Project Slowly Underway: Berrien 295

flashho · Posted: Mon Feb 03, 2014 7:51 am Post subject:

Yes, a 1982 Funco. Still looking for the history. I know it ran the baja500 and SF 250, among others. Many pics on my FB page....zgdesign
Sunny and 76 here Smile

Vanapplebomb · Posted: Mon Feb 03, 2014 12:22 pm Post subject:

That is really cool to own a piece of racing history like that.

Man, we won't see those kind of temeratures until June around these parts Confused

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1800 Type 4 Berrien 295

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=487021

Vanapplebomb · Posted: Mon Feb 03, 2014 6:54 pm Post subject:

Just another little part shaped and welded in. Sorry, not that exciting...I know.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

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1800 Type 4 Berrien 295

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=487021

Steve Arndt · Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2014 10:31 am Post subject:

Will you post the weight of each arm when finished?

Vanapplebomb · Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2014 11:47 am Post subject:

Sure, I should be able to find someone with a scale nearby.
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1800 Type 4 Berrien 295

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=487021

Vanapplebomb · Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 7:54 pm Post subject:

Today I found some time to monkey with my trailing arms again. I made a couple small rectangular gussets to tie the top and bottom of the bearing carrier to the beefy top and bottom plates.

I miss not having a gas cylinder for my MIG... but honestly, this isn't too bad of a result using flux cored wire.

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1800 Type 4 Berrien 295

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Vanapplebomb · Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 8:22 pm Post subject:

I made a better cardboard template for the pivot bushing end of the trailing arm. It took some trimming to make it fit right. Once I got it to fit the way I wanted, I traced it onto some scrap bar stock, rough cut it, then ground it down until it fit well. Then I just zipped up the seams with a welder, ground some parts of it down a bit, and called it a day. Kinda chilly after a while standing around in an uninsulated garage when it is in the single digits out side. Laughing

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1800 Type 4 Berrien 295

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=487021

Vanapplebomb · Posted: Mon Feb 24, 2014 10:08 pm Post subject:

I worked a bit more on the trailing arms this afternoon. I cut out some plate for the shocks to mount to on top of the trailing arm...

With it held in position, I welded it down to the top of the trailing arm gusset and the spring plate mount.

Then I cut a strip of steel and welded one side to the spring plate mount. Then I cut kerfs onto the face of it, bent the strip around, and welded it to the bearing carrier. I welded up the seams, filled in the kerfs, and ground them down flush with the strip of metal.

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1800 Type 4 Berrien 295

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=487021

Vanapplebomb · Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2014 9:17 pm Post subject:

I have been thinking about changing transmissions lately. For whatever reason, my brain has been stuck on picking a 4 speed transmissions out of a liquid cooled vanagon. Unlike type 1 and other type 2 gear boxes, they have beefy reverse gear mechanisms. Making a shift coupler would be the only trick. That being said, cloning Weddle Industries sift linkage would be pretty easy. I bet I could make one very similar to it for just a few bucks.

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1800 Type 4 Berrien 295

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=487021

Vanapplebomb · Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 10:16 pm Post subject:

With the rear end beef ups well underway I started figuring out my front end. Here is the result of my afternoon brain storm. Should be easy to make out of some scrap 1/4in bar stock...

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1800 Type 4 Berrien 295

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=487021

dustymojave · Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 11:04 pm Post subject:

If you're just gonna use scrap metal, you could just get the BugPack/EMPI ones off the shelf for like $15.

If you really want to make your own, be sure to use high grade steel of at least 1010 COLD-rolled quality. If it has a scaly texture like angle iron, it's soft junk and not worth the effort. 1020 is better.

Don't fry your bushings when you weld them. They need to be assembled to prevent warpage, but be prepared to replace the bushings and pins after welding.
_________________
Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet.

Vanapplebomb · Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 11:27 pm Post subject:

I have some 1020 cold rolled bar stock sitting around I can use.

Thanks for the tip about the bushings. If I go Easy on the welding, do you think I can get away with keeping the original ones? Maybe just weld a half inch here, and a half inch there, letting it cool a bit in between? I figured doing that anyways to keep warping down to a minimum. This is a new-old stock beam I picked up, never installed. It still has the factory stickers on it.
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1800 Type 4 Berrien 295

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ORANGECRUSHer · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2014 6:08 am Post subject:

I've had luck welding near thicker urethane bushings but not rubber and definitely not right on top of the bushing. Rubber reminds me of marshmallows when you weld near it. Is it very hard to take that apart to weld it? I don't have that style..
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Brian H.
I may not know everything,but I will try to help if I can
OrangeCrushER Berrien Warrior 2.4L Quad4
LAZY MARY 1970 Baja ~~1835cc~~

ORANGECRUSHer · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2014 6:09 am Post subject:

BTW I admire your desire to make things from scratch despite being able to buy something off the shelf. I do the same thing. Sometimes halfway through I wonder why I did. But then I remember those chinese parts prolly don't fit any better. Rolling Eyes

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Brian H.
I may not know everything,but I will try to help if I can
OrangeCrushER Berrien Warrior 2.4L Quad4
LAZY MARY 1970 Baja ~~1835cc~~

Vanapplebomb · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2014 9:29 am Post subject:

I'm on of those people who finds it more fun to build rather than buy Wink

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1800 Type 4 Berrien 295

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=487021

dustymojave · Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2014 7:44 pm Post subject:

The king and link pin bushings are bronze and don't like heat. If you weld hot enough to get sufficient penetration, even welding a bit at a time, will get them pretty hot.

You could try using them. And if they go away real quick, just replace them when they do. Not much difference from replacing them while it's apart other than the labor to R&R the spindle assemblies. I always figure on replacing them. I've seen kingpins turned blue and purple. The grease has the potential to catch fire too.

The trailing arm bushings being plastic or the stock roller bearings will DEFINITELY not stand welding heat. So if you weld to the beam right at the bearings or bushings there, TAKE the bushings/bearings OUT!

If you want to do the job RIGHT...replace the kingpins, linkpins and bushings after welding. If ya wanna red-neck it, why then then shoot, it's yur call bub.
Smile

_________________
Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet.

Vanapplebomb · Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2014 9:06 pm Post subject:

I'm surprised that the Kingpins would get hot enough to significantly change the temper from welding in stripes. I have never heard of this being an issue for anyone until you mentioned it.

Good point about welding over the roller bearings by the shock towers. Thanks for the heads up!
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1800 Type 4 Berrien 295

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=487021

dustymojave · Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 9:20 pm Post subject:

The kingpins are pretty stout steel bar, and the links are pretty thick steel forgings. But full circumference welding the thick gussets in place takes a lot of heat to get sufficient penetration. This CAN heat up the kingpins enough to affect their temper. DO NOT remove the kingpins until things have cooled fully. I have more concern for warping the links than the kingpins themselves. But the bushings in particular are likely to need replacement after welding.
_________________
Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet.

Vanapplebomb · Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2014 12:49 pm Post subject:

If they need replacing, go with the new bronze-aluminum bushings?
_________________
1800 Type 4 Berrien 295

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=487021

dustymojave · Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2014 4:58 pm Post subject:

If you can afford them, go with the Sway-A-Way bushings.
_________________
Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet.


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