Clodhopper

8/13/2019 Clodhopper

1/23

CLODHOPPE

Divis ionof Velocidad, nc.FIBERFAB2365LAFAYETTE,ANTA CLA,RA, ALIFORNIA 5050


2/23

CLODHOPPERSSEMBLYNSTRUCTIONS

Tableof Contents

1. ]NTR0DUCT|0N.. . 12. ACQUIRINGAWFLOORPAN.. 23, REMOVINGTHEVWBODY. , . . . . ,34. PREPARING/SHORTENINGHEFLOORPAN. . . . . . 65. MOUNTINGHECLODHOPPERNTHE'PAN. . . . . . 86. W|RING,ETC.. . .117. CoRVAIRPoWER? .. . . . .15


3/23

. The Clgdhqppqls Fiberfab's-entryn the ever-expa$li.ng-aryayf fiberglassbodies or shortened olkswagenchassis. TheClodhoppers manufactured- as.are l l.F.iberfabroducts - from he highest ualityglass i5er,polyesteresinan_d_el-coats hat arecommerciallyvailable. ln addit ion o this highquil ity y6uwill-note;whenyourecciveyourClodhopper, everalu.nique esign eatures-- richly andpermanenllyextuied nteriorsuriaces;integral, heavily-reinforced atterywells; one-piece oodanddashboard;tc. -- wtrichplaces t a notchabovethe competit ionndassures ou hatyourClodhoppers therrbest uyrtn the un-vehicle'market.The Clodhoppers veryeasilyassembledntoa shortenedVWfloorpan.he nstructions ealwithall asoectsof yourClodhopperonstruction rojectwithemphasifiT'TT6i6ipanrepaiation ndshortening- the shortening'beingthe "toughest"partof the.project. lf yourre-doinghe. hortening ou'll needan oxy-acetylenewelding,/cuttingut -f i t . lf yourre ot, the ollowing nventory f toolsandsupplieshouldsuffice:

1. INTRODUCTION

HAND OOLSVL6u, 3/8tt 7/L6t' , L/2" , 9/L6n 5,/8" sockets3/8u - drive)and/or pen-end renchesf thesame ize.3/8" - drive atchet andleStandardcrew-driver- medlumladePhill ips crew-driver- mediumladeStraight-edgeSteel ape 72")Assortedasps, ilesand ril lsWoodworkingolesaws2'(forsteeringolumnutout)4 L/4't (forspeedoheterutout)Wire erminalrimpingoolPop ivetgun - horne orkshopariety

POWEROOLSL/4" capacityelectricdrill(Sabre aw andL/2t' capacity lectricdril l arehelpful.)

MATERlALS2 doz. American tandard,ound ead,square eck, stepbolts , 5/161'- L8,L L/4 " longwith nuts,washers nd ockwashers.Assortedmachine olts, nuts, washers nd.lockwashrciL/4" , 5/L6" and3/8" variousengths " to 3r'.Assorted eavy-gauge, heetmetalsctewsPop ivets, assortedengths,L/4n to L/2x :Quart f rust-inhibit ing aint

-1-


4/23

2. ACQUIRINGVOLKSWAGENLOORPANManypersons urchasing Clodhopperody it wish o replacehe ravel-worn hell of the "beetle" heyalreadv wh. Otheibuilders lan o acquire wrecked olkswagenroma salvage ardand efurbishhis "out-cast" with a newClodhopper'bodyndperhaps few "fresh"mechanicalarts. ln either nstance, hls briefsection hould e of interest o all prospectiveuilders.For ourourooses,he "Volkswagenamilyil an be divided nto ourgroups:1) Pre-1950beetle, 2)Post-|961 rietie, 3i Variant, 4) Karmann-Ghia. heVariant ndGhiaarenotsuitable or useas chassisfor a Clodhopper.' he earlier beetlesare all 36 hols-epow.er.andmploy-a -speed, non-synchromeshe^arbox..The atercaii (englne umberstarting t 5,000,001) .all.haveeast4O-hors-epowerndall employ 4-speed,synchromeshearbox. All the beetlesaresuitable,but the atermodels re preferred.ln the ocaleof Fiberfab - the SanFrancisco ay Area - reputable utomobileismantlersre isted n aoublication alled he PARTSL0CAT0R. The PARTSL0CATOR s issuedmonthly ndcontains xtensiveistsbf all wrecked utomobilesn yards hroughout orthern al fornia. Most ikely, similarpublications xist n yourareaandwouldassistyousigriif icantlyf youchoose_toti l izeusedparts. For you eference,he PARTSL0CATOR

addresss: PARTSL0CAT0R, 1696 Washingtonvenue, SanLeandro,California, 4577 ,Whenbrowsinghrough he wreckingyards, remernberhatwhatyouneedconsistsof four majorpieces:1. Floorpan - theVW 'rplatformramel2. Frontsuspension/steeringnit ncludinghe steering olumn3, Transaxle- gearbox, ifferential ndaxles4. Engine

