Transaxle ID and Brake Rebuild

[dhubz]

I have been trying to determine which parts were used to make this buggy I am working on. I figured if I got the transmission year it would give me a good indication what parts I needed for the brakes. I have ran into an issue with the transaxle code, I can't seem to find it listed on any of the references sheets. The code is SPBV02071

I removed the axle seals and the brake backing plate, I am going to install a new axle seal kit, and wanted to clean all the old dirt off of the backing plate. The bearing housing plate seems to be the old style without the drain, and the seal seems to be seated from the outside. Is there any issues replacing the bearing housing with the newer style. I was also looking at buying a new backing plate but CIP only lists a backing plate for 68-79. Can I rebuild the rear brakes with all parts for the 1968-79 and keep the same drums?

[EVfun]

The rear brakes are complete 1958-1964 style. It looks like the stock oil slinger is missing from the drum and the splines in the drum may be stripped. Most replacement drums won't have the required hole at the outer edge for the oil slinger and that part wasn't available new for some time so it is often not present. I've been running 1958-1964 brakes on my buggy for years without an oil slinger.

If you want to switch to the later caps with the built in oil slinger you will need to provide the oil drain behind the backing plate. Without that drain any leaked oil would build up back there until the pool found its way out onto the brakes around the front side of the built in washer.
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[clonebug]

That drum is definitely toast.....the mating edge where the nut goes is also chewed up.
I would say the splines stripped and the drum spun on the axle.

You need a new drum and nut or it will just work loose at the most inopportune time leaving you most likely without a wheel and possibly with a piece ripped off your fiberglass body.

You could just upgrade to disc brakes for almost a cheaper price and never have to adjust the rear brakes again.

I paid about $300.00 for my rear disc brakes. It's not exactly a bolt on experience and you need to do a little modifying to make it fit good but it's not too difficult.
You could buy the cast brackets instead and maybe save the machining of the bearing caps.
I went with a chevy bolt pattern and also installed press in studs. If you stick with stock wheels you can just use the wheel bolts.
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[dhubz]

The picture was a bad angle, I think the splines are ok. There is a bit of marking where the nut meets the drum, but there was a spacer there. The axles seem long, or there was a different drum used than the original. I'm having a hard time determining which parts I actually need. Here are better pictures of the spline. I'm up for replacing the whole setup with disc brakes, but I'm not 100% on which kit to get. Reading the instructions for the EMPI disc brake kit, I still need the newer style of the bearing housing

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[clonebug]

Post a pic of the axle on the transmission. 66< used a short axle, short spline.
67 was a one year only which I run and is a long axle, short spline.
68> was a long axle long spline.
All the above are a swing axle. the IRS was a stub axle but used the same setup as the 68 swing axle but might have a wider drum and different backing plate.
It seems you might have a long axle long spline if you need a spacer between the drum and nut.
Unless someone did some machining on the drum and shortened it.

A 67 trans has a longer bearing/shock mount housing compared to a 66 and older.

At more than 50 years old who knows what the PO has done to cob something together.
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[dhubz]

Here are some more pics. Looking at this, and now knowing what to google better. I found this Samba Post Looking at the different configurations I would say the axles at least are from a 68. Long axle long spline. The 68 4 lug drum had a longer snout, to use other drums, the spacer is required. However the brakes seem to be pre 1964. The front beam is a king pin, so I'm guessing I have a pre 1964 chassis and brakes with a 68 transmission/axle swap. To swap to disc brakes, I think thisBrake Kit would work. But do I need the newer style bearing cap? or it looks there is one specific for 1968. Does the bearing housing cap need to match the axle year, or does it matter?

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[clonebug]

68 is also pretty well a one year setup due to being a swing axle....in the USA.
I would guess you need 68 bearing caps because I know they are different than the 67 caps.
I have a 67 trans-axle in my buggy currently and a 68 trans-axle as a backup that is in line for getting a rebuild and 3rd and 4th gear sycro hub upgrade.
The bearing caps are different....that I know cuz I tried to use the 67 caps on the 68 when I switched trans-axles due to too much power through the 67.
I also damaged the 68 trans-axle sycro hubs so I had the 67 upgraded.

Basically the difference is how far the bearing is seated in the axle housing compared between the 67 and 68 trans-axle.

When switching to disc brakes you have to measure your backing plate thickness compared to the disc brake caliper mount's thickness. If different you will need to machine a little off the bearing cap to compensate.
I think mine had .038" taken off a spare set of caps to work.....A buddy sent them to me no charge.
It's kind of a PITA but once it's done they are relatively maintenance free except if the seal goes out. I get sometimes one season and sometimes longer before I have to replace the seal.....that is also a PITA but oh well....it's the price to pay for 200 whp in a 1600 lb. buggy.

I recommend finding a couple extra long metric bolts that fit the bearing cap threads and cut the heads off and use them as a cap guide to make sure the seal doesn't get damaged while installing over the splines. I found most times my seals leak...... the seal is rolled over and broken.

Most of this disc brake install ect.... is covered in my build in the link in my sig.

It's a long read but the trans-axle stuff and brakes is in the last 4 years.

I did the fronts in 2019 and the rears I think in 2013 or 2014.
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[EVfun]

If you had a spacer between the axle nut and the drum then you have 1968 axles (long splines, '68 in the US and '68 up on much of the rest of the world.) That does not insure you have 1968 axle tubes, in fact, those bearing caps shouldn't fit with 1968 axle tubes. They changed the amount of the bearing that was in the axle tube vs. the amount in the cap. Some measurements are in order, starting with how much of the bearing race is outside of the axle tubes.

Old VWs tend to be a collection of parts from different years, especially the ones turned into beach buggies!
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[vwracerdave]

SPBV02071 is not a factory VW code number. Somebody probably rebuilt the transaxle and the shop stamped their own code on it.
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2017 Street Comp Champion - Thunder Valley Raceway Park - Noble, OK
2010 Sportsman ET Champion - Mid-America Dragway - Arkansas City, KS
1997 Sportsman ET Champion - Thunder Valley Raceway Park - Noble ,OK

[dhubz]

The only other "SPBV" post I found references it being in a Puma from Brazil. But I can't seem to find anything else about it. https://shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=44605 The rebuilt/restamped makes sense.

Here are some pics of the axle parts

[vwracerdave]

[EVfun]

Axles are 1968 US or any newer Beetle sold with much of the world that kept the swingaxle rear suspension. The spline length is about 2-5/8 inches. The older axles are about 2-1/16 inches in spline length.

[Edit, a little research... All swingaxle type 3 use long axle long spline -- same as '68 Bug]

Can someone measure a swingaxle bearing cap and share one number? What year bearing cap did you measure? (58-64, 65-67, 68 ) What is the distance from the inboard face that is against the backing plate and the lip inside that prevents the bearing from moving outward? If the wrong years are mixed here leaks prevail. It sucks to oil down new brakes!
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[dhubz]

Not sure why I didn't look there first but here is the upper part of the case. It's a Brazil transmission. It says @BR Brazil with a part# 081 301 103.1
The face of the bearing sits about 1/4"(6mm) from the axle tube housing, and the bearing cap is only 1"(25mm) tall. It seems critical to have the correct axle cap, the one i have looks a lot like the 1954-1964 in the picture below. The only option from CIP that looks the same is the 1968. Description says: Mount Face to Bearing Land: .230".