TheSamba.com :: View topic - Need help please... grandfather / grandson project

Wed Sep 16, 2020 5:00 pm

Burro update, coming along good.

Wed Sep 16, 2020 6:36 pm

One of the things I've noticed about burros is the way the seats are as far forward as possible. This is in contrast to the later "sand rail" sporting type of off-roader where the seats are just ahead of the torsion tube. The Burros were the earliest "utv". Designed as a beast of burden.

Wed Sep 16, 2020 7:38 pm

Yes sir, they are further away from the tube vs the sand rail. I like how the seats are setting in the Burro (a little higher up than some sand rails) allowing for some bend at the knee. The sliders have about 8" travel front to rear.

That reminds me, I need seat belts for the grandkids, lol.

Thu Sep 17, 2020 12:20 pm

Have you seen this video ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByizEhvlgFE

Thu Sep 17, 2020 6:53 pm

Yes, thanks for posting.

I did see that one a while back, but I noticed more parts on the one in the video that are the same as mine this time.

Looks like a solid buggy and the history he has with it is awesome as well.

Mon Sep 21, 2020 11:57 am

Need some info please.

The rear wheel cylinders need replacing. It appears to be from a late 57 or early 58, two bolts hold it on in the back.

Can someone give me a replacement part number to order?

Wed Oct 07, 2020 10:39 pm

The grandchildren are really enjoying the Burro Buggy.

I'm enjoying watching their smiling faces!

Thu Oct 08, 2020 5:27 am

When I saw the first pics my thoughts were GET RID OF THOSE UGLY FENDERS SO IT LOOKS LIKE A BURRO AGAIN !!!! But that last pic shows what a really good job your uncle did. It kinda has a Manx flavor and fenders would definitely be nice in the rain or a muddy trail.

Thu Oct 08, 2020 6:36 am

The Uncle that put the Burro together when new added the tubing marked in red before skinning the buggy with metal, (original shape marked in yellow). When my other Uncle bought it in the 70’s he added the fenders. Said he wasn’t too fond of the tires slinging manure in the cabin when driving around the pasture.

Sun Dec 13, 2020 9:10 pm

Ready for Christmas

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Fri Dec 25, 2020 5:08 pm

After looking for several months to find some NOS Burro Buggy emblems with no luck, a friend from another car forum made some for me.

He designed race numbers for another car we have so I thought it was worth a try to contact him. Sent him a few pictures of emblems that were placed on the Burro's back in the day and he was able to make them.

This was one of the pics I sent to him -

These are what he made, nice work! -

Fri Jan 08, 2021 10:46 am

Changed out the old school steering brake for a single lever hydraulic. Wanted to keep the look of the original one, just didn't work well.

Sat Jan 09, 2021 7:02 pm

Having that handle that close to the seats is going to make it very awkward to operate.

My experience with the cable operated steering brakes like the original Burro ones has been good. The brake shoes must be adjusted well and the cables must be in good condition and the brakes properly installed. I've seen issues like the crossbar not installed or installed incorrectly, or the cables too loose so the handle needs to be pulled very high, or the shoes simply not adjusted (many folks who are accustomed to working on more modern cars and disc brakes are often not aware that old VW Bug brakes need to be manually adjusted initially and regularly).

Sat Jan 09, 2021 7:48 pm

With the old VW Beetle seats (that were originally installed) there was more space between the seats and more room for the cable type set-up.

The new bucket seats are wider and the old handles rested against each seat. Not to bad to pull the left handle, right side handle took some digging to grab hold of it. We would like to have kept them, just because they were in the buggy since first built, (new grips and park brake handle though).

The seats will scoot back further than pictured, (the trans is in second gear) plenty of room for pushing the handle, pull is a little tight with a larger passenger. They may get elbowed a lot. Haven't had it out for a try in the field yet, but we have hope they will work good.

From reading the forums it appears the cable type works one shoe only. Is that the way it works?

Sat Jan 09, 2021 8:15 pm

The cable type only works one shoe IF the crossbar is not installed or is not installed correctly.

If it's in place, it transfers the pressure of the lever across to both shoes.

I've been dealing with that sort of comment for about 50 years and known them to be wrong even longer. It shows the guys making those comments do NOT understand the VW brakes.

What I felt would make that setup difficult to operate the steering brake is the distance from the upper part of the seat next to your ribs to the handle. I get the issues of the side of the seat for the cable setup. Handles bent upward would fix that. But your elbow will have to bypass the seat to get your hand on the new handle.

Sat Jan 09, 2021 8:56 pm

dustymojave wrote: The cable type only works one shoe IF the crossbar is not installed or is not installed correctly.

