Clodhopper: Fiberfab
Clodhopper: Fiberfab
D i v i s io n o f V e lo c id a d ,I n c .
FIBERFAB
Tableof Contents
1.
]NTR0DUCT|0N...
1 2 ,....,3
2. ACQUIRINGAWFLOORPAN.. 3, 4. 5. REMOVINGTHEVWBODY.
6. W|RING,ETC.. 7. CoRVAIRPoWER?
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1.
INTRODUCTION
in the ever-expa$li.ng is Fiberfab's of fiberglassbodiesfor shortened Volkswagen . The Clgdhqppql -aryay -entry -- as.areall.F.iberfab is manufactured products-- from the highestqualityglassfi5er, chassis. The Clodhopper polyester gel-coatsthat are commercially available. ln addition resin an_d_ to this highquility y6uwill-note;when you reccive your Clodhopper, severalu.nique designfeatures -- richly and permanenlly textuied interior suriaces; batterywells; one-piecehoodand dashboard; integral, heavily-reinforced etc. -- wtrichplaces it a notchabove you that yourClodhopper the competition andassures is therrbest buyrtin the fun-vehicle'market. is very easily assembled The Clodhopper ontoa shortenedVWfloorpan. The instructions deal with all asoects projectwith emphasifiT'TT6i6ipan of your Clodhopper construction prepaiation and shortening -- the shortening'being the "toughest"part of the.project. lf yourre-doing the.shortening you'll needan oxy-acetylene welding,/cutting outfit. lf yourrenot, the followinginventory of tools andsupplies ihould suffice:
HAND TOOLS (3/8u - drive) VL6u , 3/8tt , 7/L6t' , L/2" , 9/L6n , 5,/8" sockets and/oropen-end wrenches of thesame size. handle 3/8" - driveratchet blade Standard screw-driver -- medlum Phillips blade screw-driver -- medium Straight-edge (72") Steeltape files anddrills Assorted rasps, holesaws Woodworking 2'(for steering column cutout) cutout) 4 L/4't (for speedoheter tool Wireterminal crimping workshop variety Poprivet gun-- horne TOOLS POWER
L/4" capacityelectric drill (Sabresaw andL/2t' capacity electricdrill are helpful.)
MATERlALS
round head, square Standard, neck, stepbolts , 5/161'- L8, 2 doz. American andlockwashers. L L/4 " longwith nuts, washers Assortedmachine bolts, nuts, washers and.lockwash erci L/4" , 5/L6" lengths l" to 3r'. 3/8" various Assortedheavy-gauge, sheetmetalsctews Poprivets, assortedlengths, L/4n to L/2x paint Quartof rust-inhibiting : and
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N G V OLK S W A GEFLOOR PAN 2 . AC Q U IR IN A bodykit wish to replace the travel-worn a Clodhopper shell of the "beetle"they Manypersons Furchasing yardandrefurbish Volkswagen a wrecked this "outfroma salvage alreadv owh. Otheibuildersplanto acquire parts. ln either instance,thls brief a few "fresh" mechanical and perhaps cast" with a newClodhopper'body builders. sectionshouldbe of interestto all prospective familyilcan be dividedinto four groups:1) Pre-1950beetle, 2) the "Volkswagen For our ourooses, TheVariantandGhiaare not suitablefor use as chassis Post-|961brietie, 3i Variant, 4) Karmann-Ghia. ge^arbox. 4-speed, non-synchromesh employ-a The earlier beetlesare all 36 hols-epow.er.and for a Clodhopper.' . a 4-speed, least 4O-hors-epower and all employ numbers startingat 5,000,001) .all.have The latercaii (englne gearbox. All the beetlesare suitable, but the later modelsare preferred. synchromesh Bay Area-- reputable are listed in a automobile dismantlers ln the localeof Fiberfab -- the San Francisco lists and contains extensive calledthe PARTSL0CAT0R. The PARTSL0CATORis issuedmonthly oublication exist in your Northern California. Most likely, similarpublications in yardsthroughout automobiles bf all wrecked the PARTSL0CATOR if you choose_to utilize usedparts. For you reference, areaandwouldassist you sigriificantly Avenue, San Leandro,California,94577 , address is: PARTSL0CAT0R, 1696 Washington that what you needconsistsof four majorpieces: throughthe wreckingyards, remernber Whenbrowsing 1. 2. 3, 4. framel Floorpan -- the VW 'rplatform column the steering unit including Frontsuspension/steering differential andaxles Transaxle -- gearbox, En g i n e
(perhaps partfroma dismantler and partfroma You can buv all four piecesin onewreckor buy themseparately toproblems pre-1960and post-1960partsare pieced arisewhen rebuilder). Someminorcompatibility comoonent gether, but thesecan generally be solvedwith little difficulty. wiperm-otor windshield Clodhopper;,e.9.; can also be usedto.finish-your Manybits and piecesof VW hardware specialwheelsare goingto be used; anddimmer switches;wheels(unless gaugesi ignition, headlight assemntyi etc. gas tank (1961 or later); weatherstripping; as they vary considerably. the required Voltswa.ge-n cqqP-onggt! difficult to estimat_e_pri-cgs_fg1 It is extremely (not and running fo-r_$_25--$50, complete chassis.se^ll We haveseen1954-1958Volkswagen acrossthe country-. for$100-$250. C ompl etepost-1960wr ecksr un 1 9 5 8 -6 0 fl o o rp a n sw i thrunni nggearsel l weli. lut r u n n i n q i . thanwreckingyardsare p3l!.sother. of Volkswageq updnage and condifion. Sources ilo*'SZbO to $6rSO depending -from used yourautomo.bile VW [totals", local newspaper insurance broker concerning cheiper(e. g.', tips sometimes car ads and VW repaiishopbare other potentialsourcesof the parts you need. and transaxles) with metricand specialVW tools (andlike to tinkerwith engines Unlessvou are equipped it i. ot oU i [l i a a u i i a U l t[ri ]n v e s ta l i ttl e m orei nal ow -mi l eagew reck. l nanycase, w henbuyi ngachassiswit h youcomplete the purchase. alone),havethe sellerrun the enginebefore for iri engine "ngi;e are intact, the wreckis usable-- DON!TLET A Alwayskeepin mindthat, if the four itemslisted above M A NG L E .D BOD YF O OLYOU !
