TheSamba.com :: View topic

Mon Jun 26, 2006 10:43 pm

I'm trying to assemble a "correct" tool roll for my '62 Type 34 Ghia. I checked my '62 owner's manual and it says the tool roll should include:

hub cap puller
combination pliers
0.85 screwdriver
0.5 screwdriver
8 x 12 open end wrench
spark plug/lug bolt socket
14mm socket
socket/jack lever bar

My questions:

The '62 manual shows the early-type wood-handled screwdrivers, but at some point VW switched to a plastic-handled combination screwdriver. Does anyone know when this change happened? I'm sure the wooden ones are going to be trouble to find.

What would VW have included an 8 x 12 mm wrench for? A 10 x 13 would be much more useful.

Would a round or oblong hub cap puller be right for a '62?

I know that at some point VW also started including a 27mm open end, but I guess that happened sometime after '62 if my owner's manual is to be believed.

I know in general that VW tool rolls of the early '60s were made of whatever vinyl was left over from interiors, or sometimes olive green cloth like the '50s cars -- anyone know if Karmann-Ghia tool rolls were any different?

Thanks for any advice. I've searched the forums but haven't found the answers I'm looking for.

Tue Jun 27, 2006 4:16 am

Well, the 8/63 type 34 Owner's Manual archived on TheSamba shows the later style tools, with plastic screwdriver and a 10x13. Looks like they still used the "fattie" style hubcap remover too.

Looking through the Type 1 manuals, it also looks like the reversible screwdriver was added between the time the 1/63 and the 8/63 books were published. In the type 2 manuals it still shows dual screwdrivers in the 8/63 book but in 11/63 it shows the reversible one. So early 1964 model year would be a good estimate for when that change happened.

I think the 8x12 tool was a holdover from the 40HP Type 1/2 models, as those used a 12mm fitting on the metal fuel pump inlet line. And the fuel filter under the "dome" of the fuel pump was accessed with and 8mm head screw. However, that shows to have changed to 8x13 by 8/62 in type ones and by 11/63 in the type 2 manuals.

I've never seen a 27mm wrench, looking at some of the other owner's manuals archived on theSamba I see mentinon of them but it's not visible in the pictures of the tool rolls. I think they re-used some stock photos on a couple of those that don't reflect the actual tools listed)

( One thing I've always wondered about, is the "14mm socket" in fact, mislabeled?? There aren't any 14mm head bolts on the car. It's the outside diameter of that tool that just happens to be 17mm, which just happens to fit right into the transmission fill and drain plugs. So which application was that intended for? I've actually used them for the tranny fill plug, they aren't the greatest thing in the world but they work )

-Andy

Tue Jun 27, 2006 9:04 am

Here's the toolkit from my April, 1963 Squareback. It shows some of the tools you need and the 27mm wrench, which was used for the generator.

My hubcap puller was round... until I tried to actually use it.

Apparently the screw-driver change was in mid-63, at least for Type 3s. I think Buses may have changed a bit later.

I believe a '62 would have had the wood-handled screw drivers. Yes, it is somewhat difficult to find the correct screw drivers.

The 14 mm socket makes sense for earlier cars (50s VWs) as most of the bolts that are 13 mm in later cars were 14 mm.

Tue Jun 27, 2006 6:34 pm

Thanks for the info. Re: the 8 x 12 wrench, I hadn't thought about the 8mm bolt on top of the fuel pump, that makes sense, but the 12mm end still seems like an odd choice to me. I guess at first they just used 40-horse kits. Later tool rolls seem to have come with several different wrenches, so they eventually figured it out.

I agree that the 14mm socket is kind of mysterious. It was included at least through '65, so it must have had some specific use, and maybe the drain plugs were it.

The 27mm wrench is a nice thing to have for the generator, but it can also be used with the large socket to pull your plugs. I noticed on this page in the 1964-65 universal manual that with a 1500N you got a 27mm wrench for the socket in your tool roll:

I tried it and sure enough it works. Nice to know.

Looks like I'm gonna have to find me some early screwdrivers.

Tue Jun 27, 2006 8:27 pm

The 12mm wrench was used for the ferrule type fuel line fittings.
The 27mm wrench also fit the front wheel bearing nuts on an early T-1.
BTW, I found one of the pairs of plyers in my tool box at work. Might be some of the other stuff in the bottom of my box too.

Tue Jun 27, 2006 8:37 pm

I think I've found a lot of the tools I need already, including the pliers, but let me know if you run across one of those screwdrivers!

Wed Jun 28, 2006 1:13 am

That 14mm wrench thingy, I agree, must have been a holdover from the 50's where most of the body bolts had 14mm heads on them. But for them to continue to include it after they changed to 13 still seems odd, unless they realized that it also worked as a 17mm Allen tranny fill/drain plug tool - but didn't bother to make a note of it in the owner's manuals. Then again, maybe they had a couple of extra million of them kicking around the warehouse they needed to get rid of....... :)

-Andy

Wed Jun 28, 2006 7:54 am

Looking at the 1964-65 universal owner's manual again, I noticed that the 14mm socket was included in the 1500N tool roll but not in the 1500S roll. What would an N have had that an S wouldn't have? Was the main jet plug on a 32 PHN 14mm or 13mm? Can't remember...I'll have to check. That's the only thing I can think of offhand.