"VW" brand parts were actually made by Garbe Lahme

[tasb]

The Garbe Lahmeyer distributors are a very good alternative to the usual Bosch. The build quality is excellent. The distributors perform just as reliably as the more common Bosch. High quality tune up parts are readily available and can be found much less expensively than Bosch, Once you know what you are looking at

The following information is being presented for those who will come later; the tricky part about working on or restoring a GL distributor to service is the installation of the vacuum canister. It must be done after the distributor can shaft and the points plate are already installed in the housing. The pull rod for the vacuum canister mounts into a spring steel clip on the underside of the points plate. This means it is installed blind.

I am no lawyer Niger restoring distributors but am trying to help where and when I can.

The round pull rods have dimple to allow a guide tool to be inserted in the rod to guide it into place. I had to create a tool to accomplish this. I used a piece of a wire coat hanger. You will know when it’s found home because the ball end of the pull rod makes a little click sound when the spring steel accepts the end of the pull rod.

The last of the GL distributors have a flat metal pull rod which is MUCH easier to work with since it allows for the tool to grip the pull rod more effectively.
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Roads Scholar
1957 Kombi low mileage 36 hp governor equipped M 178 Slow Drag Winner 2014, 2015, 2018

1965 hardtop Deluxe Microbus owned since 1990 M 620 factory 12 v 1500cc

1961 (October)Single Cab- Road Trip Workhorse

Member# 2059

[tasb]

Just got done reassuring a GL distributor owner that the sticker he bought is correct for his distributor. All the parts labeled on the vacuum advance distributors have 211 prefixes, drive. Dog, vacuum can, points plates. The distributors, though were most often installed on type I Beetles.

Two theories as to why; the parts were originally designed and run on Buses or two; available part numbers were assigned somewhat randomly and by chance.

There were some few distributors that were truly numbered with a 211 prefix. They were mechanical advance only, lacking a vacuum canister. There are pictures of them in my gallery.
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Roads Scholar
1957 Kombi low mileage 36 hp governor equipped M 178 Slow Drag Winner 2014, 2015, 2018

1965 hardtop Deluxe Microbus owned since 1990 M 620 factory 12 v 1500cc

1961 (October)Single Cab- Road Trip Workhorse

Member# 2059

[BulliBill]

"tasb"

So you are moving to western Michigan? Welcome to the "northern" Midwest! I'm southwest of you in St. Louis, MO.

I have been running a vacuum advance GL distributor for about two decades that came on a 1961-ish 40 hp engine which now pushes my '59 Double-Door Panel Bus around, which from the factory originally had one of those "recalled 40hp Bastard" engines installed. You can barely see it in the photo below...

I absolutely LOVE that little GL distributor and it has never let me down! I've collected four or five more of those distributors since 2000 as stored back-up units but luckily I have never needed one - so far! Are you still rebuilding them? Perhaps I ought to look into having one of my spares rebuilt so it is ready to fill-in if needed. For pushing a 40hp engine Transporter around, which of the versions of GL Vacuum advance distributors would you suggest is best?

I dig GL distributors! I think they even look cool with those tiny distributor caps!

Bill Bowman
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I'm looking for these license plate frames for my fleet:
Coeur D'Alene - Lake Shore Volkswagen
Mission VW - San Fernando
Thornton VW - Stockton

Thanks for any help!

[tasb]

I was making use of the Type II wiring diagrams on this site. Made an interesting discovery. The Bus diagrams from 1963-1971 that are pictorial ( Bentley?) illustrate a Garbe Lahmeyer distributor in the diagrams! I made this determination based upon the bulbous protrusion on the vacuum canister depicted that matches the profile of the GL canister.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/wiring/bus_63_non_usa.jpg

For those who might argue that the wiring diagrams are just a generalization I offer up this piece of evidence. The Bosch distributors for Beetles from December 1953 through July 1954 used a vacuum canister design on their VJU 4 BR 2,3 and early 8's that is cast molded away from the canister housing . Late in 1954 the fitting was moved up against the housing.
Here is the site wiring diagram for 1954 Beetle showing the Bosch canister detail:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/wiring/bug54.jpg


1955 Beetle
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/wiring/bug_toaug55.jpg

January 1954

more common Bosch canister design starting August 1954.

