Itinerant Air-Cooled

I am confused...Bentley gives instructions for repacking rear bearings up to 1973...my car is a '74...what changes? There is very, very little grease in what used to be my bearings.

cegammel wrote:I am confused...Bentley gives instructions for repacking rear bearings up to 1973...my car is a '74...what changes? There is very, very little grease in what used to be my bearings.

No change that I know of between '73 and '74. Grease thoroughly yes, but allow for heat expansion. With modern greases being as good as they are (Valvoline fully synthetic), you can afford to use less in the hub cavity.
Colin

Parts came in today, so I began final disassembly. Axle off, stub out...but the oil seals are giving me hell, and of course, I didn't order new ones. Any ideas for getting these out without destroying them?

If the axles come out CLEAN, meaning you clean them before pulling them through the fragile seal lips, you MIGHT be able to use a flat brake spoon or dull screwdriver to pry them out. Start with fingers and thumbs first though. Catch and pry by the seal's inner metal ring and you might be ok to reuse. Catch a pry tool on the rubber and 'yer out. Wolfsburg West sells new ones. Colin and I reused my front seals last year because they came out relatively easy with finger pressure only.

Be careful of the rubber o-ring that secures the seal retaining plate to the backing plate. While available new, they can be cleaned carefully and reused. Most people either rip them upon removal or leave them out. (Possibly one because of the other…)

If the seals were installed with some kind of sealing compound, you might just need a Doomer and new seals.




Good luck,
Robbie

Let's back up...what is a seal retaining plate? And yeah, axle is dirtydirtydirty. Looks like new seals in my forecast.

cegammel wrote:Let's back up...what is a seal retaining plate? And yeah, axle is dirtydirtydirty. Looks like new seals in my forecast.

"Bearing retaining cover" seems to be the correct term. Four bolts hold it on, and there's an o-ring behind it. Here is a swing axle bug picture of it being removed, but you get the idea.




You could get away with a thorough cleaning of your seals followed by an inspection. If the lips are pristine, and the springs still spring, reuse them.

Robbie

That ship just sailed....ran my punch straight through the lip. So, the seal plate is off and in a vise, and I still can't the dang thing out. I've hammered, begged, and pleaded...no dice. Thanks for picture, btw.

Got it. Glad I ordered a new one. It made me sick to watch an original 1973 date stamped part in perfect condition destroyed by my own hand.

Axles back together! New brake cylinders on the rear, so the first time this car has had rear brakes since at least '92... unfortunately, I discovered a leaky front cylinder while under there. Adjusting these dual stars is a little tricky...any tips? Also, I have a few rebuild kits, so I will likely make my first attempt at rebuilding cylinders. I've read Colin's roadside rebuilds, but tips there are also appreciated. The rears were frozen totally solid, so a successful rebuild seemed really unlikely.

I have a complete new interior in a box, just as soon as I have interior shop space cleared up...oh, and after my much needed repaint.

cegammel wrote:Adjusting these dual stars is a little tricky...any tips?

How so?

Every brake adjuster on Earth has the following fascinating rule:

If YOU are the brake shoe facing the adjusting star,
move the star CLOCKWISE to tighten.

Gitterdun . . .

Done. The problem was worrying about getting them equally adjusted...gave up and adjusted. It's back together now, waiting for a sunny day...

On the front brake cylinder: My rebuild kits were for the rears...which are smaller diameter than the fronts. This was news to me. So, I pulled the front cylinder apart, honed it, polished it, and reassembled. Yard tests showed no more leaks. Pull out of the drive this morning...and nothing...pedal to the floor. Two quick pumps brings it back up, so I'm hoping for air in the lines. If not, I'll replace these Varga cylinders with the German offerings from Jbugs.

Also, I got one good swish out of my wipers, and they too died. One thing after another...

cegammel wrote:On the front brake cylinder: My rebuild kits were for the rears...which are smaller diameter than the fronts. This was news to me. So, I pulled the front cylinder apart, honed it, polished it, and reassembled. Yard tests showed no more leaks. Pull out of the drive this morning...and nothing...pedal to the floor. Two quick pumps brings it back up, so I'm hoping for air in the lines. If not, I'll replace these Varga cylinders with the German offerings from Jbugs.

Also, I got one good swish out of my wipers, and they too died. One thing after another...

There is a reason for this epic epistle. I do not know what it is, but there is, Mr. SuperSisyphus.

Simply put, I make too much money. This is nature's way of balancing the equation and preventing future greed. It is similar to the well known affliction of having too much blood...which necessitates a thorough emptying, typically by way of the knuckles...

I have a stone to roll. This afternoon involves a brake inspection.

Headliners. Are. Not. Fun. I have had the bug parked since February, first with my brakes, then a ball joint, then a new paint job, and now new interior. This is ridiculous, but the education is worthwhile...I guess. I am tackling the front end bushings, ball joints, and tie rods next week. Anyone know if the OTC front end service kit is any good and /or applicable to the cars?