PS – did not know you had a auto transmission in your ride – rare

Rocky,
Great job – I know how hard it is as I am doing it for the second time right
now – looks great and will be worth it all when you drive off for the first time
– looking forward to those pictures as well. Don’t forget to take pictures of
your kids and yourself working together – I wish I would have taken more w/
mine during the process.

Take pictures, people! Get at least 1 megabyte, better with 2 or 2.5. email them to me. If you don’t have my email, pm me and I’ll send it.A word on “rust”:I know that some of you–probably most of you–extol that concourse-fresh, toothbrush-in-every-cranny, untouched-by-human-ass look we all admire at Barrett Jackson’s auctions & Pebble Beach…[Read more]

Nice! it’s all looking so good.Thanks too for that link to the a-arms with ball joints. I don’t understand why he has three overlapping packages for either $160 or half that, but at least they’re available. Good find.

Ripoffs?

Ooh, sorry for the oversize snaps.Mark: painted desert run! dead of winter! Or Flagstaff-Sedona-Winslow through Sitgreaves and Tonto National Forests. Just a thought.Paul: Yes. We missed you. Next year’s Pumpkin Run will be the fifth annual & they’re talking about a blowout.

Most folks favor the front engine cars as more authentic than the VWs. You’ll see ads for front engine cars that say “no VW stuff here,” etc. The cars seem to command a $1,000-$2,000 premium over the rear engine models. I believe the Ford powered ones are more versatile than the Chevettes, for those of the hot rod persuasion. That said, as a VW…[Read more]

Congrats to you, Paul, and to her too. Hope she’s having fun.

Could be the switch too. Or just the spade connections on the switch. Not likely to be the motor itself.However, if it comes down to it, I’ve got a good VW wiper motor I might be replacing in favor of a fist-size one up on the windshield frame. Probably be after new year before I know if that concept works though.

Wow. I don’t think I would accept that brake job. Not at that price.250 miles for the brakes to “break in” is so bogus even Click & Clack would both yell “Booooooo-gussss” if you called them on their radio show. You should do that. Bet they take the call (Tommy has an original and apparently unrestored ’52 TD). They might even give good advice,…[Read more]

Here’s a good illustration (complete with illustrations) of that phenom.Remember, stuff I do is mostly a warning on how not to do things.

Just dropped $900 on a basic brake job on my Nissan truck. Money well spent, I think, considering the alternative scenarios..Carpets are easy. Whole roll of marine carpet–enough for three or four TDs–is like $120. Paint chips, dash holes, that’s all fun stuff.

Bravo, Paul. I do believe that MGA style light looks a little better on most replicas than the original deal, because the replicas usually have the VW plinth molded in to the fender. The MGA item is, I think, a little bigger and seems to blend better than the early TD style. The round ones–forget it, unless you’re grinding and re-filling the…[Read more]

Might all be z stuff then and that was good for stopping z-cars. The early ones weighed about 2400 lbs. The later ones bloated up to about 3000.Doubt you have a z front suspension since they were McPhearsons and there isn’t room for those on a TD.Do let us know, and please post photos. I think we’re all pretty much living vicariously through you…[Read more]

You can have the rotors cut once. Have them check the runout first. If they’re warped (not “crystalized,” not blue) then they’ll need to be turned to bring them back straight. If not, not.Calipers. They’re all wet? Replace. Also the pads and the soft hoses.Rears drums: replace the shoes, wheels cylinders, soft hoses and–what the hell?–springs…[Read more]

Pick up a copy of “Street Rodder” magazine.
Mustang II front crossmembers are available. Large disc brake conversion kits for Mustang II spindles are also available. Brakes from a full size ’80’s Caprice should be big enough.

Very cool. I like the backdrop too.

My car’s battery is in front of the gas tank. No extra weights, all “small leaves” removed from both torsion tubes. About 18 lbs pressure in each front tire, 25 lbs in the rears. Makes an enormous difference to lower the tire pressure and use reasonably new tires. If I were you I’d move the battery, but plenty of folks do fine with the battery…[Read more]

Marc–just one more thing: 30 lbs tire pressure is WAY too much in a TD replica, front or back, and especially for the front of a VW-based TD replica.Your front tires should be inflated to between 14 and 20 lbs, max.Makes a HUGE difference is ride quality and handling.But–you say–modern tires need 28 lbs as normal inflation and I’ll ruin them…[Read more]

here’s the link.Buyer beware–looks to me like TD replica tops vary quite a bit, so almost anything you buy that was not made to fit what you have will have to be made to fit. Might be easy. Might be hard.