John Steele cut up a Pepsi can and made a shim in my JPS column back in '02. Just another bit of quality craftsmanship.
Stan Galat posted:John Steele cut up a Pepsi can and made a shim in my JPS column back in '02. Just another bit of quality craftsmanship.
I agree. He should have used a Mt Dew can. 
Robert M posted:Stan Galat posted:John Steele cut up a Pepsi can and made a shim in my JPS column back in '02. Just another bit of quality craftsmanship.
I agree. He should have used a Mt Dew can.
Or at least something authentic form Germany.
Yeah.......Coulda used a Dinkelacker can, right?
Woulda been more substantial than even a Mountain Dew.
wow, who was the builder on that?
IaM-Ray posted:wow, who was the builder on that?
JPS Coupe if I remember correctly.
Yep,
Easy fix, but C’mon man!
I would have used roofing felt #30 plus jb weld
Parts are easy: “Hurry up and eat those Cheerios, I’m redoing the pan next week”
I would have used better cardboard.
Amazon now ships a lot of stuff in waterproof padded envelopes. Nothing but the best for my VS.
Stan Galat posted:John Steele cut up a Pepsi can and made a shim in my JPS column back in '02. Just another bit of quality craftsmanship.
How did he get his 'shim' to stay in place?
Todd M posted:Stan Galat posted:John Steele cut up a Pepsi can and made a shim in my JPS column back in '02. Just another bit of quality craftsmanship.
How did he get his 'shim' to stay in place?
He glued it in place with high fructose corn syrup. That stuff is sticky.
Still working on the steering column, and I have a question, or questions?
That is my steering column and shaft as they presently sit, but I am thinking I need to shorten the column more. 
Beside just the bearing, the Wolfsburg bearing kit came with a spring and a little circular ring. When looking at the diagram below, ...
, it would appear that the little circular ring inserts into the bearing, and the spring goes on top of the little circular ring. Or is that little circular ring actually part # 20 in the diagram which would put it on top of the spring? And it would seem that I am missing two parts; either #19 and #6, or #20 and #6?
The Wolfsburg West diagram, which I can not seem to load, https://www.wolfsburgwest.com/...1966_1977.cfm?type=1 ,
doesn't appear to show the little circular ring, and shows a spring washer, which I think I have, and a circlip, which I think I do have. So, what goes where?
And does anybody know the distance from the top of the steering column to the top of the steering shaft on a 1966/67 bug so that I can shorten the column to the correct size?
And last, what is that spring on top of the column bearing for?
The last photo shows the old bearing that came out of the old column which is why I think the column and shaft are from a 66/67. Anybody want to confirm, or point out my ignorance?
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You are on the right track, but you are missing some critical parts, such as the clip and washer that I have and you don’t. 
I will post a picture that I hope will help. The clip (just below the splines) is barely visible in the top photo; I can take more tomorrow if you would like.
Mark
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Drumagination posted:You are on the right track, but you are missing some critical parts, such as the clip and washer that I have and you don’t. I will post a picture that I hope will help. The clip (just below the splines) is barely visible in the top photo; I can take more tomorrow if you would like.
Mark
I have the washer, which I neglected to mention in my post, cuz I didn't know what it was, and I ordered the circlip, but am unsure of whether or not I will receive it, cuz everybody seems to be out of it. Now that I know what it is and for, maybe I can find it in the box of parts that came with the project. Yes, I can see the circlip in the photo. The photos are really helpful. It is great to see how compressed the spring is.
I need to cut the column to size, so the dimension I need is from the the top of the column, (where the 16 is in the photo), to the end of the shaft. I see the top of the shaft in the first photo, but it is covered by the steering wheel in the photo with the scale.
Also, what is that piece between the spring washer and the steering wheel? Is that a spacer specifically made for your steering wheel?
I just realized something. Please tell me if I have this next part right. The distance from the top of the column to the circlip is 15/16" and that dimension tells me where the top of the column should be? In other words, I measure 15/16" down from the groove for the circlip and that is where the top of my column should be?
Hope this helps....
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Hmmmmm
my steering column ended up longer than stock vw. My technique was to put everything together (including the steering wheel that you will use), sit in the car (with the seat you will use) and move the whole thing in and out until it is right. Then mark and modify. Use a tube inside the cut shaft (not a rod) for strengthening the rejoined weld area. Remember the horn wire!
