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Project Slowly Underway: Berrien 295
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Vanapplebomb
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 03, 2011 11:55 am    Post subject: Project Slowly Underway: Berrien 295 Reply with quote

Last year I got a great deal on a Berrien 295 frame that I couldn't pass up. Things have started to go from there. I have a vision of making a fair performer off road that can one day be driven on the street. Unfortunately it is gona take more more time to build than what I have, so Its going be a long time before this thing moves under its own power.

The frame has been powder coated black had has all the tabs on it for mounting up all the goodies along with an IRS rear torsion. The frame horns sport a solid rear transmission cradle. Tree bars bolt on to the sides so you cant take them off and put them on when you please. The front is set up for a Link Pin front beam Which was sold to me along with the frame, high back fiberglass seats, and a Jamar super shifter.

Ebay is a wonderful thing. I got a fair deal of a good AH code beetle transmission from a '72 Super that was totaled in a front end collision. It has the two bolt nose cone and a 1:4.12 ring and pinion. It is painted a nasty blue color. Yup, thats gota change Rolling Eyes

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My focus for this year is to get the back end mostly set up. I picked up a pair of stock 22mm diameter, 26 9/16" long torsion bars along with a set of spring plates off a '69 beetle. I love those early double shear IRS spring plates. They came with the OE rubber bushings which were pretty much shot, as expected, and ready to just break apart. Dry-rot kills. Hey, they are old right? I ended up getting new ones. I debated going rubber, but decided urethane would be better if I end up pounding on it. The rubber ones deform pretty easy. While I was at it i got urethane trailing arm bushings with the steel sleeve inserts.

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The frame came with a solid mount cradle, but I needed a front mount. After talking with fellow samba members, I decided the CB Performance Rhino mount would do the best job. This thing is really quite a beast. The outside is a solid cast piece of metal, not a stamped steel like stock. It has a urethane plug cast into the outer casting and has the mounting studs cast into the urethane block in the center. The outer casting helps eliminate the rips and tears often associated with the red mounts that were designed for the garbage can. Over all, a very nice design.

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I decided I would run type 2 cv joints in the back right from the get go of the project, so I got a set of 90-6905 cv shafts from Empi that have 100mm cv joints. The length of the shaft is perfect for type 1 rear parts. It is actually listed as a "thing" axle, but it uses bus joints, not type 4. Im totally fine with that. Type 2 joints are all I really need.

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Thats all I got so far. I will try to take some pictures over the holiday of the frame and other stuff.


Last edited by Vanapplebomb on Wed Nov 16, 2011 9:56 pm; edited 1 time in total
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darkflaw
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 03, 2011 3:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yay another Berrien build! Can't wait for more pictures. Good luck with the build!
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Vanapplebomb
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 03, 2011 4:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ahh, I see your building a 295 as well. Looking good!

Nice frame isn't it?
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Vanapplebomb
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 2:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I had some good excitement today. My stub axles came in the mail! I scored the pair of them for $60. These are genuine '84 porsche 944 stubs. Yup, the same as the popular but less plentiful Thing stubs. These fit the stock type 1 bearings but accept larger 100mm cv joints for more articulation. Wonderful!

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Notice the logo cast into the cv cup. This is straight up German material. No cheep knockoffs here.

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Last edited by Vanapplebomb on Thu Nov 17, 2011 10:29 am; edited 3 times in total
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darkflaw
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 4:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Can we get some pictures of the frame? Also doing a berrien 295 and love looking at pictures Very Happy
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Vanapplebomb
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 4:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sure thing! Pictures are good. I am pretty sure 90% of us on the samba are visual and hands on learners. I will take some of it and post them up early next week when I am back down state for a break from school. There are currently about 500 miles between me and the frame.

While I am at it I will also snap some pictures of the front beam, seats, and other various odds and ends I have laying around for it. I can take a few shots of the Super Shifter for you. last I knew you were looking at getting one right?
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darkflaw
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 4:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes shifter would be great, still planning on purchasing one!
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Vanapplebomb
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 4:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Alright, sounds good man. I will go and do that for you when I get the chance.
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darkflaw
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 4:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Also if you need any 295 related pics just hit me up Very Happy
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Vanapplebomb
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 8:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Darkflaw. I might hit you up with that offer next week. Im curious to see if there is any difference in how our rear torsions are tied into the rest of the frame. The people at Berrien Buggy tell me that there are two different ways they weld them on...reason being is that one method is easier to weld it together yourself without some sort of a jig, more for the people that buy them as kits to take home and weld together like yours.

