Breaking Brakes on the Air-Cooled VW


As I mentioned in the earlier post – I was chasing down the electrical gremlins with my hand-dandy multimeter. After viewing the Bug Me Videos, I was able to identity a number of wiring issues that enabled me to the wiring system under control. The video answered many questions and things that I simply overlooked.

Which brings me to the brakes.

The brake lights would still not light. After double checking and re-checking the connections, there was something wrong. I used the multimeter and chased the current down to the master cylinder. The current was going in, but not coming back out. Finally, I was able to pinpoint the problem. I was going off the previous owner’s assessment that he replaced the brakes and brake lines, but on closer examination, there was no brake fluid in the reservoir.

So, I filled up the reservoir and prepared to bleed the brake lines. Within seconds, however, i had a nice pool of brake fluid forming in the floor and in the bottom of the hood compartment. I checked the line, and sure enough it was old, worn and cracked. A simple trip to the local auto parts store solved that issue. i reconnected the line, filled the reservoir, and was met with the same result. more brake fluid on the floor. I disassembled the entire assembly up to the master cylinder and inspected everything.

Of course, I should have done that in the first place, as it was the fluid reservoir that was a problem – a nice crack in the side when someone tightened it down to far, breaking the plastic. vw brake fluid reservoir

Fast forward another few days as I awaited a new brake fluid reservoir like a kids awaits Christmas. Got it, assembled it, the new hose, added the fluid, and everything held. No leaks!!!

NEXT STEP – Bleed the Brakes
I bought a brake bleeding kit, as finding someone to step on the brakes for 20 minutes would be a little difficult. The kit worked wonderfully for the first two brakes, then i dumped the fluid. After dumping the fluid from the first two bleeds, something got into the reservoir on the kit, and it never worked as good as the first time. In fact, it was pretty much worthless. Looking back – bad investment, iIm sure i could have bought something a little more practical and reliable. I did what i should have done. Find a warm body that can count to six and push the brake pedal. It took a while, but it got done.

new vw brake lights Next step – be sure your brake lights are grounded. Otherwise, much cursing and second-guessing will happen. Thank you again Bug Me video, for that reminder.

All in all, this part of the project was a tribute to all of the minor detail that were left unattended, and a testimony to how one problem can lead to another, and another, and another.

By the way, the brakes work great. The new brake lights and the upgraded 12 volt system really make then shine bright. This is so much safer than the tiny teardrop lights combined with the old 6 volt system. I never felt safe with this. Especially when some monster truck is bearing down on you when you want to make a left-hand turn.

VW Electrical System Answers – Thank you Bug Me Video!

Since the last post, I have been frustrated at every turn while dealing with the combined projects of re-wiring and upgrading from the 6 volt to 12 volt system. Examining wiring diagrams from all over the net have been somewhat helpful, but never enough to complete the entire project.

bugmevideo As the second to last ditch effort, I dished out about $35 for the Bug Me Video on VW wiring. Within 30 minutes of watching the video, I was able to spot a number of connections that needed to be re-done, and at the same time, the video did a fantastic job of explaining how things worked together. Within the day, I was able to complete the re-wiring. The only remaining issue was the turn signal relay. The relay was one of the most frustrating issues, as the numbers on the relay did not match any of the diagrams, and the diagram on the relay itself wasn’t helpful. (i don’t read schematics.)

Finally, after using a cheap multimeter to track down the current, i saw that the power was getting to the relay, but not coming out. As i was moving around i tapped the lid, and the connection grounded, which caused the relay to start blinking. Of course! A ground! I dug through the electrical diagrams laying around, and found one on the bottom of the pile that showed a ground connection. vw electrical wiring diagram - no ground The same diagram was laying around my garage, but without the ground info. All i can say is that the multimeter has become my best friend in this entire process.

1944 German Kubelwagen Type 82

I found some great pics today of an original Kubelwagen (or Kuebel-Wagen as the museum writes) at the Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles in Lexington Nebraska.

German Army Type 82 Kubelwagen
This Kubelwagen is a Type 82, and was built in November of 1944 for the German Army. It had a 69 cubic inch engine, with a whopping 25hp.

I don’t think it would win any races.

But it is pretty sweet looking. It is slightly different than the more modern Thing, but still has some differences. The biggest difference to see is the front end, the Kubelwagen is much more sloped than the Thing.

1944 German Army VW Kubelwagen

 

Finding a Volkswagen Thing For Sale

The Type 181 VW Thing, or Kubelwagen

I tell you what, looking for a Volkswagen Thing is stinkin’ annoying. I’m sure everyone knows all of this already, but it’s still annoying.

Things were only made in the US for 2 years, 1973 and 1974. So many others have been imported, or if you want to buy one, you have to import it yourself. I’m not sure i want to get into all of that.

Of the Type 181′s available in the US for sale, I would say that about 90% of them are from California, which is quite a ways from most of the country. Even then, I can’t believe the shape that some of these are in, and yet still demanding more money than many other cars. For a Thing to have rust is like another car having some paint chipped, it’s not that rare.

Now I can handle most repairs and work, but I haven’t done, and am pretty sure that I can’t do, any body work. So I kind of need a Thing that has no, or next to no rust. Of course, those are over $10,000.

Even at the Beetle Barn VW Graveyard, there were no Things.

Why do I have such good, expensive taste?

 

Lowered VW Bus. Volkswagen Vancake

This is awesome. Just another example of how these classic VW’s can be modified, customized and just simply changed in any way you can dream of.

This Volkswagen Bus has been chopped and lowered so that it is only 3 ft 1 inch tall.

Volkswagen Bus that has been chopped and lowered.

Heavily modified VW Bus

Done any modifying of your own? Let us know.