944 IRS conversion

[oprn]

Not much happened in the last few days. Time was split between moving snow and preparing something for a charity silent auction that we are involved with tomorrow. It seems hand crafted items bring a lot of attention if done reasonably well. So I turned up a bowl out of local elm wood. Spent far too much time on it!

I did however get the CV joints cleaned, repacked with grease and the axles installed.

Next is the shocks, mods in the works as I type this.
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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)

[oprn]

On to the shocks. The simplest solution, as suggested by others, was to drill out the bushing in the old shocks to fit the bottom 944 shock bolt. It turns out that the 944 bolt is too long and would bottom out long before it contacted the shock. So, do I source a pair of shorter bolts and wait a week for them to come in the mail?

No patience for that nonsense! Back to the lathe (I have no idea how we would work on these cars without one!) and build two spacers to take up the slack.

Next is the clutch cable. The old one appeared to be too long, was kinked badly, the outer plastic sheath cracked and letting in rain water. When I started this project I ordered a new one based on the year of the pan. Well sir - it is even longer than what was in there before!

Again, do I go back to the various sites and try to find which year and model of car has the correct length outer cable to fit a '73 Beetle pan with a late model single side cover IRS transaxle and a Bus cable bracket (the only bracket I could find on the CIP1 site at the time)? Then there is the wait time and possibility it would not fit either.

Solution - modify the bracket to fit the cable.

The cable still has a pretty big droop. I think there is a spec somewhere for how much it should be.
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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)

[Busstom]

If I need custom parking brake cable sleeves, I'll just e-mail you
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My name's Steve and it's pronounced "Bust 'em" (cuz people think I'm Tom) 😏

[oprn]

The last IRS conversion item now is the battery. I am about an inch or so short of being able to use the previous battery and battery box to clear the brake lines. I didn't (and should have) check the battery clearance with the suspension at full compression. Just eyeballing it I would say that no more than another inch is needed for that. The battery sits fairly far forward on this body.

So, a couple of options come to mind. First is to source a battery that is not as tall. Side posts would also help with that but also I could turn the battery sideways instead of fore and aft.

I would love to have the battery weight up front instead but can't see how that would happen without losing foot room. Suggestions on a more compact battery welcome.
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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)

[oprn]

New development. I got the driver's seat remounted so now with a foot on the brake peddle instead of hand pumping... I have a leak! Retightened the fitting and it's worse! Must be a crack in the old line? Can't see one with these old eyes but I should be replacing these old steel lines anyway as there is some surface rust, mostly on the one that is not leaking...

Pelican parts has them all made up and ready to go, $209 for one and $167 for the other... You have got to be joking!!! By the time I add in exchange and shipping I am pushing $500 for two 20" long brake lines?

Don't think so!

Into the local auto parts outlet... no metric brake lines. No surprise. Bought 2 3/16" universal lines with double flares and SAE fittings. Got change back from a $10 bill, that's more like it! "Do you have a bubble flaring tool?" Don't know what I am talking about.

Again no surprise!

Tried makin a die for my present flare kit but I'm not working with tool steel so the center pin is a problem. It keeps bending and braking off.

Back on line and the closest place that sells a bubble flare kit is in the city 2 hours away. Back home now with kit in hand and making up some brake lines. I kind of enjoy this! Not hard at all! The bonus is I can make them fit better and neater than the stock ones.

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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)

[oprn]

Well the bubble flare kit ended up having the same issue as my home grown one. It made 3 flares but on the 4th one the pin broke off. Apparently the dies in this kit are not tool steel either. Between my old flare kit and my home grown parts the last flare was made.

All together now, brakes bled and no leaks!
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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)

[Busstom]

How's your pedal pressure? All satisfied now with the outcome?
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My name's Steve and it's pronounced "Bust 'em" (cuz people think I'm Tom) 😏

[oprn]

Too soon to tell. No engine in yet so I can't test drive it. There is Quite a bit of travel before there is brakes but that is to be expected with a 19mm master cylinder. The peddle does feel a bit soft even though I can't seem to get any more air out of the brakes. I think the fact that I increased the peddle ratio to 6.6/1 has a lot to do with both issues.