Sanity check...yup, fits.

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Looks like some good articulation Very Happy This is definitely a good upgrade over stock cv joints and stubs. This should go a long ways towards pinching some extra travel out of the beetles back side.
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Vanapplebomb
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 12:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here are some pictures I have of the Super Shifter. I'll get around to the frame and other goodies tomorrow.

So yeah, this is it.

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Notice the grease zerks and the threaded end with a jam nut for the adapter on the picture below. The button on the left is the hydraulic park lock, which I think is sold separately. The reverse lockout is on the right. There are also two holes in the top that allow you to stick long bolts through to mount the unit. Every thing is self contained. I like it because it's nice and simple.

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This is a shot of the internals. It is super simple. The lockout is just a thick steel plate that keeps the cup from moving to the side. When the button is pressed down the plate pivots around the mounting bolt, causing the opposite end near the cup to lift up out of the way allowing the cup to tip sideways far enough so that you can stick her into reverse.

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So I guess it is posable to put it into reverse with one hand if you slide it down the shaft to jam the button down like this.

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Everything about this shifter seams great. I do have to say that I really don't like the rubber dust boot. It is "attached" to the shifter housing by a little lip that fits into a little grove. It has a habit of popping off when cycled back and forth several times. Although it probably won't cycle as far once it is hooked up to the transmission, I would still be cautious. It isn't really a big deal if it pops off, it's just annoying. I will probably end up putting a hose clamp or a tie of some sorts around the bottom of it for this reason.
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darkflaw
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 12:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the great pics, can't wait to get mine now! Also never thought of putting my park lock on the side like that!
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jsturtlebuggy
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 12:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Van,
Your buggy coming along fine.
The JaMar shifter work great and have ability to adjust it.
Not to many good things to say about the ParkLok. Seen way to many of them stick in the close position and the only way to get brakes unlocked where to bleed the system. And if you are planning on using it for a E-brake check your local laws. Many states require a seperate braking system for the E-brake.
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Vanapplebomb
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 12:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah, I have heard of people having the same problem. I'm hopping it isn't going to give me any trouble. I think the problem a lot of people are having is they are jamming there brake down all the way and then locking it. You have to have a good deal more pressure in the line coming from the master cylinder than the line pressure to the brakes in order for it to release. If you jam the brake down hard there is a chance you might not be able to build enough pressure to pop it back up.

Good call on the E-brake vs park lock.

The papers I got from the Michigan Secretary of States Office don't seam to require an E-brake. It does however say it must have a parking brake capable of holding the vehicle on a slope.

...although, a E-brake would be a nice safety bonus. I will think about it.

Thanks for the input!
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Vanapplebomb
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 3:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

So here they are as promised. I know the pictures of the frame are not as high of quality as they could be. Sorry about that. It actually is a really nice gloss black powder coated finish, it's just really dusty after half a year in storage.

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This shot shows the rear end detail. Here we got a pre '73 IRS torsion housing. You can see that the stock transmission cradle has been swapped out for a solid rear mount. The frame horns have been capped and sealed. Although they are still spot welded together just like they were when the came from the factory, I'm not too worried because they have the frame horn supports welded to the ends to keep things from bending to much and popping apart. There are also extra shock mounts welded onto the frame. I think I may have to take advantage of that Very Happy

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This is a nice view of the race brace kit that the frame came with when I got it. Nice bonus, eh?

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Because these aren't so hot, I might take a few more pictures in a few days.

Anyways, here are some of the King and Link Pin front end. It has two tabs and two tubes welded on to the shock towers and lower beam to accept a single bar front bumper.

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The single bar bumper from Berrien Buggy.

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...and now the beam with the single bar bumper from Berrien Buggy.

