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Fri Nov 05, 2010 1:32 pm

I have a dual relief AE case with a 8 dowel crank and I'm wondering i I can use the 180 mm 6 volt flywheel when I install it in the car. The reason being I have a new 6 volt clutch, a good 6 volt starter, I won't need to grind out the transmission housing and all this will save me a bunch of money but the question is will it leak from the flywheel seal? I know everyone changes the 6 volt system up to the 12 volt but does it work to go back? This is just a street engine with some extra power nothing to get crazy with.

Fri Nov 05, 2010 2:19 pm

yes, you can use the 180mm flywheel.

Fri Nov 05, 2010 3:22 pm

Don't think a non o-ring flywheel works on a late crankshaft.

Fri Nov 05, 2010 5:11 pm

No, you can't. It will physically bolt on to the end of the crank, but the shape of the 6 volt flywheel, and the 12 volt crank are different. The only thing centering the flywheel will be the dowel pins. No matter how tight you can get your gland nut, it will eventually come loose, egg shaping the dowel holes on the crank, and flywheel, ruining them both.

Fri Nov 05, 2010 5:17 pm

I believe you can put an early flywheel on a later crankshaft (using the metal gasket) but not a later (o-ringed) flywheel on an early crankshaft. Does that make sense?

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=420399

I'm about to do this too but in my case I'm using a 6V flywheel with a 200mm clutch surface. Your 180mm clutch was designed for a 1200 and may not last very long on a bigger engine; especially if you have a heavy foot...

Fri Nov 05, 2010 5:43 pm

my 63 ghia had a 6 volt flywheel on a 1600 AS41 case. yes, you can

Fri Nov 05, 2010 7:10 pm

norcalmike wrote: my 63 ghia had a 6 volt flywheel on a 1600 AS41 case. yes, you can

If you have an odd-ball o-ringed flywheel with a 6 volt diameter ring gear, it will work. If you are using a common 6 volt flywheel from a 1200 from a 6 volt crank, it will "work", for a little while. Go compair a 6 volt crank from a 1200 with it's 6 volt flywheel, to a 12 volt crank, and it's o-ringed flywheel, and you'll see why it won't work. I quit counting after the 10th person came into the shop I work at with a destroyed crank/flywheel from trying to put a common 6 volt flywheel on a 12 volt crank. Do what you want, but it will not properly work.

Fri Nov 05, 2010 9:28 pm

As I happened to have the relevant pieces sitting about, here are a couple of visual aids to stimulate discssion...

The late crankshaft seems to be fully seated and centered around its perimeter in the early flywheel; at least as much as an early crank in an early flywheel ever was.

Also, the Tom Wilson book states that - if a non o-ringed flywheel was intended for the crank, the machined shoulder on the crank will be quite short, about 1/8-in. long. Cranks designed for an o-ring have a wider shoulder, about 1/2-in. long. If the flywheel doesn't have an o-ring or groove, it mates to any crankshaft. But o-ringed flywheels must be used on o-ring cranks. They just won't slide completely onto a non-o-ring crank. Non o-ring flywheel will work on any crank. O-ring flywheel cannot be used on non-o-ring cranks because of the longer step to accommodate the o-ring.

Sounds good to be; but I'm new to all this... :D