Paint Ideas

 Really possibly the best way to finish off that old bug??

Bonser mate

The Bonser truck arrives.

tinware off.

cylinder head off.

valves lapped in

honned the barrel

black paint to help release heat

removed the old exhaust manifold and tapped the threads.

Birthday Gathering

fantastic weekend

disorder

1961 Split in local garage.

I dropped into my local garage to p-p-p-p-pickup my passat (new brakes and pipes all round, steering C joints, upper control arms, tyres, locking wheel nuts, drives like a new car now :) Every time I've been down there he's had a type 2 in there of one sort or another, but this one was special... thought I would post a pic as it's a rare beast in deed!

But.... is it original? right hand drive?!?!? in the UK?!?!? Must be an import!

Reckon I'll trust him to rebuild the front beam on my bay, seeing as he started working on them when he was 16!

Betty's Beetle Gearbox swap - Completed!

Brazilian Bay - Gearbox Replacement!

This is a summary guide of my Gearbox replacement.

The Brazilian Bay Kombi gearbox is made in Brazil and is known to have reliability / poor quality manufacture and is best replaced by a German Gearbox.

Here is the progress summary of my Gearbox replacement. Basically its a Late IRS Beetle Gearbox from a 1300-1600cc Late Beetle (1302/1303s Models with the 1600s being the best)

In this case I swapped the RP code Brazilian Bay Gearbox with a 1302s 1600 AH code gearbox

Firstly find and select a suitable gearbox here is my AH code gearbox (new CV joints or Beetle CV joints are required as beetle Gearboxes have a 94mm Diameter CV joint and Bus / Brazilian Bays use a 100mm so you will need to have Bus Outer & Drive shafts and Beetle Inner CV joints)

You need to clean the gearbox and remove old CV joints.

Remove rear bumper & Valance:

Remove Engine:

Remove Old Gearbox:

Swap Over Nose Cone & Hockey stick from Old to new:

Install Beetle CV Joints on van:

Install new gearbox & connect up:

Refit engine. Test gearbox while still on axle stands to ensure all gears work.

Once satisfied away you go with a German Quality Gearbox.

Full comprehensive write up of each phase of my install is on my T2bay bay blog.

http://t2bay.blogspot.co.uk/

The new gearbox is Fantastic. Loads of long gears and low rpm in 4th!

Betty's Broken Gearbox ;-(

I have broken Betty's Gearbox!

Pile of Brazilian Rubbish and it deserved to die!

Anyway found a nice AH 1302s Beetle gearbox and purchased it 12 hours after breaking it.

Here is a full write up on my blog.

http://t2bay.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/broken-gearbox.html

Here is the video of the broken one in action! Listen to the clunking sound!

Anyway progress is well. New gearbox cleaned up, engine out and old gearbox is being dropped tonight!

Its going to be a Brazilian Bay / Beetle B**stard Hybrid (Gearbox and inner CVs from beetle and Brazilian Driveshafts and outer CVs)

Type 2 VW walk-through propex heater box