Seems strange with the light up there and no rear seat, if somebody hits that light a safe radius will be the least of their problems.

Misinterpreted the requirements Keith.   High level brake light not mandatory. Neither are front daytime running lights.

But even if required it is not on the rear of the vehicle so it may possibly a hit a pedestrian or cyclist, they are taking the IVA to extreme levels of safety possibly to discourage car building and modification.
I can see one day they will insist on electric powered drive to pass it and the wiring safety spec for that will be hard to meet.

That does seem somewhat harsh . . . . 

Not the rear light . . .  Their attitude 

So we have to ensure rounded edges for when the front of the car bounces them upwards and they then land back on it? 


Car is looking good though mate, should be proud of that one 

A few words to confirm that the major issue of windscreen fitment isn`t, in reality, an issue at all...  . I am baffled why anyone would present a home build for iva examination without one only to retrofit later making certification void...  So what is in my thread is all you would need.  Ancient design Lucas wiper system.... used by just about all builders. It fits with ease. Functions both speeds perfectly and auto parks each and every time. Demist... may appear pointless but in my opinion it isn`t. Go heated screen as I did and the screen will not be questioned. Much cheaper to utilise 2 off 12volt heaters made especially for this. Rear view mirror not needed as long as you have both nearside and offside mirrors fitted. No offside needed if you have an interior mirror. Note well suction interior mirror not compliant full stop.

Roll bar...... This I expected to possibly have more work to do but I didn`t.....  Just make sure that the upright has 2 x fixings, M8 or above and that the fixings have loctite on threads and locking washers grade 8.8 minimum but go 10.9 instead. Nyloc nuts use grade 10.

Roll bar must be triangulated rearwards. Mine secures at rear upright of tub with plates either side of fibreglass making a sandwich. These braces need securing to chassis main structure. I used box section bolted to tub back "seat" area with substantial brackets linking tube to the rear brace plates. Upper seat belt mount is checked for minimum height above seat section where you sit. Seat is checked to ensure back rest meets minimum height. IMPORTANT.... Upper seat belt mounting must be a drilled and threaded boss. The bolts must be of correct grade. (5/16" thread bolts are available specifically for this use should you have any doubt of what to use). Loctite must be used.  I used 4 point seat belt for ease of ensuring belt went across shoulder and thigh correctly. This is checked. 3 point acceptable however. Use stress plates of 4mm thick minimum and try to meet the 100 x 100mm overall dimensions. I also have the roll bar vertical secured each side through tub side with 100mm dia x 4mm thick washer on inner face and 100 x 100 x 4 thick on outer side of tub. I bonded these plates in with fibreglass.

Mudguards.... The supports were tentative structures created to present to see if they were acceptable. They were so I will add photo`s to thread. All simple, welded structures with the exception of the offside front. This almost drove me mad getting every thing to clear lock to lock.  Would have been far more simple if I had a lift to raise the buggy up high and allow access for welding, cutting, re-welding in situ..... The front suspension is similar to rear in that the wheel rises up and down but it travels in an arc forwards / rearwards far more than I had imagined. Also any measurement made with the wheel off and car jacked up proved pointless when the wheel was on the floor.

More to follow.   

Front mudguard.....

These 2 items were "work in progress" without being cosmetically finished off as I wanted to be sure they met compliance fully first. They are compliant as you see them.... All edges are radiused. If you cannot achieve radius on every edge and corner fit pipe lagging to supports etc. The support is bolted to the top of the link pin carrier with a longer than standard link pin locking bolt, (Must be a "shouldered" bolt as per original. 10.9 grade bolt and G10 nylock nut. (This method of ensuring the vehicle is not "open wheeled" is just my way. There is nothing preventing the modification of body tub, side pod etc).

To answer one of the most asked questions.....   (Have you any idea how to stop a rear view mirror shaking about?).

The answer to this is no with regard to all the windscreen frame mirrors I have tried. No matter how smooth an idle you have the frame mirror/s shake to some degree......

What I can say is that I have resolved rear view mirror shake completely by using one specific type of mirror that is mounted directly to the bonnet section. (See photo below). I have one on the offside and one on the nearside. The nearside one gives a rearward view from the driving seat. With regard to iva if you have an "interior" rear view mirror fitted you do not need to have a nearside rear view mirror. (An interior mirror is not subject to mot inspection).

The mirrors I have fitted obviously do not interfere with a hood. Each mirror is held firmly in place by two 6mm dia threaded studs. (In the photo you will see a fixing below the mirror fixing point. That fixing does not relate to the mirror).

