Lee's ride

[Ol'fogasaurus]

You are lucky you got them back. There have been several times I haven't gone to the hospital and should have. It is surprising how resistant humans are at times. I carry a few good scars but not missing any digits either.

Smacked the thumb against something a while a go and it is bleeding again. I think I would look like a 2 year old with a beard walking around with my thumb in my mouth trying to protect it.

Lee

[dustymojave]

The single most painful injury I've experienced in my nearly 60 years of self abuse was jamming my right thumb into the 36 grit belt sander and removing ALL of the thumbnail. That'll teach me the atheist not to make religious artifacts. I was working on a sculpture (no Tim...I wasn't the sculptor...Just the guy who was prepping the pieces to TIG weld them together to assemble the sculpture) of a "Burning Bush" for a Jewish Temple. The pieces were about 3" thick and a couple of feet long solid cast bronze. I had to chamfer the edges so my welds would be flush. Using a "Square Wheel" belt sander and I jammed my thumb into the belt at the bottom roller. That taught me why the Japanese were said to use bamboo slivers under the fingernails to torture enemy soldiers during WWII.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Deleted this post as it was added to the wrong string. Sorry!

Lee

[Ol'fogasaurus]

I've been sitting on this, almost finished for a while now so after another conversation I did a quick finish and scanned it. Actually it was a good thing to do and work with the ideas given. Before I go any farther... it isn't gong to work for a lot of reasons.





One reason is the rear hoop is only tied down by a single bolt. I would have to modify everything to accommodate a side hit. when the buggy's cage was built the builder knew that a body lift was coming and I wanted the cage to be removable so the body could be removable. I also wanted... neah needed foot room on the floor.





The seats are as far back as can be done so the harness bar is C-shaped. This does not really allow for a usable diagonal or X- design that would not be weak (yeah, I know that maybe but the shelf/rear seat it in the way also).



You can just see the front hoop mount here.

The body is going to need at least 4 holes in for the mount w/bolts to work. The pan is tight fore and aft but racking... I'm not sure as I haven't really paid attention to it. The body lift did wonders for flexing and racking but if there is any left I just don't know.

The inner plate that goes on the cage hoop will need to be thick enough to be counter bored to accept the nose of the C-channel mounting tubes (exacerbated in the Iso' for clarity) to lessen the shear load on the bolts on an angled hit.

I didn't show it but an angle iron piece could be added to the upright part of the hoop to reduce flex of the long length but again, the shear is going to be in the bolts at the bottom (he front hoop has two of them per side while again the rear only has one).

I think I am going back to making myself an 18ga plate with bead rolls to strengthen it up. Less complicated, less room taken and maybe stronger. Yes, the bolts are still in shear.

I forgot to thank everyone who made input on this. You don't realize just how much it helped as I got to look at it a lot differently than I originally had. I think the end plan is about the same (not quite for sure) but it did help me clear up some questions that may have come up after I was finished (second thoughts).

Lee

[GDRBORETIRED]

For what it is worth Lee, I used a single tube between the A and B pillars. I ran it about an inch or 2 below the edge of the body. I tried for just below my ribs, hopefully the tube won't break any! Ribs that is! Even that single bar will spread the force to the uprights, meaning less force for you.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Thanks GDRBO, I looked into doing that but even with the seats mounted an inch off the floor and as tight against the tunnel as I can get I am still sitting, in contact with, the side of the one of the buggies that you might have built (a Beetle Buggy). If I was sitting higher maybe... but after sitting up there with the old seats (you should see what/how they are used now) I feel much safer sitting low like I do.

What I intend is something like a guard rail using flat 18 ga stock then bead rolling stiffening beads in place; very similar to what is found inside of doors now days to meet side crash mandates. That way I am hoping that I can control a side impact better than with a single tube (I think) and still have vertical beads at the ends to keep it from curling. An X-shape would be better but "there is no room at the inn" . Kind of like a intercostal (so-to-speak) I worked on many years ago. It was a tie between several pieces of structure that tied them together to make them stronger.

If I thought I could get by by making it triangular and attaching to both hoops and the 1 1/2" X 3" X.095 wall body lift I would head in that direction. It should function almost as good as an X-member (I hope) but be lighter and also be its own gusset so-to-speak.

I need to get measurements before I can do anything though. If I were to keep the black buggy; it has an inside lip rather flat sided as I am sure you remember then I could do the tube like you did or go the intercostal route.

