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Prep Work
After all the sheet
metal has been welded in I have to grind the welds down nice
and smooth. I have mounted the chassis on wooden stands so I
can easily work on both sides of the floor. In this picture I
have the chassis leaning against the wall for easier access to
the welds.
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My New Best
Friend
Special thanks to
Princess Auto for a cheap supply of effective tools. This wire
brush spins at 8500 rpm on my angle grinder and removes rust,
paint and anything else that gets in it's way FAST!!
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Fresh Paint
After being cleaned
up, I sandblasted all the nooks and crannies and wiped the whole
surface down with acetone. I then put two healthy coats of epoxy
- based black primer on both sufaces. I have plastic sheets hanging
from the walls in my shop to contain the paint and keep everything
clean.
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....And More Paint
After priming, I sealed
all the seams with automotive caulking. This effectively seals
the floors and prevents water from getting into spots where it
could start to rust. For the final finish I put three coats of
hardened enamel over the entire chassis. The paint gives the
floor a mirror-like finish.
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Front Beam
Another Brazilian
part for the soon-to-be-bug. This has got to be the most impressive
part I've bought. It comes complete with all the suspension components
preassembled. It simply bolts onto the front of the car - no
welding required :-(
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Detail
These are the front
suspension arms, ball joints and spindle. The bearings for the
front wheels and the brakes attach here. If you look closely
you can see the threads for the lock nut have a plastic sleeve
over them to protect them during shipment (left tip of the unit).
I LOVE new parts.
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Transmission
I pressure washed
the transmission down to get rid of the grease and crap that
have settled on it over the years. I carefully checked all the
seals and mounts for cracks and leaks - many of them will be
replaced.
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Mystery Thingy
If anybody knows what
this thing is, I'd really appreciate you sharing it with me.
It mounts on the back of the transmission, but serves no obvious
purpose. It isn't listed in either the Haynes or Bentley manuals.
It looks like some kind of pump or blower, but doesn't have any
connections.
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