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vamram 
Samba Member
Joined: March 08, 2012
Posts: 7300
Location: NOVA
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 Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2022 2:45 pm Post subject: Re: The Stupid Question Thread |
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| stagewex wrote: |
Thanks so much for the info, very helpful. Especially the picture.
I need to just check my chassis number and VIN to confirm which exact strut, plus for further down the road stuff.
So the 3 bolt ('71 thru 73.5) vs. 2 bolt (73.5 an on)... that's not cosmetic. Wonder why? |
From my personal experience I find the later 2-bolt suspension is much easier to replace components on - especially to remove and replace the strut assembly. Nothing quite like beating the earlier strut out of a spindle w/decades of rust keeping them together. You can't relate until you've done it. I think the later suspension design may be less prone to shimmy (more reliable) than the earlier one, but am not an engineer to be able to say w/certainty.
_________________
Eventually, "we are what we pretend to be.’”
Give peace a chance - Stop Russian-Soviet Aggression!!
'74 Super 9/16 - present, in refurb process.
'73 Super - 6/18 - Present - Daily Driver!
'75 Super Le Grande...waiting it's turn in line behind '74.
Click to view image
Save the Supers!! |
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Maddel
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Joined: February 12, 2013
Posts: 935
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| Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2022 1:57 am Post subject: Re: The Stupid Question Thread |
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| stagewex wrote: |
| ... So the 3 bolt ('71 thru 73.5) vs. 2 bolt (73.5 an on)... that's not cosmetic. Wonder why? |
In addition to vamram's reply the pic below may help to shed some light...
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Jimbug57
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Joined: October 08, 2002
Posts: 817
Location: Mid Michigan
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| Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2022 5:16 am Post subject: Re: The Stupid Question Thread |
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| vamram wrote: |
| Nothing quite like beating the earlier strut out of a spindle w/decades of rust keeping them together. You can't relate until you've done it. |
I made a "strut puller" from PVC pipe and the lid from an after market air cleaner. The pipe slides over the strut tower and the threaded strut end goes through the hole in the center of the lid. Then a washer and the strut nut and you can tighten the nut and it pulls the strut. Add washers as needed.
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Repeat after me "I am smarter than metal!" |
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vamram
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Joined: March 08, 2012
Posts: 7300
Location: NOVA
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| Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2022 11:07 am Post subject: Re: The Stupid Question Thread |
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| Jimbug57 wrote: |
I made a "strut puller" from PVC pipe and the lid from an after market air cleaner. The pipe slides over the strut tower and the threaded strut end goes through the hole in the center of the lid. Then a washer and the strut nut and you can tighten the nut and it pulls the strut. Add washers as needed. |
Jimbug, that sounds like a great idea but i'm having a hard time visualizing it. Tell me if i'm getting it:
- The strut is still mounted in the car but the three lower bolts have been removed from the spindle/ball joint end.
- The PVC pipe goes over the strut tower in the trunk
- i'm not seeing what aftermarket air cleaner lid you're using; one of those uber-cheapo round tin things w/a foam insert?
- You remove the center nut from the top of the insert- the one that tightens the strut bearing over the spring cap - strut still installed in the car held in place by the three top strut bearing nuts
- add washer below it and tighten down the center nut; this begins to pull up the strut assembly from where it sits in the spindle as the spring is compressed by tightening the nut.
- Rinse, repeat adding washers until the strut base pops out of the spindle.
Am I getting it? You wouldn't happen to have taken a picture of this setup....?
_________________
Eventually, "we are what we pretend to be.’”
Give peace a chance - Stop Russian-Soviet Aggression!!
'74 Super 9/16 - present, in refurb process.
'73 Super - 6/18 - Present - Daily Driver!
'75 Super Le Grande...waiting it's turn in line behind '74.
Click to view image
Save the Supers!! |
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Jimbug57
Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2002
Posts: 817
Location: Mid Michigan
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| Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2022 12:53 pm Post subject: Re: The Stupid Question Thread |
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vamram -
- Remove the wheel and compress the spring.
- Remove the sway bar clamp.
