DavidG Posted May 30, 2014 Author Posted May 30, 2014 (edited) Well, here's a NEW update. I was working on the engine cage. I got it pretty well done and was really happy with it. ....for a few minutes anyway. Then I noticed that, when viewed directly from the rear, the cage was crooked. It was more twisted than I could live with. So when I went to tweak it back, half the entire roll cage collapsed and in an instant, I realized that many hours of work had just gone down the drain. Ergo, I'm going to shelve this project for just a little while. The materials that I'm using right now are just not very conducive to my goal and that is causing a great deal of frustration. I would REALLY like to build this roll cage out of brass that I could solder together but I've never done any of that. It would be a great time to learn but I'm finding that information on techniques is rather limited on the web. Virtually all of it is dedicated to modeling scale locomotives. While I love looking at those, it's not my area of interest. I'm going to order a book from Amazon.com that is supposed to explain the process. Also, the roll cage was to be a primer for the more delicate modeling of the long travel front and rear suspensions. No VW model that I've seen offers an independent rear suspension that I can modify for this project.* So it would all have to be done from scratch. Copper wire and JB Weld aint gonna get it. On the positive side, I now have an excellent idea as to how the roll cage should be built. When I get back to this project, I will build some jigs that will insure consistent bends and dimensional accuracy. Also, I remembered that, when I was an avid reader of Hot VWs magazine every month in the 70s through the 90s, many Class 5 1:1 cars were built using a 3" body lift kit. I had completely forgotten about this and I realized that I could factor that in to the model. This would give me just a little bit more room to play with and could really make a difference. So please be patient and I will come back to this thread at a later date and finish this as soon as I figure out a workable solution. . *When Dr. Porsche first conceived the little VW's suspension geometry, he could not have foreseen how perfect that pivot action of the VW's springs and trailing arms would be to getting slammed around off road. The first VW's and Porsches had what is now called the swingaxle transmission. However, in an extreme turn, this design could actually cause the car to flip. This led to the development of the fully independent suspension that used 2 CV joints on either half-shaft. On VWs, this was introduced in 1969. When the off road community started realizing how the IRS was even better for off-roading than the swingaxle, it wasn't long before all VW based sedans and buggies were using variations on that theme. The problem for me is that ALL the VW models available have the swingaxle design and I really need to build this car with an IRS. Edited May 30, 2014 by DavidG
rustybill1960 Posted May 31, 2014 Posted May 31, 2014 I "will" be waiting and watching David!! Later Russ
superbike-shaun Posted May 31, 2014 Posted May 31, 2014 Dude im disappointed, I guess ill try to take the bull by the horns and build one myself. shoot I was really lookin forward to seein this bad boy done!. oh well, good luck on your next build. Shaun.s.
David G. Posted June 21, 2014 Posted June 21, 2014 Sorry about the roll cage- it looked great. It's like I say, "Each kit I build is really only practice for the next one." David G.
StreetShaker Posted June 21, 2014 Posted June 21, 2014 If you are looking for info soldering brass tube check out what some the guys who build scale RC Crawlers are doing. They are commonly called "scalers" and there is a plethora of how to vids on YouTube!
JordanFordF1 Posted August 4, 2014 Posted August 4, 2014 I was also looking forward to more updates. Having owned several Bajas and even raced a 5-1600 I have often thought about building a class 5 or 5-1600. Hope you get back to this before I finally get around to mine.
Mannyp1980 Posted November 5, 2014 Posted November 5, 2014 Looks like an interesting project, any updates?
rustybill1960 Posted November 19, 2014 Posted November 19, 2014 It's cold and snowing here I too am awaiting for "The Return of The Bug" I do hope this project is still on a back burner? Later Russ
jrherald420 Posted November 20, 2014 Posted November 20, 2014 For building supplies go to HobbyTown USA in Mt Juliet. They have everything you need including brass and styrene, glues and paints.
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