So freakin' helpful!!! I totally know now what I have to do.
And you 3D printed the turn signal enclosure?!?! That is amazing.
@Drumagination - Thanks again. Here is a photo of my almost complete steering column. Almost, because this photo was taken before I sliced off another 5/8" to account for a set screw collar that I need at the rear of the tube.
I included the tape so you could see just how short it has to be. The steering box is located just on the trunk side of the firewall, so that shortened the steering column by a couple feet, and then I had to install an intermediate steering shaft, (a short shaft connecting two u-joints), which took out another foot, and then the coupler that isolates the shaft. Now, if I can figure out how to install the two rubber grommets without messing up the ivory paint on the column. My wife says to wait a day or two for the paint to dry. She is probably right, but like I can really wait one or two days.
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Looking great!
Back to radiator placement.
Shown above is the location and position of the radiator and condensor coil in a JPS with a Subaru engine. Locating the radiator in this position in my project would take up a lot less space in the trunk than mounting it vertically, but cooling potential needs to take priority over space convenience. For those of you who drive a Subaru JPS or any car with a horizontally mounted radiator, are there any overheating issues? Does the fan stay on after the temp hits 170 degrees, or does it switch on and off like a radiator that has forced air flow?
Also, it seems to me that the top of a 356 coupe would be a low pressure area and the underneath would be a high pressure area and the difference in the pressure would cause the air to flow OUT of the engine hood grill. Does anybody have any facts or opinions on this?
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@Todd M I'm cornfused......(a state that I've grown accustomed to, it seems, and listening to the "Squirrel Nut Zippers" on the radio doesn't help).
Does that car have a rack-and-pinion rack mounted behind the beam?
Gordon Nichols posted:@Todd M I'm cornfused......(a state that I've grown accustomed to, it seems, and listening to the "Squirrel Nut Zippers" on the radio doesn't help).
Does that car have a rack-and-pinion rack mounted behind the beam?
I don't know. I probably should have said that the car in the photo is not mine. It is a photo I found by typing, "JPS Suby radiator", in Google. My project does have rack and pinion and it is located just in front of the firewall.
Thanks goodness for small victories.
Steering is almost finished. Gotta figure out what parts I need for the horn and gotta fabricate and paint a couple small tubes to cover those two screws under the dash. Does anybody else have a Flat Four banjo steering wheel? The wheel has a bit of play where the wires connect to the hub. Not crazy about it.
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To add tension to the banjo wheel, tap on each of the three cross bars drawing them to the center, they will stay in place for awhile but after some steering wheel use they tend to back off tension. The fix is a spot of Super glue.
Todd M posted:Thanks goodness for small victories.
Steering is almost finished. Gotta figure out what parts I need for the horn and gotta fabricate and paint a couple small tubes to cover those two screws under the dash. Does anybody else have a Flat Four banjo steering wheel? The wheel has a bit of play where the wires connect to the hub. Not crazy about it.
Rubber sleeves/bushings might work nicely. That way they can compress slightly when you tighten the bolts. If you don't get aluminum sleeves just right they may rattle if they're too short.
BTW - Very nicely done.
Judging from your button position it appears you are planning to have your Banjo wheel mounted with the spokes straight up rather than down. Obviously, it's up to you and what you prefer, but I would recommend down so they don't interfere with your view of your gauges.
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@Alan Merklin - Ahhhh, yes. Do you CA glue the spokes to the hub, or the cross bars to the spokes, or both?
@Robert M - I was gonna use soft plastic for the same reason. I am unsure whether or not rubber takes spray paint well. Much of the steering mechanism will be hid by a fiberglass cover, but maybe black rubber will not look so bad. My wife talked me into leaving the polished aluminum brackets unpainted, but they got scratched up from all my installing and fitting and uninstalling, so it is either polish them or paint them.
@Troy Sloan - I honestly had no idea how to orient the wheel. Thanks for the advice. BTW, is the photo from one of your cars? And if so, where did you get the horn button. I see them advertised for extravagant prices, and am debating the various options. I ordered a VW crest button, but it is the wrong size. Duh!
Set the 3 cross bars as much to the center to increase spoke tension ( don't force them too much) secure in place with a couple spots of Super Glue
Has anybody ever installed a under dash parking brake in their 356? The lever in the photo is from the early '60s Mustangs and my thought is that it would look good with a different handle.