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3 , R EMOV ]N GA W FLOOR P A N withoutthe body, you can skip this section. lf not, readon! Volkswagen lf you acquired a wrecked from the floorpanthe followingtasks mustbe completed: Beforethe VW bodycan be separated
I. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
thefrontandrearseats Remove loose carpeting andfloormats Remove the battery andremove Disconnect thegaslines thegastankanddisconnect Drain the gastank Remove fluid reservoir thehydraulic fiomth body Separate (e.g., coil, electric from wiring theengine all electrical choke,etc.) Disconnect canbeextracted fromthe body andused as a source Thewiringharness of wire. the left frontwheel. Remove shaftretainer Unbolt steering thesteering column clamp at thedashboard Unbolt thesteering assemlby column Remove
the Volkswagen body. Referring to Figure I -- remove the body Now you are readyto unboltand remove under the edgeof the bodyand rearboltsare shown. Side bolts are accessible retaininq bolts at the locations lifted. The bodyis nowfree of the floorpan andcan be lifted-off using fromwithin the body(carpet accessible andseveralrrstrong andwillingil helpers. The VW bodyis extremely a blockandtackle, chainhoist, or yourself removing it. lt i-sbecause of this weight.loss,incidentally, careshouldbe exercisedwhen heavyand consideiable performance fromyour completed Clodhopper. that you can expectconsiderablybetter-than-Volkswagen
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4 . P R E PA R IN G/S H OR TE N IN G TH E FLOOR P A N (di stance havi ng,nomi nal l y, 80" w heel bases a re v e h i c l es M o s t" d u n e buggies" fromthe center o f t he f r ontw h e e l s o f th e re a rw heel s). V W ' s have94.5" w heel bases. to th e c e n te r Therefore the V W fl oo r pan m ust he C l odhopper body. In addi ti on 1 4 " to a c c o mo d a t te be s ho rte n ea to shorteni ng, db o u t the' panshoul d be cleaned, andthe frontsuspensi on b e d ,e c a m b e r ed, t he r e a rw h e e l s before should the C l odhopper bod yis secur ed " softened" t o it . l l e a n -u p c l e arthe fl oorpan pi eces of bi ts,and Th e g e n e rac should of tornfl oor coveri ng andw eather st r ipping. g l a s s , e tc , s h o u l d b e vacuumed or sw ept off. R ustspotsshoul d S t one s , b ro k e n be sanded to baremet al and p a i n to r p ri mer attenti on c ov er e d w i th a ru s t i n h i b i ti n g -- speci al shoul d be gi venthe areasurroundi n the g VW a c i d m a yh a vespi l l ed. A ny hol esi n the ' panshoul d b a tte ry bat t e ry tra yw h e re be pl ugqed or patched. g e fl oorpan i s decamberi ng i he V W rearsuspensi on. Th e n e x ts te pi n p re p a ri nth i s r equir ed D ecamberi ng in sprung-w-eight caused by the replacement to compensate for the reduction of the VW steel bodywith the Clodhopper yourC l odhopper w i l l ri de several i nches f iber g l a s b s o d y . W i th o u d t e c a m b e ring too hi gh i n the rear. Decam ber ing i f C o rv a i r-p o w er i s pl anned. is us u a l l y n o t re q u i re d bd y di sengagi ng the torsi on is bar, i ncl udi ng arm(referred D e c a m b e ri n ga c c o mp l i s h e radi us to by VW as of the fl oorpan, fro rrth e s p l i n e s a t th e center i . e., pul l -outthe barandradi us arm. Nowr ot at e " s pr in g -p l a te " ), i n F igure2, several t he ba ra rrd ra d i u s a rm/ a s s h o w n the bar i n the spl i nes . Af t er andre-engage " notches" the settingis checked equivalently, by rolling the floorpan bothbarshavebeenrotated on wheels, backandforth o n th e re a ro f the ' pan-- the rearw heel s be verti cal w henthe torsi on b ar sar e set wit h t w o p e o p l e s ta n d i n g shoul d properl y .* \^p aYle o)'\ o-\s,J<- Sgl"'oc f on ^ u','i o'nrl, .,lo pull out torsion barsand ldY..urf -.r "r, androtateas shown. radiusarms
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of barscomposed by removing the fronttorsionbars-- rectangular can be accomplished Front-end lowering six or morestripsof steel-- anddisabling,by cutting, half the strips in eachbar(cut bothsidesof bothbars--the torsionbarhousings is to drill throu_gh method of halvingthg front-ehdTpring-rate and lowei). Another upper the dri l l eds-ocket barrunni ng through w i l l nowact as an o n l y (s e eF i g u re1). The torsi on o n es o c k e t diill t h ro u q h barcanbe removed.D ri l l i ngi s performed w i th a 1'r dr ill- bit anti -sw ay ant i- s w a y l a ra n dth e " o ri g i n a l -e q u ipment" to the endof a 3-foot extension. secured the dotted is accomplished by cutting-out the piecebetween shortening first to FigureI -- floorpan Referring t he gear the.gearshifr ftor n n Fi gure o f th e' panas-show in 3. To begi n,rem_ove th e tw o p i e c e s linesa n dre j o i h i n g access. Remove the shiftinqrod fromthe transaxle -- see Figure1 for couplin-g shift pedestil. Nlxt, uncouple t o t he a 15r' l i ne on the shi fti ngrod p ar allel h o leat the frontof therpan. S cri be th e a c c e s s t he s h i fti n g ro d th ro u g h of the rbd suchthat 3/8" of the scri bed l i ne appears ax is o f th e ro d . R e m o v a e 1 4 l /4 " secti on on t he t wo piec e s w i th the tw o scri bed re ma i n i n gJ . o i n th e s etw o p i e ces,by w el di ng, l i nesal i gned. *T he d e c a mb e ri n Set is by C amber S et . The C am ber consi derabl y usi nga Fi berfab og p e ra ti o c na n b e h a stened the torsionbars. provides adjustment of camber withou-tre1m-?ifrf-7ernftT-of continuous easily installedand
