My Detroit sandrail/pleasure craft... or "Carmela's Concession"

[dustymojave]

just a floor jack under the differential part of the housing will serve to roll that puppy right into place. I've done it a great many times by hand, without a jack. The trans really isn't all that heavy. It' aint an Allison 6 speed for a diesel dually truck.
_________________
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.

[dennismcd707]

Got out into the garage today, and made a little progress. If you recall, I had disassembled my spring plates and torsion bars without making any sort of marks as to how they should go back together.
Well, I put them back together, with the spring plate one step above the rest stop. It went back together easy this way, but I have no way of knowing what kind of position my wheels are gonna be in once they're attached.

One step at a time, I reckon. Today I actually finished a minor detail. I installed 2 big and 2 small hose clamps on my one piece transaxle boots. Now it's 100 percent ready for install.

And Richard, I too was once stronger and more limber than I am now. I'm gonna wait for help to lift my trans up onto my floor jack.
I tried to lift it to see if I could do it.........but I'm opting not to. Too difficult alone!

Here's a shot of my new chrome torsion bar end caps, as well as the transaxle waiting for install. Almost done with the 1760 engine too.
Just a few more minor hoops to jump through, and I'll have two engines ready for Carmela's Concession.

_________________
1971 Super Beetle, 1776, dual Weber's, roller crank, big valve modified racing heads, close ratio trans, lowered suspension, 4 wheel disc brakes, car has over 368,000 actual miles. (RIP 1970 Beetle/Baja, 1986 GTI, 1999 Jetta, 2002 Jetta)

[dennismcd707]

I stared at it long enough today, and finally just said the hell with it. I lifted the transaxle onto the floor jack....... and the rest is history.

My transaxle is mounted, but not bolted down. That's gonna be a project in itself.

_________________
1971 Super Beetle, 1776, dual Weber's, roller crank, big valve modified racing heads, close ratio trans, lowered suspension, 4 wheel disc brakes, car has over 368,000 actual miles. (RIP 1970 Beetle/Baja, 1986 GTI, 1999 Jetta, 2002 Jetta)

[dustymojave]

If you're patient, I'll work up a how-to for adjusting the rear torsions from where you have it now.
_________________
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.

[heywebonya]

Good to see you back at it! Buggy season is near.
_________________
If I knew what I was doing; I wouldn't be building a buggy!

[dennismcd707]

I had a rough time last summer and didn't get a lot accomplished. I told myself I'm gonna do much better this year.

Problem number one today was ..... I found out I need to re-tap/clean up the threads on one of the big transaxle support frame horns. I'm probably off on the terminology.
Anyway, the left side bolt screws into the frame horn with no problems, but the right side won't screw in (with fingers) at all. Upon looking at the bolt that possibly came out of it, the threads look to be all flat. (I have the choice of 2 different bolts that I can use, from another vehicle.)

So, my next step is to figure out what size tap I need to run inside (delicately) my frame horn. I'll search theSamba archives for help on determining the size of the tap I need, and to see if anybody else has run into a similar issue with screwing these bolts into the crossmember and frame horns.

I still only have one of the two "front" transaxle mounting bolts tightened, more on that later. Let's just say ......nuthin's easy!

_________________
1971 Super Beetle, 1776, dual Weber's, roller crank, big valve modified racing heads, close ratio trans, lowered suspension, 4 wheel disc brakes, car has over 368,000 actual miles. (RIP 1970 Beetle/Baja, 1986 GTI, 1999 Jetta, 2002 Jetta)

[heywebonya]

BEFORE you try and rethread it, get an old toothbrush and some oil and clean the threads. From my memory, that looks normal (I don't think it was fully threaded as the correct bolt has a shoulder).

Look at your other bolts and try to do it gently after cleaning it.

Great job and persistence!
_________________
If I knew what I was doing; I wouldn't be building a buggy!

[dennismcd707]

...... well, after cleaning it the best I could with a toothbrush and WD40, the bolt begins to thread in and then just stops. I put a wrench on it and started to tighten it, but stopped. It was NOT right, being so tight.
When I shine a flashlight into the frame horn, I can see the threads look to be damaged, or at least smashed flat.

So what's next? Should I run a M18 x 1.5 tap in there? What can go wrong if I do? Am I more apt to screw up the threads with the tap, or am I better off tightening the bolt "as is"? Won't a new "used" bolt with good threads naturally be pretty tight if screwed into a hole with nominal quality threads, or previously cross threaded threads?

