The Catbox files...

[jbjetta]

I think the driveable ones are reinforced. But over time stuff does get bent and broken. So they don't usually bounce them. At least not drastically.

The competition or pro ones usually just have a rolling shell with no motor and pretty much stripped to make them as light as possible to bounce even higher.

[jbjetta]

The sound qualilty is terrible and a bit loud. Just warning you :P But here you go!

international tuningshow

international tuningshow

[CatBox]

more than you ever wanted to know is here.

http://www.layitlow.com/

http://www.ichibanhydraulics.com/index.html

yep they will box the entire frame and add heavy duty crossmembers to battle the fatigue.  i will be checking mine out when i have more time, besides its only 56 years old.  the good thing is to do so i just flip a switch and i can get under it with jackstands and every thing.

[BusDriver]

You can jack it up high enough to just put jack stands directly under it??? WOW sign me up!

[Blue]

Alright...posible thread jack...but....not a VW, but my favorite air hop so far...

lowriders

Bad Ass....just sayin'

Blue

[CatBox]

well that is just dandy :o

i havent had to do anything to the bug other than get in and drive.  so far it had been really reliable since i put it on the raod a couple of years ago.  the only isssues i have had so far are age related cables and their opportunistic times of breakage.  both on the freeway and both requiring a tow but not difficult to fix.

the new tranny is still sitting in the garage waiting on the engine to be rebuilt. 

oh yeah i had to haul all of my crap home from the office a wekk or so ago as i was laid off after a whole month of feeling good about myself again...well back to the job search again.  just rebuiling my resume and then call call call.  i still havent emptied my car of the stuff i brought home.


 ;D

[Matty]

Is the engine waiting on funds or the builder???

[CatBox]

the re-builder.

he is a well known guy around these parts, he is just building a new garage at the moment.

the longer it takes the less extra cash i will have for it as i am going to the swap meet this weekend to look for parts for the chevy.

oh and i rewired the chevy's hydraulics the other day only removing 11 twisted and taped wire connections.  it is way more responsive and not to mention solid and clean looking.

the rest of the car i will rewire with a kit as it is the same way....

just have to pick the kit and then dig in. easy-pesy

[Matty]

chock up another outbreak of PO wiring  ;)

[CatBox]

yeah and i put way to much faith in him as he runs a auto repair shop that continually has these setting outside...

[Matty]

well, on the plus side, at least you'll know for sure whats wired where when you're done  ;)

[CatBox]

yeah thats the truth.

so when i brough it home and hadnt taken it anywhere yet.  i was goofin off one day with the motor running, so i popped the hood and looked in.  what do i see?  the fuel filter that runs across the valve cover jumping and jerking around.  so i start investigating and look around to see the alternator at a wonky angle jiggling around. hmmm i know he put this in instead of the 6V generator.  i turned the engine off and grabbed the thing and moved it around with my hand.

thats not right.

it was hanging on with the flimsy top mount and the positive charging wire that was strung across the valve cover piano wire tight between the battery and alternator then under the fuel line making it dance.  also not good.

[CatBox]

so the next time out i removed the alternator to find the lower bolt hole had been stripped out and what they did was to pound a 1/4" carridge bolt into the hole, smart real smart.  if you arent in the know that is a bolt that has a rounded top and a square shank under the head so it can be tightened up. 

so smarty pants stripped the hole and then puts a too small no grade bolt into it that was spaced out witha giant nut to get some alingment. the bolt that originally went in there is a 5/16". 

well being that i dont like his idea of crap i went to home depot and picked up the correct next size up hardware and proceeded to do it right.  it cost me a whole five bucks in hardware and one piece of 1/2" tubing.

so i drilled the stripped hole to just over 3/8".  i also had to do this to the generator bracket holes.  with an 8" bolt i will be able to pass through all of the pieces and still be able to align the pulleys with specially constructed metal discs that are the same size as the bolt i am going to use.  they even have the hole in the center to booot.

[Matty]

what, no duct tape??? I've done me some mickey mouse fixing before, but not when it comes to something like dancing fuel lines and electrical systems. Guess its good you didn't have a flame show to go with your mad hops yo!

[CatBox]

crazy i know.

the tubing i got was for between the generator bracket arms to make the mounting a solid piece.  with the whole thing put togther i looked at the upper adjustment bracket that was now bent out of shape and way to far forward for the alternator, i proceeded to beat the bends and factory offset out of it on my trusty rail road track.  when it was arrow straight i took it back to the car and low and behold it was in the perfect position. 

whew this is terribly difficult so far....exhausting even, now i know why he took the easy way out...

as for the crazy tight wire (it was tight enough to wear off paint where it touched the intake) i went into the garage and rummaged for all of a minute and came up with a roll of 10 guage power wire.  i then proceeded to run this in an out of the way clean location along the perimeter of the engine compartment, instead of the straight line method, ya know cause there is so little room in there.

when i got to the battery i found more wiring genius.  his power wire for his aftermarket stereo was stripped and wrapped around the bare part of the terminal.