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WTD: Beetle single side plate (3.88) Box

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jo_tas Custom Title Time!

1,547 posts · joined Aug 2004 ·

#598020
Hey all
If i can find one, i'd like to get a SSP box to replace my dieing type 3 box, as i do alot of highway driving.
Apparantly for it to be a 3.88 ratio it has to start with an AT code.
The closer to tassie it is the better, as i hate to think what shipping costs would be!!
Thanks,
Josie

jo_tas Custom Title Time!

1,547 posts · joined Aug 2004 ·

#598182
Very nice, but a little out of my price range! LOL

Bizarre Moderator The artist formerly known as blue74l

12,789 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#598196
Yeah - i agree its dear - but $600 for an unknown stocker seems a bit...... well

I will ask what he can do if it hasnt sold.
Will see him in the next few days
Futue te ipsum!!!

Joel Now containing 100\% E-Wang

9,368 posts · joined Feb 2006 ·

#598246
Hey Jo
just a heads up unless u find an early 73 Lbug box u will have to change the nose cone over as the 8/73 onwards boxs use a different front mount
to make ur search abit easier u could try looking for a box from a 71-72 Sbug theyre abit more common than Lbugs and the g/boxes arent higly sort after
ok yea they have the 4.125 diff over the 3.88 but the difference is barely noticable
mine being a 74L came with a AT ssp 3.88 but i had this out for a few months being rebuilt and had in my old dsp 4.125 from my 71S in and with a twin carb 1600 the only difference i noticed was at 100km/h the revs went from 2950 to 3050. there was no noticable change in acceration
vw put in the taller diff but also a shorter 4th gear so any change is not real noticable
my 70 bug has a DC type 3 box in it and seemed to be geared higher than a bug
it may have been custom built cos the car had a worked 13B rotary in it but i doubt it
even with my tired 1641 it pulls 70mph in 3rd and tops out between 90 and the oil light

dangerous 23 Windows of Awesome

5,901 posts · joined Jan 2005 ·

#598253
Some late 4.125 boxes had a fine tooth 4th gear that was .883 ratio rather than .889 course tooth.
This puts it oh-so-close to the .931 that comes with most 3.875 diffs.


On another related issue I recently opened up a box that someone thought was a 3.88 ratio but was in fact a 4.125.
This was because the crownwheel has a stamping of 338 on it.
This means 33 teeth on the crownwheel and 8 on the pinion...which equals 4.125.
Easy mistake to make.

3.875("3.88") diffs have a 31 and 8 tooth count.

DUB74L has good and correct advice.
You may like to use a thrust plate when changing to a 2-bolt nose cone since the early nose cone normally retains a wider bearing than what the L-Bug box has.
These thrust plates are available from some shops like mick Motors for about $30.
Albins makes them too if you can afford the freight from down there.
westi wrote:That's mad Alan.

jo_tas Custom Title Time!

1,547 posts · joined Aug 2004 ·

#598296
Hmm thanks for the advice, although in the tech section i was told that there is a decent difference between the two. I sit on about 3900rpm at 110km/h and was hoping to bring that down a bit. I know people say you shouldn't lower the highway RPM because it will decrease the cooling efficiency of the motor, but i don't see how. Because if you make the engine turn the same RPM at 110 as it used to at 80-90 it should be ok as the engine could still cool itself at 80-90kmh!(about 3000rpm)
But anyway, i'm just going to go for a standard type 3 box for now.