Tight Engine Fit for 36hp with Later Transmission

[hundel]

Hi all.

Engine removal/install on my 1959 Beetle has always been unusually difficult. The stock muffler presses hard into the rear apron at one point in the lift/lower. The transmission shaft rubs ominously against the clutch as I navigate a dozen tilts and moves to clear it.

Having removed and installed engines in several other Beetle's over the years with much less anguish, I always assumed this was the result of the rear apron being deformed on the car from some otherwise unnoticable minor accident many years back, but I never saw evidence of that. The rear apron is clean and original (as is the rest of the frame and body) and I don't see anything more than a bit of rust and perhaps an inch of compression where the bumper meets the frame.

After nearly 25 years of ownership I am finally getting around to asking myself if the engine/transmission dimensional challenges are actually the result of the previous owners having installed a later (non-split) transmission in the car.

Is a split-case transmission a few inches shorter than the later transmissions? If so, what are people doing to work around the removal/install challenges given the tighter space? If not what do you think might be going on here?

[[email protected]]

The 50’s split case transaxles had the selecting rod exit the front at a lower point than the later transaxles. There are bolt up mounts that will lower the front of a later trans so that the selector will fit into the lower entrance of the floorpan. This raises the engine higher into the body. An easy fix is to get a 60’s Split Bus nose cone. This lowers the exit of the selector from the trans so it can line up better to the hole in the floorpan, and keep the trans more level in the frame horns. Depending on how late, the Bus nose cone may need some additional internal clearaning if using an 002/091 mainshaft bearing.

[hundel]

Thanks. The transmission and engine have been running in the car for over 25 years and the transmission input shaft does not appear to sit too low in the bay, but rather too far back. The engine is nice and level with the exhaust cutouts in the rear apron. It’s not out of the question that the problem could be related to an inappropriate nose cone but I’d expect other height issues or modifications to be visible. My main question is whether there is a difference in length between the split-case and later transmissions.

[[email protected]]

I don’t have a split case trans in front of me to measure, but as far as I know, they are dimensionally the same as the later ones as far as length for the position of the engine.

[hundel]

Thanks!
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59 Fjord Blue Beetle #2117358 Eng. #2447594
57 Diamond Green Sunroof #1286935 Eng. #1389420
90 Vanagon Westfalia Bordeaux 78k mi. and growing

[EVfun]

There was no extra tight fit I noticed in my '57 Bug with a 36 horse engine and tunnel transaxle. You want to use the '60-'67 Bus nose cone on the tunnel transaxle (like was done on mine.) If someone made it fit with the Bug nose cone the engine a would sit about 1 inch too high at the back and that would make for a tight fit.

This fit issue come from VW lowering the transaxle, to reduce rear camber, starting in '60. They lowered the front more than the rear so the rear of the engine ended up at the same height. They did not make this change to the Bus so that nose cone puts the shift rod in the needed lower position for older Bugs.

Here is VWs information on the change. It seems that replacement frames also had the change so special instructions where written to cover a frame replacement.
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