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Tue Mar 02, 2010 2:59 pm

I need to repair the gearbox mount of my barndoor. I have an extra rear torsion housing with a good cradle. What would you do? Cut the complete center section out of the spare one and weld it in the bus (with the alignment work involved), or repair and weld (MIG) half of the cradle??

Thanks for the advice.
jeroen

Fri Mar 05, 2010 5:13 am

who has experience with this please??
jeroen

Fri Mar 05, 2010 5:27 am

Pictures of how bad it is may help....

Fri Mar 05, 2010 4:38 pm

Hi Jeroen, I guess you are talking about the rear cradle pipe that goes underneath the trannie and probably it is bendt and dented due to bad jacking or hitting road obstacles.
I have the same issue and I think it is no problem to cut the lower half, straighten it ( or better fix the right curve) and reweld it shut. or you could swap the whole pipe of course. Even could slip some short pieces of pipe that fit in the inner diameter of the old cradle. then weld the cut parts around them. That's how frame work, shortening tierods ,driveshafts,transaxles, even rewelding cut steering shafts has been done for the last 80 years of hotrodding. And the added Porsche brake force will need the trannie fixed :wink:
Guenter

Mon Mar 08, 2010 9:55 am

Hi Guenter,

Thanks for the advice, but that was not what I meant. I mean the cradle where the nose cone of the gearbox fits into.
Here is a picture of how my cradle looks.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=654642

Thanks,
jeroen

Mon Mar 08, 2010 3:27 pm

:shock: :shock: :shock:
How did that happen ????? that is a forged steel piece!
I think you don't have to cut the whole torsion tube. probably trim down your broken piece to solid metal and cut the opposite missing piece from your spare.don't forget to V shape the welding areas and weld with high Amps/penetration. should hold up well. as a pattern you can bolt in your nose cone while spotwelding the piece in position.
Good luck !

Wed Mar 10, 2010 3:20 am

Check out this thread, and maybe talk to Ken (Concept1)
http://www.clubveedub.ca/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&...p;start=15

Fri Mar 12, 2010 4:13 am

Guenter: it probably happend in Colombia, so now you know how the rest looks like!!
ol36er: I was looking for that thread :-) couldnt find it anymore.

thanks for all the help.
jeroen

Fri Mar 12, 2010 4:58 am

not Barndoor but prolly the same