The view when driving regardless of speed. road surface etc is rock steady. 

Wish my interior mirror was rock solid Paul, buggy vibrates and off the windscreen it comes, it seemed ok when mirror was new but suction is rubbish now 😂 My wing mirrors are good though since I changed them. 👍

There is a solution to the interior view mirror Deb.....  It`s not expensive....  You will then have a mirror that will still be in place for years to come. I use car builder solutions a lot but there will be many others also....  This is the bonded on versions. You can get a mirror and its support as one unit or a mirror with it`s support that comes in two sections. 1 version bonds to the glass as a single unit. 2nd version that has the stem that slide fits to the bit bonded onto the screen and the mirror can be removed. (Not sure why you would want this option but it`s there).

This type of mirror sometimes comes with it`s own 2 part adhesive or if not the adhesive and the activating mesh can be bought  for a pound or two
.
VERY IMPORTANT...... Do not use superglue.....  It is known to cause windscreen glass cracking.   The adhesive must be acrylic based only.

These mirrors can be fitted yourself but I would go to someone like Autoglass and have a word with one of the lads and I am sure they will bond the mirror to the glass for you using there own adhesive. (They do this very willingly up my way).  In the past I have just given them a couple of quid for a pint and job done.   

Thanks Paul will try sorting this out. By the way your buggy looks fab. 👍

Debs you too could have a smart yellow buggy without needing an IVA or any complicated paperwork !

In my humble opinion the move away from natural rubber to modern "flouro -rubbers" has been a real backward step in many instance where low budget items are concerned.
.
I appreciate the argument against continued usage of natural products but Latex is derived from tree`s without destroying the tree. (I could argue that tyre making, for example, uses up carbon.... but some arguments are doomed before they start.    )

Anyway I have found that the modern flouro - rubbers/resins, unless of the highest quality grade,  degrade/deform with the utmost ease.
To get around this I have replaced the gear change rod linkage version I fitted to my buggy with a solid aluminium billet version as supplied by limebug. It fits perfectly and once the rod and gear lever are aligned to give all 4 forward and reverse selection  the travel forwards/backwards and rotational left - right is totally smooth and slop free. I will update on this when the linkage has been used "in anger" for a period of time.

Spent a lot of time since December working through the use of E5 fuel on a standard Type 1 1600 twin port engine.

Mine is of 1975 vintage. Initially fitted with the original Kafer 34 PICT3 carb. Earlier in the this thread I commented on my surprise of how well the 34 PICT 3 coped with emissions despite being close to 50 years old. Both co2 and hydrocarbons were well below the limit for mid 1975 onwards which was when the first checks were initiated.

As you would expect this engine needs to have good cylinder compressions with the pressures being very even. Valve clearances need to be correct and timing also correct. The distributor with the vacuum advance unit is preferable to mechanical advance for a number of technical reasons....  You also get a better Dwell range with avacuum unit.

Right.... knowing the Pict 3, despite age, and providing it is not "clapped out", will meet emission requirement easily... Will allow acceleration without hesitation and shows no "bogging down" during full throttle with pedal to the floor I moved on.   

Firstly however any E5 fuel very definately needs to be kept on the move through the system. Run your motor to full warm up. (20 mins very regularly). These higher ethanol content fuels absorb water like no tomorrow. Gives crappy idle, spiting in exhausts and other events just as though you are running the engine ultra lean. When this fuel stands, even for short periods, the evaporation leaves a nasty shiny brown residue that hardens quickly... here think float bowl bottom/s main jets and so on.

Next up on the journey I removed the 34Pict and fitted a new BROSAL 30/31 which I had going spare. Brosal comes from Brazil and their version is supposedly the best quality of this carb available. However care is needed as the materials they are made of do not match original VW products. In particular the adjusting screws are easily damaged if a decent correct width and thickness screwdriver is not used.  (I think this carb must be a hybrid because I have no recollection of a variant like this being fitted originally. It`s a long time ago so I could be wrong).

Carb comes with an adaptor to allow fitting to a twin port manifold. This raises the overall height a little but not much.

Setting up this carb......   IMPORTANT...... the screw on the lever arm that sits on the choke butterfly cam is not for idle adjustment. This carb needs the throttle butterfly open a specific amount to allow starting and idle. The screw indicated in photo 1 is this adjuster and is stated to be "factory set" however I wanted to be sure it was set to the requirement so to do this allow the auto choke to fully open flap. i.e flap fully vertical. Stepped cam arm should now have all steps above the end of the adjusting screw. Check the end of the screw is correctly placed just below the last step. Adjust screw until a 10 thou feeler gauge fits the gap. Remove feeler gauge and turn screw clockwise for 2 and a half turns.   Do not touch this again.



