Buggeee's 1972 Super Beetle

[Buggeee]

[Fair-cooled]

Hi Buggeee, I am familiar with the rosejointed brace you have for your current build. I think they do basically the same thing as the old traction bars that many folks put on there muscle cars to minimize wheel hop under extreme power delivery from there engines. It certainly leaves the quarter and eighth mile speed runs to your ability if you should build such a monster ! By solidly connecting your rear shock towers to the transaxle bottom brace they should provide some extreme strength to your frame horns !
Now that you've got our full attention, I hope you keep us abrest of your build as it progresses ! I like what I see. I probably know where you bought them, as my main parts supplier sells them as a kit. I think I first saw them on one of Duckmans videos as he was working on... Ruby...I think ( ? ). In any event they will definitely tighten up your chassis/drivetrain. Excellent stuff !
_________________
————————
‘74 Super beetle, originally from California until 5 years ago.

Seize the day...not the Engine...

[MACJELLY58]

Wow! This build is taking a wild Tangent. I had thought you were a mild mannered man. But, apparently...the man's name is CLARK KENT.

[Fair-cooled]

He's faster than a speeding 53 bus, and can leap tall transaxles with a single bound !! I think he might be a bit pi**ed off now that the phone boths are all gone though... changing into Super Buggeee in a taxi cab cramps his style...and who could blame him !?
Seriously though, he's digging in very well !
_________________
————————
‘74 Super beetle, originally from California until 5 years ago.

Seize the day...not the Engine...

[Michael Ambrozik]

I have the same set-up but with the added horn strap and kaper (truss) bar. The transmission also got beefed up to handle the 2276 that's going to go in as soon as the little 1600 don't do it for me. Stock is good, but, bigger is better, at least for me.

[Fair-cooled]

yes, I agree. If a bit of power is good, then even more power is great ! A 2276 should prove to be an exciting build ! Good luck !
_________________
————————
‘74 Super beetle, originally from California until 5 years ago.

Seize the day...not the Engine...

[Buggeee]

The trailing arms are due for pivot bushings, soft brake lines, axle bearings/seals, and brakes.

Today's progress was on pivot bushings and soft brake lines.

The 17mm allen bolts were frozen in place pretty badly and it took a lot of work with the heavy duty air impact to break them free, back and forth and back and forth. One of them required the mapp gas torch, but eventually submitted to the effort and the trailing arms were off the car onto the workbench.

With the Energy Suspension polyurethane trailing arm bushings, the metal cups are reused so those didn't get pressed out. I used my ball joint press kit to press out the inner metal sleeve with a conveniently sized socket, and then the rubber portion of the bushings.

Slathered in poly snot, the poly bushings pressed in by hand. After a quick coat of satin black rattle can, the trailing arms reassembled just fine. All torqued to Bentley specs.

_________________
1966 Sportsmobile Camper https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0
72 Super Duper http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=672387
(adopted out) 61 Turkis Pile https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=728764

[Buggeee]

Tonight's progress not perfection is rear axle bearings and seals.

Because there's not a lot to report on a job like this, I'll comment that anytime I've got a threaded unit with a spring washer or lock washer, as here, I like to use anti-seize on the threads. Clean threads with anti-seize give an accurate torque reading, I this case 43lbs.

I guess I'll show you the high temp wheel bearing grease, as there's not a lot going on.

All tidied up with a quick coat of the satin black rattle can for some level of preservation.

I will note for transparency sake that I put a nice mark in the end of my brass drift trying to drive out the inner bearing until I cracked open Bentley's manual and saw that there was a circlip back there under the grease holding it in place. I've changed a lot of wheel bearings on different things but the bug is the first circlip I've run across. Old dog, new trick.
_________________
1966 Sportsmobile Camper https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0
72 Super Duper http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=672387
(adopted out) 61 Turkis Pile https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=728764

[Rome]

Your brake drum backing plates' inside surfaces would've been a good candidate for a rust converter spray such as from Loctite or Permatex. Spray it evenly onto the surface per the instructions, let sit overnight to harden, and then spray your black. You've thereby created a much more "stable" metal surface onto which the black paint will stick.

Rust converters applied by brush will also work, or MasterSeries coating.

