December Newsletter
Previous Event: Wild Buggers Mexican 200 km run. Sunday 11 November.
As we arrived at the assembly point everyone was in a happy space, dressed up as Mexicans. Vernon and Nicole entertained with some Mariachi music - Vernon on guitar and Nicole played air Maracas!
8 buggies in total joined the run, 4 of them which was potential new members… They stood there and their facial expressions clearly said Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…..!
In true Wild Bugger fashion, we had a rocky start, with numerous stops shortly after departure. But, desperate times calls for desperate measures… After adjusting the timing by ear, Skobbejak turned from Slow Poke Rodriguez to Speedy Gonzalez!
Driving over the Malan’s Hoogte Pass via Occultdale Road, and then from Slent road to Windmeul Kelder, through a very scenic, twisty road, we made our first pit-stop at a farm stall close to the Wellington crossing, where the vulnerable among us stocked up on huge home made pies!
Next stop was at The Lady Loch Bridge – the oldest steel bridge in South Africa, dating back to 1910.
From there we took the Hasekraal Road, and made a few scenic stops along the way, admiring the beautiful wheat fields that are ready for harvesting.
Next stop was at the old Post Office Tree, between Riebeek Kasteel and Hermon. This tree was written about in Pieter Cruythoff and Jan van Riebeeck’s diaries when they explored the Riebeek Valley in 1661.
We visited the Red Ox in Riebeek Kasteel, which was made as a commemoration of the Great Trek by Christoffel Basson in 1938.
From Riebeek Wes, we took the gravel road towards Gouda, and stopped for 
lunch under the bluegum trees at the Grassroots Gate.
After a very hot and dusty trip, the group decided that we will take the shortest route back to the club house! We took the gravel road from Gouda to Malmesbury. Now the guys were on fire, drifting around the corners and spinning at every opportunity. At Riebeek Wes we stopped to regroup, pumped some tyres, and Kevin showed us how to do handbrake parking on tar – without breaking a sweat.
In Malmesbury, at the first garage, some guys rinsed the worst of the dust off with the window squeegee and water cans! After some fueling up, it was straight to Melkbos via Atlantis and Brakkenfontein road.
A last drink and a group photo at the clubhouse, concluded the
211km trip in honor of Bruce Meyers and Old Red and the classic Mexican 1000 Race.
Although everybody was full of dust, it was a very memorable run!
Click here to see all the photos of this event:
Next Event: Year-end Function. 8 December.
The yearend function will be on 8 December at El Lions. Invitations have been sent out to all paid members. Any further information will be communicated via the watsapp group. Can't wait to see you all there....It's going to be a good one!!!!
Groete
Karin
Next Next Event: 7 Day Adventure. 27 December – 3 January .
We ran into some accommodation problems and therefore had to make a slight change in the route.
We will leave on 27 December to Ceres where we will stay at Klondyke cherry farm for 2 nights. From there we will leave on 29 December for Clanwilliam where we will stay for another 2 nights at Highlanders campsite. We will then leave there on 31 December for Piketberg where we will stay at Scheppie Saus over the new year. On 2 January we will head home.
Total cost for the trip works out to R590 per person (accommodation only).
I will need confirmations by 15 September and deposits paid by 30 September as I need to pay deposits over to the camp sites by end of September in order to keep our bookings.
More information to follow closer to the time.
Vernon & Karen
SWOP SHOP
Members can advertise their business here or whatever you want to advertise here for free. Just mail me your add: anton@kleynbegin.co.za
Accounting Services: Personal TAX & Provisional TAX, CC's, PTY's, Books & Statements, Special letters, VAT etc. Phone Sandra 084-3589 846 or E-mail sandra@smitaccountants.co.za or see her website at www.smitaccountants.co.za
Biltong & Droë Wors, honey, dried Fruit & Nuts can be bought from Kleyn Begin. Contact Naomi – 08 28 48 68 55. Or E-mail them at info@kleynbegin.co.za or see their website www.kleynbegin.co.za
ONLINE - SWOP SHOP.
