Wish I had the cash to spend on a Berg5 at the moment.
Would love to have one built by Dangerous, but getting it to Adelaide would be quite costly, and seeing as though no one comes to Adelaide these days, would be very difficult indeed to get it driven down here too...
Well well well........with a box as nice as Dave has knocked up for me, the natural thing to do is pick an event where you can put it to it's intended use.....of course the supersprints being just a few weeks time is no coincidence to the timeliness of the latest shinanigans.
Easily done 🙅 For long time sufferers of Volkswagenism such as myself know it's never simple to just plot a date on the calender and casually pack an overnight bag the night before taking off.
first stop this round was to get the interim transport (AKA the STOCKA) up to the task of daily duties for the month of madness on "tha' Grouch"
if the 1776 was the latest engine from the hellbug stable, this full reco 1600cc single port certainly represents the last.....having been built in Syudney at hellbug pty ltd and transported up here where it's sat in storgae for near on a decade.
i dont have a "normal" vehicle but have learnt i can carry almost anything in my beetleswith a little bit of imagination
part of the disease is having excess spares around so a few little touches were added to the donk.....well after the inch of dust was cleaned off that is.
later cooler conversion and necessary threaded insert for the engine mount bolt were set up
adapter seals being early case on one side, late cooler on the other.....
nice NOS german pump and every engine needs a little bit of BERG 😎
some doghouse cooler tinwear and a move to 12v 200ml flywheel meant the stocka's box needed clearencing and a adapter starter bush for the new 12v starter
some new engine mounts then just shut up and do it!
few little jobs to wire up for the alternator and choke
final inspection from the chief as usual......MMMmm HEATERS!
then you can get onto the job at hand......an spend a rainy day and 600km in the hotty to collect the gearbox
yes Marcus the idea was to take the stoka for a cruise up the coast, but a rainy day greeted me and the stocka being outside and needing it's first 100mile valve adjustment check wasn't the go. so began another adventure 🥲
topped up the gear oil in the hotty as the sun came up, decided to adjust the rear type3 brakes whilst there......ended up doing a grease job on the front too.....all good. loaded the tools and spares, backed out of the shed to wash the wheels and tyres only so to get going, opened the guage cage up for the first time to discover only 4 volts 🥲......ended up being a stuffed voltmeter so took an hour to change that too. More volkswagenism!
ran it's usual self straight to Byron bay and back after that, stereo boofing, ipod on the charge socket......winey gears and dell trumpets always nice. I ran one of Torrens boot proppers (bottom side) on the trip with temps waaaay down on usual, seems good!
soooooo after all these tales, Sunday was the day to start getting back to where i was 5 months ago.
Elephant buffet ❗
couple hours went by washing up parts till they were suitable to eat off........before that sunshine had us all heading to the beach. silly move!
axle tubes were easily pre-up with the correct gaskets with a nice firm, but free travel. loading the axles and fulcrums ( with fresh Col friction coating) prooves somewhat more frustrating, with the first one taking an hour to get the circlip to pop in correct 😊 some major mods to the newly purchased pliers ensued and of course it only took 3 minutes on the other side. it was whilst doing the 2nd one when i heard a wierd noise from the already loaded axle on the otherside.......went over and checked to find a fulcrum plate had moved behind the axle. volkswagenism had me saying to myself..... "self you just didn't check it properly before switching sides" even tho volkswagenism also ment i had really triple checked it. mental note made here 🤓
made the chop on the plastic flower to allow D.B's oil mod to floooooow. From past experience with the diff located breather on this box and it's tendancy to spit oil out if not routed spot on..........it's easy for me to see how this mod is going to get the oil into my previously starved axle spades
weel work came and went a couple of times and in between i've been ducking out to do up a few more bolts with seals glued and sealed ready to go.
remember the mental note ❓❓❓
well last night as i tighetened down the second bearing cover on the now complete caliper carriers and all gearbox, just as it settled "home" i noticed the axle bound up STIFF!!!!
as much as i looked for excuses of forgotten spacers, mismatched axles/tubes, new senarios involving the diff moving axle locations blah blah blah.......even tho my method of assembly has somehow served me well many times before.......it would seem it's failed here with the FULCRUMS dropping out of position and ending up in behind the splade instaed of next to it.
good senario is i figured it by "VW instinct" before it was far too late.....and with DB's help on the phone today have devised an assembly method that SHOULD mean it goes back together correctly.
so here i sit with too many hours work dissasembled again. it happens to us all and will to me again i suspect...
