Connections: Lines, Hoses, Wires, etc.

Now that the big parts are done it is time to start worrying about all the little things that are needed to make it run. The pedals are mounted but need to be connected. The fuel lines and brake lines need to run from the front to the back. Electrical parts need wiring.

As you saw earlier the pedals are in place. I bought Jamar Performance pedals which are designed for off-road VW vehicles.

 

The fuel line that connects to the motor is thinner in diameter because that is what a VW bug motor fuel pump can handle.

We converted the trike to disc brakes and hydraulic clutch for safety. The brake line and hydraulic clutch line are mounted to the master cylinder reservoir.

 

the lines run along the trike to the back where the motor sits. Here’s a picture of the pedals and lines from the front

you can see how the lines come up and run along the underside of the tank. Since we went with a split tank design a fuel line needs to run across from one half to the other.

 

The fuel petcock connects the main tank output to the fuel line.

 and then the fuel line also runs along the underside of the tank to the motor in the back.

The fuel line that connects to the motor is thinner in diameter because that is what a VW bug motor fuel pump can handle

The fuel line is bent with a special pipe bending tool 

The brake lines are run the same way but use a different kind of pipe. One of our challenges was going from Army Navy standard pipe fitting sizes to metric VW sizes. Luckily the brake reservoirs had adaptors.

The connection for the shifting mechanism was another challenge. In standard VW bugs the linkage is built into the floor pan and most people do not have to deal with it. In Baja bugs the linkage is longer than we would need for a trike. I ended up ordering a shift linkage kit from Possum Pride Trikes  in Missouri to keep our project moving forward. 

The shift linkage connects the underside of the shift stick

under the body of the vehicle

 and connects to the transmission

 and of course we customized the ride with a signature stick shift handle

California law requires one outside mirror. They had several lying around so I picked the perfect one

The last major challenge was wiring. We did not need an entire bug wiring harness so instead we went with using wires, relays, and a marine fuse block. Once again TrikerDon was a great resource for wiring and wiring diagrams.

C started by welding a flat plate onto the frame for a wiring surface.

I bought cheap trailer LED lights because they need to because the law requires all vehicle lights be DOT approved. Once they were mounted in a place where they were legally visible in all required locations they looked kind of hokey. Eventually they may be replaced once funds have been replenished.

The wires were soldered to the connections and run along the frame.

Once we have running lights, brake lights, and turn lights, we mount small reverse lights below. 

When all the wiring is finished the terminal block is much fuller. We used a marine grade fuse box since the trike will spend its entire time outdoors.

Now that the wiring is complete we can start her up and take her for a drive. However, she is not quite done.