TheSamba.com :: View topic - Tim's Build page... Bugaru Baja on a Budget.

Wed Feb 17, 2010 5:46 pm

Okay, disregard the previous babbling...

I found this! (except for $36). It has a relay output I could use for a linear actuator.

Tbirdusa wrote: I bought these little suckers for $52 ea USD and the ring thermo was only $12 USD on a 12' cable. I bought two of them. One for cht and one for oil temp. Cheap insurance.

About the link pins... Here are pictures.

It seems like I spend most of my time with the tap and die set trying to recycle bolts. I lost my first one today... RIP :-({|= . It was badly chewed. It kept fighting till the end, and it took my die handle with it.

Here are the rear arms. I used a metal/graphite based antisieze comound on ALL contact surfaces. I'll let you know how it works in a few years.

More to come... Soon, I hope. I have $40 budgeted to work on the bug :? . Most of that will go towards brake fluid.

Wed Feb 17, 2010 6:07 pm

Your front torsion arms are old style. You need the 10 shim setup with no oring or seal plate.

You going to use those temp controllers to set off an alarm, or shut the engine down??

Wed Feb 17, 2010 8:08 pm

Russ Wolfe wrote: You going to use those temp controllers to set off an alarm, or shut the engine down??

To open the thermostat flaps. Thanks for the tip. I'm going down to install the spindles now.

Thu Feb 18, 2010 12:37 am

Okay, got right side done... spindle, link pins, brakes, bearings. Greased and ready to go.

What a PIA! I wish I could have gotten a link pin rebuild kit ($50). I ended up having to clean up each side of each individual shim with steel wool. There was enough gunk to add .002" per shim. That would have been equal to putting in one extra shim per link pin.

Adjustment was per the book, tighten, loosen, snug, out 1/8 turn, tap with hammer and clamp.

It seems that it would be better to have another zerk on the spindle. The grease would leak out up top before getting to the king pin bushings (I think).

Then there was the time spent tapping threads on the brake adjusters, spindle mounting bolts, and cylinder bolt.

I also had to cut out and weld in a new adjuster spring clip.

I found it easier to assemble the brakes on the bench and then bolt them to the spindle. I'm going to remember that for next time.

Are we having fun yet?

Thu Feb 18, 2010 7:24 am

Okay. Now I'm perplexed. :roll:

The tool fairy visited me last night and hid my good hammer :evil:, He also drank all my beer :snipersmile:, and he left a shiny spot on my drill case with steel wool "lint" all over :shock:. But, he did get my front brake put together =D> .

I woke up bright and early to get a jump on the other side, but in cleaning, I found that I have 39 shims that are .020" +/- .001", then I have one shim that's .037" :!: . I can feel a difference. And, no, it's not the end cap.

I'm struggling with wether to use this to replace two shims, then I'd be off by .003 +/- .002. Or I could just use it as a shim and be off 0.17".

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

Thu Feb 18, 2010 10:26 am

Coffee Break!! Is there a reason that the smell of axle grease reminds me of spring-time?

Got the other side done. Ended up using the one shim instead of two. Each shim pack was .100", left side called for 5, 5, 5, and 5. Easy.

I found that if you have two shim packs that are each .004" out, just stack them up and deal them out into two piles, they were dead on every time.

I also learned that the drum brake tool set I saw in a museam one time could be very useful. I'll probably end up buying a brake adjusting tool.

I got stopped by the speedometer cable.

I had mentioned that the left wheel bearings had failed, probably because of water infiltration through the speedometer hole when the clip fell off. Well, I'm trying to prevent that from happening again.

I tried using a motorcycle-type cable luber, but it wouldn't seal. The speedo end of the cable has a nice little funnel on it, so I filled that, wiggled the cable until it emptied, then filled it again a number of times. I then hung the cable to dry. NASTY STUFF is dripping from the end, but the cable moves smooth as silk where it was frozen before. I will do a few more rounds of soaking and draining and hopefully get some clear oil out the end.

