Casa de Fye's autos...

[vwfye]

i know that the automatic is over built and a drain on the HP to the ground and MPG, but something still seems amiss.

[vwfye]

The notchback is back on the ground with the ride height settled. front tires will be slightly taller than what is on there now. the turbo stuff isn't too obvious...

[vwfye]

been out bleeding the brakes on the Notch with my father (great bonding time) today. next is to put a battery back in and make sure the line loc functions and the fuel line is leak free. after that, it's just a couple little things before the booms and bangs get to try and happen.

[vwfye]

well, the notchback roared to life today!!! now I just have to reposition the shift road so i can find 1, 2 and reverse. (bug transmission in a type 3) Apparently we didnt' guess very well. doh

[vwfye]

I am putting carbs back on the notch speedster's 2332 for now. the MFI will have to wait another year. so... i'm taking my 40 IDFs and adding 38mm venturies, re-jetting and seeing what happens!

[vwfye]

after 3.5 years (to the day), i drove my notchback on the street!!! Went down the street and back (about 1/2 mile) and then shut it off. Now to crawl under it and slowly work from one end to the other and make sure everything is tightened, there are no leaks and install the bellows and oil filter.

[vwfye]

augh.... went for a drive in the rain today... everything is working well, but the car would not idle. if i up the idle enough to hold w/o my foot, then it wants to race. i know i just have to wrap my brain around these dcnf carbs, but it's sooooo close it's driving me nuts! still can't get the regulator under 4lbs of fuel pressure, so it looks like i've got to find one at a FLAPS here in 'neckville, OR.

[vwfye]

did a long drive today in the notch today... freeway, 6% grade, back roads and am pretty happy! i have a fuel line that doesn't want to seat on a carb to deal with, but everything else did really well! adjusted the idle on the carbs a bit and they try and hold an idle after getting full warm.

the top of the case after the full run was under 220F, the sump plate was at 192F, the oil cooler was 70F cooler than the sump plate and the car is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much more quiet than the squareback! all in all, a good morning.

[vwfye]

Well, I just drove 6,000 km in the Notch. There were issues, but they were set up issues, not car issues per say.

The car is now ready for the turbo to go on full time!

[Editor]

I heard you had a good drive to the Carthage Invasion. Good to hear it all went well.

[vwfye]

interesting drive...

pro rebuilt carbs not rebuilt, too much fuel pressure from my fuel pump, bent tie rod (wiped out tires), points closed, lost an oil line at freeway speed, and no air conditioning in record heat.

other than that, uneventful

[Editor]

Shame about the carbs. They say if you want something doing, do it yourself, and as Jim says, "No-one else cares as much about your car as you do".

Still, I'm glad it wasn't worse!

[vwfye]

oh, me too! the return trip was uneventful... just had mismatched wheels for any photo ops

[vwfye]

got rid of the rubberband front tires and went to a 175/55/15 kumho. less rake, which is a bummer, but more beam to ground clearance for the tarmac!

[vwfye]

[vwfye]

I've been driving the Notch on the new 175/55/15 front tires and love it! I liked the rake with the 165/45/15s better, but it's nice to have some sidewall on the tires when hitting bad roads. I'm still waiting to see if I have to sell my squareback or if I can financially afford to keep it as part of my fleet.

[vwfye]

I'm somewhat disappointed with the DCNF carbs... every 2.0 or bigger engine I've had with dellortos has be in the 28+ MPG range, these are only netting 25-26 mpg. I really think it has something to do with the spill over on hard cornering, but I have no conclusive evidence yet.

[Editor]

That's US gallons isn't it Brian, or have you converted it for the UK? Sounds pretty reasonable. I didn't even get that with my 1600 camper on UK gallons (about 25% larger)!

[vwfye]

It is US gallons Dave, err... Editor. But, this set up should be pulling better MPG. These carbs are notorious for fuel spilling past the floats on corners, and here (as you know) there are lots of corners.

[Editor]

I've only managed 28 mpg (US) on long gentle runs around 60mph with the 1600 and twin stock Solex. Still, no reason a 2.0 should use any more under non-race conditions I suppose, but I thought they might.

[vwfye]

Well, my wifey (bless her heart) and daughters have decided that the purple notch is not going to be my race car. they informed me that they had too much fun cruising in it this year. so... i was informed that the speedster notch (being a 2 seater) was a better candidate. let's see... bigger engine, lighter car, 6pt roll hoop already installed... hmmmmmmmmmm and a turbo! this could be extra, extra fun/scary!

btw Dave I need a notchback avatar in this color!!!

[vwfye]

some video of the car cruising part of the 4200 mile round trip from Oregon to Misery (oops... Missouri) and back!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mfHGMioV4k

[Editor]

Steve did the avatars originally - not sure if we can get more on the gallery - will try. Anyone got a Type 34 outline?

[vwfye]

it's okay... the pink speedster would be tough, eh?

[Editor]

Well I tried to make a pink Notch Avatar for you - got the avatar modified and uploaded, but the transparency is wrong - have to sort that. Bigger problem is the board became disabled - what did I do wrong?

So I've removed the avatar, which didn't re-enable the board, but seems the software disables it automatically, and I found how to enable it again by Googling the problem.

I've tried again - I thought I'd selected transparency, but it's OK on white but not on the blue background - I'll need expert help on this, but the board is working now, which is the main thing - phew!

I could do the speedster if you like, once I get the transparency issue sorted, but I guess a Type 34 takes precedence really.