Topic: Clutch Cable Tube, here I come.....
Quick Note: On the way home from work the new clutch started acting funny.....the cable is new but the welds for brackets holding the tube have broken. I'll report back when I finish. Wish me luck!
Clancy
Re: Clutch Cable Tube, here I come.....
Have fun. I normally just suck it up and cut access holes in the passenger side of the tunnel & weld them up when done.
-Darby
Re: Clutch Cable Tube, here I come.....
Update: Thanks Darby. That's what I've done.....holes are cut. Discovered that both front and middle mounts are broken.... and tack welding is about to begin......stay tuned.
C.
Re: Clutch Cable Tube, here I come.....
Clancy want a pic of my front access on my Baja <<< Has a plate 2 screw's fabricated intoo it for easy clutch cable replacement .
Mine's sqaure Cause hole was allready cut when I got the car ?
But Bullet shaped access plate would be stronger and more efficient at keepin it small yet hand accessible .
Lett me find a pic of one Ive done ?
I will post it but last thing I tried too post the Spam protection Banned me ??/
I will have wife do it for me !
Asap Sean
Re: Clutch Cable Tube, here I come.....
Update: Ok, Saturday I opened the tunnel of my '65 Bug in two places (front and middle mounts) and re-welded the broken points. I also fabricated a "Z-shaped" brace out of 1/8-inch plate and welded this in place on the middle mount to keep the tube from flexing upwards. This was one of John Henry's suggestions. I then got the tunnel openings all welded up......
....Ok, clutch cable back in (it was fine as is the Bowden Tube adjustment) but a very weird problem was evident: almost no adjustment made to the cable seemed to make any difference in clutch action. Dang it. I think that the catastrophic failure of the guide tube bracket welds, put undo force on the throwout bearing (also new) and perhaps the clips holding the T/O bearing to the cross shaft.
While doing the clutch two weeks ago, I noticed that the old yoke on the T/O carrier was almost worn through. When I replaced the cross shaft (Wolfsburg West) the clips were very hard to get engaged in the 'grooves' on the front side of the yoke (front is front). I'm wondering if a clip let go? Anyway, I didn't try and drive it much since the clutch really seemed to be slipping.....Couldn't pull the engine on Sunday so guess how I'll spend the Fourth of July?
Stay tuned.
Clancy
Re: Clutch Cable Tube, here I come.....
Final Update: The clutch cable tube was repaired, the engine was pulled for the second time in 2 weeks (on a hot Fourth of July!); What I thought was a bad T/O bearing actually turned out to be a bad clutch cover (aka pressure plate). Evidently the bad brackets must have caused some undue stress when shifting and the 'finger' springs on the clutch cover caused the mating surface with the T/O bearing to get cocked to one side.....New cover solved the problem and the engine was re-installed today.....smooooth shifting at last!
Clancy
Re: Clutch Cable Tube, here I come.....
Clancy wrote:
Update: Ok, Saturday I opened the tunnel of my '65 Bug in two places (front and middle mounts) and re-welded the broken points. I also fabricated a "Z-shaped" brace out of 1/8-inch plate and welded this in place on the middle mount to keep the tube from flexing upwards.
Clancy,
Wish I could have been there to see you do this repair (cutting, fabricating, and welding). Sounds real interesting!
- Nick
1979 Super Beetle Convertible
Re: Clutch Cable Tube, here I come.....
Yeah interestin if you like being bent over in a car with your hand up a sharp edged hole with a Hack saw blade for long extended period's of time ???? LMAO
Clancy you just welded the front Access hole in ?
I really like my front accesss hole << Has a plate 2 screw's << Dont have too remove pedal assembly too change clutch cable !!!
2 screw's and a finger tapp << I can regularly inspect clutch cable and pedal assembly, shaft hook for clutch cable . << No more unexpected Bummers of the Clutch pedal hittin the floor ??? << really hate that !!! <<< serious foul language goin on when that happen's !!!
Eliminates the need too carrry an extra Pedal Assembly on long trip's ???
But Kennedy Pressure plate's <<< No longer a problem !!!
Regular inspection , is quick and easy <<< A must have too runn the Kennedy pressure plate , due too the excessive pressure's and force, on clutch cable hook's and cable, demanded by the stiffer pressure plate !!!
Gotta tell ya !!! <<< I really like my access holes , as in Ive done 6 of them now !
Regular inspection of pedal assembly clutch hook and cable <<< Increases reliability of the car by 50% << If not more !
