CMC rear hood arms hit stock VW shroud - anyone???

Hey guys,

I just put my engine together, and i had a chrome 36HP doghouse shroud on the engine before, which i changed to a stock DP VW doghouse shroud, and i noticed that the hood arms hit the shroud, i had to notch them quite a bit to get it to clear and stop the hood arms from hitting the shroud, anyone else have this problem? CMC kit by the way.

martin

I installed the arms with the vertical part to the outside, even though the CMC manual shows them toward the inside. I think that gets them around the curve on the shroud a little more.

I don't think you can make this change after they are installed unless you change their attachment to the firewall.

Mine hit the shroud when I was lowering the body on the chassis. I wish I had removed the deck lid for that.

Mike

My CMC has a 4 inch hole cut into the decklid to allow the DTM to fit.

Martin,
Have you had any issues with exhaust clearing the bottom of the rear clip in addition to the hinges hitting the shroud? If so, I have the same problem on my CMC. The cause of my problems is that the individual who shortened the pan was off by 2 degrees when it was welded back together. This caused the shroud to be tilted back some and hit the hinges along with the exhaust not clearing the rear clip.
Also check the door gaps. If the gap is larger at the top of the door, then you will need to fix the body where it is attached to the subframe. CMCs are notorious for sagging backends. The fiberglass is attached to the subframe with rivets. There are a few threads on here about how to fix the problem, if that is it.
Hope this helps,
Jim

Martin,
I had the same issue and just ground the hinges down to get the clearance. I ended up going with a doghouse 36hp shroud when I had the engine rebuilt so it's no longer an issue. I also had the body tightened up to get rid of the sag and I'm telling you it's like a brand new car! No shakes rattles or rolls at all!

thanks for the replies guys.

I did'nt build the car, just rebuilding the motor, it had the 36hp shroud and i took it off to put on the stock vw shroud, and i can say it made a HUGE difference, espically in the heat output, plus the engine runs ALOT cooler. I had the chrome 36hp shroud and it got really hot to the touch when the car was driven, compared to my beetle which is stone cold after driving it in the heat. Needless to say anyone who is thinking about the 36 HP style shroud - DON"T DO IT, you can have mine, i might just smash it and take it out of it's mysery!!!

I ended up clearencing the hinges around the shroud and all is good.

But an interesting point about the door gap, i do have a difference in the drivers door gap is wider at the top, but the car seems quite solid. Even doing the "jack test" my car with the drivers rear wheel lifted high off the ground the doors still open and close perfectly, but i'd like the address the door gap issue, plus the drivers rear wheel is really really close to the fender lip where the passenger rear wheel has alot of space. But interestingly enough my beetle has the exact same problem, where the drivers wheel actually sticks out farther than the passenger, this is a original car. So then i go accross the street and look at my buddies 73 std beetle, yup....you guessed it, same thing!!! There must be some built in offset in the rear wheel that will be a mystery!!!

As for the exhaust, the engine and exhaust it's self is perfectly level compared to the frame, i have a 4tip GT type exhaust, and someone butchered the rear valance to clearnce the exhaust tips with a grinder in the dark....underwater!!!, i have to clean that up but otherwise i just started up the motor for the first time since the rebuild, and she purrs like a kitten now!!!!

I'm in dire need for a float for a dellorto 36 drla's :( one is cracked, and right now the car either runs lean or floods one carb, otherwise no oil leaks, and my motor looks very perty. I'll post some pics when i get time.

martin

martin

Martin -

That's great that you've got the engine back together and running!

Good luck on the rest of your fine tuning and tweeking. I'm sure the return of investment of your time and money will be realized (in spades) when you're tooling around town in your Speedster & making everyone who drives by very jealous!

Martin; check with CB Performance (they still offer some Dellorto parts) or with Gabrielle on Ebay (his username is alfa1750). He has an Ebay store and offers losts of rebuilt Dellortos and parts; great service and good prices.

I have to ask again about the 36hp shroud bashing? I put on in my car with doghouse cooler and all the proper veining and so far the car, and shroud, stay as cool as a cucumber. It's in the low 70's today and not a worry in the world with the oil temp. Is it just because I have a dinky 1600cc that doesn't produce as much heat as the bigger engines? Mine works fine and I love the way it looks.

mickey,

You have to see them side by side, there is night and day difference, i too had the 36hp shroud with the veins, but they are no where near the same as stock, and if you actually want heat warmer than a good fart then you need the stock shroud. And yes, i think because if you have a 1600, you'll be fine, but with my 1835....forgetbout'it!!! That thing ran HOT in the winter!!!(just testing it).

martin