I guess my question is, if the inside threads of the frame horn are already screwed up, will I make matters worse by running a tap (the same size as the bolt) into the hole, or should I just try and tighten the bolt...... and see what happens?
_________________
1971 Super Beetle, 1776, dual Weber's, roller crank, big valve modified racing heads, close ratio trans, lowered suspension, 4 wheel disc brakes, car has over 368,000 actual miles. (RIP 1970 Beetle/Baja, 1986 GTI, 1999 Jetta, 2002 Jetta)

[heywebonya]

How does the left thread look compared to the right? Are the bolts boogered up? Remember these are 60 year old cars, removing more metal with a tap is always low on my list of things to do.

How clear and clean are the threads after cleaning? They should look clean before you try "grit sanding" the threads. Rust takes up more space that the original steel

Compare the extra bolts you have...
_________________
If I knew what I was doing; I wouldn't be building a buggy!

[dennismcd707]

I recieved (from Amazon) yesterday a wire brush the size of a toothbrush. I just went out and tried to clean up the threads again, using air, wd40, and the brush.
I was able to screw the bolt in (with some initial force from the wrench) without having to run a tap in the hole. Thanks for your advice, but I was just about out of options.
Now, I just have to find some washers, I may need to double stack them on both sides, we'll see.


Next issue is trying to get the spring plate and the axle tube to line up so I can bolt them together. I've got the axle tube wedged in the spring plate slot, and it doesn't want to budge.
I think I might need a jack.

_________________
1971 Super Beetle, 1776, dual Weber's, roller crank, big valve modified racing heads, close ratio trans, lowered suspension, 4 wheel disc brakes, car has over 368,000 actual miles. (RIP 1970 Beetle/Baja, 1986 GTI, 1999 Jetta, 2002 Jetta)

[nshaddox]

Dennis, it should be easy enough to rotate the tube so the bolt holes line up. start tightening bolts from the bottom hole and work your way around and the spring plate will align itself nicely.

Neil

[dennismcd707]

Neil, it worked, just as you said it would. My only problem at first was not having the correct hardware.
The bolts I had from the other transaxle wouldn't fit in the holes on the axle tube.
So either the holes closed up "just enough" when it was powdercoated, or the holes in the two axle tubes are just plain different sizes.
The diameter bolt that fit into the old transaxle and spring plate was .485, but that's too big. A 12 mm bolt fit, and that measures .472.
I can't explain it, other than it made for an extra trip to the hardware store to find "new" fasteners ($14 worth).........when the old ones are perfectly good.

I bought the axle tubes and axles from Neil, the trans guru that rebuilt my trans, but I don't remember if I asked him what year vehicle the transaxle parts came from.

And then that brings me to my rear axle bearing covers.
I started to get all my stuff together for the next step, the axle bearings and the brakes.
I found my backing plates, my brake hardware kit, rear wheel seal kit, wheel cylinders, etc.... and then I noticed my bearing covers.
They're different from one another. From what I've read on theSamba, this isn't uncommon, due to the fact that VW made a change sometime around 67 or 68.
One of my bearing covers (the one that does not have the weep hole) has a bit of damage to it as well.

So .......... what should I do? Shouldn't they both be the same? Should I search the classifieds here and seek out another bearing cover?

And lastly, since I'm working on getting the transaxle together so I can put rear wheels on it again, I took this photo. Just something to keep me motivated.
On the list after Transaxle/Brakes is gear shift linkage, which means welding.

_________________
1971 Super Beetle, 1776, dual Weber's, roller crank, big valve modified racing heads, close ratio trans, lowered suspension, 4 wheel disc brakes, car has over 368,000 actual miles. (RIP 1970 Beetle/Baja, 1986 GTI, 1999 Jetta, 2002 Jetta)

[nshaddox]

Bearing retainers changed when the oil slinger design changed. So you could theoretically run mismatched as long as you have the corresponding drums and slinger hardware to make it work. Better bet would be to go to the later style with the 311 part number. I have a few if you need another. Check your Bentley manual to see the different exploded view for how the two styles assemble. I though the change was in 64 or so, but I could be off a few years.

[dennismcd707]

.....and I thought I'd try and replace the seal in my one "oil-slinger washer" type axle bearing cover. I did it, but I don't recommend my method.
I just lubed it with oil, and then tapped it home with the screwdriver down in the groove. You can see little marks in the seal, but I think I'm okay.
I didn't have a socket large enough that I could use to "press" the seal down into it's hole.

