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Wed Apr 02, 2025 8:39 am

Edit: I can not believe this has grown to 100 pages!

Jhp212 wrote: Man, love all your fixes! I’d bet most of us would have tossed that carb shaft. It definitely inspires me to make creative fixes on my own projects too. Sometimes you just have to. Your project is coming together quite nicely. Excellent work!

Thanks Dan! I was a lucky kid, growing up with a father that was a true artist, craftsman and intelligent! He taught me SO MUCH!!!! I thank him every time I talk to him! Most of what was taught was motivation, just finding a way to make it happen and the ability to limit the grip that fear has upon oneself! With no fear, there are no limits, except for those imposed by nature! Leaves a lot on the table. So the next thought starts the process, how can I do? Followed by, what do I need to make that happen?

I had a hard upbringing, but during it I was naturally given many gifts that most do not have. But like I said, I was a lucky kid!

I give you a thought for your next time at the cross roads with a part. Ask yourself, “Does the piece in front of me have any value in its current condition?” If you answer “Nope”, you my friend have a blank canvas to play with! That is what I have done my whole life. I still do it! Before I throw anything away (like TVs, Stereos, Printers, ink cartridges, door knobs, etc…ANYTHING, I always disassemble it! I love learning the how and what’s and the whys of how this thing became to be and how it works! That knowledge is key to me in my job and in this hobby.

As a mechanic, I would disassembly anything that was going to the scrapper. I tore down so many transmissions, engines, alternators, starters, distributors, pumps, differentials, etc, etc… I learned so much on the whys and hows! It is just amazing. And the best part is I worked on every make of car. ACVW were what the shop did for 40 years before I got there, but I walked in to help the new general mechanic start his business along side the VW side. I learned a shit ton about so many make and models! Really was an amazing classroom! College was a special of dust compared to what I learned during those 8 years!

I am just naturally curious, and lack the ability to not learn! This is why I say, I am a student! I really hope it never ends but I think it comes to some finite point as the years march on. Hope not but I have seen it happen.

There you go! There might be an answer somewhere within.

Wed Apr 02, 2025 1:02 pm

Got off from work early yesterday and got to spend a few hours in the garage. Most of it was finding parts! But I did get the emergency brake rod and handle installed. But could not finish the up front assembly because I was missing the crossbar.

I then installed the shifter rod and coupler. Followed by the shifter and lock out plate. But I could not find the knob.

Closer to driving the pan!

And keeping in the true order of things, I found the cross bar at the end of my time! I cleaned it up.

I then installed it. The rear wheel on the passenger side locked up! Driver’s side did not. I will need to go looking before adjusting it!

Until more time magically appears!

Sun Apr 06, 2025 8:56 pm

Got some more time in! Had another Friday off, which is just a bonus, in so many ways! Got the brake lines completed, the flexible lines installed, all wheels installed and bleed! Brakes are adjusted and work. E-brake works great! Had to order the lock plate and tensioner for the remainder of the install. Car rolls and steers. I even had the steering shaft in play!

E brake, adjusted and waiting for parts. Thanks Mika!

Here is the tool I used to create the Bubble Flates. 5mm tubing is what is used. I purchased the Wolfsburg West brake line kit, but found the rear being wrong for my install. So, I purchased a roll of 5mm tubing and a flaring tool.

Once I had that all bleed and adjusted, I started the engine again! And I chased down another leaky plug! Damn it, I thought that I sealed all of them. Guess not!
At least it was easy to get to!

Hoping to get some more time next weekend!

Sun Apr 06, 2025 9:11 pm

Nice update Jimmy.

If I may, When the E-brake lever is pulled up the rod moves forward and then the cables are tightened causing the brakes to lock?
I admittedly have never seen that system. It's pretty neat!

Sun Apr 06, 2025 9:28 pm

67rustavenger wrote: Nice update Jimmy.

If I may, When the E-brake lever is pulled up the rod moves forward and then the cables are tightened causing the brakes to lock?
I admittedly have never seen that system. It's pretty neat!

Exactly! That is an early “split” e brake system. In late 55, 56
Model, they switched the layout and ditched the rod and front connection point. I would need to check my “Progressive Refinements” to be sure, but that is what I remember! Think it was a left over from the “cable brake system”!