Here is what I did:

I tapped the end of the speedo cable (m5x0.75). I will use a lock-nut shaved down. The square hole will keep the cable from turning. Then I'm going to try to get the clip further towards the end by filing a new slot. If I can't get the clip to work, I'll either drill for saftey wire or split the end of the cable.

The inside lip seals tightly against the grease cap, so this should make a pretty good seal. I also replaced the inner rubber seal.

Thu Feb 18, 2010 1:58 pm

This bug must have a wider front end. The stock brake lines won't reach. I'll be rerouting the front lines. :oops:

Sun Feb 21, 2010 12:32 am

Well, It's standing on it's own two... wheels. Two more to go.

I was able to bend the stock brake line brackets outward by 2" or so. This gave the stock length flexible brake lines enough room at full lock. Everything is bolted down and tourqued. I think when the adjusters went in, the axle became a few inches wider.

I ended up using my travel limiters. They seem to work well, I'll be keeing an eye on them. My final measurement at the shock mounts are 21.25" long and 14" short, so I only lost .75" to get the tie rod over the tunnel.

I will work on the front bumper later. It was spot welded to the sheet metal :? when I got it.

I finally got the rear brake lines today. Local parts store had what I needed in stock. I used the bobble flare from the stock flex tube and ran it to a double flare tee. Good plan, but I broke my harbor freight double flare thingy. I may just visit the local hydraulics store and see if they would flare them for cheap, but that means waiting till Monday.

Everything torqued down, indluding brake lines. Adjusted brakes. I still need to install the fuel and brake line grommets (Have them) and tighten the lock-nuts on the tie rods. Once I get final ride height I'll align the wheels better, I just did a quick visual alignment. Even if the tie rod contacted the tunnel, it would not damage the brake line running underneath it.

Once I get the brake lines done. I can install rear wheels and have a rolling chassis. I think that would be a good time to clean the garage. My spare parts pile is growing bigger. I have an extra type 1 CV that's complete and seems tight, it's got VW on the side (make a good spare). I also have two stock bug irs axle stubs. If anyone's in the market, let me know.

Sun Feb 21, 2010 10:15 am

ts39136 wrote: Well, It's standing on it's own two... wheels. Two more to go.

I was able to bend the stock brake line brackets outward by 2" or so. This gave the stock length flexible brake lines enough room at full lock. Everything is bolted down and tourqued. I think when the adjusters went in, the axle became a few inches wider.

the only way your front end could of gotten wider is by having 4 sets of torsion leaves, thru pins, or wider trailing arms, or if you have raised spindles i think those push your backing plate out 3/4" or something. i don't think they make wider torsion leave sets. i could be wrong.

Sun Feb 21, 2010 12:06 pm

Souds right, but that was the only conclusion I could come up with. Maybe the older arms effect it. Or maybe it's the longer travel that leaves the lines short. Regardless... It works! Thanks for commenting.

Edit - Update on the therostat project. I found a continuous duty selenoid for $18 that pull 12 oz of force for 1.2 amps. (here - http://www.alliedelec.com). The model of temp comtroller I'm looking at has a mode that it will activate the selenoid under a set temp, then let it go above that temp. The internal relay will handle the amperage, too. So no other relays. A bonus is that if the selenoid fails, thermostat will be open (with a spring). I'm far from worrying about that...

That temp controller is really neat. http://auberins.com/images/Manual/SYL-1612B%20instruction%201.0.pdf. You could use it to make a variable speed fan for your radiator, too, and it has "intelligent" control that learns the appropriate response to a given temperature change. They make a RPM meter, too, that would make a good cruise control (?).

