Spindle Wheel Broke Off While Cruising the Corn Field…now what…

[Farva_84]

So, the sandrail is taking a beating out in the field stubble, my fault i suppose. One of the black “diamond” spoked front spindle wheels that came on the buggy snapped off at the hub and rolled away today mid ride. It occurred to me that spindle wheels might not be up to terrain. As i see it, my options are to replace the wheels with stronger spindle wheels or convert back to stock vw hubs (which i dont have) with standard vw wheels (which i do have)…I’m hoping you’ll share some experiences with either setup, durability being my main priority…wheels flying off is an interesting story but not a lot of fun…I’d rather not do it again…thanks.

[Farva_84]

[Farva_84]

I’m desperate to get her back in the field. I’m honestly not sure what i’ve got here… can anyone tell me what year of king pin this is? Are spindle wheels universal? Would vw wheels even fit on this setup or would i need to change out the hub/knuckle (whatever it’s called…) Thanks for looking.

[oprn]

All common parts for a '65 and older Beetle. If it were mine I would order up a pair of brake drums. The bearings and seals may or may not interchange with what you have now. You will also need a pair of wide 5 wheels and wheel bolts. All that will give you the option to add brakes to the front as well when the time comes.

Look around a bit and you might find all of the bits including the brakes used from an older Beetle that someone has upgraded to disc brakes.
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We had the stone age, the bronze age, the industrial age and now we are in the age of mass deception and mind control for corporate profit. (The mass media age)

[Dale M.]

Not very impressed with the spoke wheels.... As OPRN suggests, go back to stock drums and wide five wheels even if you don't put brakes up front...
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“Fear The Government That Wants To Take Your Guns" - Thomas Jefferson.

"Kellison Sand Piper Roadster" For Street & Show.
"Joe Pody Sandrover" Buggy with 2180 for Autocross (Sold)
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All suggestions and advice are purely my own opinion. You are free to ignore them if you wish ...

[Farva_84]

Alright, drums it is...other than taking off what's left of the spoked wheels, do I need to change anything else to put the original vw stuff back on? I appreciate all the tips, I'm not mechanically challenged, I've just spent most of the last year learning about vw engines and transmissions...don't have any experience with suspension and rolly parts yet...guess I'm about to get some.

[cbeck]

Brake drums, inner/outer bearings/races, inner seal. See if nut/washer/grease cap fit. If installing brakes, go discs and be done
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My cut in half and rebuild thread
www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=647779

[earthquake]

Somebody makes a brake drum hub adapter that looks like you cut the drum section off and just have the part that holds the wheel and the bearings that allows you to bolt on the wheel. EMPI make them in billet aluminum but they are about 160$ each. you can also just cut up a drum your self with a cut off wheel.

eQ
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74 CLASS 11 LOOK-A-LIKE
69 DUNE BUGGY
79 INTERNATIONAL SCOUT II
05 SCION XB SERIES RELEASE 2[#437]
95 Chevy C3500 dually
98 Ford E150
Link to Kelly J. Nolte 3/20/53 - 11/6/08
https://time-zonelabs.blogspot.com/p/about-kelly.html
DEATH TO CHINGERS!
[From a military recruitment poster in the novel "The Stainless Steel Rat" By Harry Harrison]

[BFB]

Ohhhh here we go with the front brakes again! Heh heh
On the subject of those spoke wheels, have yall noticed them to be weak ? I have a set i thought about putting on a buggy just because i like the looks of them. Buggy is primarily street but i will run 80 mph + some days, hate for one of them to come apart at that speed like OP’s …
And no I don’t run front brakes anyhow
_________________
Forced induction can overcome a lot of obsticles that gets in it's way
"You are the Engineer and the Mechanic.  
Build it your way not the way someone else does it. Their way might not work for you." - clonebug
An interesting thing happens in forums where everyone starts parroting the same thing and "common knowledge" takes over.
“ The monkey see monkey do mentality seems to run deep in VW people. "Gene Berg said it was so 30 years ago so thats the way it is" “ - bdkw1

[Farva_84]

Thanks for all the help! I found something like the empi adapter today but much cheaper, looks like it will do the trick. Now to sort out the bearings.

[PhillipM]

[DesertSasquatchXploration]

Square tubing I love the stuff built both my patio covers with it but wheels. That's hilarious

[jsturtlebuggy]

Those wheel actually work very well in the sand. That was what they were made for. Had a set on a buggy I bought a few years back. The worked well for their intended use, in the sand.
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Joseph
Fair Oaks/Orangevale, CA
Elrod Motorsports
Motion Tire Motorsports
Having fun with Dune Buggies since 1970
Into Volkswagens since 1960

[cbeck]

Looks like they lasted long enough to bend the tie rod.
_________________
My cut in half and rebuild thread
www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=647779

[oprn]

Disc brakes on the front of a sand rail is nothing more than eye candy. The stock drums are more than enough for the 250 pounds that the front axle carries.
_________________
We had the stone age, the bronze age, the industrial age and now we are in the age of mass deception and mind control for corporate profit. (The mass media age)

[Vanapplebomb]

Not the first time I have seen that kind of failure on those rims. They seem ok on the sand dunes here, but more than once I have seen the spokes crack off when covering less forgiving ground.

Over time you will find there are certain things that work fine on the dunes, but don’t hold up with other kinds of off road driving. Spoked spindle mount wheels and aluminum beams are prime examples. I have seen a couple cracked off shock towers on aluminum beams over the years.

As for brakes, I prefer drums up front with smaller wheel cylinders to reduce braking force. Also, unless you drop big bucks for top of the line disk brakes, stock drums are lighter weight than most of the popular disk kits.
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1800 Type 4 Berrien 295

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=487021

[BFB]

Like i said, i have no experience with these wheels but as far as them and aluminum beams cracking ( or any other part ) you do have to take into consideration the age of the part and years of use and probably abuse its seen. Not to mention most buggy’s I’ve rebuilt the previous owners did little to no maintenance, so how long might that part have had a crack before at actually failed?
_________________
Forced induction can overcome a lot of obsticles that gets in it's way
"You are the Engineer and the Mechanic.  
Build it your way not the way someone else does it. Their way might not work for you." - clonebug
An interesting thing happens in forums where everyone starts parroting the same thing and "common knowledge" takes over.
“ The monkey see monkey do mentality seems to run deep in VW people. "Gene Berg said it was so 30 years ago so thats the way it is" “ - bdkw1

[Stormin189]

Wow scary, seeing this is going to make me toss my wheels like that