Hi

What sort of tyre pressure are you running, this can make huge difference on the way bug feels over potholes etc?

I'm running 20-22 front and 26-28 rear.

Steve

Excellent choice the Twists Xellex! They are my favorite too because it gives the beetle an outstanding finishing....!!!

From the photos seems that the bumpstop is too close in the trailing arm and i assume that this is your problem.
Before you cut it,just remove it and take the beetle for a ride to see if it repeats the problem again.If not then cut the bumpstop at least the half and you will be ok:D

Steve,
This tyre pressure it is for 17" rims? Because i use for mine 30 for rears and 26 for the fronts, but i dont know if it's the correct one..

Hi

That the pressure I use with 17x7s and I've also used it with 17x8 & 9s as well.

Steve

Thx for the update Steve!

Hi Jim

No worries, I would like to hear others thoughts on tyre pressures.

Steve

Guys, I found this mercedes w123 oil cooler, and I know what you said they are very good for the type4 engines, but this particular one seems to me that is too small for use at least without the stock type4 one too.
I measured 26x9x6cm. Think I should get it?
Found a better picture of it on the web too:

It is supposed to be a transmission cooler, that WE use for oil cooling...
That isn't it...

hi guys! Check out what I ran into:
I found this Porsche 911 Carrera that was involved in an accident some years ago, and I thought I could use some parts off it, so here I am, the owner of a 911 for the first time in my life :p
At first, before I bought it, I made a mistake when checking it's serial numbers, and I thought it was a 1987 G50 one, but it turns out it is a 1985 carrera 3,2l, 231hp, with a 915 gearbox.

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...4.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...7.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...8.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...9.jpg~original
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The engine turns freely, and is complete, but I won't keep it for myself. Gonna try and sell it to get some of the money back. The same goes for most of the parts other than the gearbox and maybe the gauges.


And the second thing that I ran into: a picture of my bug taken in 1993 by a previous owner. I knew the bug was white in it's original shape, but I have never seen it like that until now..

I put the car's serial number in the Porsche PET catalogue, and this is what it gave me:

Model designation: Carrera Cabrio
Model: 911
Year: 1985
Engine code: 930.20
Transmission code: 915.72
M codes:
M197 Stronger Battery
M220 Locking differential 40%
M395 Light alloy rims, forged, 16 inch
M533 Anti-theft device
M567

Now, the question is, does this mean the gearbox has a LSD unit installed?

Yes, congrats! But that should also be visible on the tranny itself where the type 915/72 is stamped in (underside, lowest bottom rib) by the addition of '12' with that code. So, should read s/th like 915/72-12 according to porsche's own publications wrt tranny numbers.

40% is quite a lot. Must have been a very sporty driver to order that much.
Most LSD's have worn a lot though, but can be renovated with new disks.

Hello, I almost have the same rear suspension setup as you have. I've almost made the mistake to mount the right Torsion Bar on the left and the left on the right. Do you know for sure that they are on the correct side off the car?

Great looking car by the way. I use the 944 S2 TB's and also yellow Koni's.

That came to my mind a while ago, but I went thru all my build pictures, and tried to remember exactly what I did, and now I'm 90% sure I didn't mistake the L-R sides. Anyway first time I take them off, I will double check that. From what I remember, they should be stamped L and R.

That's cool, I will also check the code stamped on the tranny. One more thing I noticed: it has a transmision oil cooler, did all of them have that? And do we use it in the bugs or just remove it and close the circuit?

The cooler is an "upgrade" it helps with higher HP engines, or heavy track use. If you stay under 280 HP you shouldn't need it. ;)

I just realised I didn't update the topic back a few weeks ago when I went to the biggest anual tuning show in Bucharest. Me and a friend of mine who owns a yellow 911 carrera represented the aircooled division of my club (anonymous motorsport). He won 2 prizes (best oldie with his Porsche and best import with his Nissan 350Z Veilside). I took alot of pics, most of them not aircooled related, but still interesting to some:

For the entire album from that event click HERE


http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...1.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...2.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...5.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...9.jpg~original
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I've been working on my car again lately, and I'm pretty happy with the result:
I cut off the whole dashboard off the wrecked 911. Much more than I needed in the end but it took a bit of fitment and cutting till the finished product.

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...8.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...0.jpg~original

Than I took off the beetle dashboard, and I ended up with these:

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...4.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...5.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...7.jpg~original

Which in the end I combined into this :P

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...9.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...3.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...4.jpg~original

A friend came with the idea to take the leather off the dashboard face and paint it blue. I think it came out nicely.

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...2.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...7.jpg~original

It took me 2 days to do all the wires (no electrical experience whatsoever) but I managed to do it right. This is the finished dashboard, both in daylight and by night:
I couldnt get the tachometer perfectly centered above the steering wheel, because I kept the lateral vents functional, and I will adapt the center one too. It still needs some finishings, the electronic speedometer will not work until I will install the 915 gearbox, I have to install the oil pressure and temperature senders, and the tachometer is set for 6cylinders, which I will have to adress. Everything else works as it's supposed to. I want to get a vdo voltmeter to replace my old tachometer.