[Buggeee]

[Mr.Duncan]

[Buggeee]

[Dark Earth]

I only see two seals. Did you also install the seal by the snap ring ?

I think the larger o-ring is used for swing axle applications ...

... and a smaller one is used for IRS applications

_________________
My Build: '69 Baja - Dark Earth Version

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

[Buggeee]

[Dark Earth]

Ha ha you're not messing around !! Nice clean looking car by the way.

Just one more thing, I hate to bring up, but I ran into a deal when I was doing mine. I guess there are 10mm width seals and 8mm width seals. In my case, the 8mm seal worked out much better.

Here's the 10mm seal ...

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

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...;start=605

I don't know if you can see it, but it sits a little more flush with the 8mm seal.

I don't know if everybody runs into this, but I thought I'd pass it along.
_________________
My Build: '69 Baja - Dark Earth Version

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

[Buggeee]

[Dark Earth]

Nice !! I'm watching your builds too.

And ... I'm jealous of your shop.
_________________
My Build: '69 Baja - Dark Earth Version

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

[joey1320]

Looking great Steve.
_________________
**1971 Super Project
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

[Buggeee]

How about that for motivation for changing your soft rubber brake hoses on every bug you drag home? It's what I do now. This is a picture of the aftermath of a lock-up at highway speeds from the old rubber brake hose collapsing on the inside, trapping the fluid in the wheel cylinder locking the brakes. I felt the drag immediately after letting off the brake pedal but was in the middle of nowhere and did not want to stop only to be stranded with a locked-up drum on the side of a remote highway at the beginning of a weekend road trip.

So... I hammered it and gathered more speed to try and either break it loose or grind enough pad off to free it. With an audible "pop" and a plume of white smoke trailing in a long dragon's tail behind me, the wheel was free. I did not know why it was free at the time but apparently I had generated enough heat to start a fire inside the drum that consumed all the paint, rubber and disintegrate the pad material to dust. What remains here is the metal skeleton of a drum braking system, patinaed with atmospheric rust on bare metal that has been stored for a year or more, sometimes outside.

The remarkable thing, attesting to divine intervention really, is that the brake hose was so clogged with deteriorated rubber that the fluid did not escape the system and the remaining brakes continued to work just fine for the weekend, and ensuing days, weeks, and until the end of the season when it was put on jacks for the body rehab begin in earnest.

I am an idiot. When I opened this up and laid eyes on the situation I really had to do two things. First, submit in sincere prayer of gratitude for what was not, and second, commit to changing out the old rubber brake hoses on every old car I drag home, VW or otherwise. I have stayed faithful to that.

But I digress... here is the recent progress. Fresh brakes on both sides.

As well as fresh heater control cables. These were very easy to install. A picture of pulling the old broken ones out. Greased new ones slid right through the tubes. No muss, no fuss. According to the instructional video at JBugs as well as Rob and Dave's aircooled pages, the slightly longer one goes in the bottom tube. Like this, they do not come out even under the rear of the car. I don't know why but maybe because the heads are off-set on the engine? Anyway, I've got to order a pair of the little rubber boots for the ends of the tubes.

And it's back on four wheels again.

Note: The stock wheels up front belong to a friend. He bought my yellow 72 Super vert, which cameoed in the drove your bug today stickied thread, and he is trying on my low profile tires from this build to see how it sits with some lower struts he installed. So these are just holding the front of my car off the ground for now.
_________________
1966 Sportsmobile Camper https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0
72 Super Duper http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=672387
(adopted out) 61 Turkis Pile https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=728764

[Fair-cooled]

Looking great Steve, very nice work. But I have to say it looks to me like your wheel cylinder was what locked up your wheel to me. My thoughts are that the right piston ( right
hand in the photo) seized and the bake fluid pushed the left piston clean out of the housing, breaking the housing and assuring that it wasn't going to go back in ( ? ). I have a set of braided stainless steel hoses waiting to go on my bug as soon as I can work on it ( my garage is going to be built { finally } this coming summer so my bug is put away for the winter ) The braided hoeses not only take abrasion of course but also give a firmer pedal. Easily worth the extra dollars for better safety imo. Do you think this may have happened

Darren.

Can't hardly wait to have a garage...
_________________
————————
‘74 Super beetle, originally from California until 5 years ago.

Seize the day...not the Engine...