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Thu Aug 27, 2015 5:20 am

So it's nearing fall again... feels like it with highs only in the 60's & lows in the 40's out of season... But since putting my car back on the road I missed 2 dumb things on the shoe boxes... I'm missing one flap and the other has it's flap but isn't connected to the rod...

So the question is, is it possible to re-hook a flopping flap and/or install a new flap into the shoebox that's missing its flap without dropping the entire engine and pulling all the tins off.... ??

Tried hooking up the floppy flap but haven't found a way to hook it in, as you have to close the flap to do so, tried making an odd hook tool but still can't use enough force to hook it into the silly clip, and as I look at installing the one missing a flap I also can't see anyway to do it without removing most of the tins to really get to it...

Hoping to have a little warmth in it this fall, but is looking like a winter job maybe.

Anyone ever have any luck hooking up or install a new flap without dropping the motor?

Thu Aug 27, 2015 8:39 am

You can hook the flap up when it's open.
I just removed a heater box from the tin and simply removed the clip and unhooked it from the flap. You do have to reach in there and it's sort of pain but it works that way.

The flap itself I haven't done in a while but I believe you can slip it through the 2 slices in the tin and then twist the 2 metal pieces to fasten it in place.
Then hook it up to the heater box pull rod.
I have done this with the full engine installed in the car.

Fri Aug 28, 2015 6:04 am

yeah that's pretty much what I was seeing but... on the one flap that's still present, even if I disconnect the control cable seems to make no matter where you hold it, its almost like the rod is just a tad short (1/4 inch maybe) of being able to hook it into the holder on the flap...

I know there are 2 different styles of 36hp boxes, (correct?) up to '57 and then '58 up?. While my engine is correct for the car I know someone put on later style boxes (a more a squared shape at the top edge VS the more rounded shape at the top on the earlier boxes), I do have an early set but are totally trashed & missing their flaps & all internals so I have nothing to visually compare between styles.

So knowing that there is an early and a later version, could it be possible it has an earlier flap in a later box and why the rod seems just shy of being able to hook the flaps tab? or...

Does anyone know if the early & later flaps, hook location & control rod lengths are the same and interchangeable... ?

Fri Aug 28, 2015 8:35 am

I looked in my garage and here are flap control rod lengths.

Early style (up through '57):
Left side flap control rod: 220mm
Right side flap control rod: 205mm

Late style:
Left side flap control rod: 255mm
Right side flap control rod: 240mm

I am not sure if the flaps are the same but I had an engine where someone put one of each box on there and it looks like they bent the rounded part of the flap where the rod attaches so it would be in the right spot to work so you may be able to do that too.

Sat Aug 29, 2015 9:03 am

Thanks E... Yeah mine must have an early style flap stuffed in it... And of course, tried modifying that last night to the one present, and like clockwork... the loop on the flap snapped in two just as I bent it to almost reaching the control rod.. *facepalm*

No biggie, guess that gives me an excuse to buy the correct ones and just replace both now...

Does anyone know or have the left & right VW part numbers for the flaps that would be correct for later style 36hp boxes?

Sat Aug 29, 2015 10:58 pm

0nebadbug wrote: Does anyone know or have the left & right VW part numbers for the flaps that would be correct for later style 36hp boxes?

It should be in here, even though it's the Bus manual
http://oacdp.com/5867part.html

It looks like these are the later style ones:
111119385C - Left
and
111119386C - Right

Part # B are the earlier ones

Mon Aug 31, 2015 5:55 am

Thanks E.

Mon Aug 31, 2015 9:21 am

I found someone selling both styles in the classifieds so here are some reference photos.

You can see how the later ones have the connecting arm in a different spot on the flap, probably sure to the fact that the connecting arm is longer but maybe this is better/longer lasting/more efficient somehow as well?
111119385B

111119386B

111119385C

111119386C

Fri Oct 30, 2015 5:53 am

Maybe I missed it but which one is the earlier one? I have a bunch of shoe boxes and am trying to figure out which are correct for my April of 57 oval.
Peter

Fri Oct 30, 2015 6:04 am

The "B" version would be earlier. A,B,C usually on parts.

Sat Mar 12, 2022 9:37 am

I dug out some heater flaps off a 58 to use on my 54. The tabs are in a different spot. I didn't know there was a difference on the tabs. Other than that they look like 111119385C. I will replace the tabs as the are in bad shape anyway.

Edit: I just noticed they have solid revits and about 8mm narrower.

Sat Mar 12, 2022 6:27 pm

I see there is some info above too.

Another pic I posted in the past, this shows they are different widths too, although that is easy to miss unless it's mentioned:

Sat Mar 12, 2022 8:21 pm

EverettB wrote: Another pic I posted in the past, this shows they are different widths too, although that is easy to miss unless it's mentioned:

I just realized it is off a 40hp. I just assumed it was older because of the solid rivets.

Sat Mar 12, 2022 10:29 pm

I bought a set of these from Virtanen and they fit right up. A happy surprise. First thing I bought from him that did not require hours and hours of fettling to get it to fit.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1430653

Don

Mon Jan 01, 2024 7:30 am

EverettB wrote: I looked in my garage and here are flap control rod lengths.

Early style (up through '57):
Left side flap control rod: 220mm
Right side flap control rod: 205mm

Late style:
Left side flap control rod: 255mm
Right side flap control rod: 240mm
Thank you Everett. This really helped me solve a problem with my heater boxes.
(You need the correct length rods or the flaps won’t open all the way/correctly)