Youcanbuvall fourpieces n onewreckor buy hem eparatelyperhaps art roma dismantler ndpart romacomoonentebuilder). Someminor ompatibil ity roblems risewhen re-1960andpost-1960partsarepieced o-gether, but hese angenerally esolvedwith l it t le diff iculty.Manybits andpiecesof VWhardwarean alsobe used o.finish-your lodhopper;,e.9.;indshield iperm-otorassemntyi augesignit ion,headlight nddimmer witches;wheels unless pecialwheels re going o be used;gas ank 1961 r later); weatherstripping;tc.It is extremely ifficult to estimat_e_pri-cgs_fg1he required oltswa.ge-nqqP-onggt s they vary considerably.across he country-.We haveseen1954-1958Volkswagenhassis.se^llo-r_$_25--$50,omplete nd unningno twel i . lu t runninqi . 1958-60f loorpanswi thrunninggearsel lor$100-$250. Completepost -1960wrecksrunilo*'SZbO to $6rSO depending pdnageandcondifion. Sources f Volkswageq 3l .sother.hanwrecking ardsaresometimesheiper e.g. ' , t ips-fromyourautomo.bilensuranceroker oncerningW [totals", local newspapersedcar ads and VW repaiishopbare otherpotentialsourcesof theparts youneed.Unless ouareequipped ith metric ndspecialVW tools and ike to tinkerwithengines nd ransaxles)i t i .o toUi [ l iaaui iaUl t [ r i ]nvestali t t lemoreinalow-mi leagewreck. lnanycase, whenbuyingachassiswi th

"ngi;e for ri engine lone),have he seller un he engine efore oucompletehe purchase.Alwayskeep n mind hat, i f the four tems istedabove re ntact, hewreck s usable - DON T ET AMANGLE.DODY OOLYOU

-2-


5/23

3, REMOV]NGAWFLOORPANlf youacquired wrecked olkswagen ithout he body,youcanskip his section. lf not, readonBefore heVW bodycan be separatedrom he floorpanhe following asksmustbe completed:

I .2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.11.

Removehe rontand earseatsRemoveoose arpetingnd loormatsDisconnectnd emovehebatteryDrainhegas ankanddisconnecthegas inesRemovehegas ankSeparatehehydraulicluid reservoiriom h bodyDisconnectll electrical iringromheenginee.g., coil, electric hoke,etc.)Thewiringharnessanbeextractedrom hebody ndused s a source f wire.Removehe eft frontwheel.Unbolt teering haft etainerUnbolthesteeringolumn lamp t thedashboardRemovehesteeringolumnssemlbyNowyouare ready o unboltand emovehe Volkswagen ody. Referringo Figure -- removehe bodyretaininq oltsat the ocations hown. Sideboltsareaccessible nder heedgeof the bodyand earboltsar eaccessibleromwithin he body carpeti f ted. The body s now reeof the loorpan ndcan be ifted-offusinga blockand ackle, chainhoist, or yourself ndseveral rstrongandwill ingilhelpers. TheVW body s extremelyheavy ndconsideiableareshould eexercisedwhenemovingt. l t i-sbecause f this weight.loss, ncidentally,that youcan expectconsiderablybetter-than-Volkswagenerformanceromyourcompleted lodhopper.

-3-


6/23

HNm'inR$il$

lsfu ut \ i , Nr\N$AT AU\{sq?/ /

at \/ .x. / r \*.t {{/ vt 1, t "o h/ * . { l,' r(,Y',ou ////// 'a

$ct

FIGURE

-I-II'-f*IIl-

-4-


7/23


8/23

Now,cut a temporaryccess ole n lhe tgpof the "tunnel", Start he holeabout " behindhe emergencybrakemounting ndcut as shownn Figure1. Beqd he ubes unningnside he tunnel way rom hesidesof tl ietunnel o that heywill notbe damageduring he subsequentuttingoperation.Break he retaining eldssecuringthese ubes o the unnelbehindheemergencyrakemounting- break ll welds ncludinghoseat thepointswherethe ubesexit therearof the unnel. Move he brake ine, running utside he unnelon he loor, away rom he sideof the unnel .Mark he loorpan ith chalkandcut as shownn Figure1. Usean oxy-acetyleneorchor a sabre aw. Removethe cut-outsection y withdrawingt over he endsof the ubes. Reinserthe ubes n theholes n therearsection fthe tunnel ndmovehe rontand rearpieces f the pan ogether s shown n Figure3. Check imensionsX"(X is approximately4 L/2") to see hat heyequal. Nowweld heshortenedpan ogether. Reweld he ube o th eendof the unnelandcut of f the excess. lnstall he shortenedhift rod. Shortenhe various ablesusing ablespficesor by havingnewendsswaged-on ftercutting-outL4 L/4tt, Coil theexcess rake ndgas ines.With he cleaning, anding_,atching,.shortening,tc. completedhe loorpan eedonly bepainted ith a rust-

inhibit ing aint o make t ready or theClodhopperody.