Next step to follow

[30/31 Part Two.....]

30/31 Part Two.....

On the same side of the carb as the  fuel cut-off solenoid are two adjusters with slotted heads. These are within circular recesses.
The larger of the two is the "Air Bypass Screw" and the smaller one is the "Mixture Screw"....  Turn these in clockwise until they just seat. Take care not to overdo this especially on the mixture screw. Turn out the mixture screw 2 and a half turns. Turn out the air bypass 2 and a half turns also. This setting will allow a correctly set up engine to start and idle. Note.... the idle is adjusted using the air bypass screw.
Start engine with the air filter fitted and warm the engine up thoroughly. (at least twenty minutes running). Double check choke flap is fully open.

Adjust the air bypass screw either in or out until the idle speed is in the region of 800 to 900 rpm. (If no rev counter use judgement for this this). VW chose this rpm band to ensure the cooling fan rotated fast enough to provide adequate cooling when engine was at idle.
Adjust the mixture screw in over until revs dip. Them back a little. (Small adjustments with this screw only). Give the engine a minute to settle. If idling too slowly or too fast adjust air bypass again. let engine. Adjust mixture if you think it needs it and if you adjust it go back to air bypass and check for steady idle. A little patience with this pays a premium as the mixture screw setting is precise in an unworn carb and a small part of a turn is all that is required between too rich and ok or too lean and ok. Drive your buggy for a fair number of miles. Check plugs and they will tell you when the mixture is as it should be. (No black soot or wet plugs should be present. Spark plug electrodes should be a "dry" looking light buff colour).

(Don`t twiddle with the screw on the stepped cam.... Further adjustment of this should only be done if you are 100% certain that all other engine factors are correct and you cannot get a steady 800 to 900 rpm idle).

I have done several hundred miles with this carb fitted. The engine starts instantly. Idles steadily when choke is open. No hesitation upon acceleration and no bogging down when accelerator pedal is floored.  Will update as time and mileage progress.  I would imagine this carb with the 150 main jet fitted, as is supplied, would be ok up to say 1600cc and maybe a little more but not more.

Will be running a single carb until the winter when I will take the opportunity to take out the engine, swap out the cooling fan housing and try twin Weber ICT 34`s ( that is if the energy & food bills don`t keep going thro the roof  )

Well.... time passing me by far too quickly..... You only really begin to appreciate it as old age progresses... 

Any way it`s just over 6 months since my buggy received it`s registration and became roadworthy.

What a revelation and being out and about has really brought the beginning of the 70`s back to me big style... How I wish I could go back..

I had forgotten that the days when you had to "drive" a car disappeared decades ago. Modern cars drive themselves.. you just sit there, steer and brake....  My buggy is such a reminder of how, once upon a time, you had to compensate and cut out oversteer/understeer simply by using the accelerator and brakes. A swb buggy powers round and glides out of a roundabout leaving modern car drivers looking startled as they disappear for a moment from sitting up your bum.....  Up my way the main roads and motorways have really good surfaces still. The minor roads, especially about town, are an absolute disgrace and I find myself noticing just how much pot holing now exists. Still finding myself automatically moving my left arm forward for a change into 5th in association with rising revs. 

Anyway old school without a doubt, rattles, shakes at times, but generally a decent ride. I need to find out a way to direct water away from each sides meeting point of bonnet to tub just below the windscreen pillars. Windscreen wipers push rainwater over and the water flows steadily into tub.... Even with my original buggies hood up I was never able to 100% overcome this.....

I thought that I would have some issues to sort out once on the road and clocking miles up. Surprisingly the only thing, so far, are the rear mudguard mounts. Shearing following the up and down action of the swing axle and the bottoming when hitting deep potholes that sneak up unseen. I knew aluminium would fracture very quickly but didn`t expect steel to be so prone to this, especially at point where thicknesses change. Not to worry keeps me on my toes 

Watching for oil leaks from engine as it`s about five and a half years since rebuild and has, until last December, just ran intermittently. Nothing at all so far.    What I can see is the pushrod tubes spotting on outer surface with rust speckles... I know that one of the long time air cooled engine builders down Leeds/Bradford way uses laquer to coat them. Don`t know how this goes after use,

Interior rear view and side mirrors are all rock solid with zero shake which is good.

Long may it last....