From humble origins, project Dak To The Future has expanded like the universe, having gone from a Tom Thumb to an atomic bomb. What started as a well-defined destination has ended up as an adventurous journey, with possibilities becoming endless the more I learn and the further I get into the construction.
Sharing knowledge and combining efforts to solve problems speeds up the learning process, a method of fast tracking development which is used by some of the world's biggest design companies. Synergy is what it's called and the dictionary defines it as the ability of a group to produce a better result than the best individual in the group.
This sport sedan Beetle race car is the result of the thoughts and experience of many people and their contributions and assistance are the life blood of the project! It hasn't been a project of massive funds but there has bean plenty of resourcefulness.'
Part Four of the Dak To The Future series Is about making the body panels, sourcing parts and quality of parts with a bit more engine development thrown in for good measure.
With the chassis development nearly complete, the final decisions that need to be made are mainly in the selection of components like nuts, bolts and other fittings where quality or rated strength comes into the equation.
There are many grades of nuts, bolts and rod ends (heim joints) and Tom Brickley's experience in race car fabrication was a big help here. We tried several different ways of jointing the suspension before a solution finally came after repeating the old race car constructors motto of "simplify and reduce weight".
Next hurdle was trying to keep the car entirely metric. However, as the yanks produce massive quantities of planes and race cars, the aircraft quality joints for critical points in the suspension bear imperial measurements. Getting them in metric configuration would have cost three to four times as much, so the end result is a combination of both. But then again, even a Volkswagen has non-metric seat belt bolts and wheels measured in inches.
Nuts, bolts, connectors, ties, hoses, glues and fasteners of all types have been supplied by Wurth Fasteners. The quality and strength of fasteners used on the project are typical of those used in VWs whose build quality became an industry standard. Throughout the car, German hardware will be used wherever possible and given that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, believe me it is worthwhile to use the best. I once had a cheap electrical connector stop a race car for some time and I'm sure you've all heard of teams at Bathurst dropping out of the race due to the failure of a $2.60 part. When it came to wiring up the car we were delighted to find that Wurth also make all the original VW-type electrical connectors, wire and fittings.
Meanwhile, the body panels and interior fittings are attached with a thread nut insert insert kit which will allow quick stripping and reassembly of the car for servicing and maintenance reasons as well as hastening the original construction. Their strength allows for a simpler and lighter construction while the ability for quick damage repair is another feature of the car's overall design.
Installation of T4 engines into Beetles is a trend that is really starting to take off and as a result a few new developments have taken place. Having the most significance to us, is the results obtained by fiddling with the dry sump system on my 2700cc race engine after I was unhappy with the pick-up tube design. Even on the humble Beetle it is the source of many lubrication-related problems. In the end I found it easier to toss the pick-up tube altogether and let the oil fall into a mini sump to be ducted outside the case to the outside gallery plug below the inlet side of the pump. With a wet or dry sump this system has gravity on its side with only 25mm of ground clearance lost.
The custom V-Force Type 4 cylinder head we will be using is due for production late this year and as with the car, further development has taken place during the design stage. Room has been left for personal modification of the port shape if 51 x 41 sized valves are used. Also with these heads spark plug position and the number of plugs can be varied.
After getting all the loose ends tied up it was time to attack the body panels. Looking for weight reduction, a fibreglass front clip (one-piece front bonnet, guards and quarter panels) was made after a plasticise, shellac and wax mould was applied to Dave Nicol’s "L" Bug the front of mine having already been cut off. It took 24 hours but a perfect mould was made with the dedicated help of Dave and Barry. Headlights were attached prior to moulding.', so as to save weight and fittings. If real headlamps are necessary they will be plastic spotlights in the front spoiler. It took a full week to cure the mould but after that a perfect copy was made.
This one-piece front finishes under the fake Porsche headlights and below this is a modified SX Celica bumper air dam. Earlier, I had tried an early RS Porsche Carrera air dam but found It to be not as good looking as I had expected. Eventually, a custom one will be made to make the car look just right and that is why there is an old saying that says, "dreams are made out of fibreglass".
Treatment to the rear of the body consists of a combined boot lid and apron panel with the rear guards bolting on as usual while the final design of the rear Aero package will incorporate something very similar to the rear wing of a Formula 2. At the same time development did continue on the 930 "whaletail" and the Porsche 959-Inspired top wing (with LED brake light) looked so good that I have decided to use for a street car while keeping it as an option for the race car.
Once the front tyre to guard arch clearance problem is solved, the job of cleaning up the messes of construction will begin. Now painting, wiring and fitting all the brake, fuel and all lines plus fitting out the interior is all that needs to be done to get the car finished and ready for a drive which is after all what the object of this exercise was right from the beginning.
Little did I know when I started that the whole deal would end up as a trip, Dak To The Future.