Fun with Play Doh!

I made a ply wood panel,(out of the old shipping crate my "Outlaw" body came in), to cover the battery, screw motor and gas tank. I want it to be easy to get at them, and not have to lay on my back to swap stuff out or do a repair. I welded 4 small tabs and threaded them so 1/4 X 20 bolts would hold the panel in place. To make up the difference around the removable wood panel, I mixed up some of that gooey plaster and vermiculite concoction and dipped my wads of newspaper into it, and started to build up a shape that would not interfere with the goings on in the engine compartment area and the cockpit area. I have it all shaped out and painted with old house paint. So, all I have to do now is wax it up a few times, and then start laying up fiberglass matt over it. I'll grind up the sides of the inner body, so when I put the fiberglass out I will glue it right to the sides of the car body and that will be that! After it all cures, I'll pull the body off and do some fiberglass touch up work and scrape the plaster off the back side. I think I will make up a dashboard before the body comes off cause I have all the stuff out to do it, and it will get me that much closer to being done quicker. What have you guys been building? Let"s see those projects! Get out in the garage and build something! Fritz

Bandeeto Stuff

Been doing all sorts of odd ball stuff. Posting parts on ebay to sell to get a few extra bucks to buy things for the "Baja Bandeeto". Cleaning up old junk in the yard, and making a scrap metal pile so I can cash it in for some extra money. It aint cheap to build these fantasy bubble top cars ya know! I have gotten some work done though. I got a little gas tank made and bolted it into place. It should hold about two gallons of gas give or take a coffee cup or two. Really, all I need is enough to drive it in and out of my car trailer and maybe toll around the fair grounds at a show. The one thing that did take some time, was getting the bubble top inner ring set up, cut to size, make a hinge, machine up spacers, and all that jazz. It took some time, but it all works fine. I got it all in place, and used a small set of jumper wires to test it all out. Next thing I should probably do is drill the inner ring out so I can bolt the bubble and outer ring to it for fitment. A good view of all the workings that will be hidden behind a removable panel. Here's a close up of the gas tank and the screw motor in it, tower all mounted to the inner bubble ring. I have made some nice progress on the Volkswagen engine also. Got the long block built and painted black, then a little at a time, I have been bolting on all the "CHROME!" You gotta love this stuff. I do have to say That I got all the parts from "Mid America Motorworks", when I ordered everything I was told only the main bearings were on back order. Funny thing is they were the first thing I got in the mail, and I am still waiting for two months now for the last of my order to be shipped! Two months WTF? I don't know how they have been to any of you other VW fans out there, but I probably will never order from them again. I feel screwed. One thing that does baffle me, if the chrome on the fan shroud is really nice for a made in Taiwan piece, but a baffle on the inside is in the wrong place, and hits the oil cooler when you try to install it. So, you'll have to whack it with a hammer or what ever to move it over. You get what you pay for I guess. Usually I like to pay the freight and have factory parts chromed, but I had to work with what I had, and didn't have it in my hands. The parts were OK, and I got what I expected, but their customer service sucks! What do you guys think? I'd love to hear from ya. Now get out in the garage and build something FRITZ

Road to "Metallica" Part 2

So here we are with part 2 gang, In Atlantic City under the big top with James Hetfield's custom car show. It was great to see so many of my friends that I had no idea would also be there! Dave Perewitz, Steve Bongie, Paul Cox, Lou Calasibetta, Vic Collins and so many other great guys! I wont bore you with a lot of text so we'll just jump into the photos OK. Next time we post, I'll be updating you guys on the "Baja Bandeeto" This kick ass 1947 Indian Chief belongs to Steve Bongie. Like me, he is a big gear head and Major Ed "Big Daddy" Roth fan. The "Munster Coach" & "Dragula", you know you love these Cars. You watched the show every week like the rest of us, and never missed a re-run 'cause of these two Rods. A really clean sweet generator Shovel Head. Lou's Alexander Brother built custom '56 Chevy James Hetfield's radical custom pair at the front of the row. A super cool shoe box Ford custom.