If it's in place, it transfers the pressure of the lever across to both shoes.

I've been dealing with that sort of comment for about 50 years and known them to be wrong even longer. It shows the guys making those comments do NOT understand the VW brakes.

Thanks

The crossbar is in place on ours, we made sure when the new shoes were installed. Only have about 170 miles on the buggy after the build, but the next thing on our list is to check the brake shoe adjustment again.

Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:17 am

We changed out the really nasty 80w gear oil with Valvoline back in the summer. It did shift a little smoother but when the temperature is below freezing, the first to second shift was a pain. It does get easier when warmed up, but still not great and third to second downshift needed improvement as well. We adjusted the shifter a couple different times and tried out the quick-shift kit. We could make it shift worse, but not better. On and off for a period of a couple days I studied up on the GL-4 and GL-5 discussion / debate threads and was confused even more on what weight and brand of oil to try.

Some say to use Red Line, others say never use it. Something had to give. We were unhappy with what we have now for sure. Went to the Red Line website, typed in 1958 VW Beetle, and MT-90 75W90 GL-4 GEAR OIL popped up as the oil to use.

It’s the best $51.24 I’ve spent on the buggy. The first to second shifts and third to second downshifts are fantastic, no matter what the outside temp is. I was pleasantly surprised, and it definitely put a smile on my face. As they say “shifts like butter”.

Who knows, it might disintegrate later on, but I’ll enjoy the shifting while it lasts.

Sun Jan 10, 2021 9:34 pm

VW Bobby wrote: We changed out the really nasty 80w gear oil with Valvoline back in the summer. It did shift a little smoother but when the temperature is below freezing, the first to second shift was a pain. It does get easier when warmed up, but still not great and third to second downshift needed improvement as well. We adjusted the shifter a couple different times and tried out the quick-shift kit. We could make it shift worse, but not better. On and off for a period of a couple days I studied up on the GL-4 and GL-5 discussion / debate threads and was confused even more on what weight and brand of oil to try.

Some say to use Red Line, others say never use it. Something had to give. We were unhappy with what we have now for sure. Went to the Red Line website, typed in 1958 VW Beetle, and MT-90 75W90 GL-4 GEAR OIL popped up as the oil to use.

It’s the best $51.24 I’ve spent on the buggy. The first to second shifts and third to second downshifts are fantastic, no matter what the outside temp is. I was pleasantly surprised, and it definitely put a smile on my face. As they say “shifts like butter”.

Who knows, it might disintegrate later on, but I’ll enjoy the shifting while it lasts.

30 years ago, my daily driver was my '58 Baja Bug with a 4:37 ratio tunnel case swing axle trans with long spline long axles. The engine was a 1385cc 40hp with a cam and a stock 28PICT carb. On the morning of December 21st, the air temp outdoors here in the Mojave Desert (near where the space shuttles used to land) was -6°F. My dad (whose name the title was still in) had changed the gear oil from the factory specified 90wt, to 85W-140 that one of his SAE pals had suggested. In warm weather that oil worked fine. But on that cold morning, I had to drive 3 miles before I could upshift from 2nd gear to 3rd. Then it was another 4 miles before I could sustain 4th gear. Modern synthetics might have helped. But 85W-140 was NOT the direction to go. 50wt motor oil would probably have been better. A theoretical 50W-90 would have been better. Never run across any of that, though.

Tue Jan 12, 2021 5:15 am

Awesome resurrection of this family built classic.

What did you use to clean up the aluminium? Some type of etching product, polish, elbow grease or some combination there of?

The burro looks great!

Tue Jan 12, 2021 7:07 am

dustymojave wrote:

30 years ago, my daily driver was my '58 Baja Bug with a 4:37 ratio tunnel case swing axle trans with long spline long axles. The engine was a 1385cc 40hp with a cam and a stock 28PICT carb. On the morning of December 21st, the air temp outdoors here in the Mojave Desert (near where the space shuttles used to land) was -6°F. My dad (whose name the title was still in) had changed the gear oil from the factory specified 90wt, to 85W-140 that one of his SAE pals had suggested. In warm weather that oil worked fine. But on that cold morning, I had to drive 3 miles before I could upshift from 2nd gear to 3rd. Then it was another 4 miles before I could sustain 4th gear. Modern synthetics might have helped. But 85W-140 was NOT the direction to go. 50wt motor oil would probably have been better. A theoretical 50W-90 would have been better. Never run across any of that, though.

A memory from days gone by, that's awesome! We share similar type stories and as fellow car enthusiasts it’s something we have in common. One of these days my grandchildren may share stories about our dune buggy.