Mon Feb 22, 2010 3:12 pm

Brakes -

Question - Can a 22mm bus master cylinder be used in place of a stock bug cylinder? In other words, will it bolt into the same holes? (http://www.chircoestore.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=86_87_88&products_id=597)

Also - Has anyone ever tried one of those check valves that keep line pressure in your wheel cylinders? Like this http://www.mooreparts.com/store/product/1484/AC698004/? Seems like it would make sense.

Any way, Got the brakes put back together. Harbor freight replaced their crappy double flare tool and I re-attempted it myself. The clamp that came with the tool kept bending and would make the flare joint not square. I finally just used the dies from the kit, a hammer, and vise to make a good double flare.

I took the master cylinder off and bench bled it then did the best I could to replace it without adding air. Then I reverse bled the brakes with 60cc of fluid from each wheel cylinder. I did some cross bleeding, wheel cylinder to wheel cylinder to get air out of MC and t-joint. Then I bled them the regular way to get any remaining bubble out of the wheel cylinders.

I didn't have ANY pedal! After reading the "VW resource" page (http://www.vw-resource.com/mihov_index.html) about brakes, I adjusted the brakes up until I almost couldn't spin the drums. I started to get a little pedal. Even with the adjusters out all the way (edit - not maxed out, just until I could barle spin the durm by hand), the front wheel cylinders still had about 1-2mm of movement each side.

I finally adjusted them all enough to get a reasonable pedal, but still unacceptable for long term. I'm hoping that I can break in the brakes and adjust them better.

Right now, the induced drag from the brakes seems excessive. I would think heat would be a big problem. I'm not comfortable running this way.

So... My thought is, if I could use the 22mm master cylinder instead of the 19mm master cylinder, I would be able to run the pads a little further from the drums and have less drag, even if this increases pedal pressure.[url][/url]

Tue Feb 23, 2010 1:03 am

On adjusting the brakes....It doesn't sound right. Something is wrong if you have a pedal going to the floor.

Each shoe (2 per wheel) should be adjusted by turning the star wheel until the drum is snug and won't turn. then back off slightly (usually about 1-2 notches) to allow the drum to turn with a little drag in certain spots. If you don't adjust both shoes on each wheel, you won't have pedal. The shoes should be adjusted about every oil change. Maybe 2 oil changes depending on how you use the brakes. Adjust your hand brake cables (if you have it) after adjusting the hydraulic brakes.

The residual pressure valve ("check valve") should NOT be needed. The shoes have return springs to maintain a little space so the shoes don't drag all the time. Check valves will keep the shoes rubbing all the time and make the brakes ineffective and worn out rapidly. RPVs are for disc brakes in general. The early Bus master cylinder will bolt right in. They are quite popular on Baja Bugs and buggies.

Tue Feb 23, 2010 4:56 am

dustymojave wrote: On adjusting the brakes....It doesn't sound right.

I think where I ran into trouble is reusing marginal brake pads. I thought I could get by for a while because they measured up okay, but I think they were run without adjusting for a while. The end by the adjusters is large, while the end by the cylinder is small. So the cylinder moves, even though I have the adjusters snug up against the drum. Hope that makes sense, It would fix itself, but require a hefty break in period.

Quote: The residual pressure valve ("check valve") should NOT be needed.

Thanks. You're explanation makes sense.

Quote: The early Bus master cylinder will bolt right in.

Thanks again.

Not sure what I'll do yet, but I'll probably try at least new front pads (or maybe a disc conversion if I can round up $$).

Tue Feb 23, 2010 8:17 am

on the brake bleeding part you might have a line that is cracked or leaking that was the case with my car i had a bad line to the rear. i cheaped out and bought a reman master cyl after three i got a good one.

adjust the brakes until you can spin the wheel then bleed them after they are blead adjust them with a little drag.

as for the residule pressure valve you can use a 10lb on a drum brake bug or a 2lb on a disk brake bug to give a little better brake feel
the reasearch i did said vw even used rpv's on some cars. from what ive found is that most cars where the master cyl below the wheel cyls or calipers should use the valves i didnt need them on the front of my car but needed one on the rear.

i hope that helps btw i used google and did a search for " i cant bleed my brakes" or "my brakes wont bleed".

