'69 Baja - Dark Earth Version

[dustymojave]

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Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet.

[Dark Earth]

Well, as summer comes to an end, I'm still not done rattle can painting the interior.
I do, however, have at least one coat of paint on the entire interior. I fine sanded the dash, under dash, front firewall and wheel wells and gave those areas a second coat. I'll give the rest of the interior a second coat next summer.

I kinda screwed up. I got a bunch of white paint overspray on the recently painted black pan. I want to fix that before I do anything else. I want to paint the napoleon hat on the exterior so I can finally run the long brake line from the front to the rear. Then I can start assembling the brakes. That's the plan anyway.
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My Build: '69 Baja - Dark Earth Version

~I'm almost done. I just lack finishing up.~

[Dark Earth]

After spending a bunch of time welding tin foil and rattle can painting, It's now time to get back to some more mechanical work. After installing new front backing plates, I decided to buy some reproduction backing plates for the rear as well.

I also decided to go with a narrower outer wheel seal after reading Vanapplebomb's build.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...;start=600

I installed the new backing plate and new outer seal, then I torqued the bolts to 43 ft/lbs. I don't know if you can see it, but the outer spacer sits a little more flush with the seal than before.

One more bite out of the elephant. Now I just have to do the other side.
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My Build: '69 Baja - Dark Earth Version

~I'm almost done. I just lack finishing up.~

[Vanapplebomb]

Good call on the narrower seal.
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1800 Type 4 Berrien 295

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=487021

[Dark Earth]

[Dark Earth]

Not much of an update, but I finished the rear brakes.

I put painters tape on the shoes temporarily to keep them clean. I also bought flange bolts for the bearing housing and torqued them to 43 ft/lbs ... for the last time.
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My Build: '69 Baja - Dark Earth Version

~I'm almost done. I just lack finishing up.~

[Dark Earth]

On June 4th, 2016 ...

[Dark Earth]

I went to install the "Thing" brake drums and found a problem. When I tightened the rear axle nut, the cotter pin hole in the stub axle was beyond the "castellation" in the nut. I found a thicker rear axle nut. It's a chrome nut made by empi.

It's about an 1/8" thicker than the first one I bought.

I used a "torque buddy" to tighten the nut. It has a 9:1 ratio, so 25 ft/lbs on the torque wrench equals 225 ft/lbs on the nut.

The cotter pin lines up perfectly.

I'm not sure if the empi conversion axles are longer than stock, but the chrome nut they sell did the trick.
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My Build: '69 Baja - Dark Earth Version

~I'm almost done. I just lack finishing up.~

[Dark Earth]

I'll be darned if I didn't run into another problem with the rear brakes. When I went to turn the drums, to feel how smooth they turned, I heard a lot of scraping. I pulled the drum and realized where it was rubbing. The drums were rubbing on the new backing plates.

So, back apart it comes again. I put the VW backing plates back on, and put everything back together just like before, with one exception. Last time I torqued the axle nut to 25 ft/lbs on the torque buddy, giving me 225 ft/lbs at the nut. I saw a thread on the '68 and up Beetle forum saying the nut's supposed to be torqued to 253 ft/lbs, so I upped the torque wrench setting to 28 ft/lbs, giving me 252 ft/lbs at the nut. Bingo.

I should have just stayed with the VW backing plates, but I fell for the lure of shiny parts. The VW backing plates made putting things back together so much nicer and ... no scraping. Lesson learned.
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My Build: '69 Baja - Dark Earth Version

~I'm almost done. I just lack finishing up.~

[FlannelShirtGuy]

Any updates? I’m digging this build!

[heywebonya]

I like the blue tape idea to keep the pads clean.

I ran my brake lines like you did and have not had any issues (same with fuel line on the other side. A few of the retaining tabs broke off, any ideas on how to replace them?

Great work - get that buggy back together!
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If I knew what I was doing; I wouldn't be building a buggy!

