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Still out there I presume — asking $2000
https://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/pts/d/snohomish-fiberfab-gazelle-kit-car/7048513089.html
My Fiberfab came to me with a full spare trunk mounted and I have had no problems.
There is a fiberglass “hat” which bolts thru the trunk cover and the metal tire bracket mounts to that.
I have the same piano hinge which you described. There is a photo in my media gallery.
🙂
Alert 😳 Take a close look at that plastic tarp! My car was heavily scratched by a used blue tarp which the well-intentioned delivery driver used to cover the car in transit. When they get old, plastic tarps turn into sandpaper. A car just sitting there with wind movement could result in scratches on all of the points of contact.
Just sayin.
Not sure I should even reply on the steering topic because my TDr is VW based but mine had stiff and irregular steering due to- 1. Poor alignment of column and steering box, 2. Flimsy mounting of column at both the dash and chassis ends, 3. Missing bushings inside the outer steering column, 4. Shaft coupling rubbing on the fiberglass side panel, 5. Mis-adjusted limit stops which alowed the tires to rub on the frame, 6. Mismatched rim widths on the same axle, 7. Delaminating tread on the front tires, whew!
Take your pick but they are all cheaper to fix than rebuilding the front axle or adding power steering so you might start with these. You might want to jack up the front end and observe the movement of all the parts of the steering system as you turn the wheel.
😳
I love the electrical panel. I built a much rougher one on plywood and it helped clean up the wiring mess. I have one suggestion, if it isn’t too late. Can you rotate the panel 180 so that the terminal strip is at the top and the fuse block is at the bottom? That way the wires, which hopefully you will never have to access again 😉 will be tucked up under the dash and the fuses, which you hopefully will only have to access rarely, will be at the bottom.
Just a thought
Good work
Rich
I certainly agree about Goofoff. It has serious toxic warnings. Not really a concern for occasional use but you’ll likely spend hours leaning over the solvent-soaked carpet so you would get a big dose. The oscillating tool sounds promising. Also, I have seen roofers use an angle grinder with a wire brush to remove tar-saturated seam tape from roof joints. Violent and messy but effective and solvent-free. Not a fun job no matter how you do it.
I hoped to insert a photo here but I can’t seem to get it out of my media file.It is #32 in my gallery.
I have a similar problem with fender alignment which I have puzzled over for some time. One thing which was helpful was to try to isolate where the problem was with the use of a photo. I parked the car on level ground and then aligned my camera level with where the front tires touched the ground.
After taking several photos I downloaded them to my computer and superimposed level lines across the image. This clearly showed that the front frame was parallel with the wheels but as the lines moved upward one side of the car was higher than the other. (Really wish I had that picture) If you can’t do this electronically, just print the picture and draw the lines, being sure that they are exactly parallel to the starting line where the tires touch the ground.
I wish I could say that I solved my problem but I think that the front end fiberglass is not attached symmetrically to the pan. Perhaps the witness marks on the fiberglass parts are incorrect or perhaps my car’s builder did something wrong.
Hope this helps.
https://tdreplica.com/wp-content/uploads/rtMedia/users/508/FrontEndwlines-150×150.jpgRecently stumbled on this short list of TDRs movie appearances on an interesting web site about movie vehicles.
http://www.imcdb.org/vehicles.php?make=MG&model=TD+Replica&modelMatch=1&modelInclModel=on.
Doesn’t seem complete but interesting nonetheless. 📽
Before tearing apart the steering, are your tires more than, say, 8 years old? Even if they look fine internal tread separation will cause the symptoms you describe. Been there.
😳
I experienced similar idle problems with my 70 bug TD. I had not yet found this site but did get good advice through Samba. Before connecting your nice new carb to the fuel system you really need to be sure the entire system is clean. I did two carb cleanings and spent hours reaming and flushing the tank to engine compartment line before it passed clean gas. 😕 Fortunately the tank itself was gummy but not rusted or contaminated. If you really want to try the new carb right away you might think about supplying clean gas directly to the fuel pump for testing purposes.
Regards
Rich
I’m reposting this in the hope of shedding more light on the current discussion: 😕
“<i>I came across a few bits of information which may help members evaluate LED replacement lamps.
