my dash mounted  mirror has a good rear view , a little distorted thru the plastic rear window. perhaps i have a different spare mount than you. i also have the fender mounts for looks and a little convex mirror mounted to my left side wind wing. just a little peel and stick thing about 1-1/2 ” in diameter but it close enough to offer a good view.

the original td wheel has a key way and hex nut  and not much else.no wiring for horn or turn signals. probably easier to get a complete td shaft ans use a remote or aftermarket horn and signal switches. then there is the extra diameter to deal with, maybe raise the whole assembly up higher .

the stock td wheel i have is 16 1/2″

Thanks Paul. The steering wheel was one of the items missing from my kit. There are several on The Samba that are 13.5 inches and a few 15 inches. And on the ole eBay there’s a Banjo style steering wheel I’m looking at.
Would an original TD wheel fit the splines on a VW shaft I wonder. Things that make you go hmmm. 

With a delay due to improper directions from the seller,  I made it just at closing time and picked up a can of Collinite No. 476S Super Double Coat Auto Wax.  It is the same as the 885 and both it and another two products share the same MSDS form.  It’s outside labeling does not mention “polymers”.Prior to my arrival at the distributor’s lo…[Read more]

 I user Harley mirrors from a older Tour-glide don’t know  the year I mounted them high on the cowell and i can see behind me well for  $10.00 for the pair at a swap meet. good luck  Dan

Wonderfully written and explained.  When I started, I had almost 1/4 turn of slop.  Adjusted the steering box and took most of it out, but still had too much.  Don’t forget the steering coupler!  That’s how I got most of the rest out of it.  If there is wear, tearing, or loose fasteners, it can be real sloppy, not to mention dangerous.  Less than…[Read more]

The MG did pretty well for it’s size then.  Thanks, Paul.  I hadn’t realized the 1952 MG TD had that small of an engine.

I did post on samba. I’m going to take the car to a friend this weekend.

I believe a stock TD wheel has about a 17 inch diameter.

A stock 1952 MG TD had a 1250cc engine putting out all of 58 horsepower and 64 foot-pounds of torque.
It varies by year. But generally, a late 1960s early 1970s Type 1 1600cc dual port VW engine made 57 horsepower at about 4,000 rpm and about 80 foot-pounds of torque at 3,000 rpm.
A TD and a Beetle each weigh about 1900 pounds.PMOSSBERG40711.6490625

Thanks for the input and advise.  I will admit that I dream a lot, and may not actually end up doing these modifications.  I’m learning day by day to appreciate the little engine and it is just fine for running around town.  On the highway, I can make 55-60 or even 65 without seeming to strain her.  I really don’t need a lot more power, but I’m…[Read more]

 
And at some point we realize that the journey is as important as is the destination.
I’m just starting on the journey. I have a TD.com bar badge and an MG parking sign. I’ll get there.   

I actually have this VHS tape that FiberFab/CMC used to send to prospective customers with a build manual.
It depicts these two guys (I called Bevis and Butthead) putting a Gazelle together in a weekend with tools from the wife’s kitchen drawer.
It’s like those TV shows on now that show Chip Foose and others building cars in a 1 hour episode.…[Read more]

My Classic Roadsters Ltd. build on a VW donor car took nine months.
I worked mostly solo, in a one car garage, working some evenings and lots of  weekends.
Classic Roadsters assembly manual has time estimates for each major task. Let’s just say I never came close!
Although…a bunch of the Speedster Owners Club guys assembled a Speedster in one w…[Read more]

Here’s a link from a VW site that explains how to adjust the steering box. In fact, there are a number of good procedures there.

BDriver,
Thanks! This is a great article!

Ed is right…these are ancient technology blowers. They didn’t make a lot of boost and were made for the very early 1100 and 1200 cc VW’s to get a little more yank. It was just that too…a LITTLE more, only 4 or 5 HP. I had one on a 36 HP 1200 cc motor in my ’61 Beetle. It just burned more fuel and was not a lot faster.
Today’s air cooled,…[Read more]

Congrats on the successful PITA bolt removal. It’s stuff like this that makes “routine” boring  The payoff when you win is so much more gratifying
I guess the new head bolts might get swapped over to head studs??? ARP makes two head stud kits for a 215. http://www.arp-bolts.com Choose from 6 point or 12 point nuts too! 124-4002 ($153.60) or 124-4202 ($…[Read more]

Perhaps a fellow AZ resident will respond.Meanwhile, check to see what SEMA has posted for AZ…. https://tdreplica.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1358&KW=S EMA