Pedals, Brakes and Wheels

With the rear brake lines finally fitted with the new custom brackets, I turned my attention to two other areas of concern; the pedals and the wheels.

Missing pedal stop

The missing piece

The pedals had been refurbished after purchasing the set used at Austin VeeDub.  I went to install them a couple of weeks earlier, but discovered that they would not stay in a resting position because I was missing a part.  This was the pedal stop, a two dollar piece of steel with a hole for a bolt and a curved lip to keep the pedal set from flopping backward when released.

Hole drilled in the pan

Bolt up through it...

The reason I missed it was because the original piece was on the rusted out floor pan, and I think I threw it away.  I don't recall seeing it and it isn't in any of the early pictures, so it may have been missing.

...and the pedal stop is in.

Stopping the pedals...

In any case, it can be hard to catch something you didn't know was supposed to be there, but it was an easy and inexpensive fix.  I ordered the part and installed it in a few minutes.  I drilled a hole in the floor pan where the bolt was supposed to go, then slipped it up through the bottom side.  I used some epoxy to hold the bolt head in place and mounted the stop with no trouble.  Then, with the accelerator and clutch cables connected, the whole assembly fit together perfectly.

Drag out the wheels...

...and buff 'em and paint 'em

The next step was to get the car back on its wheels and tires.  What I really wanted to do next was to put the engine back on the car so I could test it, but I knew this couldn't happen until I had the wheels and tires back on because I knew the weight of the engine made it more likely to tip over on the jack stands that had held the chassis for over a year.  I just didn't want to risk the whole thing falling on the ground.

That lovely VW mark

The wheels were a bit of a rusty mess.  I had the tires removed many months ago, to make the storage easier.  I stuck the wheels up under the chassis, so if they weren't rusty when I put them there, they were when I took them out.  It was all just surface rust and a lot of grime.  I set to work cleaning the wheels and this was one of the most labor-intensive jobs I had on the car so far.  I must have spent at least two hours cleaning, buffing, blasting, sanding and painting each wheel.  This was a tedious and particularly boring job, and if it hadn't been for the vision of the car finally back on a set of tires, I might not have done it.  I kept my shoulder to the wheels, so to speak, and in about two weeks I had them ready for tires.

First wheel goes on

Polish the old hubcaps

Tires were a bit of a problem.  Originally I envisioned buying a set of used tires just to put the car back on the ground.  Figuring it would be another year at least, I thought I could wait to buy a new set of rubber when I was ready to put the body back on.  Well the best laid plans never work out.  In fact used tires for an old VW are nonexistent because they are just not on the road in the numbers they used to be.  So, I had to figure out a way to buy a new set.  This wasn't easy because at this point I have just about run out of money.  I sure didn't have the $300 needed to go get my shiny clean wheels clad in fresh rubber, but I couldn't wait any longer.  So I went to Walmart and bought a set of tires on credit, putting $100 down and planning to pay of the balance at $50 a month.  I had my tires that afternoon, and in a few short minutes, I had reached a major milestone.

The Ghia was back on her feet.

Voila!  A rolling chassis

Next I had to finish the brake system.  Two major pieces were now missing, the front-to-back hard line and the brake fluid reservoir.  The former was relatively easy.  I had the part and it was just a matter of bending it into the right shape and hooking it up.  Like the other lines, it was a little long, but a little looping at the end made it all fit.  I went around and tightened all the fittings again, just to make sure they wouldn't leak when pressure was applied.

Front-to-back brake line

Under the pedals

But before I could apply any pressure to the brakes, I had to fill the lines with fluid.  And to do that, I had to install the brake fluid reservoir and the hoses that connect it to the master cylinder.  This wasn't easy because the the bracket onto which the reservoir properly mounts is actually on the body, up under the hood.  So I needed a temporary bracket to mount it, and this meant making one from scratch.

Cardboard template

It's the wrong size...too short

Like my brake line brackets, this one started with a cardboard template.  I measured it, cut it out and bent it into shape.  I figured out a way to mount it to the floor using one of the drain holes already in it and put it in.  Right away, I found out that my design was flawed.  The bracket was too low and it caused the hoses to buckle.

New bracket and reservoir mounted

This time it fits

This wasn't going to work, so I re-designed the bracket, cut it out and installed it.  This one, about six inches taller, worked perfectly.  I hooked up the hoses and mounted the reservoir to the bracket with a simple screw and a wire harness.  It looks a bit goofy, but it's only temporary after all.

Next, it's time to put the engine back on the chassis.