- Using a hex driver on a breaker bar and an offset wrench remove the strut nut
- Drop the strut down and remove the spring
- Put the strut back in the upper strut bushing, and using 2 pipe wrenches remove the strut tower cap
- Drop the strut back down and slide the 3" diameter PVC pipe down over the strut tower where the spring was resting
- Place the lid on top with the end of the strut through the hole in the lid and use washers to adjust to threaded spot on strut
- Put strut nut on and back the strut out of the housing
I could not find the PVC I cut to use, I think it was 19 inches, but here is the piece I cut it from and the lid and washers.
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vamram
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Joined: March 08, 2012
Posts: 7300
Location: NOVA
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| Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2022 2:50 pm Post subject: Re: The Stupid Question Thread |
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Thanks for the details. I've always gone the hammer route since i have the VW factory tool for compressing the strut, which requires the strut to already be out of the car. Great thing about the VW tool is there's practically no risk of the spring compression tool slipping and sliding.
_________________
Eventually, "we are what we pretend to be.’”
Give peace a chance - Stop Russian-Soviet Aggression!!
'74 Super 9/16 - present, in refurb process.
'73 Super - 6/18 - Present - Daily Driver!
'75 Super Le Grande...waiting it's turn in line behind '74.
Click to view image
Save the Supers!! |
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vamram
Samba Member
Joined: March 08, 2012
Posts: 7300
Location: NOVA
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| Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2022 9:40 am Post subject: Re: The Stupid Question Thread |
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Is it my tuning or do temps below 20* cause MPG to drop?
_________________
Eventually, "we are what we pretend to be.’”
Give peace a chance - Stop Russian-Soviet Aggression!!
'74 Super 9/16 - present, in refurb process.
'73 Super - 6/18 - Present - Daily Driver!
'75 Super Le Grande...waiting it's turn in line behind '74.
Click to view image
Save the Supers!! |
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mukluk
Samba Member
Joined: October 18, 2012
Posts: 7023
Location: Clyde, TX
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| Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2022 12:02 pm Post subject: Re: The Stupid Question Thread |
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| vamram wrote: |
| Is it my tuning or do temps below 20* cause MPG to drop? |
It's fairly normal to see a decrease in fuel mileage during winter. Fuel formulation is different than as used in warmer weather, the denser cold air means an increase in aerodynamic drag, plus the cold air makes it more difficult for the engine's carburetor and intake to get and keep the fuel in the form of a vapour. There's also the fact the choke will tend to be more active in the first few minutes of operation, not to mention folks tend to forget to attend to proper tire inflation pressures when the temp drops, leading to increased rolling resistance.
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1960 Ragtop w/Semaphores "Inga" |
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vamram
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Joined: March 08, 2012
Posts: 7300
Location: NOVA
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| Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2022 12:41 pm Post subject: Re: The Stupid Question Thread |
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| mukluk wrote: |
| vamram wrote: |
| Is it my tuning or do temps below 20* cause MPG to drop? |
It's fairly normal to see a decrease in fuel mileage during winter. Fuel formulation is different than as used in warmer weather, the denser cold air means an increase in aerodynamic drag, plus the cold air makes it more difficult for the engine's carburetor and intake to get and keep the fuel in the form of a vapour. There's also the fact the choke will tend to be more active in the first few minutes of operation, not to mention folks tend to forget to attend to proper tire inflation pressures when the temp drops, leading to increased rolling resistance. |
Thanks Mukluk. Would a different size main or idle jet help? Currently running 127.5 main and 55 idle jets.
_________________
Eventually, "we are what we pretend to be.’”
Give peace a chance - Stop Russian-Soviet Aggression!!
'74 Super 9/16 - present, in refurb process.
'73 Super - 6/18 - Present - Daily Driver!
'75 Super Le Grande...waiting it's turn in line behind '74.
Click to view image
Save the Supers!! |
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mukluk
Samba Member
Joined: October 18, 2012
Posts: 7023
Location: Clyde, TX
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| Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2022 12:59 pm Post subject: Re: The Stupid Question Thread |
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I really don't see a change in jetting honestly helping much. If the car runs well and gets good mileage in warmer weather, going smaller on the jets will most likely just make the car harder to start and generally not run as well as it could/should. You might be able to get away with the leaner mixture by advancing the timing to compensate, but then the advance curve may be too much at sustained highway speeds or days that are a bit warmer.