Other great Club places you can use to buy or sell your Beach Buggy or Air-cooled parts that will be viewed by 1000’s of people.
http://www.facebook.com/beachbuggyclub
Technical.
Clutch Cable Replacement
- Loosen the lug nuts on the left rear wheel. Raise the rear of the car and support it securely on jack stands. Remove the wheel.
- Crawl under the car and removing the clutch adjusting wingnut completely from the cable. Pull the rear end of the broken cable out of the car.
Note: Be sure to save the rubber boot that slips over the end of the tube (called the "Bowden" tube) that the cable comes out of.
- Move into the cabin to the pedal cluster under the driver's feet. Find the forward end of the clutch cable attached to the clutch pedal shaft. Unhook the cable from the shaft.
Pedal Cluster Showing
the Clutch Pedal Shaft
(Part #26)
- Note the location of the forward end of the clutch cable guide tube that the cable goes in to, as you will need to guide the new cable back into this tube.
- Pull the clutch cable forward and out of the car.
- Guide the end of the clutch cable (the one with the threaded fitting on it) into the clutch cable guide tube under the pedal cluster.
- Push the cable to the rear, coating it with multi-purpose grease as you go.
Note: Be very careful not to get grease on the upholstery or carpeting.
- Sometimes the threaded end of the clutch cable will hang up inside the Bowden tube, making it difficult to push the cable through. The solution to this is fairly simple: the Bowden tube is removable--if you can't get the threaded end of the cable to go through it, grab the Bowden tube at the gearbox end and push/bend it towards the front to free it from the holding bracket on the gearbox. You can then pull it rearward and remove it from the car completely. (Make sure the car is resting firmly on jack stands -- it will take some umph to compress the Bowden tube enough to get it out of the holding bracket, and you certainly don't want to push the car off of it's supports and down onto you!.)
- Reinstallation of the Bowden tube is the reverse -- first thread the new cable through the Bowden tube, push the tube itself into the hole that it fits in at the front end, then thread the cable thru the holding bracket on the gearbox and push/bend the Bowden tube forward so that it can be fitted back into the holding bracket. Be careful not to kink the cable as you bend the Bowden tube to get the sleeve into the gearbox bracket.
- When the cable is pushed all the way rearward, hook the forward end of it onto the clutch pedal shaft.
- Crawl under the left side of the car again and make sure the cable is protruding from the Bowden tube.
- At this point it is important to check the "sag" in the Bowden tube. This is a downward bend in the tube that imposes a little friction on the clutch cable and minimizes clutch "chatter." The bend also allows the engine/gearbox to rock on the rubber mounts without tugging on the clutch cable (which would cause bunny hops as you use the clutch.) This "sag" should be 25-45mm. To alter the "sag," install or remove "C" shaped washers between the holding bracket (on the gearbox) and the sleeved end of the Bowden tube. You can make "C" washers by cutting a section out of a suitable washer. Using "C" washers allows you to adjust the Bowden tube tension withough having to completely remove the clutch cable - just push/bend the Bowden tube forwards until it clears the gearbox bracket, and slip the "C" washer over the cable, then slide it forward on the Bowden tube sleeve section, then re-insert the sleeve end of the Bowden tube back into the gearbox bracket.
- Slip the rubber boot over the end of the clutch cable and seat it firmly over the rear end of the Bowden tube.
Note: This is quite difficult, as the hole in the boot through which the clutch cable passes is very small. I've had good success with resting a little quarter-inch hex fitting with a small pointy end (like a Phillips or Roberts) on the end of the cable, then pushing this assembly through the hole in the boot. The little pointy fitting starts the assembly through the hole, and then the clutch cable fitting follows along.
- Insert the rear end of the clutch cable through the hole in the clutch lever and screw the adjusting wingnut onto the cable.
- Adjust the clutch in accordance with oour Clutch Adjustment Procedure.