[dustymojave]

[Dark Earth]

[Dark Earth]

I got a little bit of cleaning done.

The clutch cable arm and spring look odd to me.

The throwout bearing arms must have broken off at some point because they've been welded. The throwout bearing doesn't even looked centered.

The inner cross shaft snap ring doesn't look right either.

I'll address all these issues once I'm done cleaning.
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My Build: '69 Baja - Dark Earth Version

~I'm almost done. I just lack finishing up.~

[Dark Earth]

I decided to move ahead with the transmission project without cleaning it until it's spotless. I stuck a screwdriver on the edge of the flange cap, tapped it in a little ...

... and pried it out. I don't know if you can see it in this picture, but there's a circlip holding the flange on.

I bought these pliers to remove and replace the circlips. I also bought a couple new circlips.

After removing the circlip, I pulled the flange off. The flange seals are no longer pliable, which is causing the gear oil leakage.

I removed the eight side cover nuts with a 13 mm wrench. I set the nuts, lock washers and flat washers aside. The side cover has little tabs on the top and bottom. I used a brass punch to gently tap the top and bottom tabs alternately. The side cover then came right off. There's a split ring spacer sitting on top of the bearing. I'm gonna leave that right where it's at.

I bought a gasket kit that came with side cover o-rings. I also bought a couple 36 mm x 60 mm x 9.50 mm flange seals.

I lubed up the o-ring and installed it into the groove in the side cover. Then, I installed the side cover. I torqued the nuts to 22 ft/lbs going around in a star pattern. I don't have a socket large enough to pound the seal in, so I bought a 1 1/2" PVC coupler and some PVC pipe. I cut some short pieces and drove them into the coupler. I sanded the edges flush. It's a little bit smaller than the seal, but it worked nicely.

I bought these 100 mm conversion flanges so I can run the larger CV joints.

I slid it on the splines and installed the circlip, making sure the circlip went into the groove like it's supposed to. I kinda pried it inward to make sure it's seated in the groove.

I have some new flange caps coming, but for now I just have to finish the other side.
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My Build: '69 Baja - Dark Earth Version

~I'm almost done. I just lack finishing up.~

[Dark Earth]

Now it's time to reseal the nose cone.

First I took off the reverse light switch. You can barely see it, but there's a washer under the switch.

After making sure the tranmission was in neutral, I removed the seven nuts and washers and set them aside. I tapped on the nose cone and it came right off. I removed the gasket and wiped the mating surface down. I'm not going to mess with anything. I'm just resealing the nose cone.

I cleaned inside the nose cone making sure to clean the vent hole.

I bought some nose cone bushings.

I bought some 7mm x 1.0 nuts and 7mm washers.

I bought a piece of 7/8" diameter delrin round stock. I used it to drive the brass bushings into the nose cone. I also used it to install the seal into the brass bushing.

I used channel locks to remove the old brass bushing and seal. I twisted and pulled on the bushing like I was removing a wine cork. I removed a split brass bushing that's in the same bore, but more towards the inside of the nose cone. I used a piece of 1/2" tubing. The tubing has an outside diameter of 5/8" and it fit perfectly in the nose cone bore. I tapped it with a hammer and the inner split bushing drove right out.

I bought a transmission gasket set which included a nosecone gasket.

I drove the inner and outer bushings in using the 7/8" round stock. They fit perfectly.

I then installed the seal into the outer bushing.

I bought some aviation sealer.

I bought a reverse light switch and copper washer.

I coated the shift rod "hockey stick" with super lube and slid it into the nose cone. I brushed on some sealer where the gasket goes, installed the gasket, then applied sealer to the gasket. Next, I worked the "hockey stick" into the shift rods and lined up the studs. I torqued the nuts to 11 ft/lbs. I installed the reverse light switch and tightened it by hand.

Maybe now I won't have any leaks.
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My Build: '69 Baja - Dark Earth Version

~I'm almost done. I just lack finishing up.~

[Dark Earth]

Now back to the throwout bearing cross shaft replacement.

