thermostat, rod, vanes etc: photos please!

[Purple Martin]

While I have my engine out for something else I want to install thermostat, rod, vanes etc (some POS PO removed the lot ). But having never seen them in place I don't know how to put it all together. Does anyone have photos I could refer to please?
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[74 Thing]

https://www.awesomepowdercoat.com/vw-thermostat-flaps

[APPLEGREENVW]

More photos available in the gallery. Also serivce manuals have photos.

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02/76 Beetle sedan

[vamram]

Awesomepowdercoat.com also has YouTube videos showing the complete installation of all the tin, including the vanes and thermostat.
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[BMFBMF]

I'm also reinstalling all the cooling stuff, stovepipe etc.

Quick question about retaining the thermostat rod to the flap, should I try to fit some type of circlip or quick nut to the rod where it goes though the spring in the flap. From looking at it it looks like it will stay put but Ive seen some photos with some kind of retaining mechanism. Like this one.

Cheers

[Glenn]

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Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
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[Tim Donahoe]

ACE Hardware has the little caps to press onto the end of the thermostat rod. These caps look something like the hat that Zorro wore. Take the rod with you to ACE to get the proper size cap.

That "spring" you mentioned is not a spring. It is a specially curved bracket. You do not want to alter the shape of this "C" bracket. Of you do, the travel of the rod can be affected so that the rod will gang up in the hole in the head where it passes through (the hole nearest the crankshaft, by the way).

Tim
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Richard O'Brien

[Floating VW]

I now have a clip on the end of mine that I fabricated myself, but I don't know why I bothered. That rod didn't have a clip on it for about three decades and it never slipped out of the bracket. I honestly don't think it's physically possible for it to slip out.
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[BMFBMF]

Hi Tim, thank for the input

I said "spring" as the bracket is indeed made of "spring" steel, I guess it has some "give" in case something binds. Its possible to move quite some distance and it springs right back. I agree though it's job is not to be a spring.

Cheers!

[BMFBMF]

So took some hours but my flaps and thermostat are now in and working. Don't know if this has happened to anyone else but it was impossible to push the rod through the head with flaps in the shroud. It jammed solid. Spent some time playing with a spare flap and rod and nothing worked besides giving the flap a twist before installing the rod. Had to take the right flap out put it in place and then drop the shroud. Then putting the 4 screws in place. Quite fiddly getting everythong hooked up but it's now rocking and rolling!