If the wiring diagrams illustrate this kind of detail change I'm rather impressed. Bus wiring diagrams depict the GL distributor from 1963 through 1971 NOT Bosch! The non USA diagram on this site for 1967-68 Beetle illustrate what appears to be a GL distributor.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/wiring/bug_1968_non_usa.jpg

ALL of the Type III diagrams illustrate the GL distributor:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/wiring/type3_61.jpg

An interesting note is that none of the Ghia diagrams illustrate a GL distributor.

At the very least one could conclude that use of the GL distributors was more wide spread than previously presumed. A good argument could be made that the factory art department just reused the same distributor pictorial every year. I would counter that the GL pictorial was dropped from the wiring diagrams in 1971 which is the same year the GL distributors were dropped from use by VW. Not much coincidental, in my opinion.
_________________
Roads Scholar
1957 Kombi low mileage 36 hp governor equipped M 178 Slow Drag Winner 2014, 2015, 2018

1965 hardtop Deluxe Microbus owned since 1990 M 620 factory 12 v 1500cc

1961 (October)Single Cab- Road Trip Workhorse

Member# 2059

[tasb]

Here's an interesting coil that I found at a swap meet this past fall and was just now getting around to cleaning it up. Since it had the large "VW" logo on it I figured it was a Garbe Lahmeyer coil. It's not!

The GL coils are not labeled in any way, no part number logos of any kind. Obviously this one has both. The GL coils have the part number and logo on the bracket. There was no bracket with this coil.

Lucas

Garbe Lahmeyer

Turns out it is made by Lucas in England. The coil is even thinner than the GL coils which are thinner than the Bosch. It's too narrow for a Bosch coil bracket while a GL bracket can be made to work if it's cinched further down.

I find the "VW" logo worthy of some note/discussion. It is similar l to the GL "VW" logo in design. It's been established that Garbe Lahmeyer GmBh likely had some kiind of contract with VW in order to explain the "VW" logo on all the GL parts. Perhaps Lucas had a similar contract, as well? Why else might Lucas have the "VW" stamping on the coil? It seems like a better idea to not have the logo on the coil thus freeing it up to be used on other makes?
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Roads Scholar
1957 Kombi low mileage 36 hp governor equipped M 178 Slow Drag Winner 2014, 2015, 2018

1965 hardtop Deluxe Microbus owned since 1990 M 620 factory 12 v 1500cc

1961 (October)Single Cab- Road Trip Workhorse

Member# 2059

[tasb]

Just ran one of my mechanical advance distributors on the Sun Machine. There are less than a half dozen known examples. The one I am testing is date stamped March 1955. It's curve is similar to an 0 231 129 010.

Crank rpm. Degrees advance
1000 0
1200. 8
1400. 9
1600. 10
1800. 11
2000. 16
2200. 20
2400. 20
2600. 21
2800. 22
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Roads Scholar
1957 Kombi low mileage 36 hp governor equipped M 178 Slow Drag Winner 2014, 2015, 2018

1965 hardtop Deluxe Microbus owned since 1990 M 620 factory 12 v 1500cc

1961 (October)Single Cab- Road Trip Workhorse

Member# 2059

[tasb]

[tasb]

[glutamodo]

[Zwitterkafer]

Very interesting thread. I have a pair of NOS 111998061 point sets in their "Original VW Ersatzteile" boxes, and discovered only today what they are for. If someone can use them, feel free to PM me.
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"Criticism comes easier than Craftsmanship"
- Zeuxius, 400 BC

[tasb]

I have just finished testing 9 GL vacuum advance distributors on my Sun Machine and they all fall between 30 and 32 degrees of advance...
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Roads Scholar
1957 Kombi low mileage 36 hp governor equipped M 178 Slow Drag Winner 2014, 2015, 2018

1965 hardtop Deluxe Microbus owned since 1990 M 620 factory 12 v 1500cc

1961 (October)Single Cab- Road Trip Workhorse

Member# 2059

[glutamodo]

Except... it's not. here I re-did the scan to include the captions for the two axis paramaters. Bottom is vacuum, mm Hg ! (also the chart appears in the book immediately following the discussions of replacing the vacuum canister and checking the vacuum canister, advance curve and adjusting the breaker plate spring on a Test Stand)

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Andy T.