Thu Apr 10, 2025 10:48 pm

Well, I got some stuff done! Work has been really light this week. SO……..,

I have spent a few days in the garage! The work has experience has been grueling. Allow me to explain.

Sealed up the other leaky galley plug and test ran the engine. No more leaks from there! I then turned my attention to driving the pan! I have to create a bulkhead for the steering wheel to rest on, a way to start the car, a place to sit, a fuel tank, and be certain the brakes work! So I did all of the above. I was surprised when I was setting the engine basics. Specifically, the engine timing! This is a 6 volt system, so my regular timing light will not work on it. But, fortunately for me, Ed Guffy was the mechanic in the bay next to mine for a few years! He was a okay VW mechanic. I was there the day he was fired. Maha had his limit with his shit show and that was the end. As he was on his way out he asked me if I wanted an old timing light. I said okay. He then explained he had it only for the cars with 6volt system, because our regular lights would not work on them. I took it and said thank you, then good bye. That was in 1995! I never used that timing light. I placed it in the bottom back corner of my tool box and forgot that I had it. Well, until a few days ago, when I needed to set the timing on my freshly rebuilt 36hp engine, with a 6volt ignition system!

Here is the light!

After setting the basics, I built me a Go Cart on a Bug pan! I will allow the pictures to speak for me!

With it all built, checked and tested, I jumped into the seat!

And then history was created!

And then I returned!

That was a start. Not a great one, as you might be able to tell if you listen closely to the transmission during the drive.

I will illuminate what went on tomorrow morning!

Thu Apr 10, 2025 11:01 pm

Fn hilarious! Four rearward gears! Lol! :shock:

It happens, I had a San Clemente high school fiend who's baja had the same condition after a rebuild. It was a easy fix.

Nice to see you driving the pan, even if only in reverse gear. :D
I bet that was a fun yet slow drive.

Have you talked with Scott yet?

Fri Apr 11, 2025 1:12 am

Quote: Followed by the shifter and lock out plate. But I could not find the knob.
You probably have a shifter knob somewhere in the depths of your garage or tool box... but you can make one out of a 3 - 4" long section of a 2 1/2 - 3" thick tree branch if you did some recent tree pruning work. Grasp along the branch to find a section that feels comfortable to your 4 fingers (T-handle) or into your palm ("upridght knob"). Make some clean saw cuts to end up with a cylindrical shape, then round off the edges with a rasp. Choose a drill bit that's slightly smaller diameter than your shifter lever thread, drill into the branch section at least half way either in the center of one side (T-handle) or into the center of the bottom, then screw the branch onto the shift lever. The metal shift lever will "cut" its own threads into the softer wood. If it feels good and you want to keep it, apply 2 coats of polyurethane.

I did this about 40 years ago for one of my VWs, and I still have the "shift knob" on the shelf after I sold the car.

Fri Apr 11, 2025 4:37 am

Very cool, Jimbo! You look like a kid on Christmas, and rightfully so! Can't wait to see her all complete and on the road. Congrats, man!

Fri Apr 11, 2025 6:41 am

Hey Jim, I think there’s two shifter knobs in that box of parts I gave you
Looks awesome!

Fri Apr 11, 2025 8:00 am

67rustavenger wrote: Fn hilarious! Four rearward gears! Lol! :shock:

It happens, I had a San Clemente high school fiend who's baja had the same condition after a rebuild. It was a easy fix.

Nice to see you driving the pan, even if only in reverse gear. :D
I bet that was a fun yet slow drive.

Have you talked with Scott yet?

Yep! Super funny. - NOT! Although, in the moment I was laughing a bit. On the onset, I was having a hard time finding reverse (you can kind of see it in the video), it was just not there! The car was going forwards. But I was not tuning in yet. I get all the way out and go into (what I know is 1st gear) and think that’s weird. Ah shit! Diff is in backwards. I am flashing back in my mind to the rebuild and not seeing it clearly but have this weird feeling like we stuck the diff in last. So then, attempting to grab 2nd, 3rd and 4th, with no luck, I succumb to the reality of the moment. I stuck it in reverse and drove it down the alley to the street. Made a U-turn and drove back! I knew full well what I was going to have to do. Call Scott and verify what I knew to be true. The diff was set in last. Damn it! Drinking beer while assembling a transmission is not a good idea. Next time the beer will be drank AFTER building the transmission, not BEFORE AND DURING! Now, I will just need to remember that for next time!

