Sterling #130 (aka American V8 ~ Chapter 2)
- Thread starter nbb350
- Start date
nbb350
Member
As of yesterday the 2000 grit sanding is done...and I have no fingerprints/skin left on the fingertips of my right hand! and that pinky finger nail is now sanded down to the point of bleeding. I'm taking the rest of the week off in order to let my skin and nails grow back! lol
I also realized that the 7" foam buffing wheel isn't going to fit everywhere - like in the top and side air vents. so I ordered some "cotton buffing cones" off Amazon to use with the 3M white/black buffing/polishing compound.
I also realized that the 7" foam buffing wheel isn't going to fit everywhere - like in the top and side air vents. so I ordered some "cotton buffing cones" off Amazon to use with the 3M white/black buffing/polishing compound.
nbb350
Member
First off, those cotton buffing cones were WAY too dense for buffing paint. I'll save those for buffing the aluminum slots... Instead I went out and bought a Mother's Mini Powerball. it was a PERFECT FIT inside the air vent holes over the rear wheels! also came in handy for buffing the lower air vents, the corners of the headlight buckets, and some other inside corners.
I spent 5 hours on Memorial Day in 70F weather buffing the 3M white compound and another 5 hours today in 97F weather buffing the 3M black compound. Oh she's shiny now! (yes, I buff inside out of the sun...but the garage door is still open, so the hot air blows right inside...ugh)
190 hours in paint prep, spraying, cleanup, sanding, & buffing. Wow...that works out to about $7600 in labor @ $40/hour (my time value as a non-professional). And that's spread out over TEN MONTHS! lol
$1200 in paint & primer
$520 in equipment that I now own (DeVilbiss gun, folding work stands, foam sanding blocks, face mask)
$480 in consumable materials (sandpaper, thinner, rags, air filters, tape, gloves, bunnysuit)
So...$2200 out of pocket and another $7600 in labor = $9800. Still cheaper than the cheapest quote I got from a pro body shop last summer. And that shop said they'd "work on it over the winter as they had time". So it may not have been done any quicker!
I spent 5 hours on Memorial Day in 70F weather buffing the 3M white compound and another 5 hours today in 97F weather buffing the 3M black compound. Oh she's shiny now! (yes, I buff inside out of the sun...but the garage door is still open, so the hot air blows right inside...ugh)
190 hours in paint prep, spraying, cleanup, sanding, & buffing. Wow...that works out to about $7600 in labor @ $40/hour (my time value as a non-professional). And that's spread out over TEN MONTHS! lol
$1200 in paint & primer
$520 in equipment that I now own (DeVilbiss gun, folding work stands, foam sanding blocks, face mask)
$480 in consumable materials (sandpaper, thinner, rags, air filters, tape, gloves, bunnysuit)
So...$2200 out of pocket and another $7600 in labor = $9800. Still cheaper than the cheapest quote I got from a pro body shop last summer. And that shop said they'd "work on it over the winter as they had time". So it may not have been done any quicker!
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nbb350
Member
Also, when I was working out there Monday I got to thinking....my car hasn't been on the road since at least 2005 (per the license tabs on the plates when I bought it), so I figuerd the shock absorbers would most likely be shot. So, without looking at the car, I ordered 4 new shocks off RockAuto. They showed up today, 3 days early! yay! but wait...they don't look like the shocks that are actually on the car!
The ones I bought were the popular Gabriel OEM quality:
But what is on my car (front and rear) look more like these:
Oops. Did I screw up? haven't opened the new shock boxes yet...might still be able to return them (i pay shipping).
The ones I bought were the popular Gabriel OEM quality:
But what is on my car (front and rear) look more like these:
Oops. Did I screw up? haven't opened the new shock boxes yet...might still be able to return them (i pay shipping).
ratrog64
Well-known member
I have found that on my past 2 builds that the coil over shocks were necessary in the front. The oil filled shocks were just too soft and allowed my tires to rub at times in turns. The coil over shocks definitely make for a more harsh ride however. My next car I'm going to try a set of gas shocks up front since I already have a set I can try.
I am curious what you had for your front torsion set up when it was too soft with the oil shocks - did you have any of the bars removed?
letterman7
Honorary Admin
Those are the aftermarket VW coil-overs, available at any retailer like CB or CIP1. Like Brett, I found that the stock oil filled shocks wouldn't work either - fenders would rub. My guess is that with the body sitting lower than a stock Beetle fender, the shocks didn't have enough "clearance". So, I changed to the coil overs as well. I didn't mind the slightly rougher ride.
nbb350
Member
I returned the factory-style shocks and will buy the coil-over shocks when my store credit shows up. In the meantime I pulled the old shocks off to measure them against what the website says are the specs for the new shocks - might as well check and order the right size this time! The shocks themselves seem to work fine (no collapsed cylinders), but the rubber bushings are completely crumbling. Time for new shocks anyways.
Friday and Saturday I worked on rebuilding the fuel system. All the lines were 15+ years old and some of them appeared to be re-used from the original VW donor car! those hoses just cracked apart when I removed them. As I was re-routing the fuel lines, I was reaching for the line from the bottom of the tank when it just pulled off. not good. well, a closer look made it obvious WHY it could just pull off - the factory VW fuel tank drain fitting is SMOOTH - no barb or lip to retain a hose. Well, an extra brass fitting and some solder fixed that!