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...0.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...7.jpg~original
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So what do you guys think? :D

Nice job.

That looks like it could of come that way from the factory! :cool:

I have also been working for a while now on a EDIS4 + Megajolt setup, that I want to use on the type 4 engine if that's ever gonna get finished, and it's working good now... I have made about 400km's on it already.
I also made and installed a small shift-light.
Took a video of the dash. I'm planning on modifying the 911 tach to show the real RPM, but it works for the moment. Just have to multiply by 1,5... I guess I exercise my mind that way too :P

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWQDJH6xVZA

I have to change the engine mounts, they are completely toast. That's the knocking sound. I ordered those yellow "Rhino" mounts and I'll change the cradle to the early style. Anyone using them? Are they worth it?

No, euh, no.. imho.
I have always used the original VW, high-duty rubber, old-style cradle mounts. There are two types in the black original stuff: stock and HD. The HD is plenty if you have something else (for example GB tranny support mount) to prevent torsional movement of your engine.
Sorry, haven't got the part nr. ready for ya...

BTW Dash looks cool!

I couldnt resist, so I bought another set of wheels... They looked so yummy :yumyum:
I still like cup3's more, but these are in much better condition than mine. Hope they will look nice on the car :D

I bet they did!!!

Looks like a good buy to me! I'd like to say i've never done this but I have, a lot :D Are you going to get these on the car soon or hold out until after winter?

it's probably a great idea to keep the old ones on the car until spring...

Today I sourced a set of new upper strut flanges. It's the older model (pre '73). And a Topline Parts strut brace :D
I started installing them, and as I almost finished on the left side, the bearing came out of the rubber sleeve, and it seems nothing is holding it in place AT ALL. I have read about this over at superbeetlesonly, and it seems that's the way they make them, but it doesnt feel safe at all to me. On top of that, if I lower the car back on it's wheels, the bearing moves up and comes out of the rubber, into the luggage compartment :))

So, I had this idea, inspired by the uniball flanges, to just weld the bearing onto the flange, after cleaning the rubber off. I know it's not a uniball bearing, and it only moves on 2 axis, but I think it's better than the stock flanges which are usefull at the moment.
Gonna give them a bit of camber and caster while I'm at it.
Pics soon, I didn't have a camera with me.

Any idea why I should't do this? Is it a bad thing?

A few days ago, I took the engine and the tranny off, as I'm not going to drive the car during the winter, so this gives me time to try and install the 915 gearbox.
I'm trying to do this on a budget, so I'm going to use what I already have, as much as I can.

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...6.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...4.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...3.jpg~original

The clutch part is a puzzle, and I'm lucky with all the info on this forum, otherwise I wouldn't have had the courage to take on a project like this.

So, this is what I already had: A 915 pressure plate, a 915 good used disc, a bus 228mm flywheel, pressure plate and disc.
The bus disc is useless ofc, and I tried the 915 disc in the 228mm bus pressure plate but it will never fit.

Today I sourced one of those Lancia 228mm discs that have been discussed about here, and it seems perfect. I alligned it's center with the porsche one, and it's a perfect match. Haven't tried it on the gearbox yet. Oh, and it fits inside the 228mm sachs pp :D

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...0.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...1.jpg~original

I also welded and redrilled the 915 flanges for the 944 drive axles.

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also, the new wheels and the topline strut brace are in :D

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...7.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...8.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...5.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...0.jpg~original

Hi guys, the 915 gearbox is installed into the beetle, finally. I widened the original porsche front mount, and made some brackets for the rear craddle, inspired by pictures of Wally's old 915 install.
I didn't take any pictures yet, but I will. I still have alot to do untill it's gonna work, but I'm making progress.

Now here's something funny:

While I was at it, I was wondering if there's any OEM 200 mm clutch disc available on the market, to fit the original 1.6 beetle engine to the 915 gearbox, and it turns out there is!!!
I went through the Sachs online catalogue and discovered alot of cars use this type of disc! Like Fiats, Seat, Lancia, Moskwitch, and Lada! :))
So I bought one of these discs, to try it on and it perfectly fits both the gearbox and the beetle flywheel/pressure plate!

Other than that, I've been gathering a bunch of shiny parts for my type4 engine, but I'm still far from installing it in the bug.
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...3.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...5.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...8.jpg~original

I'm so happy I got this dry sump tank on e-bay for about 90Usd incl. shipping! So the new engine will be dry sump :)

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And today I sourced a new original Kamei spoiler for an awesome price, and I couldnt resist buying it, eaventho my bug is probably too low for it. I'm thinking about raising it a little maybe...
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Good progress! I like the pic with the label saying: 'Hochstgeschwindigkeit': 'Ohne Beschränkung' :D

nice work on the clutch plate.

so many clutch plates cross over - im goin to hunt through for one suitable for my set up as im sure itl work out cheaper than a kep one! lookin forward to seein pics!

