Steering Box Clamp

[Hyatt181]

Greetings everyone.

I know I have seen this before but I can’t find the answer.

Steering box clamp has two positions.

Which one does a Thing use.

Picture from the service manual as to what I’m referring too.

[mondshine]

It seems to me (and it's been a while since I've been under there) but my 181 beam has two locating pins for that clamp, and both "notches" are engaged whichever way that clamp is oriented.
If your car has a Beetle beam, go with the Type 1 location. After all, Things are Type 1's.

[iltis74]

Well darn that's new to me, and mine was off about 20 years ago. Are they all like this? I wonder if I got it right by accident. What happens if it's installed wrong?
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65 Beetle
74 Thing
87 Syncro

[Hyatt181]

So here is what I have learned.

The actual thing clamp is marked 13 &14

Thing should have the number 13 on the notch.

Mine was mounted wrong for about 20 years since the last time I took it off.

This did not seem to cause any issues.

But since installing it correctly I found it was easier to get to the adjustment screw and holes for where the grease should go.


Consequently I removed one shaft to replace the seal at the bottom of the box due to it leaking.

Then repacked it with John Deere Corn head grease.

Then drilled the holes for grease out and tapped for 10mmx 1 thread for grease fittings so I can add more grease later.

To keep the seals from blowing out I will remove the upper zest fitting and fill until grease comes out there.

[el_safari]

Hi all
Have a look there: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=202261&highlight=steering+box+clamp
The right clamp position for the thing is 13 forward, like the bug
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La terre n'est qu'un seul pays

[Wildthings]

Speaking from ignorance here, but I suspect the clamp will fit both pins even when fitted wrong.

[Ron Domeck]

If you use the 14 the box will be more laid down. That is for the Ghia that you sit lower.

[TDCTDI]

When installed incorrectly, this puts a horrible angle on the rag joint/steering coupler which will lead to premature failure of the coupler.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[Tim MacDonald]

So just to clarify the 13 should be toward the drivers side correct?
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61 so34 flip seat
78 automatic champagne Westfalia
84 mint original paint westfalia
57 oval project barn find
88 cabriolet

[Dougster43]

Need some help on this one. I have a steering box clamp that does not have the 13/14 markings on it. Since I wasn't sure it was correct, I purchased a replacement from Thingparts which just arrived today, and it also does not have markings on it. Am I missing something?

[[email protected]]

My clamp which holds steering box to beam has an arrow stamped on it, should it be facing up or down? Searched Samba and other sites but could not locate answers other than ones which show clamp with up and down arrows and 13 or 14 stamped next to each of them...
Mine only has ONE arrow and no numbers... Should arrow point up or down?
I circled arrow in blue, hard to see the arrow, it is pointing down in the photo.

This is for a 1974 Thing

[Hyatt181]

This is what I believe to be the correct orientation of the stock clamp.
If you don’t have numbers on it then I would try it both ways and see which way lines the steering shaft to the steering box the best. It is subtle change in the angle from one way to the other. I personally had mine the wrong way for 20 years and didn’t have any issues.