Just the safety aspect's alone <<< As in ever had clutch pedal hitt the floor , when transistioning from 105 FWY too the 605 FWY << Just before Grid Lock ??? Usuall Bumper too Bumper at 70 MPH ? I Have ??? Sucked Big time !!! LMAO
Hook's get worn !!! << Slowly start too Pull the hook out straight << This causes incomplete release of pressure plate <<< Most likely incomplete release of pressure plate is what did your pressure plate in ??
First Ive heard of weldin a Z brace in the Tunnel ??? Please explain too me how this work's and increases Reliability ? << Interestin Idea ???
Sean
Re: Clutch Cable Tube, here I come.....
Sean: Yes, I had an inspection plate on this one before, but it had been welded closed years ago. Since I needed to open it up a bit anyway, I decided to cut it outside the old opening. With the the new and old pieces off the car I was able to weld them all back together in my bench vice and really clean up the welds. That done, I was a bit pushed for time so I went ahead and just welded it back together to the tunnel. However, I did not run a solid bead all the way around, so if I ever have to open it again it will be an easy task. To be honest, even though I had a removable plate before, I rarely used it. In fact I don't think I ever used it to change a cable. With my car, I try and remove/inspect the entire pedal assembly at least once a year anyway to clean and lube it up after a winter of sand and salt which get tracked into the car in the winter.
As for the "Z" bracket reinforcement for the center bracket (the one just aft of the e-brake handle), well actually it looks more like the number "2". The upper curved part was shaped to fit the curve of the top of the clutch cable tube. I tacked it to the top of the tube. The bottom leg of the "2" fits beneath the factory bracket and was welded to the floor of the tunnel. I fabricated it to apply neutral tension to the stock bracket. This was done to eliminate any future upward flexing of the stock bracket. The tube at this location has a natural tendency to want to flex upward when the pedal is depressed. This was John Henry's suggestion which I think is a very good one. .
Nick: I wish you could have seen it, too.....unfortunately my digicam didn't like being dropped to a concrete floor last October, so I was not able to photo-document the process. Maybe next time! ...but hopefully there won't be a next time!
Sean's right....the contortions needed to get into the front bracket especially left me sore for a week!
Clancy
Re: Clutch Cable Tube, here I come.....
Hey Clancy you know me I dont get out much ??/ As in dont know of John Henry ??
But curious this Z brace <<< Has no long term badd effect's on the Tube , or Tunnel as in Tried and proven ??/
Im Apphrehensive when it come's too New thing's on VW's ??? As in sometime's what seem's like a really cool Idea in theory often turn's out that your Robbing, Peter Too pay Paul , so Peter starve's too death ???
Too rigid <<, would think, possibly, could wear holes in the Tube ????
Yeah I like inspection plates <<< Only way too runn a Kennedy pressure plate !!!
Sean
Re: Clutch Cable Tube, here I come.....
Sean: I really don't think the "2" bracket is a bad design idea. When my '65 left the Factory I really wonder if the engineers thought I'd be driving it 42 years later? The mid bracket is probably the lightest design of the three mounting points, and after 42 years is probably the most likely to weaken from the decades worth of stress.
Not to worry here....no Kennedy setup in sight for my Bug!
You really need to take a look at all of John's site; well worth bookmarking:
http://www.thebugshop.org/
and specifically his writeup on the clutch cable tube re-attachment process: http://www.thebugshop.org/bsfqtube.htm
Clancy
Re: Clutch Cable Tube, here I come.....
Yeah cool I like too see others Ideas !!! So I can steal um and claim there My Ideas mostly ???
Every once in a while I get a Brain Storm ?? Then pass gas , and it's over !!
Lett me know how the Clutch tube work's out ?? <, Interested in if it wear's Holes in it like at rear where Bodin tube attaches and if Cables seem too stretch faster than Normal and if the Cable end's wear out faster etc .
Like Ive said about a thousand times >>> Look Ford has 1000 college educated engineeer's on Salary of Uppers too 250 Thou a year , workin on Designing your Front end ??
Yett you think your Gonna improve the handling of that Model T by Heating the Leaf spring and Cuttin it , then Addin a 2 By 4 Block ????? With your 8 th grade education ???
Yett Most the really cool Ideas come from some Garage Idiot Like us ?? Go figure !
But Ive found with VW's <<< Sometime's changeing and Beefin up dont alway's work out ?? << Lotts of Aftermarket Junk , and Ideas out there that dont Pann out Long Term ???
Kennedy Clutche's << For one ! << Great Idea , Work's Super Btchn ! Solves slippin Clutches ??? << But is Hell on all related parts too the Clutch , and really affect's reliability negatively !
Would I give up the Kennedy ? No ! But if I could figure out all the Bugg's in the Bugg too run one more efficiently, and reliably, Im Interested ???
Sean