A dry steering box can do that.Make sure there is some lube in it,plain grease squeezes out and will let it run dry.It needs something like gear oil to lube it.Also,make sure the tie rods and the steering damper are not rubbing  on the frame head anywhere.A frozen damper will do it too,but from what I have seen over the years when the damper goes…[Read more]

MG Magic in FLA still has them listed.No website,but the phone number can be found in a dozen places if you look around this site.

The caster shims go between the beam and the frame head.They will tilt the beam ahead or back,depending on where you put them,top or bottom.The ball joint eccentric is for camber,or top of tire tipout as looked at from the front of the car.I never really thought of it,but that will affect caster,but it must not be enough to bother the handling.The…[Read more]

Mine had buttons to cover up the rivet heads,not pearl,but plastic.Yours is probably fancier.They were cracked with age so I never replaced them.I just used stainless bolts but the heads are recessed so they really are not seen.There are some silver and chrome powdercoats that look pretty good.The chrome looks like brushed stainless when…[Read more]

I have a dune buggy that had a rusty steering wheel,I drilled out the rivets,blasted it and painted it body color.You can have it powdercoated too.Does your wood come off in two peices? Top and bottom? Mine did so I bolted them back together with stainless machine screws.

Poke around on ebay until you find what you have.Look under,vintage Volkswagen,sand rail,dune buggy,something will show up.Have you tried MG Magic?Is it held on with a ring of a half dozen bolts,or just three,or is it splined with just the big nut to hold it on?You can buy two or three steering wheels for the price of chrome now.

I created studs in my car.I just drilled holes in the tunnel,on both sides of the shift joint cover,then stuck bolts through the holes from the inside out.Put a nut on the outside and had a stud to hang the seat belt on.On the outboard belts I used a backer behind the bolt as the metal is thinner there.I used lock nuts to hold the belts so they…[Read more]

I think you are right.If safety is a big concern then he needs to be driving a different car.All the improvements and doodads we swear about in new cars =a much safer vehicle.Toys are unsafe no matter what you do.I put lap belts in one of mine,I bolted the inside halfs to the tunnel,and the outside half through the rear bulkhead near where the…[Read more]

The cable adjustment only takes care of your free play,the distance between the throwout bearing and the clutch fingers.As the disc wears the engagement will be closer to the top.When it is really worn the engagement will be right at the top and will slip.As the pivots wear in the pressure plate they will drag,hang up,and make for a stiffer…[Read more]

The hydraulic self-contained setups are made by Neal,among many others.You can position them anywhere you want fore and aft,if you use the throttle setup on them you have to keep it close to the tunnel for the cable to feed into.I have that setup in one of mine and did not use the Neal throttle.I used a stock type pedel and moved the hyd.assembly…[Read more]

I don”t think there is any figure as to what these bring.I see prices all over the place.I bought a driver that needed a repaint and a top for $2500.I have seen asking prices of $7-$9000.  I have no idea if any of them sold.I bought a runner for $700,put another $1500.in it,but I will never get the money back for the time I put in it.You can…[Read more]

I think the Volvo would be a real good choice for one of these cars.You are probably going to have to make your own frame,you can either pick up an aborted or abandoned project or look for a new unbuilt kit.A lot of people built these and after a year or two the novelty wears off and they get parked out back to rot.There are unbuilt ones out…[Read more]

I think anything you do will need a certain amount of fabrication.I can”t see the ranger trans taking up more room than the pinto C4.The biggest thing is going to be getting all the electronics that control the engine systems figured out.There are places that make the harnesses and ECM”s needed to make the ranger engine useable in other…[Read more]

Did the whole engine overheat? Or,did you lose #3 and were told that was common from lack of cool air to that jug?That one would go first,but only towards the end of its life.Thousands of people ran those engines thousands of miles with no problem.I think I would dig a little deeper if it got hot.At the very least,collapsed rings,maybe scored or…[Read more]

You can pretty much use what you want,as long as it is close to the weight of what it was set up for and depending on your talents as a welder and fabricator.If you go heavier then you need to get into suspension changes,experimentation,etc.Why not the Ford with an automatic?There is loads of hop-up equipment made for that engine,or,if you…[Read more]

I know nothing about the Chevette based cars,except the one I drove a few years ago.There is a local man that has picked one up,the front end looks way out of proportion with the rest of the car.It is way up in the air.The owner brought it to my garage as he had heard I had some of these cars.He claims it rides like a tank in the front.How does…[Read more]

I just use VW hubcaps and old Ford trim rings.Looks old.I have a pic of one of my cars like that but it is too big for me to post on this site.If I knew what I was doind I could shrink it down.

That is the place I was thinking of. It looks as you can get one of their standard 70 spoke wheels in any bolt circle you want for around $550.each.That is for a 6 inch rim.I was told add about $100.for a narrower rim,as it is not a stock predrilled item.The 54 spoke wheels are no longer in stock,but I was also told they would make anything I…[Read more]

I just thought of something else,go onto the Samba website and ask around.Those boys have done about everything possible.There is a lot of VW knowledge over there.

Yes there is,I can”t think of the name of the place right now.But,they advertise in Hemmings motor news.You may think twice about it though after you get a price.They were around $1100.each when the former owner of one of my cars priced them.I do remember that the price difference between chrome and painted was not that much.A local man took some…[Read more]