To answer your last question. IT WAS F’N AWESOME! I also had the thought, this pan has not been driven on the road, under its own power for decades! The car has to be happy - right? I know I was!!!!!

Thanks man!

Fri Apr 11, 2025 8:07 am

Rome wrote: Quote: Followed by the shifter and lock out plate. But I could not find the knob.
You probably have a shifter knob somewhere in the depths of your garage or tool box... but you can make one out of a 3 - 4" long section of a 2 1/2 - 3" thick tree branch if you did some recent tree pruning work. Grasp along the branch to find a section that feels comfortable to your 4 fingers (T-handle) or into your palm ("upridght knob"). Make some clean saw cuts to end up with a cylindrical shape, then round off the edges with a rasp. Choose a drill bit that's slightly smaller diameter than your shifter lever thread, drill into the branch section at least half way either in the center of one side (T-handle) or into the center of the bottom, then screw the branch onto the shift lever. The metal shift lever will "cut" its own threads into the softer wood. If it feels good and you want to keep it, apply 2 coats of polyurethane.

I did this about 40 years ago for one of my VWs, and I still have the "shift knob" on the shelf after I sold the car.

Thanks Rome for that! It sounds cool but not my style, even being a master carpenter with a full woodshop in my garage. Yes, you read that correctly. Amongst all of what is currently going on in that garage, there is a 10” Unisaw, a 12” Belsaw Planer, a 6” Powermatic Joiner, a Delta 13 system hole press, 14” Delta bandsaw and a variety of other woodworking tools! I have built custom cabinets my whole life and build one off custom furniture pieces!

So, yes, I need to find a knob. I tried ordering one from Wolfsburg West but the knob comes with 10mm threads and the stick has 8mm threads. So, I either need to get a reducer, or a different knob, or find the one that came with the car. It is somewhere within those 4 walls!

Wish me luck!

Fri Apr 11, 2025 8:13 am

sportin-wood wrote: Very cool, Jimbo! You look like a kid on Christmas, and rightfully so! Can't wait to see her all complete and on the road. Congrats, man!

Thanks you! I felt like a 7 year old kid on Christmas! I think that was the years I got the Legoland Main Street set! It had a construction crew building a hotel, using a Gantry crane! Loved my Legos, still do! They actually sit in the bottom of my closet!

I cannot wait either! It has been 34 years since I had to sell my 55. My heart broke that day. After that ride it felt GREAT!

Fri Apr 11, 2025 8:15 am

Disaster06 wrote: Hey Jim, I think there’s two shifter knobs in that box of parts I gave you
Looks awesome!

Hey Nick! There was, but they had 10mm threads. All of my knobs do! I tried 7 different knobs I dug out for that ride, with no luck! I even ordered one and still it did not have the smaller threads. I will make it happen, you know I always do!

Fri Apr 11, 2025 9:03 am

So, after that joy ride, I got on the phone and talked with Scott. His first words were, “Bring it back up and we can get that flipped!” He was super stoked for me on the Bug finally moving under its own power, but disappointed in the 4 reverse gears. He suggested that I stick some reduction boxes on it and go for a KDF wagen! Honestly, I did pause and a few seconds, but then said, “nah”. But it would be cool to climb hills!

Okay back to reality. His conversation solidified the thought that the differential was in on the wrong side. So, I went back out in the garage and pulled the transmission, so it could drain all night!

Then tucked everything away for the night.

The next morning, the garage STUNK LIKE GEAR OIL! I really dislike that smell! I got to disassemble the transmission. See the differential? You should see the ring gear, not the back side of the ring gear! Damn it, where were my eyes the first time around? You know the saying, “Anything worth doing, is worth doing twice!” Right Rusty?!?!

Now I have to flip that 180 degrees, so back out it comes! Along with the input shaft and pinion shaft.

Here is the differential assembly as removed with the carrier bearings pulled off and the shim set showing, as removed.

I then swapped the shims, side to side, and reinstalled the bearings. Then it hit me. This did not seem right. If the pinion is machined dead center of the case, and the pinion would be sitting in the same position, why would I change the shims. Let’s call Scott again.

