Well... a year and change after buying it I finally get to actually drive it. I did a TON of work and spent way more money than I should have, but at least now I can drive it. Had a VW shop crack the case and replace the main bearings (previous owner didn't install correctly). While I probably could have figured it out myself, that's another winter sitting in the garage while I go through the process. I'm patient, but not that patient. Anyway... she's all done, and scoots on down the road. Still gotta get the brakes dialed in a little better, and get it inspected, but that's no problem. The first fill up:
:shock: Wow! Great stuff! I've had friends who had car projects in their garage for more than 20 years! My brother once took apart his trike and it sat around for more than 10 years! You made a great decision to farm out some of the work to get the project done now. Congratz!
Though both car buffs, Scott and I differ in one aspect. I am a engine and driveline kind of guy. If I farmed out anything, it would have been chassis work and saved the engine for me. I am meticulous when it comes to bearing clearance, piston skirt clearance, ring gap and cylinder wall cross hatch. But that is just me.
Thanks everybody. It has totally been worth the wait. Tom, I would have rather done it myself, but the frustration factor had gotten too high (along with not knowing the real problem). Earlier this spring I had the motor down to nothing but block, cylinder jugs and heads. If I'd known the problem then I would have forged on myself. But I had completely reinstalled everything along with building a complete new disc brake system at all four wheels. I still didnt know these motors well enough to diagnose the root problem. Old VW motors really are amazing pieces of.engineering. Even with the pinched main bearings, an incorrect (and improperly installed) oil pump and a few other pieces of "half-assery" done by previous owner the little motor would still run. I can say "I get it" to the motorcycle folks. It totally changes the experience when there's not a body to block out the rush of wind and noise!
They're very cool cars, and the reason I brought Tatra up is because when Ferdinand Porsche was tasked with developing the Volkswagen he spent a great deal of time consulting with Hans Ledwinka, the Austrian-born designer at Tatra. Tatra ended up suing Volkswagen for patent infringement, but then Nazi Germany invaded Czechoslovakia, putting a temporary hold on the legal proceedings. Your rail looks like a blast to drive.
Got a GPS speedo for Christmas. Fabricated a new dash panel and installed it today. Can't get my darned camera to focus on it very well. Also replaced the warning lights with new LED versions...