Itinerant Air-Cooled

We lucked out and it was a nice sunny Wednesday in decatur, birds chirping, children playing and two engines grumbling.
When colin arrived both my vws were out of commission.

I had just put a 36hp i had rebuilt in my 1960 bug a few days before. I could get it to turn over but that was about it.
After a few diagnostic test and some carb fiddling/ adjustment we got it running.
Its running great and i was glad to drive it to work yesterday. I am noticing a small oil leak so i need to inspect that this morning.

I have a 78 bus that was in far worse condition than i thought when i bought it.
Over the winter I rebuilt the top end and had managed to wrestle it into the car a month or so ago.
I ran it a few minutes then got nervous and figured i'd let it sit until Colins visit.
We looked it over and decided that even after I had studied various diagrams i had routed all the hoses incorrectly.
Still not sure how i managed that.. We got it running pretty smoothly and then decided to check out the steering.

My center pin is stuck. Will not move stuck. after some serious tightening colin was able to get it to rotate with the wheels!.
But the steering is still super stiff and sloppy. A new kit is on the way. If anyone has ideas on how i can gracefully press the current pin out I would love to hear them.

I was also entrusted with the coveted seat escutcheon to fill in for a missing shift rod bushing.
thanks for a great visit colin.

Great writeup, thanks for sharing. What a success story to. Two non-running dubs at the start and two purring kitties at the end!

well that didnt last long..
drove the bug t work again today still a small oil leak.

so main seal leak - or is it just leaking from low torque? - not leaking from seal perimeter

zabo wrote:well that didnt last long..
drove the bug to work again today still a small oil leak.
main seal leak - or is it just leaking from low torque? - not leaking from seal perimeter

I cannot do the requisite forensics required to help you, since I wasn't eagle-eyed there at flywheel removal.
But, tentatively, I see that the paper gasket may be saturated.

Coat the paper gasket lightly with Permatex Aviation at assembly.
Check for seal cut groove in flywheel. If yes, install new seal slightly less than old one so lip avoids the groove. Install new rear seal with Permatex Aviation on outer perimeter.
ColinOrAmITooLate?

Slightly less?

zabo wrote:Slightly less?

Yes, install the seal with less depth. I could read the Road Warrior's flywheel like tree rings from variable seal depth installation. Only if you have a groove in the flywheel that can catch a fingernail should you consider a different depth. Otherwise, a serious sanding at this angle _____////////______ where the teeth of the flywheel are the underscore, will help the new seal achieve a working surface. It is becoming more apparent to me that excessive end play annoys the seal's ability to do its job.

What a gorgeous little car that bug is. How can you not respect a 55 year old car sitting there all saucy and ready to go?



Zabo *decided* to go back to original with this engine he rebuilt. It has the old generator stand that is cast with the right crankcase half. This is the original recipe, an understressed little engine that had remarkable dependability if you maintained it:




See how the fuel pump is located below the distributor? The spark plug wires are in a little tube across the engine. This was the great mysterious little klatterenputtputt German engine that mystified American mechanics in the 50's, the grandpappy to all 1600s and precursor to all Type 4 engines. Ponder this against the airpump emissions horror of the 1973 bus, and you will have a little insight to the dark days in the dealer bays of the mid 70s :




It has the old Solex 28 PCI carburetor that I got to disassemble and clean in the street:




Here is Zabo performing the carburetor adjustment:




And here is Zabo after our test drive. I think these two are meant for each other:

and just wanted to thank you again colin for helping to make this stuff happen.

zabo wrote:and just wanted to thank you again colin for helping to make this stuff happen.

[img]/img]

That is your bus! Where? When?
Colin