-6-


9/23

t),L"v l . ro(-u-^--"Yn"" '

-

,.{\r


10/23

5. MOUNTINGHECLODHOPPERNTHE PAN

TheClodhopperodymounts irectly o thes.hortenedloorpah. TheoriginalVW body-6-panweather'strip canbe used,ifavailable. Bolt the bo{y o_th.epanusing8 step-bolts er side, pasied hrorr4hheoriginal.body ountingoles n the rpanand 5/L6" holesdril led n themountingii of the body. Heavy-gaugesheetmetal crews hould e used o secure he body o the panalong he rontand earmounting'l ip -- putwashers nder he screwheads. General lacementf the body s shown n Figure4.Figure5 shows he mounting f other omponentsn theClodhopperody. Theqas ank s placed n thepre-formed ell in the noseof the bodyandsecured singstock-VW as ankhold-down lamps. Headliqhtsaremountedn he molded-in edestals n he body - therecommendedamps remanufacturedy:

R. E. DietzCompanv225 Wi lk inson t re6tSyracuse,NewYork L32OLandcarrypartnumbers20-B and820-C for blackandchrome nits, respectively.Thewindshield rovided ith the Clodhopperit is bolted o thesidesof the hoodwith the verticalportion f the rame arallel o the aceof thedashboard.Place he weather trip, provided ith thewind-shield, betweenhe rame nd he opof the dashboard. hewindshields securedo the hood,as shownin Figure5, with 5/16" hardware- Urebestappearances gained singplated, lat-head oi fi l ister head)machine ofts. With he rame n posit ion ril l throughhe rame ndsidesof thedashwith a5/16" dril l --countersinkhe holes f f lat-head oltsare o be used.*

To f t the steerjng olumn,, ore l-3/4". hole n the irewall10" from hscenterof the bodyand4"down rom he opof the irewall. Pass he columnhroughhe holeahdsecurehe steering haftlo theuniversal-joint n he steering ox. Supporthe columnemporarilynti l he hood s securedo the body.Mount he windshield ipermotor n the ho'od y dril l ing hroughhe pairof mounting osseswith a7/I6't drill Place he wipershaftbushings hroughhe holesandsecurewith stockhardware.Addedsupportor thewiperassembly an beprovided ith a bracketmountedn he ower p of the dashboard.The brake luid reservoir an be mountedn he orward ide of the "firewall"usinga standard " hoseclamp ffixed o the iberglass singpop ivetsor smallmachine oltsandnuts.After boring hole n thehood o accomodatehe gas ank il let place hehood n posit ion n he bodyandsecurewith pop ivets, sheetmetalScrews r #10 machine olts. Dril l the bodyandhood, o acceptthe asteners, s shown n Figure5. Now if t thesteering olumno the owersurface f thedashboardndat[ach t usingstockVW hardwareU.-clamp nd ubbergromme0.0n to thewir ing.

* seepage 5 for theprecise ocation f thewindshieldt

i f a soft op s to be nstalled

-8-


11/23


12/23


13/23

" l *3-.,fe.tffi;f tl*'u'-(;"+*tT'rt tt (lct no{-Yttt"t61e

a,\

This section f the nstructionsrovideshe ground-rulesor completinghe basicwiringof yourClodhopperody. Theconfigurationescribed elow s based n he actory-assemblediringsystem,or"harness", whichhasprovenhe mostadaptableo thewidestvarietyof engine/instrumentation/ lightingcombinatidns. he actoryprgparedarnessesreavailable, s partof theClodhopper iringKit , fromFiberfabat extra cost.To begin,a wiringharness hould rovideor the ollowing:

6. WIRING, TC.

Engine tartingEnginegni t ionInstrumentation- engine iI pressure,uel evel, battery,/generatorcondition, tc .lnterior ighting - dashboardights,etc.Exter ioright ing- headl ights,a i l l ights,etc.

1.2.t .4.

At this staqe n the constructionf yourClodhopper, any tems o bewiredhavebeen nstalled,viz, ,thestarter,starter olenoid, gnit ion oil, generator, oltage egulator,uel levelsender, i l pressureswitchand'headlights. he tems n the ist below,however, re yet o be nst alled. Additionally, hi slist contains emarksoncerning ounting ethodsnd ocations f these o-be-installedtemsplus ecom-mendedources-1. TAIL LIGHT/BRAKE IGHTS: 0n the reardeck ip wherever pleasing ppearances gained -CorvetteStingray, 55 Chevrolet r VW to name few.2. . FR0NTPARKING/TURNNDICAT0R IGHTS: 0n topof the ront enders ear heheadl ightsor on eachsideolthe front icenseplate - e.9. , latemodel VKarmannGhia.3. WINDSHIELD IPERM0T0R: StandardW windshield ipe rmotor ndmechanismnstal ledconventionallysing he molded-inmountingbossesn the Clodhopperood.4. DIMMERSWITCH: 0n therrf irewall"ust to the eft of theclutchpe{al - factory-built arsall employ ordswitches ut anydimmer nit should perate uccessfully.5. H0RN: 0n theoutside f the I'f irewall 'near he ower ighthand orner - usea VW horn.6. FUSE BL0CK: 0n the nsideof the"firewallt 'abovehe center f the loorpa n race - factory-built carsuseblockshaving capacity f four uses:

A. Headl ights,arkingights, a i l l ightsB. Brake ightsC. Turn ndicatorsD. Horn,windshield ipermotor, nstruments,ccessories, tc.The use block s partof theWiringKit . Fuseblocksmaybe asry1n[te-d-rpinguseholdersavailable roma local electronics artsstore e.9., partnumber 7 E3006 as listed n theAllied Electronicsatalog or 1968I

7. BATTERY: ln the ight-hand oxmoldednto he rearseatof the Clodhopperody. Boreholesin the sidesof thebox hrough hich o pass he cables.Although tockVolkswagennstrumentsan be_used, anyof our customers refer,tousea moreextensives-et f garges n th-eir ew Clodhopper.The V.DO auges sed n_factory.-Fltltehicles aregivenil ' ih;itFftOni l iSf lppended o these nsdrlctions.Thegausesn the0PTl0N LIST maybe orderedfromyour ocalVD0 dealer r directly romFiberfab.Thewiringharnesss divided nto wo major ections- hub-to-rear ndhub-to{ront -vfiere th einstrumentini, l is .onsideiedo Ue tre rhubr' 'ofthewiring. Figure6,show.she general outing f. theset'ainJsieJrLjitiuJto itu shortened olkswagenloorpan. The hub-to-frontharnesss routed hroughhei;ai;;w;li; . lrsi ,-rO.itheuel tank-mountinglurface-.t this point he harness ivides n a "T". Th etefi-nanapditionot the harnesss brought o the left edgeof fhe tank-mountingurfacewhere t fgain .biancheiti i*, onebranchunninqorwaid long he sideof thegas ank o ihe headlights ndparkingights.Tne otn"r brinilr is routed ack lonq the irewall o thedirnmerwitch. The right-hand ortion s routedin thesamemanners the eft to th e rightheadlight ndparkingight.

- 11-


14/23

t4./7p

KErt 7p rt/ulrcA/N 7Et(r

FIGURE/ax Ii^*'l*ot* O 4^tutE

-t2-


15/23


16/23

$t) trl IrrJ I

-ll

0iUR

IH$$:

bsr .QHist$ $I$tr i$vr"tti$+

-L4-


17/23

FINISHINGOUCHESOR OUR LODHOPPERUpholsteringourClodhopperan be.accomplishedsingpartor all of the materialsisted n the0PTIONLIST. Theprincipal temof upholsterys t he carpet - "stock"VW frontseatscan beusedand he rearseatspace eedonlybe covered ith a pieceof plywoodorming I'minimumt'seat.The materialsequiredo carpet ourClodhopperre:

1. 4 yds. automot ivearpet t ing36rrwide)2. 4 yds. carpetute for padding3. l0 yds. v inyl carpet -b inding4. I spray anof trim adhesiveUseheavykraft paper o makepatternsof the floor area. Transfer he patternso the carpet(making ure t is nod bside- down)'andut. Sewon he binding. Cut he ute o mat ch he arpetting.Spray he loorwith trimadhesive nd ns tall the ute. Thenspray he ute and nstall he carpettingover t.Other tems o be consideredor interior inishing nclude shtraysmountedn thedashboard),rab-bars,scuf f -p latesn he "door" i l ls , etc. , etc. , etc. Let your maginat ioneyourguide.lf youdecide o use he Fiberfab oft-topon yourClodhopper, iguresB and9 showhow his topis installed. Referringo these igures - the op{ows areassembled ith the smallbow o therear.The opsof the bows houldbe parallel. Install he mountingrackets, s shown,with#10 self-tappingscrews.Check he posit ion f the op of thewindshield y measuringrom he center op edgeof the rearseatto thecenter rontedgeof thewindshield. This measurementhould e 60 inches. lf t lrisdimensionsmore r less ff if i-60 inches he op will not it or wil l f i t improperly.lf all measurementsheck, center he op on hebowsanddril l throughhe seams n the op ntothe bowsandsecure he op o the bowswith chrome-washeredcrews. Tuck he ront lap of the op ntothegrooven thewindshieldrame ndpull the op reanvard ntil it is taut. Then, starting t the centersnap, mark he body o locate he snap-stud. Dril l the bodyand nstall hestud. Workout from hecenterrepeatinghe ocating-and-dril l ingrocess ntil all thesnaps reaffixed o snap-studs. Finally, pull hetop smoothly ver hewindshieldrame nd ocate,dril l and nstall he frontsnap-studs.