"What is Glutamodo, Horror of Toyko, besides total, fiendish, quality-a-you brain!"

[tasb]

Hey Andy, I believe that curve chart is for the mechanical advance version, I've tested several of the SVA s.
_________________
Roads Scholar
1957 Kombi low mileage 36 hp governor equipped M 178 Slow Drag Winner 2014, 2015, 2018

1965 hardtop Deluxe Microbus owned since 1990 M 620 factory 12 v 1500cc

1961 (October)Single Cab- Road Trip Workhorse

Member# 2059

[glutamodo]

While I've held them in my hand, I've never actually tried to repair, tune up or set timing with a GL distributor, but they really give 32 degrees of advance? I always just went by the chart in the Bentley which said 9.5 to 12.5 degrees, which is 18 to 25 measured at the crank. Or did you mean that they are set to 32 total advance (the middle of that range, 22.5, plus 10BTDC)

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Andy T.

"What is Glutamodo, Horror of Toyko, besides total, fiendish, quality-a-you brain!"

[tasb]

The Garbe Lahmeyer vacuum only advance distributor are all the same interally. The units with the B vacuum canister has a screw which dampens the points plate movement. Since the GL and the R5 are both SVA distributors the best way to plot and advance curve is while installed on an Engine. The GL canisters all deliver about 32 degrees of advance while the Bosch R5 delivers only about 18 degrees. The sticker is available see pics above.
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Roads Scholar
1957 Kombi low mileage 36 hp governor equipped M 178 Slow Drag Winner 2014, 2015, 2018

1965 hardtop Deluxe Microbus owned since 1990 M 620 factory 12 v 1500cc

1961 (October)Single Cab- Road Trip Workhorse

Member# 2059

[fifthcenturycheese]

Tasb,

I have a GL distributor with a 211 905 271A vacuum can that has been sitting for about 30 or more years. Since the distributor has no part number sticker, can one tell what letter suffix it might be simply by identifying the internal parts? From reading this thread and multiple other sources, I think mine might be a 113 905 205 B. If it is, do you sell those part number stickers you printed?

One last question, since you test these on Sun equipment, can you tell where there might be a difference in advance/performance between the GL 205 B and the Bosch 4R5?

The car is an early 64 beetle 40hp, stock correct engine with 28 pict.

Thanks for the info...
Mike

[tasb]

The very rare early mechanical advance distributors (I've only seen four of them in 57 years) have date stamps on them. The vacuum advance distributors do not have a date stamp. The sticker is the only way to designate a date range.
_________________
Roads Scholar
1957 Kombi low mileage 36 hp governor equipped M 178 Slow Drag Winner 2014, 2015, 2018

1965 hardtop Deluxe Microbus owned since 1990 M 620 factory 12 v 1500cc

1961 (October)Single Cab- Road Trip Workhorse

Member# 2059

[creideahm]

How do you tell the date code on them?

[tasb]

Those vacuum canisters are the trickiest part of the assembly of these distributors. They have to be installed with the ball going underneath the installed points plate- in other words blind. I've made a tool to make the job easier. I've seen a fair number that are broken as you describe. There is a later canister that has flat bar stock for the arm, much better design. You can PM me for a good canister.

Here you can just see the bar stock pull rod passing under the points plate and points spring at the 5 o'clock position..
_________________
Roads Scholar
1957 Kombi low mileage 36 hp governor equipped M 178 Slow Drag Winner 2014, 2015, 2018

1965 hardtop Deluxe Microbus owned since 1990 M 620 factory 12 v 1500cc

1961 (October)Single Cab- Road Trip Workhorse

Member# 2059

[67rustavenger]

I think Tasb meant these.

Would you happen to have any GL vacuum cans in your spares?
I have a GL dist. But the can is damaged. The little ball on the shaft broke off
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I have learned over the years.
Cheap parts are gonna disappoint you.
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