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accesshole in lhe tgp of the "tunnel", Startthe holeabout4" behind Now, cut a temporary the emergency insidethe tunnelawayfromthe sidesof tlie brakemounting andcut as shownin Figure1. Beqdthe tubesrunning tunnelso that they will not be damaged duringthe subsequent cuttingoperation. Breakthe retaining weldssecuring the emergency brakemounting thesetubesto the tunnelbehind thoseat the pointswhere -- breakall welds including the tubesexit the rearof the tunnel. Movethe brakeline, running outsidethe tunnelon the floor, awayfromthe side of t he t unn e l . in Figure1. Use an oxy-acetylene Mark the floorpan with chalkandcut as shown torchor a sabresaw. Remove it overthe endsof the tubes. Reinsert the cut-outsectionby withdrawing the tubesin the holes in the rearsectionof the tunneland move the frontand rear piecesof the 'pan together as shownin Figure3. Checkdimensions "X" (X is approximately 54 L/2") to see that they equal. Nowweld the shortened the tubeto the 'pantogether. Reweld end of the tunnelandcut off the excess. lnstall the shortened shift rod. Shorten the various cablesusingcable aftercutting-outL4 L/4tt, Coil the excessbrakeand gas lines. spficesor by havingnewendsswaged-on patching,.shortening, etc. completed the floorpan With the cleaning,sanding_, needonly be painted with a rustpaintto makeit readyfor the Clodhopper body. inhibiting
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The Clodhopper bodymounts floorpah. The originalVW body-6-panweather' directlyto the s.hortened per side, pasiedthrorr4h using8 step-bolts strip can be used,ifavailable. Bolt the bo{y !o_th.e the 'pan holes in the rpanand 5/L6" holesdrilled in the mounting original.body mounting lii of the body., Heavygaugesheetmetalscrewsshouldbe usedto secure the bodyto the 'pan alongthe front andrear mounting' placement lip -- put washers the screwheads. General under of the bodyis shownin Figure4. Figure5 showsthe mounting of othercomponents in the Clodhopper body. The qas tank is placedin the pre-formed well in the noseof the bodyandsecured usingstock-VWgas tank hold-down clamps. Headliqhts pedestals are mounted on the body-- the recommended on the molded-in lampsare manufactured by: R . E . D i etzC ompanv 225 W i l ki nson S tre6t Syracuse,NewYork L32OL andcarrypart numbers 820-B and 820-C for blackandchrome units, respectively. provided The windshield with the Clodhopper kit is boltedto the sidesof the hoodwith the vertical portion of the frameparallelto the face of the dashboard.Placethe weather strip, provided with the windthe frameandthe top of the dashboard. The windshield shield, between is secured to the hood,as shown in Figure5, with 5/16" hardware is gained usingplated,flat-head(oi filister head) -- Urebestappearance the frame machine bofts. With the framein position drill through andsidesof the dashwith a5/16" drill -countersink the holes if flat-headbolts are to be used. * To f it the steerjng column,, boreal-3/4". hole in the firewall 10" fromthscenterof the bodyand4" through the holeahdsecure downfromthe top of the firewall. Passthe column the steering shaftlo the box. Support the column temporarily universal-joint on the steering until the hoodis secured to the body. wiper motorin the ho'od by drilling through Mountthe windshield the pair of mounting bosses with a 7/I6't drill . Place the wiper shaft bushings throughthe holes and securewith stock hardware. Added support for the wiperassembly can be provided with a bracket mounted on the lowerI ip of the dashboard. can be mounted on the forward The brakefluid reservoir side of the "firewall" usinga standard 3" hose usingpoprivets or small machine bolts and nuts. clampaffixedto the fiberglass the gas tankfillet placethe hoodin positionon the body After boringa hole in the hoodto accomodate or #10 machine and secure bolts. Drill the bodyandhood, to accept with poprivets, sheetmetalScrews the fasteners, column to the lowersurface as shownin Figure5. Nowlift the steering of the dashboard and (U.-clamp and rubbergromme0. at[ach it using stock VW hardware 0n to th e w i ri n g .