60

4I

w-t5-


18/23


19/23

For more G0" fromyourClodhopper,he Volkswagenngine s readily eplaced ith a muchmorepowerful orvair lSilq. GoodCorvair ngines.962 or later,areavailable t mostwrecking ards or$f 00.00 to $300.00, dependingnyearand ondi t ion.Avoid he urbo-chargedngines. -I t is notnecessaryo decamberhe Volkswagenloorpanf Corvair ower s usedas the added eightof theCoiG-ir ngine ompensatesor theVolkswagenamber.Take heVolksw-agenransaxleo a VW shopandhave hemput he ringgearon heothersideof thecase thedirection f rotation f theCorvair ngine pposeshatof theVW. The inggear lf lopoverlshorrldrotbe attemptedy oneunfamiliar ith settingup automotiveearends.Next, hebell-ho.using.isemovedrom he Corvair ngine n preparationor mounting Corvair-to-Vr,lkswagendapter late. With re-gardo adapters--w_e trongly ecommendhe useof the adapter it sprodrr,:edy CrownManufacturingompany, 51 WestSeventeerithtreet,CostaMesa, Califoinia.ThcCrown dapter i t includes:

No. 5001 Engine dapterNo. 5002 StarterAdapterNo. 5003 Heavy-duty 'F lywheellateNo. 5004 Heavy-duty ressure lateNo. 5005 ClutchDiscNo. 5008 Universal hrot t le inkageCrown lsomanufacturesnumber f accessoryt_emsuchas muffler-exhaustystems hichcanbeused or yourCorvair owered lodhopper. urfter nformations availableromCrownManufacturing.I t wi l l he relpfu l hen ouwri te, . i fyoumentionhat heki t is to beusedwi th a Fiberfab ody.After he bell-housings removed,emovehe Corvair i lot bearingn theendof thecrankshaft ndreplace i th heextended-typeuppl ied y Crown-- he-originalear ing as heproperD butdoes otengage nough f theVolkswagenransmissionnputshaft . Bolt theadapter late o theCorvair if theoil seal s notyet installed n youradapter late, make ure hatwhen oudo install t you efer o theor i r nal Corvai r e l l -housingo avoidplacing t in backwards). ext ,bol t headaptedlywheel o theCorvai rrankshaf tnd henbol t heclutchplate over wi thclutch isc n place)o the lywheel.Drive he starter-motor-shaftushing ut of theVW transaxle nd eplacewith thespecialbushingin the StarterAdapter it. Nowbolt he Corvair o theVolkswagenranshxle--interferenbeetweenhetransaxle nd heengine eater uct s eliminated y reshapinghe ductsor replacinghemwith Crown#5012 Heater dapters, TheCorvair tarters usedby means f thestarter dapter.To completehe engine nstallation, he Volkswagenhrottlewire s coupledo the Corvair ia theUniversal hrot t le inkage nda sui table xhaust ystems insta l lede.9. , Crown#5010).Using heCorvai r ngine,heelect r ical ystem ecomes2-vol t instead f theVolkswagen-vol t .Thewir ing arnessesescr ibedn Sect ion are,however, t i l l appl icable.Al l bulbs auges, augeslndcr in i ts etc. must e 2-vol t Lrn i ts- or -- 6-vol t uni tswi thser ies ol tage roppingesistors.

7. CORVAIR OWER

- t7-


20/23

Two-toneolid olor r Metal-flakeinishCovertibleinyl op white r black)Hardtopblack, inyl-textured)Show-bar oll bar or ooks)Go-bar rollbar or maximumafety)Carpetsblack nly), etFront eat overs black ented-vinyl),airRear eat cushionnd ack esO, etEconomyide urtains, ai rDeluxeidecurtainswith rame), ai rBootor opWiringHarness6 or 12 vol0, completeit6 VoLTTNSTRUMENTS,oMPLETEETBYVDo

CLODHOPPERPTIONIST

Description0il pressureauge0il pressureender0il temperatureaugeOil temperatureenderFuel evelgaugeTank nitTank nstallationni tAmmeterVacuumaugeVacuumaugenstallationit - LZ ft.Speedometer64 rev/milelVW-to-VD0 peedometerable 6 ft.Tachometer6 cyl.)

$ s0.0075.00 {, , ,89.0029.9559.95 2'?35.0045.0045.00

si)

45.00100. 00 '- 6 d 'av25.0039.50

do

VDONo. Description List PriceOilpressureauge $ 10.97Oilpressureender L2,30Oif temperatureauge L3.92Oif emperatureender 6,78Fuef evef auge L3,68Tank nstal lat ionit 2,52TankUnit 14,22Ammeter 6.25Vacuumauge L3.07Vacuumaugenstallationit - 12 ft. 5.30Speedometer764 rev/nild 23.A5VW-to-VDOpeedometerable 5 ft. 2.80Tachometer4 cyl.) 44.85

