Any alternatives to Bosch Distributor Grease?

[wcfvw69]

[KTPhil]

This is something we lost when "service stations" became just "gas stations." The service bays were turned into store shelf space.

When you brought your car for an oil change, they did more than just the oil. It was called a "lubrication service" and they took care of things like greasing the suspension, door hinges, and even the ignition (points grease and a drop of oil on the felt wick).

That skill-set, and the mind-set, are now long gone. It's up to us to make up our checklist of all these little details that make the car last.

[Q-Dog]

Part of the reason gas stations turned their grease racks and service bays into shelves for moon pies and slim jims is that they just weren't needed any more. Practically all cars built in the last 30 or so years don't require the simple maintenance that our antique economy cars needed.

Cars don't have a distributor any more, spark plugs go 100,000 miles, V-belts are mostly obsolete, and modern cars tend to not use oil like our old relics do. Practically maintenance free. You are more likely to find a barista than a mechanic in today's "service" stations.
_________________
Brian

'69 Dune Buggy
'69 Beetle Convertible
'70 Beetle

[raygreenwood]

A very big part of this...lack of maintenance....and this part causes me to bitch all the time.....can be laid squarely at the feet of the average ACVW owner.

I do not have to describe to you do I?.....how many discussions here about oil changes, valve adjusting, air filter cleaning or exactness in tuning, cleaning at intervals or re-greasing assemblies ranging from locks, to wiper motor gearboxes or distributors....has regressed into a whole slew of owners....stating, quoting, linking to etc.....the common belief and statements that these are simple, tough vehicles that can survive in any environment with the least maintenance and just keep on ticking....like this

"never bothered to do that BS...and my shit has run for 300 years...you guys get to wrapped up. Just drive it 'til it breaks and rebuild it!".... ...right?

Even John Muir...who stated something similar...eventually got around to stating (paraphrasing here) that you can you can get away with NOT doing an awful lot to an air cooled VW...but eventually you have to do it right..even if that means replacing parts you let die without maintenance.

And that last part is what you have nearly 50 years of.....owners of these cars KNOWING they could do virtually nothing and the car would ...run...and get you from point A to B....virtually every time...even if you did nothing.

Too many people who used these cars as basic 2nd hand, beater transport did not care if it ran right or sometimes even well....as long as it ran.

The triple threat with those kind of owners...is that if it did crap out....the parts were readily available for cheap. If your distributor crapped out...just go down to the local FLAPS or VW shop anywhere in the 1960's into the early 1980's....and pick up another NEW one for beer money.

Perhaps....one might theorize....that had these cars had not been so basic in performance.....if they ran more like a highly tuned sports car...quicker and faster....the owners of them would have been more cognizant of the fact that they were running like shit and perhaps some maintenance was due.

Its amazing...to this very day...the vast majority of American car guys...mucscle car guys...GM, Ford and Mopar guys,...earnestly believe and repeat to everyone they know...that aircooled VW's....from the factory...struggle to get over 50 mph and that they could never run at highway speeds for any length of time.
Almost every one of them has some story or anecdote where they bought or owned one for a short time....and they all leaked oil from the get go, overheated and eventually burned up...and not a one has the belief that it was anything they did wrong.... or did not do...maintenance wise...because they are gearheads and mechanics...right? That its just the car was a bad design...right?

Ray

[vamram]

[raygreenwood]

[Zundfolge1432]

Found a tube of this in bottom of my toolbox. Looking at specs it too would probably work. The aeroshell 7 was a slightly thicker consistency and the 33 was much thinner and was dark green color. When I got here in 1989 they used the 7 but just yesterday we got an engineering change whereby the 33 will now supercede everything. Thankfully I don't do grease jobs anymore it's dirty and dangerous using air operated grease guns it's easy to slip and inject grease into your hand. Cheers

[heimlich]

I saw on their information page magnetos and generators. Looks very promising.
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[Glenn]

I would just try the Standard Lubricam since it's readily available and designed for lubricating the points cam.

I think everyone is getting over obsessed by this.

Buy a tube and try it. Inspect the rubbing block every now and then for wear.
_________________
Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

Member #1009

#BlueSquare

[Zundfolge1432]

[gt1953]

I like that idea Zundfolge1432 that tube is way less expensive the lil 2 oz tube for the same price. You will have enough for every Samba member.
_________________
Volkswagen: We tune what we drive.
Numbers Matching VW's are getting harder to find. Source out the most Stock vehicle and keep that way. You will be glad you did.

72 type 1
72 Squareback
({59 Euro bug, 62, 63, 67, 68, 69, 73 type ones 68 & 69 type two, 68 Ghia all sold})

[raygreenwood]

[Zundfolge1432]

As long as it's cheap.

[Glenn]

[Zundfolge1432]

^^^^^ sounds dangerously close to hoarding ^^^^^^ I mean that in a nice way

[sb001]

I've always just spat on the distributor cam and called it good
_________________
I'm the humblest guy on this board.

1969 autostick sedan, family owned since new
1600 SP engine
Solex 30 PICT 3 carburetor
Bosch 113905205AE autostick distributor

[raygreenwood]

[Zundfolge1432]

I gathered a few thermostats and all the linkages years ago thinking along those lines. I wish I'd had the foresight to buy and hold a few German universal cases back when they were 99.00 brand new.

[Glenn]

[Glenn]