Deano

Recently I have moved my bug and most of my tools to a bigass garage that a friend of mine has rented. (also aircooled owner and fan) and I keep forgetting to take my camera with me when I go there to work on the bug. I'll try to remember. In the meantime I took a few pics with my phone:
The bellhousing is about 2,5cm off to the rear measured from the trans craddle. I forgot to measure the original one, so I don't know how it sits compared to orig. position.
The disc you see in there is the lada one, I was telling you about earlier.
The drive axles are not bolted to anything and that's why they sit so low.
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...1.jpg~original
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And the gearshift lever. It was in pieces when I got it, and it was a pain to get it all assembled but I managed.
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...9.jpg~original
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...8.jpg~original
It's probably not the nicest install, but I only hope it's going to be functional.

Nice progress here:)

I have a dry sump pump, that I've bought from ebay (from your country by the way;)) but changed my mind (won't use the car on track days) so will sell it. I can send you some pics, just let me know if you are interested.

really? That makes me wonder who the hell is also playing with these things in secret... Because our aircooled comunity is so small here, that I could say I know almost everyone related to bugs and buses in my country.
So yes, I am interested, but is it a real dry sump pump or maybe the automatic gearbox beetle pump? Some pics would be great, in this topic or to my email adress: alexsimionro@yahoo.com
Thanks!

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...3.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...4.jpg~original
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Still working on the gearbox install. I lengthned the porsche rod and bought new bushings for it.

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...2.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...3.jpg~original

The bushings in the coupler were worn, so I decided to have them made out of urethane:

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I made a flange and a plug to use instead of the oil pump and cooler.

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And I changed the type1 CV joints on the gearbox side to the Porsche 944 ones, and I mounted the CV flanges back on the gearbox.
Please excuse the poor quality pics. Still alot to do left, but I ordered a HD gearbox craddle and a CSP Kaefer CUP brace, and I can't do anything untill they arive. I gave it alot of thought, because of my limited budget at the moment, but decided to do it right eaventho it means delaying driving the car..

Yay! Today I got a package from Santa! with a small delay but no biggie :P
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And it's all fitted on the car already! :D
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Been busy!!!

I'm finally almost ready with the gearbox install. I've been trying to sort all the final details out.
I machined the 911 starter, by taking 4mm out of it's mating flange. From my understanding 5mm are needed, but I wanted to be safe and not to leave those 2 brackets too thin. Hope it's gona be enough.
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...6.jpg~original
I modified the original porsche guidance tube to accept the bug throw-out bearing. It came out quite nice.
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...7.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...8.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...9.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...1.jpg~original

I reversed the shift fork , re-routed the cable guide inside the tunnel to come out on the right lower side, instead of the original left upper position. Used a bug clutch lever. I wanted to go hydraulic but my budget doesnt allow it yet...
Everything fits well, but the bearing throw that the max pedal gives is immense or so it seems to me. I think I either have to lenghten that cluth lever, or make some sort of adjustable stop on the pedal.

And I've bought one more type4 engine which I intend on using for this season. It's a 1.7L. I replaced the pistons with domed ones. And I'm slowly mounting all the accesories on it. Hope to have it running in a couple of weeks.
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...5.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...6.jpg~originalhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/i...7.jpg~original

An original Riechert kit. Nice!

yeah, it's the one I have bought on e-bay a couple of years ago and as of today, the kit is completed by a set of riechert air-filters and linkage that I have juuust won on e-bay :D :D :D
I can't wait for them to arrive!

nice progress dude! did you machine off the starter where the 2 bolts go through?

ive finally got the box i wanted which comes with clutch so cant decide whether to get a conversion flywheel or same route you;re goin!

yes, I took 4 milimeters off it, so it will go by that measurement more inside the gearbox bellhousing, towards the flywheel ring gear. I remember the user Tomac here on the forums was saying that you could/should use a hi-torque IMI starter, and machine 5mm off it. But in my case, having the original 911 starter, I thought about trying to modify it instead of buying another one.
If I remember correctly, those 2 brackets with the bolt holes, are 12mm thick. By taking 4mm off, it still has plenty material left to stay strong.
I don't know if it engages the ring gear well, but this week I'm gonna try to mount the flywheel, disc and press.plate on the engine, and then do some measurements.
The one thing I'm a bit concerned about is that the pressure plate would go too far inside the bellhousing when mounted on the engine, and hitting the release bearing. But that too has to be measured first.

About the conversion flywheel, I took it into consideration, because I already had a very good 915 clutch disc, pressure plate and release bearing. But it seems more complicated and more expensive for the long run. I just hope it's gonna work in this configuration, and maybe go hydraulic in the future.