The Road to "Metallica"

So, a while ago I get a call from my friend Rick Dore, that he is putting together the cars to be in James Hetfield's display at this big metal rock concert a la palooza thing they are having in Atlantic City, New Jersey. "Are you and the Roswell Rod available?", "You betcha we are!". It's funny how things work out 'cause the Roswell Rod was fresh off a show tour with Championship Auto Shows and sitting in their warehouse in Detroit. I had to go pick it up anyway, and Detroit is kinda on the way to Atlantic City. Seeing as how I am gonna be so close to Long Island I might as well stop in and do some visiting. So Carrol and I pack our stuff and about 10 days or so before the Metallica show we head off to visit with Bob Larivee and pick up the Roswell Rod. Bob's a great guy and is the head honch at Championship Auto Shows. They put on a bunch of the indoor winter car shows that you have probably been to. Maybe next year they will take the "Baja Bandeeto" on tour, who knows! After I get all loaded and mess with a trailer brake problem that poped up on the road, we are off for long island. One of the fun places we like to stop is at "Skyline Chili" in Ohio. You Ohio guys know what I'm talking about. I get mine on spaghetti 5 ways! I usually go to visit with my folks for Thanksgiving but seeing as how it is Summer and I get to visit I brought my Harley Electra Glide with me so I could bust around in style, while seeing friends and such. The fist thing we did was stop at a diner and get a cheeseburger deluxe. It is a New York thing I guess, there really aren't diners any place else like there are in New York. In part 2 we'll check out James Hetfields hand picked car show in Atlantic City! Fritz

It's Exhausting

Since all the stuff I need hasn't come yet to rebuild the VW engine, I started working on the exhaust pipes. I had a box of old bends and some stock Harley exhaust pipes that I dug out of an H-D dealers dumpster. That's all I really needed to get going, and more then likely finish the Bandeeto's exhaust up! I used the head flanges from the dune buggy pipes I robbed from the ED Roth trike, and grafted them to the Harley 1 3/4 pipe. I plan on welding 4 chopper style baffles into each individual pipe, to give it a little back pressure, so its not to loud and annoying. Somewhere along my path in life I acquired these carb stack tops. I'm thinking they are from Webber's or something of the sort. Either way, they will make a nice bell trumpet tip for all 4 header pipes when I am done. I pretty much spent a good part of my weekend sitting in that little 5 by 5 foot space on the floor behind the engine. What did you guys get done? Get out in the garage and build something! FRITZ

Have a Seat

I haven't been getting as much done as I'd like. Been staying late at work trying to get a big job there done, and coming home to work on the "Baja Bandeeto" for only an hour sometimes less. So far, I have gotten the seats placed and I welded some bolts to 1/8th steel strips. I drilled a hole through the seat, and the floor pan, put the bolts with the steel strips in the holes, and bolted it all up from the underside of the floor pan. What I'm gonna do is fiberglass the steel strips right to the fiberglass bucket seat. This way the bolts will always be in place. That's it for now, get out in the Garage and build something. Fritz

Let There Be Tail Lights!

Not a bunch to report this time gang. I spent the weekend getting my trailer ready for a show we are doing on the east coast. I was doing brakes and wheel bearings etc., so my time in the garage working on the "Baja Bandeeto" was limited. I got the 1964 Ford tail lights mounted onto the body. I think they look a lot better then the earlier Ford units I had mounted on it 2 years ago. Also I took the stock exhaust system stuff off and fiddled around with the old header pipes that come off the Ed Roth trike that I robbed the motor from. Had to take the wheel off the passenger side, and when I went to put it back on, the stupid lug nut bound up its threads on the wheel stud and I had to breake it to get the wheel back off. What the heck man? I chased the threads on the stud and lug nuts when I put it all together the first time? "Ugh!" I'll hit the auto parts store after work tomorrow and get a new one, and maybe put a dab of axle grease on the threads this time. A bit of a set back nothing major. what did you guys get done? Fritz