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Someday I will look at beefing this little beast up. So far Im thinking that the shock towers are going to be extended a few more inches so I can use longer stroke shocks. No point in doing that unless I hack that bump stop back a bit, hey? While I am at it I may as well add a little metal to the steering arm and the spindle carrier to keep things from bending on me during those "O CRAP!" moments.
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Vanapplebomb
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 02, 2011 1:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, two weeks will mark the end of the semester for me. I will have a few little projects that I can work on when I get back. Hopefully I can find time for a couple of them over the crazy holidays.

It should be real easy to make a shift linkage for the Jamar Super Shifter. That shouldn't be hard. My game plan is to get some treaded steel rod that will bridge the gap between the shifter and transmission. I plan to use a pair of jam nuts and a butt coupling nut to join and lock the threaded rod to the threaded end of the Super Shifter shaft. If everything works as planed, that should allow for super easy shift adjustment. The transmission end will be joined by the early donut style VW shift coupler with set screws. That will give the end some flexibility so the bushing in the nosecone of the transmission doesn't prematurely bite the big one. I might find some tubing or something like that to slip over the threaded rod to clean up the look a little.


The other thing that I can do is fiddle with the transmission. The cross shaft need to be re-bushed. It's sloppy...not to mention it also has a tendency to fall out..clearly it is missing some pieces. The return spring also looks iffy. It's got some nicks in it that look like nice spots for cracks to propagate from. Interestingly enough, the cross shaft itself look to be in great condition. I came across a kit that replaces all the bushing goodies as well as the spring that goes for less than $10. For that kinda price, why wouldn't you? I need two nuts for the drivers side cover that are missing. Oh, and did I mention it needs to lose that nasty off blue color? Once thats all good, then I just need to throw some gear oil in her and turn her over a few times to make sure all the guts on the inside don't rust. That would be bad news.

I guess we will see just how much of this talking actually turns into doing between other projects of mine and visiting family and friends.
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Vanapplebomb
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 07, 2011 9:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, got some more goodies to add to the pile. My box from AppleTree Automotive arrived. Here is the big stuff.

Chrome-Moly type 1 transmission to type 2 cv joint conversion drive flanges, IRS pivot bolts, and the early stock VW donut style shift coupler.

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A very nice, but very heavy CV flange.

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This little guy is interesting, and supposedly the best shift coupler out there for VW transmissions. It looks to be four separate parts. On either end is a tough metal plate that has a boss bored out for the shift shaft and tapped for a set screw. Between the two thick plates is a heavy rubber washer. encasing the whole thing is a stamping that everything is packed in from one end, and then the sides are crimped down over the other to keep it all together. There are a some notches and keys in it as well to keep things from slipping when twisted. Here is a close up.

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This is a shot of the back showing the outer casing thats crimped over around the back to keep everything held together.

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I got the Parts for that silly cross shaft of mine thats missing some parts and has some nearly broken other parts. This should fix it all right here.

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I like parts. Can you tell? I find them fascinating to look at and see how they were manufactured. Sorry, for all the odds and ends photos. Maybe someone else out there appreciates the individuality of parts too. If you think about it, that was a lot of design work to do by hand back in the day. It's almost a lost art in its own way.
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Vanapplebomb
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 9:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here is the work I have to do with the transmission


Link

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Vanapplebomb
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 9:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Removing the stock type 1 cv joint drive flanges.

It really is a pretty easy job. All thats needed is a sharp tool to pop off the cover without damaging it, and a tool to remove the c-clip, and perhaps a pry bar of sorts if the flanges were stuck on like on of mine was.

My sharp tool was an old small screwdriver that the tip was beat up. I ground it down until it was a sharp point. I took an old needle nose pliers and squared off the ends with a grinder so that the ends would grip the c-clip as i pulled the handles apart to expand it.


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Vanapplebomb
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 11:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Removing the cross shaft. The previous owner really jacked this thing up...all screwed up.

DO NOT REASSEMBLE YOUR CROSS SHAFTS THE WAY THIS ONE WAS THROWN TOGETHER!!!

Parts were installed in the wrong place, parts are missing, it's just bad news. Time for an overhaul.

Anyways, Here it is, coming apart, and coming out.


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