First, I removed the snap ring with some snap ring pliers.

Next, I pried the spring off the clutch cable arm and the arm slid right off the cross shaft splines.

With the arm out of the way, you can see a shim and a dust cover.

I removed the shim and dust cover and set them aside.

The next step was to remove the throwout bearing. The inner snap ring stays on the shaft to help push the outer bushing out.

The throwout bearing retaining clips are pretty easy to remove. I pried the clips off with a pocket screwdriver.

The only thing left holding the cross shaft and bushing in place was this bolt. It seats into a hole in the bushing to secure the bushing in the bore. Once the bolt was removed, I pushed the bushing out with the cross shaft. Once the bushing was out, there was a lot more room in the bushing bore. I just tilted the cross shaft diagonally and pulled it out.

I bought a throwout bearing cross shaft.

I bought a bushing kit.

I wasn't able to get the smaller inner bushing out without buying this blind hole bushing puller.

It has a collet that slips through the bushing and when you tighten the collet it expands tightly against the inside of the bushing.

I fed the bushing puller through the outer bushing bore and tightened the collet inside the inner bushing.

Then I just used the slide hammer until the bushing finally came out.

I coated the inner bushing with super lube and installed it. It actually pushed in by hand. I installed the inner snap ring on the cross shaft and fed the cross shaft into the outer bore then into the inner bore. I slid the outer brass bushing over the cross shaft and into its bore making sure to line the hole in the bushing up with the threaded hole. Then I just torqued the bolt to 11 ft lbs.

The cross shaft rotates smoothly and there's no play.

I installed the dust cover. I installed the clutch cable arm, aligning the splines. I pried the spring around the arm and installed the snap ring.

One more bite out of the elephant.
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My Build: '69 Baja - Dark Earth Version

~I'm almost done. I just lack finishing up.~

[Dark Earth]

Meanwhile back at the transmission project ...

I bought some transmission drive flange caps.

I bought some sealer

I coated the outer circumference of the flange caps with sealer and installed them.

I bought a transmission input shaft seal

I used the seal puller to get the old one out and gently tapped the new one in.

I bought a "Rhino" front transmission mount and some m10 x 1.5 flange nuts. The Rhino mounts are supposed to be quieter than solid mounts and more rigid than stock rubber mounts. The flange nuts have a 15mm head which is needed to be able to fit a wrench where the mount bolts up to the nose cone.

I bought a nose cone to chassis seal and a boot for the clutch cable tube and accelerator cable tube.

I installed the front transmission mount and wrenched the nuts down "gudentight". I installed the nose cone to chassis seal. I installed a transmission to chassis ground strap.

I bought a transmission carrier.

I bought some "Rhino" rear transmission mounts, some m8 x 1.25 x 25mm flange bolts, and some m8 x 1.25 flange nuts.

I bought an m10 x 1.5 die to chase the front transmission mounting studs.

I bought some blue loctite.

I installed the rear mounts on the transmission with a drop of loctite on each stud and torqued the flange nuts to 14 ft lbs.
I slid the transmission carrier over the mounts, anti-seized the large carrier bolts, and torqued them to 166 ft lbs.
I installed the remaining flange nuts and flange bolts and tightened them "gudentight".

I had to clearance the front mount with a dremel tool to get the flange nuts to seat properly. I torqued them to 25 ft lbs.

I found this torque chart and realized I made a mistake on the bolt that holds the clutch cable cross shaft bushing in place. I ended up torquing it to 7 ft lbs.

The transmission project didn't turn out perfectly but it's in much better shape than when I started.

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My Build: '69 Baja - Dark Earth Version

~I'm almost done. I just lack finishing up.~

[dirtkeeper]

nice to see new clean complete fresh stuff going back in the ride.

i havent heard of those rhino mounts, curious to hear about them later.

[Dark Earth]