De3501De3601Fe 32L3Fe3272Fu3001Tf 225rTf 220tAm 903Va0002SpL222aaiqn

De3502De3603Fe 32L6Fe3273Fu 3002Tf 220LTf 225LAm 903Va0002Sp1222zeisA

List Pr ice$ 10.97L4.40L6,756.78L3.68L4.222.526.25L3.07s.3023.052.B044.85

12 VoLTTNSTRUMENTS,oMPLETEETBYVDoVDONo.

- t8-


21/23

DE0II'EERI'{G T}IE F,EA-R\IEEEISGene Rj-Ceout, Eeil i: ighann, Wash., reportsthat after clriving his Porsc,he about 2OTOOOni1es, nosily with just hi.nseif in the car, itdeveloped a port l ist ; r+e donrt know his weight,:ut u:rusl,al angles have developed on other cirsat about the sane nileage. Gene got out hj-sshop nurual ard reised the lefi: rear of his carone degree and lowered ttre right rear one de-gree, and reports thlngs are back on arr evenkee1.The operat ion on the rear torsion bars ca::be done by alnosi ar{fone who can turn a lrrenchprovided sorne guidance is available. John Sny-der, Potorec Region, conducted some adjustEenlon hri-s rear torsion bars and lrrote up the de-tails and explained a few techalcal polnts ashe went, along. Our only preface to Johnts artricle ls that you should not play around 'r:iththe torsion bars just because you have notlringelse to do on a Sirnday afterrroon. We suggest-that jJ you lo:row here is a li.st, a droop snoot,or /cu want the rear end to hold in corpetition,then go ahead and do the job. WeLl equinned''"rlani pot"crt"sr.op.t """ ".-pruru uol=ifriii""r&5A), ttrat will accurately neasure the angleon lhe rear radius arna. The radius arm(uhicb is attached to the end of the rear tor-sion bar) when hlngJng^free, should have anangle of from 6f" to 7, doi.rn from the l.rorizontal.

Many Porsche owners have erperienced thetendency of thelr car to oversteer, that 1s, tofollow a path of progres$ive1y decreasing rid-iue in any one given turning position oJ thesteerjng rheelp requlring the driver to ropenuprr on the steering wheel 1n order to steeraround a curve of constant radius. l'lany haveal-so e:rperienced the tendency of the car to"wander" at higher speeds, part icularly underthe influence of a crossuind. These conditionsry in large part, and in many case, be eonrpletely overcotne by decanrbering the rear wheels.The ciegree of carnber of the rear lrheels islhat degree to which the rear wheels are t i l tedoutwardly so that their upper portions are dis-p_1acedoutrardty of the road contacting po:,tions.,heri lhe rear wheels are perfeerJ-y verl, i lal5 theyare said to have zero canber. Because of th errrner irl rfrich ihe rear wheels of the porsche

are inciepencienlly suspended, lowering of therear enc of the car wiih respect to the rear'":hee1sproduces negative canber. Althoughi-he suspension gecr:etry of t ,he car rnay'beperfect iy proper when new, the front torsionbars apparen+,Iy have a greater tendency to beperrnanen'"1ydefo: 'rned han do the rear torslon.ars so ihat af ler prc longed use, the f rontenci of the car nay tre lower to the grou:rd fhani'" orirhali; ' was, whereas the rear end nay beat substar-rf iaii-y< ts origir:a1 height, causingthe ca:" t . h31,ie noscd do'rrnappearanee. Itis in such cases tha+. lhe above-neniioned over-: teering lendency and lack of dlrec.uional sta-bil i ty are nosl noticeabl"e. Jf you have ih e38

: --+ -^ ^ , ,+ ^ -; L_'.j-r, gc out ano Du;r a nerr pair. of .f;.cnt -uor_s:c:- :p: ' irrgs. i f no*", read '-: :e res-; of t f : is- : ' : -e, al fhcugh a s l ignt cecante: ing of the:=el ; :eels even jJr a new car: : ,a; , 'be quite.:3rz:ax]g.

lhe effect of decarnbe:.ing or: the oier-s:er=g teridenc."* s rather +.ecjtnlcai and neede:i c::-eern us here, suff ice it to say that cie-c"--::e:irg the rear ;heels of a porscbe, .rdnether'.::e car be new or used, has a pronounced"if-fecl :r the oversteering tencie::cy and rtrilL de-crease j-t in all cases, causi:.g ihe car to havetrcre cr less a neutral_ steering .uendency. ?he:::cice::tal effect of decanberGg which causesi=" ..i_ to have greater directior:al stabilityis easily understandable when it is real_ized'i:at cecamberilg the rear wheels lov.ers the rearenC of the car aad that lo"*ering the rear endof tte car will tend to create i greater de-gree of caster of the front wheels, cester in*.91f"-being the anount tha"" th; kin4rjnsare tilted toward the rear of tbe car at thelri.q:per ends. fhe greater the degree of caster,k-e g:'eater tendeney for the front rfieels to -reroirl in or return to the stral.ght-ahead po-sitioa, hence greater directional stability..4lo'r,Ler factor contributing to directibnal sta_lielty is the proper anount of toe in of thelront wheels, rdrich is, of course, a require-nenl mdgl any circunstances.