* see pagel5 for the preciselocationof the windshield if a soft top is to be installed
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6. WIRING, ETC.
provides the ground-rules for completing the basicwiringof your This sectionof the instructions described below is based wiring system,or on the factory-assembled body. The configuration Clodhopper to the widestvarietyof engine/instrumentation/lighting the mostadaptable "harness", which has proven harnesses are available,as partof the Clodhopper Wiring Kit, from The factoryprgpared combinatidns. Fiberfabat extra cost. for the following: shouldprovide To begin,a wiring harness
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oiI pressure, fuel level, battery,/generator Instrumentation -- engine etc. condition, lights, etc. 4. lnteriorlighting-- dashboard tai l l i ghts,etc. l i g h ti ng E x te ri o r -- headl i ghts,
1. Enginestarting i g n i ti on 2. E n g i n e
manyitemsto be wired havebeeninstalled,viz,, of yourClodhopper, At this staqein the construction voltage fuel level sender,oil pressure regulator, the starter,startersolenoid,ignitioncoil, generator, are yet to be installed. Additionally,this The itemsin the list below, however, switchand'headlights. and locations itemsplus recommethods of theseto-be-installed mounting concerning list contains remarks mended sources -is gained -a pleasing appearance LIGHTS: 0n the reardecklip wherever 1. TAIL LIGHT/BRAKE a few. or VW to name CorvetteStingray,'55 Chevrolet nearthe headl i gh t s LIGH TS : 0n top of the frontfenders N D IC A T0R 2. . F R 0 N T PA R K IN G/T U RIN VVKarmann Ghia. or on eachside olthe front licenseplate-- e.9., late model andmechani sm i nstal l ed V W w i ndshi el w d i permotor W IP ERM 0 T 0 R: S tandard 3. WIN D S H IE L D hood. in the Clodhopper mountingbosses usingthe molded-in conventionally 4. just to the left of the clutchpe{al -- factory-built cars DIMMERSWITCH: 0n the rrfirewall" unit shouldoperate successfully. but anydimmer Ford switches all employ
I'firewall' nearthe lowerright handcorner -- use a VW horn. 5. H0RN: 0n the outsideof the brace the centerof the floorpan -- factory6. FUSE BL0CK: 0n the insideof the "firewallt'above of four fuses: built cars use blockshavinga capacity parki ng l i ghts, tai l l i ghts A. H e a d l i g h ts, B. Brakelights C. Turn indicators accessories, etc. wipermotor,instruments, D. Horn, windshield fuse holders blocks be asry1n[te-d-rping may The fuse block is partof the WiringKit. Fuse partsstore(e.9., part number 57 E3006 as listed in the froma local electronics available for 1968I catalog Allied Electronics body. Boreholes into the rearseatof the Clodhopper box molded 7. BATTERY: ln the right-hand whichto passthe cables. in the sidesof the box through prefer,touse a more manyof our customers can be_used, instruments Althoughstock Volkswagen gauges vehicles are given used in_factory.-Fltlt extensives-etof garges in th-eirnew Clodhopper. The V.DO in the 0PTl0N LIST maybe ordered to theseinsdrlctions. The gauses il'ih;itFftOni liSf lppended fromyourlocalVD0 dealeror directlyfromFiberfab. andhub-to{ront--vfiere the -- hub-to-rear is dividedinto two majorsections The wiring harness routingof .these the general the wiring. Figure6,show.s lo Uettrerrhubr''of instrument nini,l is .onsideied floorpan. The hub-to-frontharnessis routedthroughthe Volkswagen t'ainJsieJrLjitiuJto itu shortened i;ai;;w;li; divides in a "T". The At this pointthe harness fuel tank-mountinglurface-. .lrsi i,-rO.ithe surfacewhereit fgain . to the left edgeof fhe tank-mounting tefi-nanapdition ot the harnessis brought and parking lights. forwaidalongthe side of the gastank to ihe headlights runninq biancheitii*, onebranch portionis routed switch. The right-hand Tne otn"r brinilr is routedbackilonq the firewallto the dirnmer and parking light. as the left to the right headlight in the samemanner
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the inside is brought down surface harness of thefirewallto thefloorandthenback Thehub-to-rear I'tunnel" therightsideof thetunnel- lt is passed thefloorandcentral along thejoint between -- along just above lip at the base of therearseatandfromthereit is extended the mounting to through the body thestarter, rearlightsandengine. in Figure 6, thewiresin theharnesses shown terminate as follows: to thenumbers Referring HARNESS REAR 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. L2. rrhot'r primary primary system lead (8)* FYik. -- electrical motor Starter (14) F. Starter solenoid (14) F. Spare (16) F. Spare (14) F. terminal coil "BATil lg-nition lightpower) switch (16) F. (warning 0il Pressure (16) F. (warninglightpower) Voltage regulator "61r' terminal (14) B. (wirein cluster giound with3,4,5,6 is grounded to engine) Lighting (14) F. Tail lisht(s) Brake light(s) (14) F. Leftturnlight (14) F. turnlight(14) F. Right
(I4) F. (to oneterminal of the pressure in the end switchmounted Brakelight switchpower of the brakemastercvlinder) switchterminal) Brakelight switchrelurn(14) T. (to the otherpressure F u e l ta n ks e n d (1 6 ) T . (10) F. (to dimmer power switch) Headlight p o w e r (1 2 ) A. Hi g hb e a m power (I2) A. Low beam in the sameterminal as wire#I7) light power (16) T. (terminated High beam-indicator (ground) wire (14) F. Holn operating HornPower (14) F. F r o n te n dg ro u n d(1 4 ) A (1 2 ) T. l i s h t(s ) (1 4 ) F . P a rk i n g Left turn light (14) F. Ri g h ttu rn l i g h t (1 4 ) F .