....VOLKSWAGENISM 😎🤪
(shheeez i'm really starting to narate like the Onion these days)
.......now i better get back to eating that elephant 😂
Only 4th gear changed this time. Went really close to giving D.B the go ahead to bring 5th back a bit, but after the trip to Goulburn, it's sweet as it is. Great in the 110km zones........although longer track would see me using that 5th as i was entering the braking zone at 6700rpm in 4th despite an unhappy engine at that point 🙅 (I'll get to that bit of the story)
As usual it was a tight schedule to make the trip. only getting a few hours each day to be ready to travel the 780km to Goulburn
14th May.......
Had gone to the typre 3 brakes for Sydney, so at least they could stay on to make it a little quicker. I remember telling the family i was just ducking out to undo a few bits before dinner that night..........needless to say they were all in bed when i finally came back in....
and it must have been productive cause i took these pics the next morning
15th May..
Plenty of time still yeah?............14hour work days took over then until,
the 20th May
lots of time in the "littler" bits, which i neglected the old "allowed time X3" rule. Craigy bar, brakes, seals........setting the gearstick in place to get reverse and 5th locked out via the button etc etc
Motor needed flywheel seal and needed to check oil cooler seals as well. Clutch looked good for the harsh life it's had.
It was a massive day.....oil filter cleaned, spark plugs changed (this might have bitten me in the arse), valves adjusted and new gaskets there, which is a job in itself with the way it's all set up.
Still nice here..
Ran out of steam as the Sun set, but my head was back to thinking finishing on time was agaiin possible
It was the 23rd May before a very short test run was had to check the gearbox. Brakes would still need a full change of fluid to a race suitable one and carbs were not optimized yet either
I had spent most of the day making a bracket to hold the rear traction bar in place......had the idea floating around since the motor was built, but had never got round to it
bit of time in the bumper, panels, muffler etc
soooooo this was the day of departure 25th May....still on stands
It's was looking like a rainy run with night driving so some bulbs needed replacing in the guages which ment the glove box and panel need pulling, some changes and soldering. A inverter was added to the wiper motor (another one been on the list for years) and bucket seats and harnesses fitted too. Tops pulled off carbs to check float levels 🤪 Brakes had final bleed and every corner of the car stuffed with spares and tools
We didn't get on the way till midday 🙅 silly really with some stops to off load deliveries before Sydney expected to add hours to an already 8 1/2 hour minimum travel time.
Reaching Gosford turn at 5.45pm on a Friday wasn't fun with the peak hour going silly, so we stopped at a restuarant for a casual dinner. Needless to say i went past Eastern creek at around 9Pm........dodged the peak hour but was heading straight into the Southerly change.
Wind was crazy crazy! limbs off trees, trucks being blown accross the lane lines........one gust hit the front off the car head on and the doors popped open 🤪.
Was pleasantly surprised how warm the car was inside, comfy in me trackies and one layer on top.......weird really considering it was only about 10 degrees.
Pulled up to the motel in Goulburn at midnight......long 12 hours!
So scruitineering went fine, added some stickers and tape, unloaded and removed the roof rack.......feeling keen
First squirt out of the pits, engine had a rich, hesitant feeling like it was rich as buggery. It has done this before (albeit only a couple of times) and has always sorted itself with a good caining.........not today 😬
Confident it could be sorted with a main jet change after the first run wasn't too worried early on. Well i changed jets EVERY run and only got miniscule reaction from even massive steps in sizes. Worse still was that being unable to keep the rear end squatted midcorner due to the missfire, the car was horribly tail waggin! Thank god the ZF was back there as no doubt i would have been kicked off for doing donuts every single corner with out it!
