Point A to Point B without a clutch

[doc hopper]

I have to get my girlfriend's 68 to the shop (about two miles, three stoplights) tomorrow. The clutch cable is hanging on by a thread (or two) so I figure I may be shifting without a clutch. I've done it in the past with various bugs, crashing through the gears, but I am told there is a way of "matching the engine speed to that of the transmission" to avoid the gear grinding.
So: I start in first, engine off, turn the starter and I'm now driving in first gear. Time for a shift to second: do I take the car out of gear and then estimate about what the rpm's should be and *gently* tug it into second, or do I *crash* it into gear? In a best case scenario, what should I be expecting to hear during the shift? No grinding, a little grinding?? Should I run the rpm's up and down as I shift, trying to find the right match to the ground speed? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[67jason]

slide the gear shift lever gently into the desired gear when the speedo needle is dead on the shift point marker for that gear. you may have to hold the revs up slightly to aid in engaging gears. i have found that the most difficult gear to get when shifting w/o the clutch is 2cd gear. just be gentle and if you have the rpms right it should just drop into place.
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67 bug x3
67 ghia
64 bug

[DrDarby]

Get the car up to the speed you'd shift up at, relax the throttle gently as you pull it out of gear and just keep moving the shifter right into the next gear. If you get hung up in neutral blip the throttle while gently moving the shifter and as the rpms are coming down the car will shift into the next gear. This is how you'd downshift also, pull it out of a higher gear into neutral, blip the throttle to match engine rpm to trans and slip it into the next lower gear.
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Midwest Autosavers, Inc. Crystal Lake, IL

[Kelley]

Or you can turn your hazard switch on, put it in first gear, and drive real slow for the 2 miles. I've done it when my shop was a mile or two from my house.

People will go around you.
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74 rusto-custom type 1 Sedan - SOLD
ZRX1100c3, Mean Green - SOLD

Growler wrote:

I hate people. Are you people? I hate you.

Just trying to remember classic Samba quotes from the 'Days of Yore'

[nightphorge]

Or you could put the clutch cable in before driving it....

[piemat]

[goswald79]

Never done it in my VW, but I've shifted with no clutch just for fun in my Subaru. I usually take out of gear, rev it up and put pressure on the gear until it slides in. It will only slide in when the speed is right. A little finness and you should be fine.
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1970 Standard Beetle
1958 Beetle with Sunroof
2003 Subaru Impreza WRX

Give me Liberty, or give me Death!

[Bugs'n'Pugs]

[J-Gaz.]

So the shifpt points non the speedometer wont really help. Its an old car and those are suggestions, chances are the engine isnt exactly the same as new so all that is out the window.
You now hve to rely on your ears, and the way the car feels as a whole.
sounds strainge, but its true. Hear is what yyou do:
You can little ms. sunshine it if you want or you can start it out of gear on a down grade and slide it in to first and go from there.
There should me NO GRINDING. if it grinds you need to adjust you throttle up or down. First to seccond is the hardest.
at the point where youd probobly use the clutch to up shift is where you should give it a little more gas, then slide it out of gear and let the Engine RPM's fall as you are simotainiously slide (Gentley) into the next gear. you should be aible to nurse it in. Slow and smooth. You might fell a hesitation, but there should be no grinding.
That is the basic Idea for up shifting. DOWN SHIFTING IS REALLY HARD!
so if you have to down shift, plan ahead. Tripple your folowing distance.
let the car slow itself down in what ever gear your in, then slide the gear shift to neautral and bring the RPM's up on the engine to match the speed of the trans. If you dont have a Tach, you have got to use your ears and know what 3k sound like or what 2500 sounds like. It is hard.
I drove truck for years so i know it can be done.
Dont do anything if your not willing to have it break, In that case get Tripple A (AAA). i pay 89 bucks a year to get 4 road side assit's a year with up to 100 mile of towing. Its worth it.
I've even bought a 74 bus that didnt run and had tripple A tow it home, no additional charge!
hope that helps.
J.

[Cusser]

Put in the new clutch cable, girl friend will make it worth your effort !!!
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1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297

[bugninva]

[nebe]

i drove my bus form rochester NY to newport RI with no clutch cable.. in the snow.

its really not that hard

[ach60]

[Cusser]

I would say 45 minute job, including putting the jack, jackstands, and tools away. I have done this without jacking it up, tougher fit. Last time I did this it was at a store parking lot 1 mile from the house, and while replacing it I found the clutch hook was practically worn through, so I had to get one of those a week later and do it again.
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1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297

[Gary]

[doc hopper]

Thanks for the insights and suggestions. I took my 70 out yesterday to practice the "art" of shifting without a clutch and it worked pretty good. Not looking forward to today's adventure with the 68 because I noticed yesterday that there is some pretty heavy roadwork going on for the whole stretch I'll have to traverse to get to the shop.
While on the clutch topic: this 68 is a conversion from auto-stick and really eats up clutch cables. Two or three a year in fact. They always break at the same place, at the back end right where the strands fasten to the threaded part. I eventually determined that part of the problem was a chewed up wingnut that would lock in place and force the cable to twist, but that's been corrected and still this current cable lasted only 2 and half years (32,000 miles). The one on my 70 hasn't been changed in 10 years. Is this a common problem with auto-stick conversions?

[Gary]

Sounds like the conversion wasn't performed properly. Should have left it as is
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West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624 (1943)

[bugninva]

[J-Gaz.]

Hey Doc-
If you like your car, and its consistantly needing work (like all old air cooled rides) Get Tripple A (AAA).
Saved my life on a run from Gig Harbor WA to Port Townsend WA.
Somehow my points exploded in my dist. (that was my backup set, the first ones i swaped up there long story) in Siverdale. My house was 68 miles from there. They towed me no problem.
I did get a rad pic of my bug on the back of the tow truck though!!!
Seriously, especially since you have consistant issues with the cable
Tripple A (AAA) is rad!
Justin.

[LordLeverette]