FRONT HARNESS
L3. L4. 15. 16. L7. 18. I9. 20. 2]-. 22, 23. 24. 25.
power ground(wire#B), low beam of the rearharness Allwires leadto or fromthe hubwith the exception (#17). The wiring of the.hub,.and (# 18) andhigh beam the connection to it, is power of the harnesses (viz., speedo-. on the use of VW instrumentation in Figure7 is.based diagrammed in Figure7. The diagram wiperswitch, fuel gauge and3-wire turn signalswitch). switch, windshield meier, iqnitionswitch, headliqht i nthew i ri ngki t(e.s., 47 E 1876 and 57 E 3005 as e l o c ka re i n c l uded T he t 6r m in ab l l o c ka n d -fu s b for 1968). catalog listed in the Allied Electronics
* numbers wire sizes refer to recommended in parentheses #F = f r omh u b , T = to h u b , A = a h e a d B = backi n harness i n harness,
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Use heavykraft paperto makepatternsof the floor area. Transferthe patternsto the carpet (making cut. Sew on the binding. Cut the jute to match the iarpetting. sure it is nodubside-down)'and and install the jute. Thenspraythe jute and install the carpetting Spraythe floor with trim adhesive over it. (mounted grabfor interiorfinishinginclude ashtrays in the dashboard), Otheritemsto be considered be yourgui de. bar s , s c u ff-p l a te o s n th e " d o o r"s i l l s , etc., etc., etc. Let youri magi nati on soft-topon yourClodhopper, FiguresB and9 showhowthis top lf you decideto use the Fiberfab to thesefigures-- the top{ows are assembled is installed. Referring with the small bowto the rear. brackets, as shown,with#10 self-tapping The tops of the bowsshouldbe parallel. Installthe mounting screws. by measuring fromthe centertop edgeof the rearseat Checkthe positionof the top of the windshield is to the centerfrontedgeof the windshield. This measurement shouldbe 60 inches. lf tlris dimension moreor less tffifi-60 inchesthe top will not fit or will fit improperly. the seamsin the top into check, centerthe top on the bowsanddrill through lf all measurements screws. Tuck the frontflap of the top into the top to the bowswith chrome-washered the bowsand secure frameand pull the top reanvard until it is taut. Then, startingat the center the groovein the windshield snap, markthe bodyto locatethe snap-stud. Drill the bodyand install the stud. Workout fromthe center process until all the snapsare affixedto snap-studs. Finally, pull the the locating-and-drilling repeating frameand locate,drill and install the frontsnap-studs. top smoothly overthe windshield
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C OR V A IR P OW E R
the Volkswagen For more"G0" fromyourClodhopper, engineis readilyreplaced with a muchmore powerful glSilq. GoodCorvair 1962 or later, are available engines. Corvair yardsfor at mostwrecking gn yearandcondi ti on.A voi dthe turbo-charged engi nes.$f 00.0 0 to $ 3 0 0 .0 0 , d e p e n d i no the Volkswagen floorpan It is not necessary to decamber if Corvairpoweris usedas the added weight of the CoiG-irengine for the Volkswagen camber. compensates transaxle to a VW shopandhavethemput the ring gearon the otherside of the Takethe Volksw-agen case(thedirection engine opposes of rotationof the Corvair that of the VW. The ring gearilflopoverl by one unfamiliar with settingup automotive shorrld rrot be attempted rearends. Next, lhe bell-ho.using.is removed fromthe Corvair enginein preparation for mounting a Corvair-toplate. With re-gard to adapters--w_e Vr,lkswagen adapter strongly recommend the use of the adapter kits prodrr,:ed hy CrownManufacturing 651 West Seventeerith Company, Street, CostaMesa, Califoinia. T hc Cro w n Ad a p te K r it includes: N o . 5 0 01 No. 5002 N o . 5 0 03 N o . 5 0 04 N o . 5 005 N o . 5 008 A dapter E ngi ne Adapter Starter H eavy-duty' Fl yw heel P l ate H eavy-duty P ressure P l ate C l utchD i sc U ni versal Throttl e Li nkage
it_ems Crown also manufactures a number of accessory suchas muffler-exhaust systems whichcan be powered Furfter information usedtor yourCorvair Clodhopper. is available fromCrownManufacturing. l h e ny o uw ri te ,.i f y o umenti on that the ki t i s to be used I t will h e i re l p fuw w i th a Fi berfab body. pilot bearing After the bell-housing is removed, remove the Corvair in the endof the crankshaft and r eplac e w i th th e e x te n d e d -ty p se u p p l i ed by C row n-- the-ori gi nal beari ng hasthe proper l D butdoesnot engage cnough transmission inputshaft. Bolt the adapter plateto the Corvair(if the of the Volkswagen plate, make oil seal is not yet installedin youradapter surethat whenyou do install it you referto the or irina l C o rv a i b i t i n backw ards). r e l l -h o u s i nto g a v o i dp l aci ng N ext, bol t the adapted fl yw heel to the (w i thcl utchdi sc i n pl ace) rra n k s h a ft Cor v a i r a n dth e nb o l t th e c l u tchpl atecover to the fl yw heel . Drivethe starter-motor-shaft bushing out of the VW transaxle andreplace with the specialbushing in the StarterAdapter to the Volkswagen kit. Nowbolt the Corvair transhxle--interferenbe between the transaxle and the engine heater by reshaping duct is eliminated the ductsor replacing themwith Crown #5012 Heater Adapters, The Corvair starteris usedby means of the starteradapter. the Volkswagen To complete the engineinstallation, throttlewire is coupled to the Corvair via the (e.9., C row n#5010). Univ ers aT l h ro ttl e a n da s u i ta bl e exhaust system i s i nstal l ed Linkage th e e l e ctri cal becomes Us i n gth e C o rv a i e system 12-vol t i nstead r ngine, of the V ol ksw agen 6-vol t . T hewi ri n gh a rn e s s ed se s c ri b e d i n Se cti on 5 are, how ever, gauge sti l l appl i cabl e.A l l bul bsgauges, s lndc r ri n i ts e tc . m u s tb e l 2 -v o l t L r ni ts -- or -- 6-vol t uni tsw i th seri esvol tage droppi ng resi stors.
