Build: Zippy the Wonderbug

[Super_Randy]

Orange because it's the best color in the world.

no, it's not.
you have to be careful with it otherwise you end up with a Halloween car.
that said, id like to have an orange karmann ghia

[schwim]

That gray/orange combo kicks ass!

Thank you, I'm really digging it :)6

Ever considered to treat the fuel tank with phosphoric acid?

Wow, that transformation is incredible! I've heard of using it but have never seen the results, I'll likely look into doing that as my tank seems to be in a little bit better condition than the one in pics.

you have to be careful with it otherwise you end up with a Halloween car.

So far, the only orange I'm picturing on the outside of the car would be the headlight inserts and logo on the hubcaps. I don't know what I'm doing at the back yet. I may try the pope's nose and tail light mounts but I'm not sure on it.

[schwim]

Today will go down in the annals of history as a great one. For the first time in a decade, Zip's halves are fastened back together with every fastener intended by Mr. Porsche. It wasn't an easy road to travel but it can be checked off.

First, let me say I should have chased the mount threads prior to bringing the body down. I had to lift it back off and run a tap through all 6 in the back. All were boogered with paint and rust but one must have been tapped an incorrect thread because it was a fight all the way through, at points making me fear the tap would break.



The first day's attempt at lining up the seal and getting the holes to match up ended up being a complete waste. I'm now so blind in both near and far distances, I can no longer use my bifocals to work because I can't tilt my head to look when on a creeper or sandwiched in a tight space so I'm now relegated to using readers and being blind for anything but extremely closeup.



I pulled the wheels and put the bug on the lift using the front and rear suspension as mount points so I could use carpentry shims to separate the pan from the channels to get the seal in place and to use a die grinder to wallow out holes for alignment, sometimes extreme cutting being required.



The witches hat mounting holes had to be wallowed the most due to the channel nuts no longer being captured floaters but fixed nuts welded in place. I wallowed it so much I needed larger washers to keep the stockers from being swallowed up.



but two dremel tools later, success!

[schwim]

Got steering, fuel and brakes together in the frunk. I'm waiting on a shutoff for the fuel then will put the soft line in. At the end of the fastening journey, these were the only things I couldn't use were these two plates for the front beam mounting points. I had to just use some washers. Who would have thought that getting hit in the front and using a DIY front beam would cause alignment issues?

For the first time ever in my ownership, Zip's got a year correct steering column, wheel and button.

[Super_Randy]

stop calling it a frunk. it's a trunk. to have a frunk you first must have a trunk. 356's had trunks. 911's had/have trunks. Corvair's had trunks. funk is an f'ing ev term used by greenboy fucktards and non car guys who are easily amused by basic already long existing design and learned a new word they feel they have to use to sound like they know anything

[schwim]

stop calling it a frunk. it's a trunk. to have a frunk you first must have a trunk. 356's had trunks. 911's had/have trunks. Corvair's had trunks. funk is an f'ing ev term used by greenboy fucktards and non car guys who are easily amused by basic already long existing design and learned a new word they feel they have to use to sound like they know anything

Wait until I start telling you about my trengine bay.

[Super_Randy]

im don't even know wtf that means. im going to choose to read it as TR engine bay. and TR is a 4banger Toyota engine so...

[schwim]

I drove Zippy for the first time in a decade today. It was a pretty sweet but brief trip on our little dead end road. I drove him long enough to know some things:

1) The clutch is too slack.

2) There are no brakes now after knocking off the reservoir when mating the body.

3) Since I drove just the pan, it has stopped wanting to idle.

I doubled the value of Zip by doubling up on the batteries. I'm waiting on a hardstart relay from WW and I'm going to change out the ignition switch as well. There's some start shenanigans afoot and I'm just going to do everything I can to make the start cycle bulletproof.

I spent the last few days tearing the lift apart in the garage to modify it so I could put drywall on the ceiling(for inspection). As soon as my grade 8 hardware arrives and I can fully refasten it together, I'll put Zip up and tweak all this stuff before the next test drive.

[Super_Randy]

I doubled the value of Zip by doubling up on the batteries. I'm waiting on a hardstart relay from WW and I'm going to change out the ignition switch as well. There's some start shenanigans afoot and I'm just going to do everything I can to make the start cycle bulletproof.

so you're cutting a hole in the floor so you can push start from the drivers seat?

[schwim]

so you're cutting a hole in the floor so you can push start from the drivers seat?

You haven't lived until you've owned a car you have to push start.