&'e urlterrs auJomobile, a J-953 coupe, po-ssessed a great tendency to overdte;r, a preno-,:srcddegreq ,of .directional instaUi i i ty, anda.l'so a tenalency- to-shj-rm6r. A1l of -ihese faultsHere ccrrected by decanbering the fear"h;;t;.

-'I'he fact that the shfurmying disappeired shoustlrat there r,l.as oo Little front wleel casterbejor.e deeanberilg the rear wheels, since thefrcni e:rd in all other respects uas 1n gocdshape.. lecarnbering the rear wheels is a rathelsi:Fle. job, although perhaps an hour to ar houtrand a h-aif should be allowed. The first stpn5.s to jack up the car and remove o"" oi'ti""-rear rreels. Then rmove the three sets ofnulvs and bolts nhlch connect the bifurcatedrear end of the trailing arm to the a:rte hous-i.ng, ho of the nuts and bolts also servj_r:pto attcil the shock absorber lewer bracket"tothe ar*ie housing. In the ,*,r iterrs car, these

nuis and boLts fitted a 19 mn, -,rench, a1_i:cugh z 3nt" soeket rues also used to good ad -rz::+.ege. The iraiii.rg arn is a length of metalab:r{+. 5il wide and about VB" at 3/16', .,hick,a::c rtich extends foru:ardly of the rear'ax"leliu,sine for pivotal conneciion to the franne.li:--h -,hese three nuts and bol_ts re"rorrea, pufft-ie rea:. axLe housing reanlard3.y so as io l-eave'1ir? rs:i end of the trailing anrr free. ?o do'-: is, : : nay be necessary to loosen +,ls n1"mc:r t,:e a-tle housing which serves "" ,, ;;;;fc: :he .flexlble bra_ke hose and to nove thisc1a:e sl-igh.uly ou.urrardly to preve;ri it fronsir ': . ir : : . ; the heat exchanger fc;r the heater an dperriii, -"he rear axle housilg to be r::o.redback


22/23

i-:l:I't'Il.F

a si:Ji: : ien-, a;stance ic : lear r,re forked,rearen.d cj -;e l:ailirg a:,=,rr---h t-: -,:'a11irg a::t t;lus ireed, it ldllpr, :ba:-y be '- such a pcs:.-, i-on ,nat i is lowerecige :-s e:ga::i aga=:ls-L -_:e siop on the franejusi r:-rrzrl; of the F,:=t at which tne trail_1ng a::-- :s l::-::ecteci t,c --:.s rea:, torsion bar.It shc':*rj be roteci at tr:.- point that tire op-tfunn ;:sit : : : of the t laii i .ng arnr wil l probab-1y be =:ch :;: when fre:, it i lower edge vi1leit : :el , ': :st :-ear Ine s-r: ; or be spaced no more+-han i a'' ab.:;e it. fuc: n:ore ,p""ing than thiswel l ;::oab-i; nake it ve:y diffitult io ,"*o,r.anci re-;lace :be rear r*te: since there r+ill bei.ns'i-fii:ient clearance bei"*een tle brate Crunand fe::er. ?ne nerL ste_: is to renove thefour i,rlts -s=:_chseeure :ie dust "orl, ""por "ure tors:o:r bar Lo f,bg fyene, eiit er a17 rm '-:rencb r a 2V32" srencb iii-dJ. rhedy:l *O vili probably have o be pr5.ei'orf

wl tr a screl=rivere since it carrles on ltsrnner siCe a resilient b-:shing drictr ernbracesthe oEtes ed of a boss .drich extend.s trans-versel-;; thrc:gh and is rigidly secured to theronraFd end of 1;ru 13ai],lng ana, the flt be-ing ra+.her s:';g. The bcss is fr6ffoin .na f"-,terna.Ll.y spJ_i.ned nd recelves the splined out-er end of tle torsion bar. Tbe nexl step iso-p"y the bai'lina ara autwardly o that itpur r-qoff frca tbe outer end of -ttre torsion"T. Eoneve, it n'il"l prcbably t" -U""l-Oufo""doing tbls to uark a vertical iine on-tfre out-er,face of t- torsibn bar (nai]. podlf, "fff/ s-o thet rbe original position of the tor-st on ber can be Ce^"errrlnsdo

steps should be repeat,eci lmtil- the lower edge?I thg.traii i : rg arn ji ist ciea:.s or is no iorethar 1/bil frcnr tne st,op. Incicentai"ty, .hnen re _rnoving fhe ir:::er end cf the torsion bar .fronits socket, it is best to f irst renove the rub_ber bushing wirich is slipped i-ntc the frane andenbraces the ir^:rer end of the trailj.rrg arrr bosswnen lhe parts are assenbled. Thrs nrikes iteasier to grab the iorsion bar anc exert tn enecessary pullrng force io renove it fror it sspl-ured socket.Insofar as t i:e i:rsion bar is concet-nec.part icular care shoulcj be taken not to ^".-oicratch it an$" although the splirres are not,lubri-cated, there shouLd be a coatin -of g""ur.throughout the internrediate length oi tne Uarto protect i t fron rust.

