Sarge, when did transaxles start living?

[Jim Ratto]

Sarge how did you and your brothers keep your gearboxes alive back in the stone ages? Were guys spitting out diff carriers left and right or what? (oh wait they only come out left-ways). Was it the off road guys that taught everybody else how to keep a tranny together when abused? Seems like the drag guys just accepted trans breakage, even with Porsche stuff? Tell us about your Hurst Slicks story in alley behind F.A.T. 

[Sarge]

Ssssshhhh... I'm not supposed to be on here at work, remember?  As for transmissions, I broke my share with the '63.  Fortunatly, most of us ran 165 X 15 tires back then otherwise there would have been more carnage.  Solid mounts and the newly invented traction bar helped out, too.  My only dealings with slicks was a costly one.  Greg Aronson had just taken delivery on a set of Hurst slicks (at the original F&A shop on Howell) and "pestered" me into trying them out behind the shop.  The first hit was a little bit of wheel hop, so he told me to really hammer it good the next time.  Lucky it was a short push into the shop .  I had Lee Leighton's son Mike do the box in the sandrail after a couple of early failures there and never had another problem.  As for the '67, that was done by Jim Kaforski, and knock-on-wood, has been a nice piece.  A lot of trans failures happen from failure to use the handbrake to "load" the box before blast off IMO.

[John Rayburn]

I hope Greg at least helped you fix your box!

[dirk zeyen]

hello sarge                                                                                                                                                                                     "A lot of trans failures happen from failure to use the handbrake to "load" the box before blast off IMO"
can you explain this?

dirk zeyen

[Rennsurfer]

From lack of pre-loading. The handbrake trick was taught to me when I started driving. Good stuff!

[Sarge]

hello sarge                                                                                                                                                                                     "A lot of trans failures happen from failure to use the handbrake to "load" the box before blast off IMO"
can you explain this?

dirk zeyen

Hi Dirk...   Loading the gear box means when you pull in to stage your car, lift the hand brake (keep the button pressed in) and let the clutch out partially in first gear at the line to pull the car down (the back end will squat a bit "loading" the gears in the trans).  Some like to leave "on the brake" to avoid wheel spin when running street tires as well.  This will help lessen some of the shock on the trans.

[Jim Ratto]

sheep has a different explanation of "loading the tranny"

[Rennsurfer]

I hate politics... but for 2008, vote for Ratto & Sheep!

Pre-loading trannies... HAHA!!

[Sarge]

I'm appalled 

[Rennsurfer]

Really? And here I've been calling you Sarge. Silly me. I suck.

[deano]

I'll take a stab at this topic. Most fast VWs at the time used the 4.37 ring and pinion, which most of us would agree is the weakest of all the R&Ps. Add that factor to the useage an early mainshaft and you get maybe 15-25 runs before they go boom! And that's with 140hp. So, once people began to use a Super Diff, and the Super Beetle mainshaft came into the picture, I believe a gearbox began to live longer. As the hp increased, so did moving to a stronger 4.12 and finally the 3.88. Crown axles helped, as did sidecovers.

[louisb]

Funny, I figured as tire size and stickiness increased, along with hp, that trannys would break sooner. I do think we are pushing the limits of the stock type 1 trans case. With a tranny with a Berg 5, quaife dif & race prep going for just under 5 grand you would think someone could come out with an aftermarket white paper design for the street that would cure some of the type 1 weaknesses.

--louis

[John Rayburn]

I'll take a stab at this topic. Most fast VWs at the time used the 4.37 ring and pinion, which most of us would agree is the weakest of all the R&Ps. Add that factor to the useage an early mainshaft and you get maybe 15-25 runs before they go boom! And that's with 140hp. So, once people began to use a Super Diff, and the Super Beetle mainshaft came into the picture, I believe a gearbox began to live longer. As the hp increased, so did moving to a stronger 4.12 and finally the 3.88. Crown axles helped, as did sidecovers.

                                                   I think you're right Dean. The gussetted case helps hold the ring and pinion together, better, as well.

[dirk zeyen]

thank's sarge

it was my mistranslation what makes me nervous...so i asked you. in my translation you said that preload the gearbox is not a good idea, so i want to know why i run a stock 1974 swingaxle gearbox with 4.375 R/P and polished the axels and some more little modification. i preload it every time and it works!!! i love the way the "old boys" drive: no msd, no efi... but fast and simple and maybe cheaper
remember greg aronson with 69x88 engine, w1110cam and stock ratio gearbox runs an 14.17, today most people need for the same timeslip bigger engines and close ratio gearboxes, so ask the "old boys" how to go fast!!!

dirk zeyen

[John Rayburn]

Sarge is saying you MUST pre-load.

[louisb]

Sarge is saying you MUST pre-lube.

There, I fixed it for you. 

--louis

[John Rayburn]

SSSAAAARRGGEEE!!!!!

[dirk zeyen]

hello john,

after reading it again i know it!!!!
to many beer, fast reading and one more beer and see what happend

and yes i will preload again!!!

dirk zeyen

[dirk zeyen]

preload it

[Sarge]