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CLODHOPPER OPTION LIST finish Two-tone solidcoloror Metal-flake or black) vinyltop(white Covertible (black,vinyl-textured) Hardtop Show-bar 0oll barfor looks) safety) Go-bar(roll barfor maximum (black only),set Carpets pair vented-vinyl), seatcovers(black Front andback resO,set Rear seat(cushion pair Economy sidecurtains, (withframe), pair sidecurtains Deluxe Bootfor top (6 or 12 vol0, complete kit Harness Wiring
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SETBYVDo CoMPLETE 6 VoLT TNSTRUMENTS, Description List Price VDONo. gauge pressure Oil De3501 $ 10.97 sender Oil pressure L2,30 De3601 gauge Oif temperature L3.92 Fe 32L3 sender Oif temperature 6,78 Fe 3272 gauge Fueffevef L3,68 Fu 3001 Kit Tank lnstallation 2,52 Tf 225r 14,22 Tank Unit Tf 220t Ammeter 6.25 Am1903 gauge Vacuum L3.07 Va 0002 gauge installation kit - 12 ft. 5.30 Vacuum (764 rev/nild 23.A5 Speedometer Sp L222 VW-to-VDO speedometer cable 2.80 - 5 ft. (4 cyl.) Tachometer 44.85 aaiqn SETBYVDo CoMPLETE 12 VoLT TNSTRUMENTS, List Price Description VDONo. pressure gauge 0il De 3502 $ 10.97 L4.40 sender 0il pressure De3603 gauge L6,75 0il temperature Fe 32L6 6.78 sender Oil temperature Fe 3273 L3.68 Fuellevelgauge Fu 3002 L4.22 Tankunit Tf 220L unit 2.52 Tankinstallation Tf 225L 6.25 Ammeter Am1903 gauge L3.07 Vacuum Va 0002 gauge s.30 installation kit - LZ ft. Vacuum 23.05 Speedometer U 64 rev/milel Sp 1222 2. B0 cable VW-to-VD0 speedometer - 6 ft. (6 cyl.) 44.85 Tachometer zeisA
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DE0II'EERI'{G T}IE F,EA-R i\IEEEIS Gene Rj-Ceout, Eeili:ighann, Wash., reports that after clriving his Porsc,he about 2OTOOO ni1es, nosily with just hi.nseif in the car, it developed a port list; r+e donrt know his weight, :ut u:rusl,al angles have developed on other cirs at about the sane nileage. Gene got out hj-s shop nurual ard reised the lefi: rear of his car one degree and lowered ttre right rear one degree, and reports thlngs are back on arr even ke e1 . The operation on the rear torsion bars ca:: be done by alnosi ar{fone who can turn a lrrench provided sorne guidance is available. John Snyder, Potorec Region, conducted some adjustEenl on hri-s rear torsion bars and lrrote up the details and explained a few techalcal polnts as he went, along. Our only preface to Johnts artr icle ls that you should not play around 'r:ith the torsion bars just because you have notlring else to do on a Sirnday afterrroon. We suggestthat jJ you lo:row there is a li.st, a droop snoot, or /cu want the rear end to hold in corpetition, then go ahead and do the job. WeLl equinned =ifriii""r
L ^-; _'.j-r, ^,,+ gc -^ out ano Du;r a nerr pair. of .f;.cnt -uor_ --+ s:c:- :p:'irrgs. if no*", read '-::e res-; of tf:is a l f h c u g h a s l i g n t c e c a n t e : i n g o f th e -=e : ': -l e : ; :,e e l s e v e n j J r a n e w c a r : : , a ; , 'b e q u i te . :3rz:ax]g.
""" neasure the angle &5A), ttrat will accurately on lhe rear radius arna. The radius arm (uhicb is attached to the end of the rear torsion bar) when hlngJng^free, should have an angle of from 6f" to 7, doi.rn from the l.rorizontal.
Many Porsche owners have erperienced the tendency of thelr car to oversteer, that 1s, to follow a path of progres$ive1y decreasing ridiue in any one given turning position oJ the steerjng rheelp requlring the driver to ropen uprr on the steering wheel 1n order to steer around a curve of constant radius. l'lany have al-so e:rperienced the tendency of the car to "wander" at higher speeds, particularly under the influence of a crossuind. These conditions ry in large part, and in many case, be eonr pletely overcotne by decanrbering the rear wheels.