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You can find original handles on eBay, & 356 Registry.com.
FYI. Greg Leach has developed a kit for an under the dash e-brake. You probably already understand this, but there is more to it than just a handle and cable going back to the brakes. There is also a lever that needs to go beneath the car to provide the leverage required to set the brake.
Troy Sloan posted:FYI. Greg Leach has developed a kit for an under the dash e-brake. You probably already understand this, but there is more to it than just a handle and cable going back to the brakes. There is also a lever that needs to go beneath the car to provide the leverage required to set the brake.
Thanks for the vote of confidence, but truly I have not idea what is needed. Like most of the parts and systems needed on my project, I see what I want, I figure out what it will take to make it work, start putting it together, throw a couple of photos up here to ask questions, find out that what I am doing is not going to work, and change it to fit with the advice given here.
Probably best to ask Greg and see how much the whole kaboodle costs. Or does anyone know approximately how much Greg's e-brake kit costs?
Todd. Why not just call him directly. He's a nice guy and can explain it all to you first hand. Here's his number. 714-342-9095
Troy Sloan posted:Todd. Why not just call him directly. He's a nice guy and can explain it all to you first hand. Here's his number. 714-342-9095
Yeah, that's what I meant. I will email him or PM him cuz I actually have a few other parts that I need.
@Todd M wrote- "Also, it seems to me that the top of a 356 coupe would be a low pressure area and the underneath would be a high pressure area and the difference in the pressure would cause the air to flow OUT of the engine hood grill. Does anybody have any facts or opinions on this?"
Looking at the side profile, both the Speedster and coupe are a little (albeit somewhat distorted) wing shaped. I believe a lot of aircooled engines in Speedsters are actually somewhat strarved for air and have been saying this for a while- air directed from under the car into the engine compartment would have multiple benefits. Not only would there be enough air to satisfy the fan and carburetors, but positively pressurizing the engine compartment would carry away radiated heat that would otherwise be re-ingested by the fan and carbs.
I don't have a running car to test this out in (I am working on it, guys), but a remote thermometer mounted in the engine compartment would tell you if there is a difference, as would an aquarium tubing manometer. We need someone to duct air into the engine compartment from the underneath the car airstream using some flexible 3 or 4" tubing to see what happens.
Some time ago I believe someone posted about doing this. @ALB
Todd M posted:
...Also, it seems to me that the top of a 356 coupe would be a low pressure area and the underneath would be a high pressure area and the difference in the pressure would cause the air to flow OUT of the engine hood grill. Does anybody have any facts or opinions on this?
Todd, it seems like almost everybody has an opinion about this. It's one of those perpetual debates around here that won't go away. Like which oil is best. Or whether a Suby or a Type 1 is the way to go (see Ed's latest problems with burping all the air out of his home-engineered cooling system).
But actual facts? Those seem to be in very short supply. Not many of us have wind tunnels in our garages to do some definitive testing. So, car guys being car guys, most of us are convinced that we know what's really going on and what to do about airflow.
Just about everything imaginable has been tried. Some guys have plumbed in ductwork and fans and god knows what else to get more air to flow through the engine compartment, with most reporting no significant difference in oil temps.
I mounted a fan behind the 8-inch 'vent' that VS (and others) punched through the firewall. I don't think it affects oil temp much while running, but it seems to keep the engine compartment cooler after shutdown (like when I stop for gas), so there are fewer problems with gas percolating in the carbs, making restart easier.
Probably anything that would make much of a difference would look so ugly nobody would want to install it. Like those big side vents that Porsche engineers use to cool the engine on a Boxster.
Michael McKelvey posted:Some time ago I believe someone posted about doing this. @ALB
Bruce (@aircooled) did a pretty good study of the airflow around the back of the car, but I guess it doesn't fit the folklore and common knowledge narrative, so nobody ever refers back to his findings.
We (here on this site) just talk about this as if nobody's ever looked into this in 80 years of hotrodding VWs. The giant fan attached to your engine is moving enough air to cool a 200 hp engine-- sucking it in the top and blowing it out the bottom. The engine needs more air FROM THE TOP. We are starving for topside air-- some of this is baked in the cake, but most of it is due to the tiny openings around the rain-tray.
Everybody is entitled to their own opinions, but facts are facts.