Wed Feb 24, 2010 12:44 am

Okay. Satified that I at least have a grasp on the brakes, so I roughed the rear toe-in (rather, toe out), and I thought I'd tear into the engine and see what I have.

It turns out that I have a 1300cc engine :evil: . I do have dual port 1600 heads (113-101-375 VW) and an "AB" mexican replacement 1600 case. So why would anyone build a motor like this with 1300cc pistons???

Another problem I found is RUST! There was rust in on the bottom of the cylinders, rust on the valve-train, and rust on the crankshaft. I don't think in iteself this is terrible, but it will require a complete tear-down and inspection. :cry: Camshaft lobe looks smooth. Everything else I could see looks like very little wear. Even the piston rings look bearly broken in. So Maybe I can just get away with new cylinders and pistons.

I really hope the case is good and can be reused. Overall the engine looks good with not too much wear (so far), so I can hope.

Anyone used one of these kits before? Looks like a good deal with heads included? http://www.chircoestore.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=4333

But I'm trouble finding a part number for this :lol: -->

EDITED TO FORMAT PICTURE

Wed Feb 24, 2010 1:09 am

how many high lifes did the PO have before he rigged that up? that's awsome. wonder how much air got past the beer can boot? i think something like this would work.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=400363

Wed Feb 24, 2010 1:52 am

I didn't see anyone answer your question about using a Bus master cylinder... So, here's the low down.

I run an early bus master on all of my baja bugs. Part number 211-611-011 J. You will also need the resevoir, I forget the part number for it. The only physical mounting difference is that the bus master has no threaded holes for mounting. You will need two long 8mm bolts that you can spot weld to the pan on the inside near the pedals, then use two 8mm nuts to secure it on the master cylinder side of the fire wall. It's kind of a pain to top off the master this way, but the brakes work awesome. I understand there is an adapter made for buggies that allows the use of a remote resevoir on Bus master cylinders. Latest Rage had them I believe....

Good luck!

Wed Feb 24, 2010 2:59 am

chubby53 wrote: how many high lifes did the PO have before he rigged that up? that's awsome. wonder how much air got past the beer can boot? i think something like this would work.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=400363

This was probably the one he was drinking when he put the duct tape on first, then thinking that duct tape wasn't enough, he put on the empty beer can over the duct tape.

Thanks Beladona, good to know. I like the integral reservoir, seems less likely to suck air.

Any thoughts on the rust? Can I reuse that crank? Or the connecting rod?

Sat Feb 27, 2010 8:54 am

Okay... Now I'm getting excited.

I got into the crake and case.

Crank measures within wear, out of round, and taper on all mains and rods (except #3 can't get there yet). Only journal I'm worried about is number 2, it has a few pits.

Case is straight =D> =D> !!! .001 won't even slide under straight edge!!!

I need to assemble the case and check out of round on the bearing surfaces. Also need to do a good wash down and inspect for cracks :shock: .

Cam is showing wear marks, but without pits. Lifters are worn.

Heads are free from obvious cracks, I need to get them blasted. Valves are sitting high in their seats. I need a spring compressor.

YIPPPPEEEE! As this rate, the engine case was worth my purchase cost alone.

Sat Feb 27, 2010 10:25 am

AB is a 1300 factory engine. They were still using 1300's up until the end of production.. AB was '70 thru '72 from what I can see.

Quote: July 112 2 961 362 D1 000 001 - 1200/34hp
AB 0 699 001 - 1300/44hp
AD 0 598 001 - 1600/50hp
AE 0 971 063 - 1600/50hp
AH 0 006 900 - 1600/48hp
AF 0 000 802 - 1600/46h

Check your case bore. Be sure it is not hammered out. Being a 1300, may have been why this engine is in such good shape. The lower end was not stressed.