HELP!500miletripsunday73thing,battery,fabrictop,hazards,tank

logan · Post by **logan** » Sat May 22, 2004 8:36 pm

Help us bought a 73 thing need to bring it back to calgary from regina (about 500 miles)

It runs really good. Put in 20W50. BUT....

1) Battery was loose under the rear seat. We mounted it to a peice of plywood and put a stop in. Does anyone have a picture of what the battery mounting really really looks like???

2) There are large gaps in the top and the driver side does not "clip" in all the way. If you put the clip in on the top spot, the clamp does not close all the way. We have to leave it on the middle position with the pin out of the post hole (in the corner of the window post, if you know what I mean??) The passenger side is great. The whole top is really tight, and we cant see what is wrong. Any suggestions???

3) The hazard lights only light on the drivers side, unless the signal light is turned to the right; then the right ones come on too. Help???

4a) The tank filler inlet leaks at the upper seal. It seems to accumulate gas there when the tank is full and you turn left. I have re-arranged it so that the gas will take a harder turn to go up there. Can I use a silicone sealant to make this better? Or do you really jsut need all the correct parts to seal this up permanently?

4b) The gas gauge seems to only read about half what it should. With 10 litres (2.5 gallons) it read in the "R" area. Completely full it read just under half. Is this only fixed with a new sender unit?

5) Brakes pull to the right only when hit hard. This thing has four wheel drums. Is this a brake adjustment issue, or something more serious...

Thanks so much for what ever information you can provide. It will be really helpful

Oh yeah does anyone know where a scanned owners manual can be found online. the Korht web site is dead.

Cheers
Logan

Bob Ingman · Post by **Bob Ingman** » Mon May 24, 2004 7:32 am

Logan 5 sounds like simple adjustment. 4b sounds like fuel tank sender malfunction. Good luck. Bob Ingman

alsehendo · Post by **alsehendo** » Mon May 24, 2004 10:23 pm

My lach on top would not stay latched untill I put a pin it that mached the diamiter of the hole holding it to the top, anotherwords when the latch was sloppy on the pin it would not stay lached to the winshield it would just pop open. My cure to get it home from Colorado was to get a small very tight fitting bolt and hacksaw it to length removing the head and tap it in latch with it conected to top.

I'll take a picture tommorow of the battery comparment and post it if it quits raining for the first time in a week.

Stick out your arm when you turn, but many will just wave at you (or honk if their form Illinois)

Wierd how many people don't know about hand signals.

alsehendo · Post by **alsehendo** » Mon May 24, 2004 10:38 pm

Brakes
-Try drive backwords a few times and slam on the brakes.
-Try adjust them with star through back of wheel.
-Try some steal wool on the drum to clean (get the drums turned if you got the cash) and change shoes regardless.

MNAirHead · Post by **MNAirHead** » Tue May 25, 2004 11:57 am

Congrats Logan on your new Thing... they're tough and expensive to find north of the boarder-- my cannuck cousin is trying to find one.

Check your frame assembly for the top... I've seen them slightly bent and it does not close evenly.... the top mechanism isn't the best design... sometimes they don't automatically close even.

Most of the discussion points sound like an aircooled --- not a big list of corrective actions.

on the RAMVA bulletin board there's a guy named Speedy Jim how's a total pro at the electrical diagnosis and fixes... the wiring of a thing and bug are almost the same... does anyone have a link to the site that has all the diagragms--I've lost it?

alsehendo · Post by **alsehendo** » Wed May 26, 2004 3:01 am

s this what your looking for

http://www.geocities.com/vwresource/electrical

http://www.nls.net/mp/volks/

Nice site !!!!!!

logan · Post by **logan** » Wed May 26, 2004 6:58 am

Thanks for your help!

Good news and bad news:
I build a battery holder out of plywood and some clamps from the autopart store. Set the timing and my cousin drove it home (500 miles at about 50-60 mph!). We are all getting this crappy weather , so she drove it home in 40-50 degree weather.

Set the brakes up and the pull went away.

Since we moved it to another province, it had to have a safety inspection done in Alberta. It failed miserably.

Brakes, the whole front end (tie rods and ball joints), and a bent frame! (which explains top not clamping in).

But its a bit stupid, the guy never pumped up the tank with air and listed the sprayer needing to be fixed, and he said the gas heater needed to be fixed. Why the heck is the heater not working on a summer car a safety hazard!!??

Anyway thanks for your help.

MNAirHead · Post by **MNAirHead** » Wed May 26, 2004 7:06 am

Makes me glad I have a yankee card (and a cannuck card)

I've never gotten a clarification on this -- can you petition for exceptions on collector cars? Our Mini T has a safety inspection since it doesn't have a top -- they agreed that windshield wipers wouldn't do anything with a chopped windshield.

The list of fixits are fairly common maintenance items on a ball-joint aircooled car.

Frame twisted?

T.

logan · Post by **logan** » Thu May 27, 2004 9:17 am

My cousin is going to the local veedub club meeting tonight. Hopefully she can get some direction and find an inspector who will look at the car like a 73 thing, not a 2004 toyota!

Bob Ingman · Post by **Bob Ingman** » Thu May 27, 2004 10:08 am

Logan we have aother Canadian thing owner here. Scott Lyons (pumpkinfair). Hes the parts manager at German Supply. I think he can help you with this situation. His email is
slyons@germansupply.com . Good luck. Bob Ingman

germansupplyscott · Post by **germansupplyscott** » Thu May 27, 2004 2:31 pm

bob,

thanks for the plug.

i am here. the most help i can offer at the moment is:

GO FLAMES GO!!

Bob Ingman · Post by **Bob Ingman** » Thu May 27, 2004 2:40 pm

Scott that must be hockey talk! Thanks for the response. Bob Ingman

germansupplyscott · Post by **germansupplyscott** » Thu May 27, 2004 2:57 pm

of course it's hockey talk!

i guess you are exposed t a a bit of hockey up there in AK.

seriously, logan, if you need anything for your project we are here, we ship from canada, and i have just restored a thing so i have very good sources for anyTHING you may need.

alsehendo · Post by **alsehendo** » Thu May 27, 2004 8:32 pm

Talk about nort vs south!

Heh what happened to Stevie Rieinprecht, (ex Wisconsin badger that was playinf for your Flames) do you know is he hert?

Go Flames even though I'm a hockey town U.S.A fan and you all nocked them silly.

How did you like the Junior Worlds?

radioman · Post by **radioman** » Fri May 28, 2004 9:48 am

I swear us Thing people are a real trip!!!I just read through logan's post and the responses and grinned the whole time! I assume 'frame bent' means the top frame?? If so take it off the car unfold and look for the misalignment. It'll be in the sides. I had to fiddle with mine for serveral hours to pull, push, clamb, force until it was straigth. I then welded a 1/2" angle iron piece along (~18 inches long or less...to fit) each of the two side braces(the ones that fold) on each side. It ain't perfect but it improved a poor design. And my new top fits and the frame clamps down like it should. Bill

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HELP!500miletripsunday73thing,battery,fabrictop,hazards,tank

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