Lever dampers design

[johan_l]

Yesterday I sand-blasted one of my lever dampers. I noticed that the small cover plate opposite of the outgoing axle were so thin it would better be replaced, though I may survive by just putting some bondo on top of the plate as oil is coming out, but rust holes are not visible by bare eye.

Is it hard to change?
Are these covers for sale anywhere?

I have a spare set of dampers (ie in total 4 dampers), all are working, probably never been opened or filled with oil. Should I let them stay closed, or open them to replace the oil and check condition?

If anyone has pictures or any exploded view of the damper, that would be great to have!
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Johan, Sweden
1960 Karmann-Ghia coupé
1957 Oval window
Bastard Split window <-- Translate

[52panelvan]

Hope these help.

On my van i had the exact same problem but this time i decided to just put a tiny wipe of seam sealant over the micro hole and painted it and it has been fine for over 6000 miles.

I think from memory i used ATF to refill the lever shocks, dont use anything thick like gear oil as they will become almost solid and not work correctly.
This is from the set on my 52 van (same as beetle).

Sorry i dont know if those little covers are available but i guess they could be matched.

Mark
_________________
Austrian Kohlruss Deluxe
January 1954, 20-072397
The Kohlruss Barndoor Restoration - https://www.facebook.com/groups/641684399225180/

Instagram - rustykohlruss

[52panelvan]

I should just add that they are a bit of a bitch to get apart, if you are lucky you may be able to get them apart without a press by prising against the long arm and the body but if not then i think from memory you basically have to destroy the circular steel part (the one thats leaking) and press them out from that end and replace it.
I was fortunate with this one.

They are very simple inside and very hard wearing by the looks.
They use those plungers with sort of a valve in each one to damp the movement of the oil from one side to the other, to be honest if they are free and give roughly equal resistance in an upwards and downwards direction by hand then i would just crack them open , drain and flush them out well and refill with ATF.(automatic transmission fluid)

They need filling to a shade under almost full due to the angle they sit.

The top gasket will most likely break up or rip - but they are very easy to replicate with slightly a slightly heavier gauge gasket paper.

Failing all that - on my 51, one original lever arm was buried in mud for 45 years and other than a blast externally i didn't even open it and its working absolutely fine with the original vw oil and seals.

Hope this helps

Mark
_________________
Austrian Kohlruss Deluxe
January 1954, 20-072397
The Kohlruss Barndoor Restoration - https://www.facebook.com/groups/641684399225180/

Instagram - rustykohlruss

[johan_l]

Thanks for the very good pictures! What to do without the samba community?



If I had bad luck and some particles entered through the cover plug's rust pores, can it continue down in the damper, or will it stay outside the axle bearing (i.e. are there bearings on both outer and inner side?)

I would not think the VERY small holes would be large enough for partikles to enter, though oil could soak throgh from inside...
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Johan, Sweden
1960 Karmann-Ghia coupé
1957 Oval window
Bastard Split window <-- Translate

[nlorntson]

I have a pair of single action levers that I would love to get rebuilt. I Sent them to a place in California that is the place to take them but the guy there said they were too far gone and they didn't have the parts to repair that style.

Anyone know another place on this planet that repairs old lever shocks?

[52panelvan]

Hi Johan,

Glad to help

I think if the hole is that small then even blast grit or dust may not get through, on mine i could not actually see the hole itself but just the tiny bit of oil that always came from the same point .

On the other side of the cap on the outside is a rubber O ring that seals the outside edge of the cap to body as it is squeezed between the bearing end and the cap(from memory). If anything did get in it would most likely sit by the end of the arm and not continue inwards as the bearing to arm tolerance is very close and there is no real pressure on the top side to make it move.

I think to be honest that these are so well engineered that even a tiny bit of grit inside would just eventually become ground up and not really cause any noticable wear or any change in performance in my opinion - they are very agricultural in build in all honesty.

May be after using them for a few 1000 miles - take them off , remove the top, flush and filling with new oil is easily done however and if you are very carefully with a sharp blade around the top the gasket will not split.

cheers
Mark
_________________
Austrian Kohlruss Deluxe
January 1954, 20-072397
The Kohlruss Barndoor Restoration - https://www.facebook.com/groups/641684399225180/

Instagram - rustykohlruss

[johnshenry]

I would use something like JB Weld (epoxy) to fill pinholes in the plate cap if new caps were not available. I'd apply the epoxy from the inside to keep the top from looking too gunky. The stuff is impervious to oils and fluids.