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lhe effect of decarnbe:.ing or: the oiers:er=g teridenc."*is rather +.ecjtnlcai and need e:i c::-eern us here, suffice it to say that ciec"--::e:irg the rear ;heels of a porscbe, .rdnether '.::e car be new or used, has a pronounced"iffecl :r the oversteering tencie::cy and rtrilL decrease j-t in all cases, causi:.g ihe car to have trcre cr less a neutral_ steering .uendency. ?he :::cice::tal effect of decanberGg which causes ..i_ to have greater directior:al stability i=" is easily understandable when it is real_ized 'i:at cecamberilg the rear wheels lov.ers the rear enC of the car aad that lo"*ering the rear end of tte car will tend to create i greater degree of caster of the front wheels, cester in *.91f"-being the anount tha"" th; kin4rjns are tilted toward the rear of tbe car at thelr i.q:per ends. fhe greater the degree of caster, k-e g:'eater tendeney for the front rfieels to reroirl in or return to the stral.ght-ahead positioa, hence greater directional stability. .4lo'r,Ler factor contributing to directibnal sta_ is the proper anount of toe in of the lielty lront wheels, rdrich is, of course, a requirenenl mdgl any circunstances. &'e urlterrs auJomobile, a J-953 coupe, possessed a great tendency to overdte;r, a pre no-,:srcd degreq ,of .directional instaUi i i ty, and a.l'so a tenalency- to-shj-rm6r. A1l of faults -ihese Here ccrrected by decanbering the fear 'I'he fact that the shfurmying disappeired "h;;t;. shous tlrat there r,l.astoo Little front wleel caster bejor.e deeanberilg the rear wheels, since the frcni e:rd in all other respects uas 1n gocd shape.
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lecarnbering the rear wheels is a rathel . si:Fle. job, although perhaps an hour to ar houtr and a h-aif should be allowed. The first stpn The ciegree of carnber of the rear lrheels is 5.s to jack up the car and remove o"" oi'ti""lhat degree to which the rear wheels are tilted rear rreels. Then rmove the three sets of outwardly so that their upper portions nulvs and bolts nhlch connect the bifurcated are disp_1aced outrardty of the road contacting po:,tions. rear end of the trailing arm to the a:rte hous!,heri lhe rear wheels are perfeerJ-y verl,ilal5 they i.ng, ho of the nuts and bolts also servj_r:p are said to have zero canber. Because of the to attcil the shock absorber lewer bracket"to rrrner irl rfrich ihe rear wheels of the porsche the ar*ie housing. In the ,*,riterrs car, these nuis and boLts fitted are inciepencienlly suspended, lowering of the a 19 mn, -,rench, a1_ i:cugh z 3nt" soeket rues also used to good rear enc of the car wiih respect to the rear ad'":hee1sproduces negative canber. rz::+.ege. The iraiii.rg Although arn is a length of metal i-he suspension gecr:etry of t,he car rnay'be ab:r{+. 5il wide and about VB" at 3/16', .,hick, perfectiy proper when new, the front torsion a::c rtich extends foru:ardly of the rear'ax"le bars apparen+,Iy have a greater tendency to be conneciion to the franne. liu,sine for pivotal perrnanen'"1ydefo:'rned than do the rear torslon li:--h -,hese three nuts and bol_ts re"rorrea, puff .a rs so i hat af ler pr c longed us e, t h e f r o n t t-ie rea:. axLe housing reanlard3.y so as io l-eave '1ir? rs:i end of enci of the car nay tre lower to the grou:rd fhan the trailing anrr free. ?o do i'" orirhali;' was, whereas the rear end nay be '-:is, ::! nay be necessary to loosen +,ls n1"m at substar-rfiaii-y< its origir:a1 height, causing c:r t,:e a-tle housing which serves ,, ;;;; the ca:" t. h31,ie a noscd do'rrnappearanee. It fc: :he .flexlble "" nove this bra_ke hose and to is in such cases tha+. lhe above-neniioned overc1a:e sl-igh.uly ou.urrardly to preve;ri it fron :teering lendency and lack of dlrec.uional stasir':.ir::.; the heat exchanger fc;r the heater and bility Jf you have ihe perriii, -"he rear axle housilg to are nosl noticeabl"e. be r::o.red back
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rr---h t-: -,:'a11irg a::t t;lus ireed, it ldll pr,:ba:-y be '- such a pcs:.-,i-on ,,nat iis lower ecige :-s e:ga::i aga=:ls-L -_:e siop on the frane jusi r:-rrzrl; of the F,:=t at which tne trail_ 1ng a::-- :s l::-::ecteci t,c --:.s rea:, torsion bar. It shc':*rj be roteci at tr:.- point that tire optfunn ;:sit::: of the tlaiii.ng arnr will probab1y be =:ch :;:! when fre:, iti lower edge vi1l eit::el ,'::st :-ear Ine s-r:; or be spaced no more +-han i a'' ab.:;e it. !fuc: n:ore ,p""ing than this l wel ;::oab-i; nake it ve:y diffitult io ,"*o,r. anci re-;lace :be rear r*te: since there r+ill be i.ns'i-fii:ient clearance bei"*een tle brate Crun and fe::er. ?ne nerL ste_: is to renove the four i,rlts -s=:_chseeure :ie dust for "ure tors:o:r bar Lo f,bg fyene, "orl, ""p eiit er a
steps should be repeat,eci lmtil- the lower edge thg.traiii:rg arn jiist ciea:.s or is no iore ?I thar 1/bil frcnr tne st,op. Incicentai"ty, .hnen re_ rnoving fhe ir:::er end cf the torsion bar .fron its socket, it is best to first renove the rub_ ber bushing wirich is slipped i-ntc the frane and enbraces the ir^:rer end of the trailj.rrg arrr boss wnen lhe parts are assenbled. Thrs nrikes it easier to grab the iorsion bar anc exert tne necessary pullrng force io renove it fror its spl-ured socket. Insofar as ti:e i:rsion bar is concet-nec. particular care shoulcj be taken not to scratch it an$" although the splirres are ^".-oi not, lubri-cated, there shouLd be a coatin!-of g""ur. throughout the internrediate length oi tne Uar to protect it fron rust. Needless'to say, the trailing _ atrr on both sides of the car sniirra be so positionea --ft that, both wheeLs are identically camt,erua. should be reraernbered that even a very slight overall adjustnent of the trailing ."r, res,:lt in very.rewarding "iii and noticeable results, .o *oJ_f eration ishould be the keynote. WitU ifre parts reassenbled, hop in the car and head for the nearest dirt road, and if you canrt take that curve faster and wlth less rear end sliding, let rne trorou.