Lee

[Ol'fogasaurus]

We are onn oour way to Casa Grande AZ and today was the most exciting day so far.

Just came out of the place where we stayed last night and was turning onto the entrance to the freeway when I heard a loud bang, the motorhome lurched then got light. I pulled part way on the on ramp and looked into the rear view mirror and saw my "dink" sitting in the middleof the road.

To make a long story short, the hitch itself broke (a 6" drop hitch) on the lower level right where the bend and the flat surface that the ball sits on. It lookes like a flaw during manufacture but the shinty part (les than a 1/16th wide) had been covered with paint but the rest of the metal looks line a normal fracture.

Some very nice "locals" helped me with where to get stuff and eve took me there then helped me assemble eerything and get back on the road again.

Scary !!!!! Pix soon.

Lee

[Leatherneck]

Good to hear all went well. Ever pass through Needles on your way south give me a holler.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

We just did ... today! I would have if I had knownbut then we barely made it too Quartzite as the sun set. Very going through the area, windy and got buffeted around quite a bit.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Just ran into a problem. Started the high up then got it off the stands and bracket out then shut it off. Nothing out of the unusual. Started it up a while later and the engine idiot light comes on. Tried it again; the idiot light comes on when the key is turned on, the idiot light goes out when the engine starts but then after 10 to 20 seconds later the oil light comes back on. Checked the oil and the crankcase is full.

Suspect the oil sender but what else. Will go into town and get a mechanical tester/gauge kit... got any other ideas?

Lee

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Could anp plugged oil filter something like this happen?

Lee

[ajdenette]

Lee I could see crap in the sump causing this more than a plugged filter I would think a plugged filter would not allow the engine to build pressure but much like a rusty fuel tank stuff getting sucked onto the strainer or pickup clogging and choking the engine for oil and after shutting down it settles down and the engine can get oil until the screen plugs up again.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Probably tomorrow I will go into town and get plugs, oil, and filter as it has been a while. The engine probably less than 100 miles on it... all in the sand. I have been given a big job to do and it has to be finished today, hence tomorrow.

Thanks for the input; one more thing to look into but draining the oil should give me some idea about pulling the sump off or not. It is a very strange happening as the engine itself does not make any Oh $#it noises.

Lee

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Problem solved! First, I went into North Bend and stopped by The Bug Terminator (actually not the first thing; I had some "honey do's to do first) and talked to the new owner. I think he knows a lot and got some good ideas from him. I also went to some stores to get some oil. I found out that single weight oils are pretty much non existent; Kendel does make their own but you have to order it directly from them.

I gat a new oil filter and put it on then started the engine... and now the oil idiot light didn't go out. I then put the new oil sender on and... toil light went out and stayed out. Goody, goody, goody gum drops (read sarcastimn)

I also found a good price in up-right turning brake handles for the my black buggy so I went back and bought 'em.

I also found some 90 degree fittings for the blue buggy that are for the nylon brake lines. They are of a new design to stop a problem with the ferrule tipping and cutting into the brake line.

A very productive day. Now, put in the new spark plugs.

Lee

[Ol'fogasaurus]

I came down with not only cleaning up and fixing damage from this winter's storms but to rebuild my left carb as it is the one that wants to plug the air passages in the idle part of the carb.

A last minute choice was to bring down the Truss Bar from the black buggy and install it. What a &$%^^!!! job! Everything had decided that they were going to stay there permanently and wouldn't budge. I finally got the shocks off and the bolts out but the cage was in way so that had to come off (it was also being a pain in the butt but I finally got it off.... five or six hours later.

The bolts for the truss bar, the ones that go through the shocks and the shock mounts are too short with the cage in the mix and a bit too short even with out it.

If you notice in some of pictures of the rear of the buggy w/o the body on there is a cross-piece to support the seat/package tray... it is in the way.

When I rewired the buggy for the umpteenth time I put a 50 AMP circuit breaker there and it is marginally in the way. The oversized starter for the 091 is very close and the wiring to it had to be moved. I'm through for the day but I don't think there are long enough bolts available here as the box stores don't normally carry longer than 6".

I'm tired and I have a head ache partly from smacking my head on the fenders as I bent down to get under them.

Lee

Cleaned up my language about a bunch of inanimate objects.