Here's something that maybe somebody can explain. I bought a couple of oil seal kits for my bearing covers, and in each kit comes a washer, which I'm assuming is the oil slinger washer.
This washer's diameter is too small, and it comes right out of the cover.
So if this washer is too small, what's it for? Good thing I didn't damage my old oil slinger washer.
As far as when VW made the change in bearing covers, I could be wrong too. I was using intel I gathered in a post here on theSamba.

_________________
1971 Super Beetle, 1776, dual Weber's, roller crank, big valve modified racing heads, close ratio trans, lowered suspension, 4 wheel disc brakes, car has over 368,000 actual miles. (RIP 1970 Beetle/Baja, 1986 GTI, 1999 Jetta, 2002 Jetta)

[dennismcd707]

http://vwparts.aircooled.net/Rear-Brake-Backing-Plate-ASSY-Left-113-609-639E-p/113-609-639e.htm

Here's a link to AC.Net's rear brake plate assembly. Does anybody have any thoughts on these?
My backing plates are usable, but terribly "used" and filthy. It'd be nice to have brand spankin' new parts to deal with, and with this kit, that's what I'd be getting.
We'll see about the quality later. I'm sure it's gonna be "cheaply made".

I also have to learn how to hook up my emergency brake system, or at least how the cables tie in to the backing plate and the shoes.
Some shop manual reading is in order, as well as some help from youtube. It's been quite a while since I've fiddled with any drum brakes. Hopefully it's like ridin' a bike.

My plan to obtain a pair of axle bearing covers last weekend fell through, but hopefully I'll be able to pick them up this weekend.
Then I have to decide if the drums I have will work. If so, I have to clean them up and get 'em turned.
A lot depends on whether everything fits together the way it's supposed to. I'm unsure because I have all of these "new" used transaxle components. Everything (I think) is early sixties, five lug swing axle stuff.

The brake backing plate assy shown above is listed as being able to fit an early sixties Type 1, even though it's advertised as a 1968 and above.
That's the kind of thing that makes me nervous about ordering stuff online. Once I get it home ........ is it gonna fit? Did I order the wrong one?
Long axle, short axle, big nut, little nut, pre 1968, post 1968, 6 volt, 12 volt .......... I gotta pay attention to all that stuff.

......and then I panic about my new rear wheels not fitting. I'm just assuming that they're gonna fit right on, but what if they don't? More downtime!

So when I order the wrong stuff, I'm wasting both time and money. Obviously, I'm not in any hurry to get this thing going. But anything that slows me down more than normal, is a bad thing.
Plus, I hate having to ship stuff back and forth. The local UPS place near me is just plain inconvenient.

I'm still tinkering with the 1760 engine that I've built. I just had to send out my rocker blocks to get machined down a bit (for sideplay) so I could start my rocker geometry.
As per the norm, things didn't fit properly "out of the box", and I had to make some modifications.

And finally, so as to pick a goal that is achievable, my goal this summer is to have the sandrail on all 4 wheels and mobile. No longer on jack stands and pushable!
........then I have to see about breaking in the cams on two engines that are sitting gathering dust. And that means engine install and starter wiring.
Can both things get accomplished?

_________________
1971 Super Beetle, 1776, dual Weber's, roller crank, big valve modified racing heads, close ratio trans, lowered suspension, 4 wheel disc brakes, car has over 368,000 actual miles. (RIP 1970 Beetle/Baja, 1986 GTI, 1999 Jetta, 2002 Jetta)

[dennismcd707]

........ well, I got a few things done today. Thought I'd share.
I went and picked up a pair of matching "late style" axle bearing covers, along with a pair of rear brake backing plate assemblies.
Now I have two hand brake retaining clips, which I was missing.
I picked this stuff up from another Samba member. (Wheelie Pete) Not only does he have a cool old house, but he's got lots of VW parts. Instant friend.
The idiot book helps me sometimes, especially the section on brakes.

Next, I proceeded to install the axle bearing and all of its components, followed by the O rings, gasket, and cover with the new seal.
Had to tap the bearing onto the axle, which was about the only frustrating thing.
Other side tomorrow, then onto the shoes and wheel cylinders.

