| Author |
Message |
Mos6502
Samba Member
Joined: December 30, 2015
Posts: 725
|
 Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2018 7:54 pm Post subject: Re: Engine lid adjustment 1962 Sedn |
 |
|
| Helfen wrote: |
| glutamodo wrote: |
I'd love to give you a specific procedure.... but I've had mixed results over the years. I've seen some threads over the years that say much the same. Part of the problem is how old these are. Sometimes it depends on the lid itself has ever had any damage. Then there's the hinges, and the hinge mounting brackets on the body, are those undamaged as well?
I switched to a convertible lid on my 62 several years ago and I never did get it to fit nor latch like the stock one (the original, which I still have) did, no matter how much I shifted the hinge mounts forward/back and the hinges up/down. Those are the only real adjustments, a mixture of those. Beyond that, strategic bending of the hinge mounts might help. |
In the beetle split window 1938-1953 section under cool vintage photos there is a video on page 5 called shape of quality. The factory worker just puts the deck lid and hoods on, runs up the bolts with a air wratchet and it's perfect on trial and error, it just goes together so fast.
https://youtu.be/MiCojp22cj8 |
That's just assembly - not final fitting. Not surprisingly for a promotional film, they don't show the final fitting process where all gaps are lined up (not done until the very last stages of production, after painting, interior, etc. were done). At the factory it would've been basically as said above. Some worker would've just tugged on it until everything lined up evenly. When people talk about "hand made quality" that is what they mean.
And don't forget that VW would use a hydraulic jack to shape the door openings for a perfect panel gap when the doors were closed. These things did not come off the presses with perfectly fitting panels, everything needed some fettling before it left the factory. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
The Volkswagen Ranch
Samba Member
Joined: November 24, 2002
Posts: 700
Location: Arizona
|
| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2018 9:04 pm Post subject: Re: Engine lid adjustment 1962 Sedan |
|
|
Amen to the “final fitting”. I have my hood to line up with the cowl( sits too high) and going to make the tool. My last “gap” project ( well on my 64). Tomorrow my wife is heading back to NY, to visit her 90 year old father...probably for the last time, as recently diagnosed with brain cancer , and going downhill fast. I hope to finish aligning her decklid on her 63 vert by the time she gets back on Monday to surprise her. Hers is a previous garage find one owner car, supports not bent, but when the body shop removed the lids and doors for painting I am sure they didn’t have a clue as to how the decklid was supposed to fit ( not a VW shop, but do excellent work). BTW, now that I know how they are supposed to look.... most I see are really off. Not hard to do, but like most of the work we learn to do on our VW’s better done by us! I will be glad to share all of the steps I went through. Really didn’t think I was going to be able to get it right. But, like everything else I have done to bring this car back, she always earns her name Patience. Bob
_________________
1963 Convertible (Lizzie) and 1964 Convertible (Patience) 1976 Westfalia (Winnie) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
The Volkswagen Ranch
Samba Member
Joined: November 24, 2002
Posts: 700
Location: Arizona
|
| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2018 9:33 pm Post subject: Re: Engine lid adjustment 1962 Sedan |
|
|
this is how it looks now. The other pic was a step before the final adjustment and losddd the wrong one. Still learning how to attach pics
_________________
1963 Convertible (Lizzie) and 1964 Convertible (Patience) 1976 Westfalia (Winnie) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
pbenn
Samba Member
Joined: November 21, 2007
Posts: 375
Location: Toronto
|
| Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2018 12:41 pm Post subject: Re: Engine lid adjustment 1962 Sedan |
|
|
Pictures of the white car U-shaped brackets, where the three 10-bolts and washers go up, show upwards deformation of the flange at the bolt locations.
This means the brackets are missing, or at one time were missing, the #24 V-packing plates. The plate more than doubles the flange thickness of the U-shapes.
Now think of the upwards flange deformation as your gap problem, in almost direct proportion. Adding the missing #24 Vs gives a flat flange to securely get the bracket more "up" and keep the bolt head (and #22 threaded plate) down.
Lots of good info on this thread, though. The washer idea I found worked to a degree. Bending the hinges with upper mallet force, or a pair of prys, was tried often enough to ruin a pair of U-shapes, so I can't say. Just got some good used brackets.
Fortunately these are parts that don't change over the years. Any old bunch of '70s Beetle parts on kijiji may yield a perfect set of U-shapes, V-packing plates, and flat threaded plates. (Unless they didn't bother to remove before they scrapped the main body!)
I guess what I'm saying is the foundation is important before trying anything else.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/409297.jpg |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
