1971 Super Beetle Fuel Tank Brass Filter/Strainer

[The 71 Super]

I needed to replace my brass fuel filter/strainer on the inside of my 1971 super beetle's gas tank.....her is the story of how I did it.
Yes Virginia, their is a brass filter.

Enjoy!

Here is the final result. The old broken brass screen removed and a new brass screen cut and pushed onto the original super beetle aluminum connector.

So how does this fuel pick up thing work.
Well, on the outside of the tank is a nipple where you connect the cloth fuel line to. That nipple is actually part of a metal tube that goes into your gas tank, makes a funny "U" shape and then has a brass filter/strainer connected to it.

This brass filter/strainer sits directly above the drain plug and when you remove the drain plug you can change it.

Here is a photo I took with my borescope - you can see the brass filter/strainer just below the glare. The metal fuel pick up has a whitish color:

Here is a pic of the bottom of the fuel tank after I removed it from the car. I am using a 10mm hex head to remove the drain plug. The nipple where you connect the cloth fuel line is to the right of the drain plug.

Once the drain plug is removed you can see the brass filter/strainer and the metal fuel pick up tube.
Notice in the pic below the brass has been broken. This is what I want to fix.

Oh yeah, there is a red cloth gasket on the drain plug. I was not able to find a vendor that sells these so I found a cloth gasket with the correct inside diameter that is used on a faucet.
I am concerned that the cloth material will not hold up to the fuel. Only time will tell.

Here is the metal fuel pick up tube after I removed the brass filter/strainer. It is hard to tell in the photo but the tube is actually cut at an angle. The driver side is closer to the bottom of the tank than the passengers side.

Once you remove the brass filter/strainer (don't try this with the brass filter/strainer on or you will damage it) you can clean out the metal fuel pick up line.
Here I am using a metal cord with a vinyl covering on it.

Here are detailed pics of the stock (at least I think it is stock) brass filter/strainer:

This shows the cork that is inside the aluminum connector. This cork slips over the metal fuel pick up line and helps create a good seal and I think it also helps hold it on by adding some bouncy.

The brass screen is pressed into the aluminum fitting. I ended up using an utility knife to cut the old brass screen off.

You can really see the size difference between the standard beetle brass filter/strainer (on the left) and the original super beetle one on the right.

Here is a top view. Notice the inside diameter differences and how the cork is "fitted" into the aluminum hosing on the super beetle brass filter/strainer.

If you were wondering why I did not just put the standard beetle brass filter/strainer on here is why....way to big.

So, what is the solution?

Cut the standard beetle brass filter/strainer and put it on the original aluminum concoctor (after taking the old brass screen off).

But first, I had to remove the cork insert on the standard beetle brass filter/strainer. To do this I used several drill bits and turned them with my hand until the cork fell apart. The reason I had to do this is because the metal fuel pick up tube sits about 15mm off the bottom of the tank and that is exactly where the cork is located.

I cut about 40mm of the new brass screen.

It is a tight fit. I spent about 5 minutes gently pushing on the new brass screen. I used the non-sharp end of the drill buts to slightly expand the top of the new brass screen....just enough to allow me to slip the aluminum connector into it.

And at last....the final results.
The old screen on the left and the new screen on the right. Ready for another 40 years.

This was a pretty straight forward project and only took a couple of hours.
Let me know if you have any questions.

[flyboy161]

Great write up!
_________________
1968 Westfalia
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=792825&highlight=

My father's 1970 Beetle-
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=603879

The 1964...Diamond in the rough
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=612776

My 1958 Morocco Bug-
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=611483

[Joel]

Some useless trivia,
only flat screen Supers have the filter sock.
73 and later have no sock or the access plug either, they ran an inline filter instead.
_________________
Quick little bug, you got a Porsche motor in that?
1974 Germanlook 1303 2.5 Suba-Beetle

[Junkyardjockey]

[Joel]

Yes I'm absolutely sure, you don;t just make shit like that up, that's how internet myths are started.
I;ve even still got the dealership techincal bulletin about it in the pile somewhere.
_________________
Quick little bug, you got a Porsche motor in that?
1974 Germanlook 1303 2.5 Suba-Beetle

[Junkyardjockey]

OK thank you Joel, saved me alot of hassle!
Ken
_________________
Romans 10:9-10
SAVE THE SUPERS!!
1974 Super Beetle Sunroof
2025 Mazda CX-70 Turbo S Premium; 340HP/369 lb. ft. torque!
2022 Subaru Outback Limited XT in cinnamon brown pearl

[Busdriver79]

This is great !...I currently have my 71 Super's tank out and I'll be doing the exact same thing...thanks for posting.

[davidw99]

What about just bending the too long sock?
_________________
Dave

'73 Saturn Yellow Sports Bug that has undergone a full pan off restoration. "Herbert IV."

'67 Sedan. "Bellamy." Currently being "refreshed" and recently repainted.

[davidw99]

[pnutsdad5]

Great post! super helpful ( pun intended )

[kpf]

I discovered that my original in-tank sock filter had been removed by the previous owner. Since the pick-up end of the outlet pipe is a flat angle cut as shown above, I found that the pipe was vulnerable to being blocked by flat objects floating in the tank (I discovered all of this while flushing my tank to remove packaging material that the previous owner must have somehow let into the tank). Because of this, I wanted to install a sock filter.

In the procedure above, the "mounting sleeve" from the original filter is reused to adapt the new filter which is the wrong size for a Super Beetle. Since my original filter was missing, I needed another way to mount the filter to the outlet pipe.

My solution was to use stainless safety wire to pinch the sock down to the diameter of the outlet pipe.

Here, I am twisting the wire to pinch the sock down to size. I'm using the outside of the outlet pipe as a mandrel for sizing.

This is the finished sock installed in the tank. The fit is only snug, providing a little friction. It doesn't need to be air tight. The drain plug will prevent the sock from falling down and slipping off. The sock is basically trapped between the drain plug and the end of the outlet pipe.

_________________
1971 Super Beetle