The old addage of having nice handling and being able concentate on gear shifts and braking........or the one where engine and gearbox are happy so you dial in suspension and lines were very, very far from my head........trying to go quick while thinking about what was the engine issue and what to change next to sort it whilst that in itself ment the car wasn't handling as id expected was just bonkers. Didnt even get time to change tyre pressures.
That's motorsport!
Catching up with some old faces ment it was still enjoyable........cruised back to Sydney Saturday evening with Steve Carter was cool too.
Trip home was fine. Engine issue is a wierd one. Crusing/coasting fine.........Big hills in top gear with pedal to floor, FINE!........try and take off from the lights flat out, NOT FINE!!
Dropped in on Craigy T for a look and chinwag after the show at Fairfield and he enjoyed a spin in the little screamer (still missfiring/fouling).......we ended up deciding to chase an ignition gremlin before further play on the carbs (float levels being kept in mind too)
Soooooooooo, home sfae and sound I've slowly been chasing through the ignition system one part at a time to no sign of improvement yet
😊🥲🙅🤪🤓❗
Changed rotor button and dizzy cap
Changed ignition module
Ran on small coil without omni-pac computer one hooked in.....then on another small coil.
By-passed coil lead fire wall feed through plug which ment the 2 leads there normally were also ruled out
not much left to check before it's back to carb play in the chase of smooth running.....only magnetic pick up in dizzy, plug leads and those new spark plugs that themselves that were put in before the haul to Goulburn.
My cussing, swearing EVEN threating when chasing the gremlin is getting progressively worse!
Daimo, do you know what the 'break-away' torque is on the ZF? I'm doing one now, and wondering what it should be. Also the bolt [long M8] tightening torque?
Cheers, Greg
P.S. No, it probably won't be in for Valla.😢
I'd rather wear a Beetle out by racing it than by polishing it!
Great you're making the effort to come Greg!, thanx!
I have some numbers in my head for the ZF requirements, but i've sent D.B a text asking to confirm here.
Car feels quite different with it working away back there, I'm sure the addition will equate to "quicker" for you......i have heaps of suspension work to do before my car will really make good use of it apart from sliding around like a drifter going nowhere fast
Thanks for the quick reply, Daimo. I will understand if D.B. doesn't want to give out that info., by the way.
Rudi had a drive of 'No.8' at the Nats. supersprints........he said "It needs a 'diff', Greg". I said "I know, Rudi!"
Managed to get one with a bit of damage, but with some near-new friction plates [ thanks again, Henry], it will be fine. Having the 'internals' crack tested at the moment.
I'd rather wear a Beetle out by racing it than by polishing it!
Make sure you use a T-style wrench to remove and re-tighten the socket cap screws,
or else you will damage the hex.
I used 25ftlbs and a drop of loctite.
I used a cut down axle with a welded on socket, and some fulcrum plates to measure turning torque.
The old style needle type is best, to get a real measurment once it is turning,
but different types of lubricant will give different readings,
which is why VW uses an atual preload measurement.
Daimos was 30 to 35ft lbs (from memory!??) once the preload of the clutches was to spec...with normal gear assembly oil.
Yeah spoke to Rudi and he was buzzing over the swing axle's "bucking bronco" way 's coming out of the corners 😉
.....D.B will be happy to help, no issues there.....needing confirmation that the numbers in my head are correct, rather than permission to pass them along.
For oil i spoke to Wayne Penrose and went with what he is using.....penrite "SIN gear 75" which is a full synthetic limited slip application 75W-90.
I also found Penrite had a "limited slip" friction modifer additive that could be added to both synthetic and mineral oils to "convert" them for use with cone and clutch type limited slip diffs
