Steering box ground wire confusion

[Low Bräu]

I hoping someone here can help me understand what I am working with. The bus I am working on, 1960 Kombi, appears to have been assembled with various parts just to make it sellable. Pretty much nothing is sorted out or working correctly. I just replaced the wiring harness and I am confused as to what's going on with the horn. There was no horn when this thing arrived at my shop and there is no ground wire under the horn button going through the column. At the bottom of the steering column where the ground wire usually exits the steering box is a four bolt cover with no stand pipe for the wire to exit and I cannot find a location for the ground wire to exit on this thing anywhere. I've looked at three other buses, two were 1960, and they all have a different bottom covers on the steering box. All have a provision for the ground wire to exit. The steering box does have the "ZF" casting on the side. So how do I get a ground to the horn and why does there not appear to be a location for the ground wire to pass through the box?
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Independent German Auto
671 Fern Drive
Merritt Island, FL 32952
(321) 449-4665

Specializing in repair and maintenance for Porsche, BMW, Mini, Audi, and Volkswagen.

1952 Standard Beetle
1960 SO-23 Westfalia
1961 L-380 Turkis Deluxe Beetle
1985 Vanagon Country Homes Camper (work in progress - EG33 swap)

[Low Bräu]

Here is what the bottom of the box looks like. It's like the style with the stand pipe but without the pipe.

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Independent German Auto
671 Fern Drive
Merritt Island, FL 32952
(321) 449-4665

Specializing in repair and maintenance for Porsche, BMW, Mini, Audi, and Volkswagen.

1952 Standard Beetle
1960 SO-23 Westfalia
1961 L-380 Turkis Deluxe Beetle
1985 Vanagon Country Homes Camper (work in progress - EG33 swap)

[Tizian]

Interesting. Haven’t seen such a cover yet. The part book says 211 415 163 A or B for ATE/ZF variants with pipe. This implies that there should be a version w/o pipe. But for what reason? Yours doesn’t have this index letter... Was there maybe a commercial version w/o horn? I have no idea to be honest. Maybe someone knows?

[npbusguy]

Both of my buses' horn wires come out of the steering box like this.

I too have not seen the style with the flat plate.

[62DoKaGuy]

Is the bottom plate perhaps from a barndoor-era steering box? I'm not too familiar with those, but I believe even they had oil tubes, at least during the keywayed ('53-'55) era...

Note: Neil's (npbusguy) picture shows an ATE steering box, where the oil tube is actually part of the housing and not an end plate with oil tube as on ZF models.

Not sure exactly how you can circumvent the ground wire other than adding an oil tube to that end plate. I say remove the plate, find an appropriately sized tube -- both for OD/ID as well as length to go far enough into the steering shaft to be above the housing, i.e. oil level. Not too difficult to sort, just a little time and materials.

Still, I too find it odd that a ZF has no oil tube...I'd like to see more pictures of the box and if anyone else has some input as to why it is not present...good luck, though.
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,,Wenige Menschen denken, und doch wollen alle entscheiden.'' -der Alte Fritz

[Anchovy]

[Low Bräu]

Another thing I forgot to mention is the nut for the steering wheel is not seated below the threads of the shaft. Or in other words the end of the shaft is just below the top of the nut. I haven't tried to take it off yet and figure out what's going on. It's probably a really early steering box someone dumped into this thing because that's what they could find.
_________________
Independent German Auto
671 Fern Drive
Merritt Island, FL 32952
(321) 449-4665

Specializing in repair and maintenance for Porsche, BMW, Mini, Audi, and Volkswagen.

1952 Standard Beetle
1960 SO-23 Westfalia
1961 L-380 Turkis Deluxe Beetle
1985 Vanagon Country Homes Camper (work in progress - EG33 swap)

[Tizian]

Seems to be the early bay version:

http://www.michaelknappmann.de/bulli/michaelk/vw_bus_d/lenkge_a.htm

or here from the gallery:

The horn connects through a slip ring under the steering wheel.

I wonder how someone got this box hacked in. Or maybe it‘s just the cover which got replaced at some point.

Post some more images so we can find out.

[Low Bräu]

I've never heard of anyone putting a bay steering box into a split bus. I think that is what they did. I need to make sure this thing is safe for the owner. It definitely isn't at the moment. I'll get some more pictures posted soon so we can get to the bottom of this. Thanks for all the help.

Josh
_________________
Independent German Auto
671 Fern Drive
Merritt Island, FL 32952
(321) 449-4665

Specializing in repair and maintenance for Porsche, BMW, Mini, Audi, and Volkswagen.

1952 Standard Beetle
1960 SO-23 Westfalia
1961 L-380 Turkis Deluxe Beetle
1985 Vanagon Country Homes Camper (work in progress - EG33 swap)