Almost garage fire!

Last weekend my garage almost caught fire! The sum of current drawn by the electric heater and the dremel, radio and mobile charger was to much for the old multiple socket outlet. Luckily I smelt a strange aroma! I checked the wires of all connected items and some of them were almost too hot to touch! So, I unplugged everything directly.
First thing I bought a new multi socket outlet with incorporated fuse and a far more robust design, I hope not to face this risk again. Of course, I will connect the electric heater in another, separate fused outlet from now on!

This is the new multi socket outlet:

with switch and fuse:

So, what went wrong? Let's check the old one: Looks normal at first sight:

 one of the 4 pairs of contact bars shows a different color (bottom right):

those contact bars and the connection to the cable must have been veeery hot: 

 upon closer inspection: This is a "normal" locator pin and contact hole:

this is the other one: locator pin and contact hole totally molten, the contact area has burn marks:

I think I was lucky to "smell the problem"

Guys, check your power supply and watch for overall current consumption!!! A max. of 3500 Watt is the limit, with good cable and no spools in the extension cords!
Wrench safely!!!

New seal for the gearbox

Today I replaced the seal on the input shaft of the IRS gear box:

... and I cleaned all the mess as well!
The rest of the day I spent working on the Volksstreaker: http://volksstreaker.blogspot.de/

IRS subframe continued

Today I spent some time in the garage to continue the IRS build. I started cleaning the internals and installed a new shift rod bushing and gave the nose cone a lick of paint:

(The reverse light switch is installed as well)

Then I cleaned the mating surfaces:

A new gasket was prepared...

... and the nose cone found its new home - the correct Type 3 hockey stick is installed as well - the countersunk is pointing toward the bottom:

Then I loctited the missing threaded pin on the frame...

... and started painting the whole thing:

(The paint is still wet, it will be semi gloss black in the end)

Rosmalen 2015

Yesterday we headed to Rosmalen to meet some friends, pick up some parts and eat some french fries...
I am too lazy for a write up - and Thorsten, who is a writer by trade, did a perfect write up on his blog: aircooled-winterfest-Rosmalen

Here is what I found for my aircooled rides:

A Bilstein jack (which will be restored and mounted in the trunk), a ground strap and a rubber gearbox mount for the Volksback and a lot of stuff for the Volksstreaker: A set of floor mats, a gas filler cap with lock,  NOS wiper arms and Bosch blades and a new brake line, as I had to exchange a leaking line.

New Year = New spirit! A good step forward on the hybrid subframe!

Today was a mild day, so I worked a little on the subframe!
First step: Clean the welds and apply some primer to avoid surface rust:

Then I wanted to test fit the IRS arms, but I had to insert new poly-bushings first!
So I painted the area of the arms where the bushing go:

Always apply plenty of grease!

The next part was the gearbox rear cradle (which I bought already 3 years ago in Bitburg!)

Of course I wanted to test fit the gearbox now, but as it is a 1303 unit, the nose cone had to be changed - and the hockey stick as well . Remember, Type 3 models have a different location for the shift rod coupler!
This is the donor gearbox, an "AT" ratio, 1303 box!

As I need the 2-bolt pattern, the nose cone had to be changed:

(on the left, the Type 3 hockey stick and the new rubber mounts for the cradle)

Here is a comparison between 3-bolt and 2-bolt pattern:

The oil had to be drained - a stinky mess of +40 years old rotten slime!

I checked the drain plug for signs of wear, but there was only a little debris on the magnet - a good sign!

All that goo came off easily + the thread was cleaned, as it was heavily corroded on the outer end (see above) :

Here are the hockey sticks: Note the different hole locations:

The new nose cone will get a new brass bushing and a new oil seal:

Afterwards I could mock-up everything:

Now it was time to check the most important issue: Will there be enough room for the CV joint?

 YES!!! Success!!!

So, I was in the mood to check the Cup bar:

All in all a real efficient afternoon!