The Baja Bug - First Timer's Thread

dustymojave · Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 5:52 pm Post subject:

Re the brake kit... I'm presuming you mean teh drum brake rebuild kit from SoCal...

Do you KNOW you need
- hoses?
- wheel cylinders?
- master cylinder?

I don't recommend replacing any parts unless they are known bad/worn out or close to worn out.

The price you linked us to is competitive with Autozone. I had trouble with wheel and master cylinders I bought from Moore Parts. I didn't deal with SoCal. I replaced the Moore parts duds with parts from AZ and am still happy with them.

Sure SoCal isn't too far from your home and it should just take a couple or 3 days to get stuff unless you drive the couple of hours down there. But all of those parts are available in your neighborhood at competitive prices and good quality that I now trust. Don't presume that I automatically trust ANY parts from Autozone or any other business though.
_________________
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.

EnjoyNukaCola · Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 8:42 pm Post subject:

EnjoyNukaCola · Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 5:34 pm Post subject:

Do I need any grommets on the shock mounts? Chrome spacers are what came with the shock and after a minute I figured they went there. Yes I tightened the nut down.

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

I went to Vintage Parts Inc in Valencia and will definitely go back for anything I need now! I'm borrowing that hammer tool to try and get the axle nut off.

EnjoyNukaCola · Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2014 7:45 pm Post subject:

Axle nut came off and the drum took a lot of convincing, I was probably trying to get it off for almost 45 minutes. Spent the whole day diagnosing brake problems and getting used to how everything fits. Both the rears are pretty bad. There was a lot of spider webs, gunk and uneven pads. I went through a can of brake cleaner from the rears alone. I put new ebrake cables on both sides but the right rear still doesn't hold because that pad is shot, it wont even hold in my driveway.

Wheel cylinders look fine, the backing plates are so so. Adjusting holes are mangled up and no plugs. So I might clean them up, straighten them out, paint them and stick the dust caps on. This was after I cleaned it a bunch. Thought it was supposed to be vertical with the wheel cylinder, but the plate is crooked?

The right rear drum has a waviness to it as you can see from the pad wear. I can feel the dip in the drum with my fingers.

So bad, this is why the ebrake wont hold.

Is this something I can have turned? I'll do both rears.

I tried bleeding the brakes alone by pumping the pedal and sticking a crutch against it to hold pressure. Then I cracked open the valves momentarily and snugged them back up. What came out was like mud. I also don't have a bleeder valve on the driver rear. It's also seeping at the hoses down the trailing arm. It actually dripped after stomping on it so luckily I caught it.

The adjusting stars are a nightmare, so I marked which way it tightens on each drum. I went around several times trying to adjust them properly but the second I snug the ebrake and release it, they all drag again. It's probably because the pads are all over the place.

http://imgur.com/a/usbXS

As a side note, I think this is a later model IRS.

EnjoyNukaCola · Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2014 1:31 pm Post subject:

EnjoyNukaCola · Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2014 1:33 pm Post subject:

I got everything in the rear installed. Shoes, wheel cylinders, brake lines and spring hardware. I ended up doing a partial flush of the system, doing a one man bottle bleed, and had a decent firm pedal with the shoes all locked up against the drum. When I back them off and adjust the pedal seems to get spongy again. Nothing really seems to stay in adjustment and the parking brake is inconsistent on both sides even though the cables are new. It's also not strong enough to hold the car in my sloped driveway and its not that steep.

Wheels off the ground in neutral, adjust to slight drag and back off some. Then I clicked the parking brake about 4 times and the driver side is real snug while the other wheel I can move by hand, and that cable is even more snug than the other one inside the car. I release the brake and go to move the rears again by hand and sometimes they don't free up again.

EnjoyNukaCola · Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2014 10:26 pm Post subject:

I wanted to ask you guys if you think I could get away with jacking the Bug up in my parents driveway. It's got a slight slope and I know your not supposed to do it there, but I been working in the street and it gets a lot of traffic.

There's the slope. It's not that much and there's definitely more sloped driveways around here. I wont be getting under it at all just enough to get the wheels off. I suppose I could pull in nose first and jack up the rear, or back in the jack up the front depending on what I'm doing. Chock the heck out of the wheels and put the spare tires I take off under the body. If the jacks look like the angle is too much, put a 2x4 under the leading end of the jack so it levels off.

EnjoyNukaCola · Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 11:17 am Post subject:

Well, I still need to try bleeding the brakes better and fixing the brake light, but I can't do most of the stuff alone so I have to wait a few days for my pop to lend a hand. School also starts back tomorrow so sadly I still wont be driving it.

This is an 009 distributor with no vacuum advance. To my understanding the notch should point to cylinder 1 firing position but its not close at all and not 180 off either. It's at TDC on the pulley. I know the wires are correct but I'm questioning whether it's timed right. With the cap on it's wired like this:

3 2
4 1

EnjoyNukaCola · Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2014 7:31 pm Post subject:

So I was trying to figure out why the right rear wheel cylinder doesn't stay compressed. It barely moves when I press the brakes and it doesn't return. I picked up the old wheel cylinder to see how it compresses and ended up shooting the brake fluid that was still in it right into my eye, yeah. The bleeder valve was missing on it... Gonna cut my losses here and just have a shop do the brakes.

winchin73blazinbaja · Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 5:30 am Post subject:

economy wheel cylinder at napa cost under $15 Smile

comes with bleeder and everything. you will feel better about the stuff on your car when no one else touch's your car.

winchin73blazinbaja · Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 5:31 am Post subject:

and a mechanic will charge you a load of labor charges.

EnjoyNukaCola · Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2014 9:23 pm Post subject:

EnjoyNukaCola · Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2014 9:27 pm Post subject:

After being sick a few weeks I got back to it. The bleeder valves on these wheel cylinders are brass and when I tightened them I did so too much so the small hole in the threaded part collapsed, that caused the issue with locking brakes. I'm prepped to install the new MC in the Bug tomorrow and I wanted to how I can wire up the switches.

Its a dual circuit and I got two 3 prong switches. Mine originally had one 2 prong switch, but I think I found another set of 2 prong wires zip tied under the wheel well. I'm not sure if this is wired for brakes or what. To my understanding, I should be able wire 3 and 9 o'clock up just fine with the two wires, and just not have a dash warning light (Don't have it now). If the second set of wires doesn't work, then I can just wire up the front to make it work? I want to try to make an event tomorrow so I just want it to work but I'll make it right.

winchin73blazinbaja · Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 2:06 pm Post subject:

i do appreciate having a warning indicator in regards to my brakes. but in all honesty everytime i have seen the light go on it is far too late for the light to be of any help to me. it always goes on as i am realizing i have no brakes.

EnjoyNukaCola · Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 8:28 pm Post subject:

winchin73blazinbaja · Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 8:36 pm Post subject:

I am going to assume it is still manual brakes? So in that case it is not affected by electrical anything. Indicator should be located in the speedometer I believe above the odometer.

EnjoyNukaCola · Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 8:50 pm Post subject:

winchin73blazinbaja · Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 9:22 pm Post subject:

Umm if someone else could jump in on this one for me! I have only seen th lift in my bug once. Cannot quite remember

EnjoyNukaCola · Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2014 7:19 pm Post subject:

Brake light switches are leaking!! They don't thread all the way in either. On top of that I had to buy new bolts and nuts to fit the mount. Never buying China again.

sicksforeveedub · Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2014 2:01 pm Post subject:

The switches won't thread all the way flush. They are tapered thread and typically stop 1/2 to 3/4 of the way down. A little thread sealant is good on these too.
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