A brief conversation and my gut was right. My hearing sucks and my memory is even worse! He confirmed that the shims stay on their original sides. So, I had to move them back into place and reinstall the carrier bearings. What a dumb ass I am! Thinking back, I should have known this. Thinking I am just a bit stressed out and need lunch! After lunch….

From this.

Back to this.

I then flipped the assembly up and into the case half! (CORRECTLY!)

That looks WAY BETTER! Then set the input shaft back in and then the intermediate shaft! YAY BABY!

I then cleaned the mating surfaces again, spread some anaerobic sealant on the mating piece and bolted it back together. Reassembled the axles, axel tubes, backing plates.

It then was reinstalled into the Pan!

Followed that with full reassembly for a test drive!

Drove it back down the alley and had 4 FORWARD gears and only 1 REVERSE gear!

Totally awesome! And wore my ass out!

Fri Apr 11, 2025 9:35 am

After the victory with the transmission, wifey and I went over to the brewery to celebrate! When we got back to the house I took a short nap. Woke up and went right back out to the Bug! Let’s get the body on the pan, so I can start hammering steel into shape!

Decided to double side tape the body gasket down. I have never did this before, but it seemed like a great idea!

Nap Hat done! Look Ma, no nails!

By the way, here is the tape. I use this for all types of exterior fixture setting.

Down the side.

Across the luggage lower shelf.

Then I lifted the rotisserie and removed the cart from the front and the back.

Look at how close these body panels are! Sure glad I know how to measure!

Body fully on the pan, bolts all snuggled up.

After that milestone, completely exhausted, I put the Bug into its resting spot and hard a hell of a time fitting everything in, on and around it!

Until next time! Hope you all have as much excitement as I do!

Fri Apr 11, 2025 11:20 am

"There's never enough time to do it right the first time. But, there's always enough time to do it thrice!" Lol.

You did all that in one day? If so, Wow!
At least the work was fairly easy, given that the body was off the pan.

All I did yesterday was remove the engine belly pan from my 2003 VW EV and pound out a dent from under the oil pan.

Sat Apr 12, 2025 9:40 am

67rustavenger wrote: "There's never enough time to do it right the first time. But, there's always enough time to do it thrice!" Lol.

You did all that in one day? If so, Wow!
At least the work was fairly easy, given that the body was off the pan.

All I did yesterday was remove the engine belly pan from my 2003 VW EV and pound out a dent from under the oil pan.

Amen to that first sentence! Thankfully the shit stopped there - right?!?! If it had gone to 4, 5, or even 6 times, crazy would need to be inputted somewhere in that line up!

That was one day! And I even got to go to the brewery for a burger and a beer, with the wifey! After lunch, she went back to work. I no longer have anyone in the house during the day. They either are at work, school or selling houses! I like the last one the best!

That “bellypan” work is never fun! That’s what I remember about wrenching for a living. Hopefully it is a 2 wheel drive and not 4!

Sat Apr 12, 2025 10:12 am

Got in another days worth! Mostly spent the day looking for the shift knob. I had no luck. So, I went back through the first few pages of my story and found proof that the knob never made it to my garage. Damn it!

So, with that, I will buy a reducer or fabricate one. Damn it! Onto more productive endeavors!

Found the steering column tube! Apparently it never went out to get blasted. No time for that right now. So, I stuck it in the car and found out what I wanted to know. Is the steering box in the right position?

Nope! Looks like the box needs to slide to the right. So, I pulled the tank, loosened the steering box and slide it over till the shaft was centered.

See the difference?

And underneath it is no longer rubbing against the inside, sidewall of the tube. It now, is centered!

I then set the toe. It was toe-out almost 7/8”! Now it is 3/16” tow-in! Caster and camber seem good. However, I still need to get this up to normal weight and go around the block to check it for sure. It is just so much easier with no gas tank! At least I am close!

Double checked all fasteners for tightness. Installed the second nut and lock plates at the front axles and put the tank back into place.

Until next time!

Sun Apr 13, 2025 11:05 am

you've redefined "all in a day's work"
But, where are the tuba players?

seriously, I'm floored. The differential/transmission debacle would have stalled me for a few days, just out of frustration...
What is the plan for finish body work and paint? Will you have it painted on the pan, or take it all back apart? Either way I see the wisdom in building it first to make sure things fit and work; better to do that now than after finish paint.
SD