The main things that will help are to ensure the engine's thermostat, carburetor preheat, and intake heat riser are all in proper working order to give the fuel its best chance to vapourise and stay that way as much as possible until it can be burned in the cylinders, also check your choke adjustment to ensure it's fully open no later than five minutes after the ignition is switched on. Of course there's also the path of going to EFI with computer controlled ignition... 
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1960 Ragtop w/Semaphores "Inga" |
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stagewex
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Joined: November 17, 2021
Posts: 165
Location: New Rochelle, New York
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| Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2022 8:14 am Post subject: Re: The Stupid Question Thread |
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While swapping in some new oil shocks to replace the old blown Gas filled ones (thats another story) I noticed something missing on the rear drivers side.
The studs are threaded and obviously a location hole for... something?
Looks like whatever it is has been missing for a long time since there are bits of badly sprayed undercoating on it peeling off.
Like a Gallbladder "you don't really need it" or something more important?
The car runs and stop excellent. Perhaps something for the California market? The car has always been a NY-NJ one with a brief stint of a few years in Virginia, now back to NY.
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EVfun
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Posts: 5475
Location: Seattle
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| Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2022 9:19 am Post subject: Re: The Stupid Question Thread |
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Mounts for the Z-bar, used in swingaxle Bugs. The back half of the Super Beetle is the same as the regular Beetle and much of the world never got IRS (double jointed) rear suspension Bugs.
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| As a general rule, cheap parts are the most expensive parts you can buy. |
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BCE56
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Joined: July 16, 2013
Posts: 358
Location: So Cal
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| Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2022 11:55 am Post subject: Re: The Stupid Question Thread |
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(I remember seeing a post about this but can't find it now.)
Can clutch and brake pedal arms be bent to the left to add more space between them?
Anybody tried this? A worthwhile tweak?
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'86 Syncro tintop
EJ22, OBD II early SC adapter plate conversion
Side project: '69 Frankenbug "It's alive!" |
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Cusser
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Cusser
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unclewede
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Joined: May 01, 2015
Posts: 374
Location: Oxnard, CA
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| Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2022 2:43 pm Post subject: Re: The Stupid Question Thread |
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A Sweet addition for modern day (aka FATTER) Americans. |
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Jimbug57
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Joined: October 08, 2002
Posts: 817
Location: Mid Michigan
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| Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2022 3:43 pm Post subject: Re: The Stupid Question Thread |
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Link
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EVfun
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Joined: April 01, 2012
Posts: 5475
Location: Seattle
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| Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2022 5:33 pm Post subject: Re: The Stupid Question Thread |
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| Cusser wrote: |
| BCE56 wrote: |
(I remember seeing a post about this but can't find it now.)
Can clutch and brake pedal arms be bent to the left to add more space between them?
Anybody tried this? A worthwhile tweak? |
Suggest this instead https://www.classicbugparts.com/big-boy-pedal-extender/ |
That's cool. It doesn't seem to move the brake pedal over, but the gas pedal is lower to make that less of an issue. It took a bit of care to drive my oval window Bug wearing my steel-toe work boots. One consideration for older Bugs, how does that impact reaching the high beam button?
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| Wildthings wrote: |
| As a general rule, cheap parts are the most expensive parts you can buy. |
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BCE56
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Joined: July 16, 2013
Posts: 358
Location: So Cal
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| Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2022 5:55 pm Post subject: Re: The Stupid Question Thread |
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Thanks for the replies.
As mentioned in the video, clearance between the gas and brake pedals is the bigger issue: clutch pedal is moved left to maintain space from brake pedal.
_________________
=BCE56=
'86 Syncro tintop
EJ22, OBD II early SC adapter plate conversion
Side project: '69 Frankenbug "It's alive!" |
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stagewex
Samba Member
Joined: November 17, 2021
Posts: 165
Location: New Rochelle, New York
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| Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2022 8:49 am Post subject: Re: The Stupid Question Thread |
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| EVfun wrote: |
| Mounts for the Z-bar, used in swingaxle Bugs. The back half of the Super Beetle is the same as the regular Beetle and much of the world never got IRS (double jointed) rear suspension Bugs. |
Ahhh. So not used on a Super but the hole and threaded studs just a carry-over from the standard. I get it. Thanks. |
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