LWB RAT - bought, crashed, rebuilding..

[Shaggy]

Looks great. Are you hinging the bonnet or just screw and strap to keep it down.
Wiring looks great by the way.

[davydoff]

Gonna hinge the bonnet shaggy, need to find some wide dia bolts M10 / 12 to something at the bottom then use a gas strut either side to hold open
and some form of bonnet pins at the top to hold shut

[Shaggy]

Will you be glassing in some bonnet strengtheners and rain lip on the screen edge too?

[davydoff]

Will you be glassing in some bonnet strengtheners and rain lip on the screen edge too?

No I can't fibre glass 

The bottom of the bonnet it pretty thick so there will be a bolt with nyloc nut, not nipped up through the bonnet and the lower wing, this will be the pivot point.

Then two gas stuts as a hold open either side of petrol tank.

At the top the fibre glass piece underneath will be cut down and bonded to the screen section. There will then be either rubber seal that fills the gap between bonnet and top piece and probably also a a compressible rubber or foam lower down too so any rain passing the first rubber will not make it past the second.

[davydoff]

Today i swapped the alternator ready for IBW, after chads wiring heroics the red charging light was on, this admittedly did start before chad did the wiring and i suspected the alternator was on it way out.

bit of a fiddly job but it can be done without removing the engine, you jest need to wiggle up the fan housing and it will come out. The only issues i had were to get to the lower left nut that secures the backing plate to the tinwear i need to move the coil, i can't do that as the oil pressure sender is in the way, so out that came, which then spuees oil out 
Still it gave the the chance to change the sender, again is it was reading erratically.

all out


the welded balanced fan


Then it was off to my mate with a 36mm socket as he has an impact gun, which itty far the easiest way of getting the nut off the fan

then re assembly, bingo all sorted


next was on the the speedo which i'm not having any luck with. Mine had broken ages ago, so Chad very kindly swapped the guts out  with one i had bought as a spare. all ok for 75miles before another screeching noise and nothing!. So i changed the cable, too as i removed the cable it seemed obvious why it wasn't working



so new one in, i went for a left hand drive cable as they are shorted and my speedo is in the middle. All fitted, time for a test run, BUGGER still not working. so now i'm officially get up with speedos and seriously thinking of getting this, but its expensive
https://www.coolairvw.co.uk/Item/Shop_by_Vehicle~Beetle_Products~Beetle_Electrical_Products~Gauges~Smiths_Gauges~Speedometer~120mph/AC957034/120MPH_Smiths_Digital_Speedo_-_Brown_Face_With_Silver_Bezel.html

also i'm not sure how i'd mount it in my dash as i have a custom bezel which i like and requires the original bezel to be removed, not sure i want to spend that kinda money and then have to remove bits...

I also did some more mocking up of the opening bonnet, you get the idea..




 

Cheers

[Krug]

Looking good mate !   

[Chad]

Great news. I did worry about my wiring for a moment or two.. 

[davydoff]

Managed to make some mats for the trio to IBW and improve the look of the inside



Also picked up the other tool bar protector that the trimmer made for me

[davydoff]

Picked up a new screen today, a nice shiny one to replace my rather battered one
this is this original


Mocked up the new shiny one




Theres still a bit of messing about to do as the ordinal holes don't line up and there about a 20mm gap any the bottom. Not sure whether to infiltrate with a piece of polished aluminium or a rubber seal yet

But you get the idea

Cheers

[Krug]

that pipe w@*&$£ at IBW has rubbed off .... Chromo 

[davydoff]

Hey everyone

After 2 long years the buggy is back with me. Massive thanks you jools who not only has been looking after it while I renovate a house, but he's also repainted it 

[Dave DND]

Thats looking good mate   

[Jaysons Dad]

Looking great Davydoff.  ;-)

Just found a picture of the beautiful roof for a FF Rat