TheSamba.com :: View topic

Tue Nov 18, 2008 5:18 am

i have a 3.88 r&p tranny i came across. but my bug wont pull it. and i want to change it back to stock. i am seventeen and in the progress of rebuilding my first motor. could any one tell me the steps involved in swapping them out and if i can do it? or do i need a specialist ? and the stock r&p ratio. thanks

Tue Nov 18, 2008 6:17 am

you can do anything yourself if your comitted enough. buy the bug me videos.... you'll thank yourself, and your car will thank you too.

Tue Nov 18, 2008 6:17 am

You'd have to pull all the gears in the transmission out. Not something easily doable.

You will need access to a press, have a shift fork jig, and have the tool to set backlash for the ring gear.

Tue Nov 18, 2008 6:26 am

How tall are your tires? try smaller,easy way to get a "ratio change effect". Taller tires than stock kill your power.

Tue Nov 18, 2008 6:27 am

3.875 R&P is a stock size. You need special tools to do the job and it requires completly tearing apart the whole transaxle. The bentley repair manuals have a chapter on rebuilding a gearbox. Look it over then decide if this is something you want to do.

Tue Nov 18, 2008 9:58 am

These tools / jigs can be made from an old trans case....
3:88 is stock,, why won't your car pull it,, when everyone else's will ?

Wed Nov 19, 2008 6:27 pm

really the 3.88 ring and pinion is stock?? another guy on the samba said that my 1600cc wont pull it. the tires are stock size just a tad wider.

Wed Nov 19, 2008 6:50 pm

My dad put one of these transmissions together at around your age (my age too) and he never had any problems. If you are a perfectionist and want everything to go together perfectly and will not put it together until it is, I don't think you will have too much of a problem.

I just rebuilt my first VW engine and I am annoyed. It leaks oil out of ONE spot and one spot only. One of the 17MM case nuts did not seal so it leaks right there.

Well, I am going to rebuild the trans in my '68 because it is just straight up screwed. There is no nicer way of putting that. But I have a press along with a lot of other stuff.

My point of view on people saying that you cannot rebuild without special Expensive tools and stuff is just annoying. I have to admit But some tools are required like a press, piston rung compressor, valve spring compressor, and a torque wrench (Some people use a torque wrench on way too many things). People are afraid of going in and building their own engine and I don't know why, It is not hard and you won't screw it up if you take your time to do everything right. I did my first and I got ONE thing wrong. The distributor drive gear was exactly 180* off (but that was fixed easily).

Thu Nov 20, 2008 3:14 am

Sean Stibi wrote:
My point of view on people saying that you cannot rebuild without special Expensive tools and stuff is just annoying.
Without the expensive tools, it just takes a LOOOOOOONG time.
The one thing that is needed that you don't have now is experience. You need to be able to look at a synchro cone and know if it will pop out of engagement or not. Same goes for the sliders. And the forks. And on and on.

Thu Nov 20, 2008 9:43 am

I have built transmissions before, just not a VW trans.

Sat Nov 29, 2008 8:49 pm

The best teacher is experience. Just do it and see what happens. Take your time and dont get sidetracked IE: phone calls and text messages LOL