I also heard that the bus shocks (211 numbers on the cap plate) are vavled differently than the Beetle ones. I find the bus ones to be much more common (dual action) also. Does anyone have any info on this?

Good thread, good pics. I'll be digging into my '51s lever shocks one day...
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John Henry

'57 Deluxe
'56 Single Cab

[eurodub]

couldn't that cap be made with a simple die and a thin sheet metal? the profile is not too complicated as far i can see.
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1960 1200 model 117 deluxe ragtop
1974 T2 Westfalia Campmobile
1976 MK1 Golf

[52panelvan]

You may well be right -

I really cant remember seeing any differences in the two, to be fair the one good one on my 51 i never took apart and one of the siezed one on my 52 i couldn't get the pistons out as the oil had gone somehow and they were rusted into the bottom of the bores but just looking over them they did look the same but i couldn't say for definate.
It may well be the valve is a slight different size to allow different flow rates but to be honest i would imagine exactly the same could be achieved using different thickness oil.

Has anybody got a bus or beetle manual with the recommended oil to be used as this may explain the different part numbers rather than physical design.. Just a total guess.

Of all the ones i have had apart or just looked at - the only ones that were unusuable were the siezed ones.
When i forced the arm to see if i could get them moving the roll pins just fail which i guess is by design in case they failed on the car leaving the arm to move freely and not causing the suspension to "jam".

cheers

Mark
_________________
Austrian Kohlruss Deluxe
January 1954, 20-072397
The Kohlruss Barndoor Restoration - https://www.facebook.com/groups/641684399225180/

Instagram - rustykohlruss

[johnshenry]

I have some Beetle ones I have yet to take apart. I wonder if before you reassemble these bus ones Mark if you could take detailed pics for the valves/Pistons and measurements as well. We could compare them with the Beetle ones then.

This looks like yet another reason for me to buy that A frame press I have been considering....
_________________
John Henry

'57 Deluxe
'56 Single Cab

[52panelvan]

Unfortuantly John, i took the pictures 3 years ago and its under the 52 bus now.

However -I will see if i have the bus one i broke due to it being siezed. I would cut it up in the name of research no problem....

Actually i always fancied one of those colourful 50/60's cross section engines or gearboxes, i may make some choice cuts when i do it and do it in that style with colour and all- best check i can find it first

cheers

Mark
_________________
Austrian Kohlruss Deluxe
January 1954, 20-072397
The Kohlruss Barndoor Restoration - https://www.facebook.com/groups/641684399225180/

Instagram - rustykohlruss

[john7]

[johan_l]

[RareAir]

[nlorntson]

[geneL3c]

If you need lever action shocks rebuilt , Apple Hydraulics , Inc. , www.applehydraulics.com , can do them . They have the parts and the experience to do ANY shocks or hydraulic cylinders . They did my VW shocks , one of which had a broken connecting rod , which they made from scratch . They also did the shocks for my wife's '37 Packard which I thought were unrepairable , but they work perfectly and after four years are still leak free . They also recommend standard hydraulic jack oil as being just the right viscosity .

[p horvath]

i had a shock from my 50 dlx done at five points and it was good as new.

[hazetguy]

[johan_l]

Is it the "plunger pivot" that is pressed onto the axle? Or is there any other part that holds the axle?

I blasted the other damper, and there the cover was better, but I was also more careful when blasting...
_________________
Johan, Sweden
1960 Karmann-Ghia coupé
1957 Oval window
Bastard Split window <-- Translate

[johan_l]

Blasted and painted two of the dampers... Put some chemical metal on the cover plug that leaked oil, looked ok. It will be under the car and the only one seeing it will be the MOT inspector... So it'll do...

If done properly, I guess the way is to disassemble the parts before paint. Perhaps will do that on my spare pair, but now I just wanted to get finished with these...

Also painted some other things, as my "late" front beam. The other one has different "towers". I'm not sure which is most correct for my car...
_________________
Johan, Sweden
1960 Karmann-Ghia coupé
1957 Oval window
Bastard Split window <-- Translate