Then I had to run to a couple different stores to find a new Neoprene washer to go between the tank and flange. I picked that up last night on my way to the first local car show of the season. Yay! I missed the "roll in" nights that were absent last summer. No annual "Back to the Fifties" car show (~12,000+ cars) here this summer either. (Our Glorious Supreme Leader and his Attorney General Commander repealed their mandates a couple days after the Go-NoGo deadline.)
Friday and Saturday I worked on rebuilding the fuel system. All the lines were 15+ years old and some of them appeared to be re-used from the original VW donor car! those hoses just cracked apart when I removed them. As I was re-routing the fuel lines, I was reaching for the line from the bottom of the tank when it just pulled off. not good. well, a closer look made it obvious WHY it could just pull off - the factory VW fuel tank drain fitting is SMOOTH - no barb or lip to retain a hose. Well, an extra brass fitting and some solder fixed that!
Then I had to run to a couple different stores to find a new Neoprene washer to go between the tank and flange. I picked that up last night on my way to the first local car show of the season. Yay! I missed the "roll in" nights that were absent last summer. No annual "Back to the Fifties" car show (~12,000+ cars) here this summer either. (Our Glorious Supreme Leader and his Attorney General Commander repealed their mandates a couple days after the Go-NoGo deadline.)
nbb350
Member
started wiring up the dash last night. got the fuel sender adapter installed and decided to program it; to do that, I need to know the sender range. so i grabbed my DMM and hooked it up to the fuel sender in the tank... 140...0...∞...160...∞..180...∞...100...∞...160...∞...70...∞... WTH?!? I guess that sender is crap. great...it's UNDER the HVAC box. gotta pull that out. tried to shift the fuel tank, but it hits the cutout in the body. sigh...not sure if i'm making progress or not with all the re-work i seem to be doing... but at least now I'll know which factory pre-programmed setting to use on the fuel sender adapter...
You’re making progress. My dad has a theory that, on projects like these, most things need to be reworked at least two or three times. He feels that’s built into the fabric of a project and therefore taking something back off let’s you check off that box on the cosmic list of things that were inevitable even though you didn’t previously know they were inevitable. So…congrats on good progress! 
nbb350
Member
well, Auto Meter's "tech support" leaves a lot to be desired. still haven't gotten the Auto meter fuel bridge to work with my new VW fuel sender and Auto Meter fuel gauge. might just have to buy the Auto Meter fuel sender (big honkin' thing it is) and see if I can cram that into my fuel tank; then i won't need the Fuel bridge.
Worked on the AC condenser and radiator this weekend. I had a brand new AC condenser to install (someone accidentally drilled a hole thru the tubes in the "mockup" condenser...) and of course all the mounting holes were slightly off. Then i had to cram radiator-zilla in there too. Got one hose installed, but then had to make a parts run for the other hose. Found it locally too! Lucky day! One of the AC condenser lines connected right up, but with the new radiator i had to relocate the AC dryer, so I need to have a new hose fabricated for that fitting. another day, another $100 spent or so...
Yes, the hood will fit. Even the hinges should fit too...even if it doesn't look like it! lol
Worked on the AC condenser and radiator this weekend. I had a brand new AC condenser to install (someone accidentally drilled a hole thru the tubes in the "mockup" condenser...) and of course all the mounting holes were slightly off. Then i had to cram radiator-zilla in there too. Got one hose installed, but then had to make a parts run for the other hose. Found it locally too! Lucky day! One of the AC condenser lines connected right up, but with the new radiator i had to relocate the AC dryer, so I need to have a new hose fabricated for that fitting. another day, another $100 spent or so...
Yes, the hood will fit. Even the hinges should fit too...even if it doesn't look like it! lol
Looks like really good progress! Nice work.
If I’m seeing things correctly it looks like your radiator (and condenser) DO tip down in the back, albeit just slightly. The radiator should work great. *IF* the A/C system seems to have gremlins in it when you test it months from now, it might be due to how flat the condenser is positioned. One of my kits had a problem like that and someone with greater HVAC chops than I pointed out that the condenser was too flat. He pointed out that radiators are liquid in — liquid out and could theoretically be oriented in ANY position and still function but condensers are gas in — liquid out, so they must tip towards their outlet. Made total sense once said. The wild card here is degree: I’ve never heard anyone weigh in on what the minimum angle is.
I am encouraged that yours seems to be at a slight angle. Mine was almost dead flat. I think yours is gonna work. If there’s a problem, I leave this as a diagnostic bread crumb.
Your fabrications look nice.
If I’m seeing things correctly it looks like your radiator (and condenser) DO tip down in the back, albeit just slightly. The radiator should work great. *IF* the A/C system seems to have gremlins in it when you test it months from now, it might be due to how flat the condenser is positioned. One of my kits had a problem like that and someone with greater HVAC chops than I pointed out that the condenser was too flat. He pointed out that radiators are liquid in — liquid out and could theoretically be oriented in ANY position and still function but condensers are gas in — liquid out, so they must tip towards their outlet. Made total sense once said. The wild card here is degree: I’ve never heard anyone weigh in on what the minimum angle is.
I am encouraged that yours seems to be at a slight angle. Mine was almost dead flat. I think yours is gonna work. If there’s a problem, I leave this as a diagnostic bread crumb.
Your fabrications look nice.
If you’re bored…. Try to get one shot of that from the side and/or showing the angle. When we finally verify that it works I wanna be able to catalogue that that angle works.