Engine Hood Fitment

Hey guys, Ive been fitting the car back together, and the rear engine hood doesnt clear the 36hp fan shroud.

Its a cmc, and it needs about another 3/4in to clear. The sub frame has been reinforced and the door gaps are great. Is there something else Im missing?

w/o seeing picture of problem maybe cut inside layer of trunk lid where it is binding.

If it was like mine - the cast aluminum hinges hit the top of the shroud on either side. I flipped hinges (opposite from the build manual directions) to the other side of the hood so the mounting flanges point "in" vs "out".

So opposite from:
https://www.speedsterowners.com/library/cmcmanual2/images/cmc30.jpg

I also have a skinny deck lid hinge template if you need it...

The hinges clear great. but say if you put the unbolted hood on, it sits off the car because of the shroud.

It looks like im going to have to cut a hole in the engine hood.

Maybe when the pan was shortened the back half tilted up toward the rear.

A Thing shroud is lower. I would rather install a lower shroud than chop up the lid.

Ryan post pics and let us find a solution

Ill try to get some photos up today.

Are there different options on lower shrouds?

There is the Thing shroud as I mentioned above and the Brazilian Puma shroud. There are variations with and without the fresh air horns.

Maybe try searching on thesamba.com.

Heres the photo.

How much of a difference does the thing shroud have?

You COULD try a 1971 beetle fan shroud.

All of the same good cooling attributes, but the top of the shroud is flattened off a bit to give a little more clearance. It looks like this:

Glenn Ring on theSamba has a thing shroud on his Beetle. You could look for a picture of his engine.

I had to mod my lid also . I just removed the hump . Then after all that work my fan hose was in the way .

More than likely, whoever did the chassis shortening doesn't have it on a perfect horizontal plane and the frame horns are tilted upward a bit, it wouldn't take much to create the clearance problem you have.
You'll have to find what the difference in a 36HP shround and a square shroud is or, if enough room reconfigure the inner liner of the deck lid.

.....A friend had told me years ago that there was a way to alter the fixed engine - trans height by changing the frame horn cross member (I think) I'll check with him on Wednesday.

Alan, I think your correct about the pan. That would be excellent if you found out if you could lower the engine just slightly. I have the later pan, IRS if that make it any different.

Thanks for your wonderful knowledge guys!

Im also looking into the other shrouds. Im waiting for my local vw shop to open on tues, so I can go in and compare heights on the shrouds.

Ryan:

My picture up above is of an IRS pan, too.

Good hunting. That's part of the sport of this hobby - trudging around salvage yards on off days.

I had that problem and just cut out the underside a bit and it now fits fine

Thanks for the help guys, I have a puma shroud on the way, it 2 7/8 shorter then the 36hp style shroud. photos will be up soon.

I like this much better than chopping up the bottom of the lid!

Wow.. I learned somethng new Puma shroud is shorter ...good to know this.

If your pans were out , i'd say chain the tunnel and the rear forks put a jack just forward of the k frame and heat the top of the tunnel forward of the k frame while some one jacks the frame .

You only need a inch higher at the k. but it would be the best thing you could do.

Had to do this on the D. but it moved easy.. easyer than i thought it would Over jack it 2 inches or so up. It will settle back perfect I water osed the frame to quence cool it to make it harder. You want tto stay up
if you can figure out away to chain it..

Thats an interesting way of dealing with the pan.

Sounds like something I would do!

You might be able to sent the puma back If you do it now and recheck the lid.