_ Needless'to say, the trail ing atrr on bothsides of the car sniirra be so positionea that,both wheeLs are identically camt,erua. --ft shouldbe reraernbered that even a very slight overalladjustnent of the trailing ."r, "iii res,:lt invery.rewarding and noticeable results, .o *oJ_feration ishould be the keynote. WitU ifre partsreassenbled, hop in the car and head for thenearest dirt road, and if you canrt take thatcurve faster and wlth less rear end sliding,let rne trorou.

{[.i.jiiirP.piit,It.FliFrltlzalEnfiil llJV:iF;ittr

. WIPTREI"ADESThe rrindshields, as well as the rrj-n_d91s, in Porsches are,rnade pf a specfai glasswhigh.le shatter-proof tho it, is ;;; oi trrusandrich construption whLch is farn:i.liar a_rounct uetroit. tne'bf the dlsadvantases ofthe Porsche nildshield material is ttrli itis sonewtratsofter thsn ordina# gb;r.- son"of us have discovererl that the irui"i-i" ti:"uindshield rriper b3.adeholders will scratcnthe vindshield. I f this. scratching beco*esbad,enough, many state lavs requir8 tfr"t tn .Ii'r.nosn1-el.cle renewed.

ft.ere are lrlr splines on the outer end ofthe tcrsi.on bar and its ir:ner end is providedrfith LC gpfirs' Since rctating the freed traiL.ir.g am, eve nne spline irith respect io the tor-ston bar so tbe rear end of the arrn 1s moveduprrerdJ.y f,rcq j"ts orLgiml position and then re-engagi::g t}:e a:'n rrith tb"e torsion bar railI ef-fect a ccnsilerable Cegree of 1or"-ering of thereaf e:d of the car on tlat side, it wi1J. prob-ably be necssar:/ to rne-nipulate both the innerend of the icrsion bar a:d the outer end toadriere the lesired resrlt. I?ris is rathereasiiy acco=lished since there are fer+ers'pli.nes on ,r:ne nner enri of the bar than thereare o:i rhe c.jter end, a:-; the best rnanner ofproeee:ing is to Cisenga;e the inner end of thebar a;C rot-.e j-t one spl1ne il the directlonwhich ';oirl"C :a':se raisi-::i of the r:ear end ofthe ar: irere it a+-tached ."o ihe torsion bar andto the: rotz'-e and re-er..gage the arm one splinefron r:s or:; iral posit i:n on the bar in a di -rect: .3:r whlc: wcu]d 'icwer its rear end from it sorj-gj-*i i p:, : : . , ion, the :-: : t effect of , ,hese tw osieps be'i;rg -ro jus.u ve:-; s1igh.t,1y raise the rearend ci the a:n wherr ,,he ;arts are all reassenbl"-ed. I: othe: w6rds, on :he feft rear wheel, Lh etorsj.cn bar :s rotaied c:e spii_ne in a counter-clcclc;: ,se c-ect ion, uh1-e the arm is rotatedone spii;re -- a cloclcdse direct i_on, arrd viceversa icr +-le ctfier siCe of the car. These two

One of our rnembers suggests that if thesnall r ivets, uhlch are used to aftaeh th eblade holders to the n-iper arrrs, are kepr, tight the netal parLs cannot tip over farenough to touch the windshleld. We triedthis on a 'rtiredlr blade holder by tappi-ng'1 i -L+1., ^^-,^-^ f rr -grlry severa_L unes uith a snal1 harnmer,usilg a larger haruner as an anvil on theother end of the rivet. This dld the trickbrut we suggest that you be careful the rlvetis not so tight that j"t vi l1 prevent freemovementof the holder as i-t passes over Lhecurved surface of the rindshleld. 'v{ealsonoticed that the viper.s did a bet,uer jo bafier the rivets nere t ightened"WIPERS {ORKING?Eugene Rideout of Bsl l ingh,,- , H,rshingr,rn wi;r ,rc irDplS r.a i.n,has some go.d aJ,. r . . ' . , f , . ,r , . ' r in iu in,n6windshie ld wiper machanisms, C6.6s burne,J.u i t i ,emotor during rhe *'arranry peri,r ,_ l \ l l i . ,n he rerelve, la new onet he reprtcked the gear case *. jrh a l i .qh:gradc of Lubri-p lare. Ir worke,l . . . n ) r jrL\re rouir lc .I hrs would probablv applv r r , r , ; l , l r rr_.rr lrcr i inrar,__ras well as ra iny ones.

39/


23/23

1'1 I

"6 .v".?

, e-1- - -y--'/

Date post:	04-Jun-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	shalon-melo
View:	216 times
Download:	0 times

Clodhopper

Documents