Author Topic: Deserted Goggo  (Read 3605 times)

steven mandell

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Deserted Goggo
« on: August 11, 2017, 10:36:11 AM »
In 1999 I purchased a pink (Mexicanized) 1958 Goggomobil T400 sunroof sedan at a used helicopter auction that was held outside of a private hanger where the car had been stored for so long that not only were there whiskers sticking out the sides of all 4 flat tires, but they had actually entombed themselves in hard pack earth.

The sunroof was gone, but there were rows of golden dingle balls hanging from the open perimeter of the sunroof, and the interior had been redone in pink pin striped material.

It obviously hadn't been running in decades.
I fit spare tires on it and had it transported to the garage of a house that I was trying to sell, as I had no where else to put it.
Had the gas tank professionally  boiled out, coated and painted.   Cleaned up the carb and got it running!
However I couldn't get it stopping.  Every puller I used on a rear brake drum would just twist up and off, and I now had the house sold.

One of my friends who lives in the desert said he wouldn't mind if I stored it in his spacious sandy back yard - so I called Triple A, and off it went....for 17 years!
He had an air compressor, and I gave him the key after I installed a new battery, and gave him money to cover the open sunroof with a new tarp about twice a year whenever he asked for it.
Obviously the intent was to keep the tires aired up, the engine started once a month, and the sunroof opening covered.   I was more than a bit surprised to find that none of the above had indeed occurred, with the exception of a few tarp replacements in the first couple of years.

I plead guilty to partial negligence, as in 17 years I never made the 100 Mike trek to check on it, for fear be would ask me to take it back with me, and my property was already overloaded.

Well a couple months ago I finally got the dreaded call to take it away or loose it.
So I hooked up my trailer drove out on a typical 100 degree (F) day, and found the Goggo once again resting on 4 whiskered flat tires sunk this time in sand.  No sign of a tarp, key, or the carburetor for that matter, but other than the pink upolstery and rows of golden dingle balls' evaporation from direct sun exposure, the rest of the car looked about the way I had left it.

However some of the wiring, including the largest wires going directly into the crankcase mounted Dynastarter had been completely severed by the teeth of large rats.  Pretty impressive, as this was the thickness of a battery cable.  Couldn't solder this big a wire that close to the Dynastarter without burning up expensive innards, so I instead made do with a large hollow ferule, and a professional ferule compressor, plus a good dose of heat shrink tubing, cleaned up a spare carb, a few hours cleaning out the cobwebs (literally) grime and sand that had blown into the unprotected Dynastarter's brushes and points, new unchewed spark plug wires, a battery, fresh gas and the thirty year old oil still in the oil tank, hot wired the ignition... and she started up like it had been driven the day before!

There is a lot more to tell, but I fear I will be censored for extreme length of blurb.
So I'll give you a chance to breath or throw in what ever comments you like.
« Last Edit: August 11, 2017, 10:49:57 AM by steven mandell »

richard

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Re: Deserted Goggo
« Reply #1 on: August 13, 2017, 07:55:49 PM »
Just what we all enjoy reading about ! Nice one and thanks for telling us . If life were so simple 😏
outside of a dog a book is mans best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read .Groucho Marx 1895-1977

steven mandell

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Re: Deserted Goggo
« Reply #2 on: August 18, 2017, 02:50:18 PM »
I would have posted more of my many adventures in getting the car now functional enough to be driven on public road required during the last couple of months, but for the fact that unless I do a search for this topic, I am only greeted by statistics of usage when searching for this form via .y smart phone for the last couple of weeks.

Is anyone else encountering this difficulty?

I made the 7 hour drive to Monterey yesterday with the Goggo trailered without incident.

Will be entering it into the Concourse DeLemons tommorow.
I think it to be well qualified for high standing in such environ.
E.g. check out my own Hill Billy improvised temporary cooling system.
Hopefully a comb through the old roster for the Vintage Microcar Club for all members with Goggo's will net me a full elephant's head and trunk and engine sheet metal for a 400 cc unit, and flooring someday.
Picture to be compressed and posted soon.

Rusty Chrome (Malcolm Parker)

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Re: Deserted Goggo
« Reply #3 on: August 18, 2017, 03:18:29 PM »
unless I do a search for this topic, I am only greeted by statistics of usage when searching for this form via .y smart phone for the last couple of weeks.

Is anyone else encountering this difficulty?

I don't know what you're searching for exactly, but an anonymised search on a random selection of search engines for "rumcars forum" returns rumcars forum - Index  to the top of my results every time. it's very straightforward to navigate to this topic from there even if for some reason your usual search isn't finding it for you.
Malcolm
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Nobel 200 - "Almost as cheap as breathing!"

steven mandell

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Re: Deserted Goggo
« Reply #4 on: September 03, 2017, 08:05:38 PM »
Pics from on the Concourse De Lemons.
The Goggo was well appreciated for what it genuinely represents.
It did seem that everyone was delighted by it's presense.
But for utter insanity it could not compete with the show winning push pull Honda.
So winning the show has become something outside of what I'll be aiming for, unless originality, weirdness, hard luck overcome through perseverance, and a hard to qualify likeability resurface as the most valued considerations.
So a fun day for all, including the wild cobble ups.
Speaking of which, note my hillbilly engineered cooling system that I put together with materials at hand in lieu of the proper elephant's head and trunk metal shrouding.
I also adapted an led bulb and fixture for the broken tail light assembly without damage to original parts.
« Last Edit: September 03, 2017, 09:38:24 PM by steven mandell »

Chris Thomas

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Re: Deserted Goggo
« Reply #5 on: September 03, 2017, 08:18:18 PM »
Is it just me or are others having a problem viewing the three images?

Chris Thomas

steven mandell

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Re: Deserted Goggo
« Reply #6 on: September 03, 2017, 08:23:01 PM »
The winners included a Snailmobile, and a Honda requiring two driver's that not surprisingly seemed to need all of their  concentration to prevent it going off crabwise into the crowd.

steven mandell

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Re: Deserted Goggo
« Reply #7 on: September 03, 2017, 09:50:43 PM »
Is it just me or are others having a problem viewing the three images?

Chris Thomas
From the website, I couldn't either even though I used the same software to compress the images as the one that worked for the winning contestants.
So I switched software, and also opened the files immediately after down loading them in my smart phone, before i exported them to the Forum.   Took another 20 minutes, but it worked.
From this it seems that having the image rather than the hash tag appear before you select the image for export to the Forum may be critical.
I don't like having to click on hashtags to see pictures.
If someone else could clarify the critical aspects of getting the actual images to show on posts without need for the viewer having to click on their hash tags first- I will be most appreciative.

Chris Thomas

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Re: Deserted Goggo
« Reply #8 on: September 04, 2017, 02:17:58 PM »
Dear Steve

What ever you dis has made the images visible. Many thanks

Chris Thomas