wl!tr a screl=rivere since it carrles on lts rnner siCe a resilient b-:shing drictr ernbraces the oEtes ed of a boss .drich extend.s transversel-;; thrc:gh and is rigidly secured to the ronraFd end of 1;ru 13ai],lng ana, the flt being ra+.her s:';g. The bcss is fr6ffoin .na f"-, terna.Ll.y spJ_i.ned and recelves the splined outer end of tle torsion bar. Tbe nexl step is the bai'lina ara autwardly o that it !o-p"y pur r-q off frca tbe outer end of -ttre torsion -U""l-Oufo"" Eoneve, it n'il"l prcbably t" !"T. doing tbls to uark a vertical iine on-tfre outer,face of t- torsibn bar (nai]. podlf, q!/ s-o thet rbe original position of the "fff torst on ber can be Ce^"errrlnsdo
ft.ere are lrlr splines on the outer end of the tcrsi.on bar and its ir:ner end is provided rfith LC gpfirs' Since rctating the freed traiL. ir.g am, eve! nne spline irith respect io the torston bar so tbe rear end of the arrn 1s moved uprrerdJ.y f,rcq j"ts orLgiml position and then reengagi::g t}:e a:'n rrith tb"e torsion bar railI effect a ccnsilerable Cegree of 1or"-ering of the reaf e:d of the car on tlat side, it wi1J. probably be necssar:/ to rne-nipulate both the inner end of the icrsion bar a:d the outer end to adriere the lesired resrlt. I?ris is rather easiiy acco=lished since there are fer+er s'pli.nes on ,r:ne lnner enri of the bar than there are o:i rhe c.jter end, a:-; the best rnanner of proeee:ing is to Cisenga;e the inner end of the bar a;C rot-.e j-t one spl1ne il the directlon which ';oirl"C :a':se raisi-::i of the r:ear end of the ar: irere it a+-tached ."o ihe torsion bar and to the: rotz'-e and re-er..gage the arm one spline fron r:s or:;iral positi:n on the bar in a direct:.3:r whlc: wcu]d 'icwer its rear end from its orj-gj-*ii p:,::.,ion, the :-::t effect of ,,hese two sieps be'i;rg -ro jus.u ve:-; s1igh.t,1y raise the rear end ci the a:n wherr ,,he ;arts are all reassenbl"ed. I: othe: w6rds, on :he feft rear wheel, Lhe torsj.cn bar :s rotaied c:e spii_ne in a counterclcclc;:,se c-ection, uh1-e the arm is rotated one spii;re a cloclcdse directi_on, arrd vice versa icr +-le -- ctfier siCe of the car. These two
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WIPTREI"ADES . The rrindshields, as well as the rrj-n_ d91s, in Porsches are,rnade pf a specfai glass whigh.le shatter-proof tho it, is ;;; oi trru sandrich construption whLch is farn:i.liar a_ rounct uetroit. tne'bf the dlsadvantases of the Porsche nildshield material is ttrli it is sonewtrat softer thsn ordina# gb;r.- son" of us have discovererl that the irui"i-i" ti:" uindshield rriper b3.adeholders will scratcn the vindshield. If this. scratching beco*es bad,enough, many state lavs requir8 tfr"t tn. Ii'r.nosn1-el.cl be renewed.
One of our rnembers suggests that if the snall rivets, uhlch are used to aftaeh the blade holders to the n-iper arrrs, are kepr , tight the netal parLs cannot tip over far enough to touch the windshleld. We tried this on a 'rtiredlr blade holder by tappi-ng '1 i f rr ^^-,^-^ ugrlry severa_L -L+1., unes uith a snal1 harnmer, usilg a larger haruner as an anvil on the other end of the rivet. This dld the trick brut we suggest that you be careful the rlvet is not so tight that j"t vil1 prevent free movement of the holder as i-t passes over Lhe curved surface of the rindshleld. 'v{e also noticed that the viper.s did a bet,uer job afier the rivets nere tightened"
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E ugene R i deout of B sl l i ngh,,-, H ,rshi ngr,rn w i ;r,rc i r D pl S r.ai .n,has some go.d aJ,. r..'.,f,.,r, .'ri ni ui n,n6 w i ndshi el d w i per machani sms, C 6.6s burne,J.ui ti ,e motor duri ng rhe *'arranry peri ,r,_l . \l l i .,n he rerel v e,l a new onet he reprtcked the gear case *.j rh a li .qh: gradc of Lubri -pl are. Ir w orke,l ... n!) rj rL\rerr oui rl c . I hrs w oul d probabl v appl v rr, r,;l ,l rrr_.rrl rcr , i i nrar,__r as w el l as rai ny ones.
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