put the battery box in front of the gas tank, I’d need what … a 30 foot positive and negative battery cable?

All boys love there toys Have fun with yours, I think i may be a little nuts but i even like it when mine breaks down .. Dan

I agree w/ Ed – if you are going to add weight why not just add parts/tools
to a box in the front so you can repair on the road if needed. I removed my
small leaves and added tools/parts to the front and it drives and rides great.

Just my 2 cents.My car, a BCW, doesn’t have any ballast in the front. The original VW tank sits just ahead of the “firewall” and the battery is in a recessed box just forward of that, with the removable plywood “trunk” floor sitting atop it. I did make a custom tool box and fitted it into the space ahead of the battery and below the trunk floor.…[Read more]

Tks oldbuzz.  I really do not want my TD to ride like a 60’s Cadillac.  I am very familiar with light cars, and like to feel the road.  My very first car, in 1956, was a 1948 Crosley station wagon (a real chick magnet – NOT). The Crosley was so light/thin that you had to wear hearing protection when it sprinkled.  Like sitting inside a drum.  Then…[Read more]

If it helps.I scaled my MG awhile back,an old balance the pointer truck scale.
I came up with somthing like a total weight of 1650,660 front,and 900 on the rear.It was also a windy day and I think I wasn’t heavy enough to plant the scale.
Yes I know it doesn’t add up correctly.However,if my notes are correct stock Vdubs come in at-1764-1960,with a…[Read more]

Paul, Sorry to hear about Phil.  He was a great guy. 
Thanks for the info on your “box”.  I am really glad to hear you guys talking about ballasting your TD’s.  It seemed to me that it would be a great idea to try and achieve a better weight balance.  (Albeit at the expense of acceleration due to additional weight.)  Somehow I got the impre…[Read more]

Royal, yes, I have all ten leaves in the front suspension. I figure you deserve an answer even tho you like calling me Phil! Allen, Correction… I WAS the man. I was 24 when I built my Duchess.And odd as it sounds, no. After the sand goes in, you cut a plywood top. That drops into the box and you attached it by screwing through the sides of the…[Read more]

I help administer a Richard Petty Motorsports fan club that works that way. Unfortunately the software FrankieD integrated to manage the forum on this site, does not have a “pre-approval” tool.When I shut down the “anything else for sale” forum, our spam posts dropped by about 90%. The few we do get are manageable.We still get a couple dozen…[Read more]

A friend of mine bolted two 1-inch thick, rectangular steel plates to the bottom of the forward trunk area where the stock body bolted to the front beam. That may also add the weight and still leave room for actual storage.
Paul, I’ll take a look at the Duchess box you mentioned. No way you could have added the sand AFTER you installed the box?…[Read more]

 
The humidifier tank is the same stuff milk jugs are made of. UV and ozone breaks it down over time. You might want to make the box out of stouter stuff.

  If you used lead pigs ? from a metal scrap yard smaller with more weight for the size and may be easier to adjust in a position you need just a thought ,,,  Dan

Another forum that I’m on requires admin approval before you can post.  What about putting some restrictions on new members signing up that have to be approved and cut down on spam that way?

Phil,
This is part of what I was getting at when I posted about weight redistribution.  In particular, moving the battery all the way forward.  But there is something that makes me uncomfortable about having the battery in the same compartment as the fuel tank. 
Are you still running with all 10 torsion leaves in each torsion tube? 
There is a…[Read more]