</i><i>Since most LED replacement lamps are rated in lumens (a measure of light output) comparison to watts is best left to the engineers. A more useful comparison for us mortals is:</i>
<i>#194 bulb (common in marker lights and instrument panels) has an output of approximately 24 lumens. Therefore to find an LED replacement of comparable brightness you should look for one with about 24 lumens at 12 volts. Likewise, an #1156 bulb (single filament tail light lamp or I presume one filament of a #1157 stop & tail) is rated at 400 lumens.</i>
<i>I know that there are many other parameters such as beam angle, actual socket voltage etc. but I hope this will provide a frame of reference.”</i>
💡
Sorry you are “short” of time to repair your “disconnect”.
Troubleshooting thoughts:
1. Goes on and off – can’t be a fuse, they only work once.
2. Both headlights? – can’t be the bulb.
3. Both high and low beams – not the “dipper” switch on the floor.
4. Does your car have the headlight “high/low” switch as part of the turn signal switch? – a complex circuit involving tiny switch contacts in the steering wheel hub and a relay somewhere and the wiring in between. Find the relay and work in both directions from there.
5. Bad headlight switch on dash? – a very common problem, even if the parking lights work OK.
6. Loose or corroded wire connections, especially the crimp-ons? – wiggle, shake, and tug one connection at a time.
7. Need a diagram? There is probably one in the site library or Google 1971 vw bug wiring diagram and several will pop up. Caution – these diagrams probably will not match your car exactly, especially the color codes. Still, they are helpful.
The good news, troubleshooting the electrical system yourself will benefit you in the long run the next time you have an electrical problem.
😣😳😡😃🍺
Fyi. There are many suggestions for cleaning and improving the VW heat riser system on both Samba and utube. You have already encountered several of the problems, both factory and aftermarket. Might be good to watch someone else struggle for a while.
😅
One thought about battery chargers. The ” smart” chargers now on the market are a lot more complex than those of only a few years ago. Those that sense battery condition may refuse to charge a battery that is outside of the charger’s working window; it acts as if the battery isn’t even there. Problems like this may require (oh no) reading the directions carefully and consulting the troubleshooting chart. So don’t throw away your old brute force charger just yet.
Too bad about your vehicle being lost to inflexable smog laws. My hope is that some of these “non-compliant” but interesting cars can be saved by converting them to electric power.
OK, we might also have to include some oil smell and prerecorded zoom zoom. We have the technology.
😀
I posted this three years ago when I was working on that stage of my TDr:
“IMHO:A basic problem on my FF was that both front and rear lights wiring ran loose and unprotected on the underside of the fenders to the connection point with the lights. I decided that this was a potential problem because the connections could vibrate loose or in the event of a tire tread loss the wiring might be ripped off, compounding your problems.I used some semi-rigid plastic tubing to arc the wires up under the fender and away from the tires (tyres?) as much as possible. It’s probably also good to allow a small slack loop so you can lift up the light assemblies for service.Just my 2 cents.”
I believe that someone also posted that one TDr manufacturer had moulded-in channels on the inside of the fender to route and protect the wires.
No photos at this time but I will take some if anyone is interested. 🙂
A wax string harness! That tells me that you are familiar with that traditional method of finishing electronic wiring. Good for you. It is labor intensive but looks sooo much better than plastic ties or spiral wrap. A well done strung harness is a craftsman’s touch for electrical work, comparable to an elegantly formed EMT array. 🙂
I strongly second peterjohn’s “minds eye” approach. In addition to good labeling, try to visualize where the individual wires will run, where they will be anchored, how they can be neatly grouped, and how much service loop will be needed to faciliate the repair of each component the wires service. You might also be able to anticipate wiring for likely future lights, audio components, and accessories.
🙂
Great car and a great story.
I think that the story points up that each of us is somewhere on a line between the deep-pockets craftsman intent on having a museum-quality restoration and the low-budget Romeo who drives a rare old-time beater because it helps him pick up girls.
As one of our members says: “If you aren’t having fun, it’s your own fault.”
Since we are on this topic and stirring the creative pot – if some clever person could create a hardtop with integrated side windows, perhaps a gull-wing configuration, they would have something both practical and cool. I’m thinking along the lines of some of the aftermarket tops available for Jeeps and the like. 😎
l added some photos of a few t-tops/hardtops to my media gallery. What I am visualizing is a combination of those features, especially the incorporation of side windows as part of the swing up doors or snap-on panels. Sadly, I don’t think I have the skills to create such a thing.
RHK
