02/04/2011

Time to start cutting back and cleaning up the body. First job is to de-seam, i.e. remove the flash lines left from the mould. I used very coarse wet & dry (120 grit), to rub the seams down level.

Once level I used P400, P600, P800 and then P1200 for final finishing, then just to be sure P2000 to rub out any scratched left. Then its a case of coarse cutting paste, (Faracia G3), with a polishing mop set to 1800 revs, then once buffed up finish off with G10. You should now have a nice gloss but cutting paste splashed over everything in the garage !.

It takes a while do go round the whole body, rubbing down and polishing out any imperfections, and I will still be at it next weekend.

09/04/2011

It took a lot of elbow grease and the garage is now coved in Farcia G3 cutting paste, but it was worth it, the body has polished up very well.

I now hate the smell of cutting paste, and it feels like I have been eating the stuff for two weekends now.

Went to Chesil again and picked up the lighting set, wiring loom, windscreen washer bottle, and various switches for the dashboard, so next weekend I will attempt to fit the loom..

17/04/2011

The loom is quite comprehensive, also including the Windscreen washer bottle and jets, relays, hazard switch, wiper switch, lights switch, regulator fuses and grommets.

I was foolish enough to think this was just a weekend job!, The wiring diagram in the manual is out of date, and there are lots of extra connections, plus I had opted to keep the dynamo and associated Voltage regulator, the loom is made for an Alternator, so I need to alter the loom near the battery. After laying to loom out on the floor I could just about work out where the 'runs' needed to go, so I picked the whole lot up and dumped it in the front, then working my way backwards fed the runs through to the back of the car,,, very fiddley and hard on the fingers getting all the grommets in place, (twice I forgot the grommet and and to pull the wires back through, dohh).

Eventually got the loom into just about the right post ion where all the wires reached the where they were supposed to go (hopefully). I haven't 'P' clipped everything into place yet and there are a couple of connections I can't work out yet, and some additional wires not in the wiring diagram, so I need to ask Peter Bailey at Chesil.

Guess I will be carrying on with the loom next weekend, fit and connect the switches then I can then fit the lights..

25/04/2011

The loom is finally in and seems to have all the correct connection sin the correct place, been busy using 'P' clips to secure the loom around the rear of the engine compartment and down the inside of the inner sill.

Now I could start fitting electrical items !,, first off I fitted the rear lights, including the number plate light which also incorporates the reversing light, a 72 beetle never had reversing lights so I need to connect in a switch somehow.. I am also keeping the dynamo which means I had to wire in a voltage regulator as well, after a bit of research on the Internet I figured out the connections and mounted to regulator beside the battery, (which is behind the rear seat back). Next I fitted the washer bottle and the remote Master cylinder reservoir.

I need to 'P' clip the front loom yet but need to be sure everything is connected in place first, I still have to fit and connect the horn, fuel tank sender, hazard switch and fog switch yet, as well as the Wiper motor.

Off to Chesil next weekend to pick up some more parts and order the Leather pack and carpets !

30/04/2011

Chesil only had a few of the parts I was hoping to pick up, the suppliers (in America), are temporally out of stock.. still I managed to get some of the trim items, i.e. the chrome strip along the side of the speedster and the Bumper deco strip.

It was a real pain fitting the bumper deco strip, you first have to bend the aluminum to shape, then fit the edging rubber, which is quite fiddley and time consuming. next you need to carefully drill the fixing holes before fitting , then finally fit the middle rubber section, and all this after having removed the bumpers in the first place.

Next job was to fit the head lights, nice large 'slopping' units and the horn grill and indicators, of which Chesil could only supply me with one for now. Also fitted the hazard warning switch, and fog light under the dash, plus the associated wiring connections.

In the above picture of the hazard switch you can see I have also mounted the Wiper and light switch in the Dash, problem was the dash is too thick for the switch, i.e. there is not enough thread exposed to screw on the fitting sleeve, so I had to recess the holes from the back with a 90 degree attachment for my drill.

Whilst waiting for the rest of the parts, I will tidy up the eclectics, bleed the brakes, fit the petrol tank and lengthen, then fit the steering column.