Buggy Reflections

MyBlueBuggy · Post by **MyBlueBuggy** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 6:01 am

The buggy recorded over 7,000 miles recently and during that time it's gone through a few changes. Some obvious, some not so much. Since starting this build in 2003 I continually enjoy my car and I really think that pleasure increases with each day.

For a period of over a year the buggy was a daily driver. During winter and summer I drove it around town and even made it on a few buggy runs. It's cold in December and hot in July. Doesn't really matter though. Somehow when I'm driving the buggy the weather and temps doesn't seem to affect me much.

This year, however, I've had the buggy in the garage since the Manx Club event in Mammoth Lakes. I've started it occasionally to warm it up, get the gas flowing through the carbs, and keep the battery charged. Driving it was not necessarily a priority as the rains have come a bit more and while I have driven the buggy in more brutal conditions (think Clear Lake) it isn't really something I look forward to. I intended to use the down time this winter to make some necessary and even critical changes and improvements to the car. Heck, when I first started driving it in 2006 I never really got it to the point where I thought it was finished. There are things I still need to do to bring it to a more completed state. Unfortunately I miscalculated the actual time I would have to spend on the car this winter and the buggy got neglected somewhat until about two weeks ago.

I'm not sure what happened but lately I have felt more and more the need to pay attention to my little blue car. One evening I sat at my work bench and looked at the car. I grabbed a piece of paper and started to write down all the things I wanted to do. By the time I was finished writing, I've added a few things since, I had filled the entire paper. This week I addressed one item, "Lower the rear suspension", and crossed it off the list. I've got a long way to go but it feels good to work on the buggy again.

As a result of this recent work I have been driving the car a bit and it has been an absolute blast. I've shaken off the winter cobwebs and it feels great. This buggy is unexpected therapy. I've braved the cold temperatures of the morning in anticipation of beautiful afternoon drives home after work. I've driven in the evenings regardless of the dropping temps. It's funny, I used to open the garage and stare at the choices of cars to drive and always chose the one with the heater. Tonight it was the other way around. I actually got in to one car out of habit and got out to drive my buggy. What fun!

I love my car and it feels great to be driving it again. This doesn't mean I'm going to neglect it. I have some things to address that involve safety and that takes utmost priority. The repairs and upgrades will happen but I'm planning on doing them in such a way that I won't be without my car for an extended period of time. I cant be without my buggy to drive. I'm going to enjoy it as much as I can.

Gene-C · Post by **Gene-C** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 10:57 pm

Tom
When I got back from Mojave road
as per usual I put Gadget up on the rack for inspection besides theupgrade stuff I always seem to add and waiting to do.
The next thing I new The hood and windshield was off then the suspension was off
Its amazing what you find comes loose or off from a run
So of coarse while the hood is up I might as well do my upgrades and then my wife asked her usual question of What and Why again.
Every run is just another shakedown run
but this trip alone

replace rear master cyclinder and while I was there I added a residual valve
Lube and clean the front end
Fix the short under the dash and rewire the Cig lighter while I was there
Clean up and replace some questionable wiring
Change front tank fuel filter
Clean and touch up paint

then I moved to the rear end

Oil Change
Clean the air cleaners
Clean rear fuel filter and tighten loose tank bolts
repair and modify the exhaust springs and exhaust
Change the oil Cooler that Blew on the trip
I saw the buggy was leaning to one side to I took reaigned the rear torsion arms and replced the Plastic gommets while I was there,
and hopefully help with the squeeking but they were all worn out really bad
Adjust the brakes
then when I started it up and see how it sounded the Carb linkage was really off and of coarse a set screw fell out of the linkage arm
Phew! Before I took gadget off the rack I did some more checking again but I'm all done and ready for the next trip

But this is typical after every trip, some maintence, repairs and up grades as you go

A lot of people don't realize how much Vibration your car goes through and the havoc it creates
I would rather fix these a head of time on the rack before a run than on the side of the road at the run

ManxManiac · Post by **ManxManiac** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 10:25 pm

Hey Tom, I've found that "any time" I spend with our buggy "Xena" is about the best therapy around! Whether I'm driving her, working on her or just sitting & looking at her, the aches & pains go away, my mind clears up & I get sort of tingly all over!
Since June 2000, we've driven Xena almost 80,000 miles!!! I had hoped to hit the 100K mark by now, but health issues these last few years have slowed my wife Patricia & I down!
Xena has never let us down, she's been the most dependable vehicle I've ever owned! We had one throttle cable break about 10 years ago & that's been about it! Her rear tires are almost 11 years old & getting thin, so I'm going to replace them real soon!
I'm still going to put the 140/220hp, reverse-rotation, 6 cylinder, air-cooled Corvair engine on her, so I'm sure she'll be even more FUN FUN FUN to drive!
Patricia & I are still planning on some long distance buggy trips, once the engine swap is finished & a few things are upgraded!
Life is short... Keep using your buggy & enjoying it!

73SpeedBuggy · Post by **73SpeedBuggy** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 5:13 am

Out here, we're still at least two months away from where I consider dewinterizing my buggy. It's always right about this time that I start spending a lot of quality time in the garage working on her. For me it's like foreplay!

1856 · Post by **1856** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 8:10 pm

... We're pushing snow here too and there's more expected through the week...
And we're at 500 ft elevation.
MnC

MyBlueBuggy · Post by **MyBlueBuggy** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:22 pm

Well, the buggy is back in the garage in semi hibernation. Temps dropped and the rains came and are expected to remain for at least a week. That brief respite was just enough to get the juices flowing. Hopefully I can post more progress reports soon. I really want to get buggy honey-do list finished before the Mammoth Lakes run.

louisb · Post by **louisb** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 2:18 pm

Hit 82 here today, blue skys, low humidity. Weather is so nice I am having a hard time convincing myself to get into the garage and work on the buggy.

--louis