Once I get the engine in and the snow is off the roads I will know more.
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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)

[Victor H]

Really nice work, both the install and fabrication. Looks great and you appear to be in the home stretch. Motor is ready to install too?

[oprn]

Tomorrow unless it snows us in and I spend the day digging out.
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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)

[BFB]

Gaaaadamn they want that much just a steel brake line ?? Thats insane , i haven’t bought premade lines in… well, never.
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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

[oprn]

Ya! Insane right?!

I have found that most parts for the 944s are quite reasonable with a few exceptions. These brake lines are one and the cooling fans for the rad being another. Brake pads, shoes and related hardware are no more generally than any other car. The rotors were about $200 each but I had a local guy touch up these ones on his brake lathe for $20 each, they were mostly just rusty, lots of meat left.
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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)

[Busstom]

I found all kinds of rotors at AutoHaus for less than half of that. I know it's irrelevant to your project at this point. But, I bought an extra set for my Bus, just to have some for comparison, spares, etc.

https://www.autohausaz.com/porsche-auto-parts/pors...amp;page=1
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My name's Steve and it's pronounced "Bust 'em" (cuz people think I'm Tom) 😏

[oprn]

Oh wow! Pays to shop around. I didn't know about that place. Thanks!
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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)

[Busstom]

👍🏼👍🏼🤾🏽‍♂️✊🏽
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My name's Steve and it's pronounced "Bust 'em" (cuz people think I'm Tom) 😏

[oprn]

Here is my battery solution. A trip into town revealed that nearly all common batteries are 7" tall. Ok, I suppose I could have special ordered some exotic battery but I wanted to have something easy to find when replacement time comes.

The battery I had was mounted for and aft and had a 480 cold cranking amp rating. I found an ATV battery that was 1/2 the size with 385 cold cranking amps. Most of our driving is spring to fall so I am betting on that being sufficient. In ice racing season... I may have to do something different. We will see.

So, I took 1 1/2" off the height of the old battery box and about 1/2 off the length.

This allows me to turn the battery crossways and move it forward in the hole for trailing arm clearance as the suspension travels up.

This is how it looks from below.

I need to build another set of cables now to match he battery posts. Oh, and a cover of some sort for the hole left by the smaller battery box.
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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)

[oprn]

Just looking at that last picture... pretty crude work I must admit!

Aw well! Getting impatient to get this thing done. Only the small furry critters we run over are going to see it and I am guessing that critiquing my battery box will not be on their minds...
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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)

[oprn]

The engine is in now and I put her down on her feet.

I think I have a problem...

Remember that I used the 944 torsion bars? Oh ya! She is now sprung like a gravel truck! Just barely off the bottom stops and fat old me bouncing on the back hardly makes any impression! I indexed these things about 2 splines LOWER than the Beetle ones too!

Hmmm....
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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)

[Busstom]

Hmmmm.....maybe you could put on some weight?

But seriously I don't remember because I wasn't paying attention in class. But why did you do that? Did you also have to use 944 spring plates due to a spline compatibility issue?
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My name's Steve and it's pronounced "Bust 'em" (cuz people think I'm Tom) 😏

[oprn]

If I put on any more weight I would need a handicap hoist to get in and out of the car!

The 944 spring plates must be used because they fit the 944 aluminum trailing arms. The torsion bars are completely interchangeable. Just that the 944 is a heavier car and the bar diameter is larger. The stock Beetle ones to me felt a bit soft. With the type 4 engine, two adults and a couple grandchildren the Buggy would hit bottom at the rear too often for my liking. Also with the stock front suspension and the weight reduction of the glass body the front was a lot stiffer than the rear.

I had these 944 bars so why not try them. I have not actually drive with them yet, just going on first impressions. They may settle a bit... if not I can re-index them lower. Or I may go back to the Beetle bars, index them higher and pull some leaves out of the front to get a better balance. I rather enjoy a car with a firm ride and the resulting sure footed feel in a corner but not so firm as to be uncomfortable on a long ride.
_________________
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)