_________________
1971 Super Beetle, 1776, dual Weber's, roller crank, big valve modified racing heads, close ratio trans, lowered suspension, 4 wheel disc brakes, car has over 368,000 actual miles. (RIP 1970 Beetle/Baja, 1986 GTI, 1999 Jetta, 2002 Jetta)

[dennismcd707]

More progress today. I got the new brake hardware installed on the right side, as well as new shoes.
I started in on the left side, but had to stop due to frustration and a sore back.
Here are two photos of the project today. I included the second one to show the parking brake cable.
It sure looks and feels good when something fits and doesn't have to be modified.
_________________
1971 Super Beetle, 1776, dual Weber's, roller crank, big valve modified racing heads, close ratio trans, lowered suspension, 4 wheel disc brakes, car has over 368,000 actual miles. (RIP 1970 Beetle/Baja, 1986 GTI, 1999 Jetta, 2002 Jetta)

[dennismcd707]

More puttsin' around the garage today. Shoes and new brake hardware installed in rear, put the drums on, and then thought, what the hell?
I put the rear wheels on too. Wasn't easy with the lug bolts and the heavy tires/wheels, but I did it.
The chassis is now mobile again. It hasn't been in a while, so it's nice to know that I can move it again if I have to.

Now I have to enlist some help with my shift linkage and shifter. The seat as well. Both have to be fastened down.
To me, that's a huge hurdle.....with my limited skills, knowledge, and equipment. So I'll read up on it where I can, and then see what's up. I do have a couple of friends who might be able to help with fabricating something together.
Meanwhile, here's a shot of the next step. The seat and shifter.

_________________
1971 Super Beetle, 1776, dual Weber's, roller crank, big valve modified racing heads, close ratio trans, lowered suspension, 4 wheel disc brakes, car has over 368,000 actual miles. (RIP 1970 Beetle/Baja, 1986 GTI, 1999 Jetta, 2002 Jetta)

[dustymojave]

Pretty fancy shifter for the car. Did you buy the kit with the shaft and u-joints? or just the shifter? If you bought the kit, you have all the parts you need. If you bought just the shifter, you still need about $100 more parts, including the u-joints and the shaft.

I would have recommended a stock shifter with a quick shift. The quick shift is a spacer that fits under the shifter and one that goes on the shaft under the shifter top plate. Dirt cheap and quite effective. I've had one in my Hi Jumper for 40 years+.

https://www.jbugs.com/product/4500.html?utm_conten...E3EALw_wcB

It's an EMPI. Get this aluminum one(I think it's really zinc, not aluminum), not the plastic one. Choose your favorite VW parts house. I'm using JBugs here because they haven't fussed about my "stealing" their images yet. Although providing them free advertising HARDLY qualifies as "stealing".

Mount that on top of a standard shifter box to replace the section of Bug tunnel. Might be easier to mount it to the frame.:

https://www.jbugs.com/product/3158-7.html?utm_cont...95EALw_wcB

Then you need a shift shaft bushing:

https://www.jbugs.com/product/16-5101.html

A stock shifter, your choice of early style bent shaft, or later style straight shaft. Same price:

https://www.jbugs.com/product/113798121G.html

You can choose an aftermarket shifter for $60-100 instead of the stock shifter and quick shifter. But I'm happy with my setup.

Then you need a shift shaft:

https://www.jbugs.com/product/17-2727.html

I recommend an adjuster for the back end of that. Either an early style:

https://www.jbugs.com/product/16-2070.html

With this coupler:

https://www.jbugs.com/product/16-5102.html

Or this late style:

https://www.jbugs.com/product/17-2724.html

https://www.jbugs.com/product/16-5105.html

It's a shame nobody offers all those parts in a package kit. Seems complex, but it really is not.

I like to mount the shifter where when it's in neutral, the knob is near even with the rim of the steering wheel. You mount it where it's comfy for you. When you assemble the stock shifter, lube it with dry silicon or graphite lube. Oil, grease, or WD40 will collect dirt and make things miserable.

For the seats...It looks like the old seats were bolted to the cross bars. You may need to drill new holes to fit your current poly seats.
_________________
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.

[dennismcd707]

......you said it looks complicated, but it's not. I hope that's the case, because I'm lost. I don't know how the shifter works, so it's difficult to comprehend how it all fits together.
Obviously, I have some work to do, with research being the first thing. I bought this kit:

https://www.amazon.com/16-2106-Chrome-Shifter-Link...2D7FFHJHAP

I've got the shifter, a couple of rods, and a bunch of hardware. Mounting the thing is probably gonna require some welding. Another step to hurdle.
......And another thing. I don't think I can know where it should be mounted until a decision is made on where the seats will go, and how they get fastened.

I don't have a clue on the seats. As I said, this is probably where I'm gonna have to recruit some help. I'm not good at engineering stuff.
Thanks for all of your input Richard.

_________________
1971 Super Beetle, 1776, dual Weber's, roller crank, big valve modified racing heads, close ratio trans, lowered suspension, 4 wheel disc brakes, car has over 368,000 actual miles. (RIP 1970 Beetle/Baja, 1986 GTI, 1999 Jetta, 2002 Jetta)