Vintage Road Race Ghia...

[JWP]

Well the bearings are different widths so you may be able to compensate for it via the cap. Long axle bearing is .629, while the short axle bearing is .748 wide. Specs via Rock Auto.

[cefolar]

Well the bearings are different widths so you may be able to compensate for it via the cap. Long axle bearing is .629, while the short axle bearing is .748 wide. Specs via Rock Auto.

Thanks - thats interesting. So the long axle bearing is actually "shorter" than the short axle bearing. So I don't think it can be the bearing because that would only make the problem worse if I acually used the short axle bearing. I am going to try a spacer (which CIP1 sells, I have no idea what it is used for) and the correct short axle cap and see which one works. I just need to make sure that all the o-rings compress correctly - I'm just lost to what else the issue could be.

[Piledriver]

Man, I was so happy to see those rims, unfortunately a 3.9" backspace on a 5.5" rim works out to ET15, so no joy for 914s, T3s, most supers etc.
(In fact that barely works on std T1s most of the time unless you run skinny tires, I hope they work on your Ghia)

[Dale M.]

Along time ago there was a write up about bearing caps (either online or in Dunebuggies and Hot VWs) and there is actually three different bearing cap depths... You may have to muck around in junk piles or do some research to get correct bearing cap for what ever the application you are using.... Maybe call some place like Long Enterprises or Rancho to see if they can give you any technical assistance....

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewto ... aring+caps

Dale

[cefolar]

Man, I was so happy to see those rims, unfortunately a 3.9" backspace on a 5.5" rim works out to ET15, so no joy for 914s, T3s, most supers etc.
(In fact that barely works on std T1s most of the time unless you run skinny tires, I hope they work on your Ghia)

Yeah - dumb move on their part, actually they are ET17. They were an acceptable fit in the front, but even with the short axles in the back it was still a no go. So it is going back in the box and back to TireRack. The rim stuck out past the fenderlip by about 1/2". Too bad because they looked cool...

[JWP]

Check this out. Not sure if you are dead set on 15"s but this has a lot more offset

http://64.27.130.204/?page_id=16 Website is VTO wheels.

While On the topic of wheels, something else to consider are rotors with a Ford 5x114.3/4.5 pattern. Then you can use wheels that are meant to fit 5 lug Asian imports. They are often very light and around 100 bucks a wheel. I'm tempted to do this myself, but I don't have 1 mile on my 4x130 rotors.

[ProctorSilex]

Check this out. Not sure if you are dead set on 15"s but this has a lot more offset

http://64.27.130.204/?page_id=16 Website is VTO wheels.

While On the topic of wheels, something else to consider are rotors with a Ford 5x114.3/4.5 pattern. Then you can use wheels that are meant to fit 5 lug Asian imports. They are often very light and around 100 bucks a wheel. I'm tempted to do this myself, but I don't have 1 mile on my 4x130 rotors.

The address fails for me. I searched for them and the result that looks like the manufacturer's site comes up as the same IP address (being an IP address is odd). The seller Futo Fab has VTO rims.

I've thought about using widely available rims, but I am still trying to figure out the best tire sizes versus availability. Then I have to see which rims can handle the tires. Then compare that to racing body rules... I want to stagger, but it probably won't work out for me with so many variables.

cefolar, Are you planning on 205 width tires all around or staggering?

[cefolar]

Who wants to race?...

[Piledriver]

I don't care if that is a rattlecan paintjob, it will still look awesome at 100 MPH.
Perfect color on a Ghia.

[FJCamper]

Hi Cefolar,

If I'm correct in that you've built a road racer, take advantage of the LeMons series.

They run short tracks all across the country, and are less of a bumper-car race than Chump. A spin can get a LeMons driver flagged in for berating.

I'd love to see you out there. What section of the country are you in?

FJC

[Marc]

Well the bearings are different widths so you may be able to compensate for it via the cap. Long axle bearing is .629, while the short axle bearing is .748 wide. Specs via Rock Auto.

All swingaxle rear wheel bearings (111 501 283) are the same 19mm width. 113 501 283 is the 16mm wide IRS inner (ball) bearing. There are two widths of swingaxle inner spacer, which can subtly affect the installed position of the shaft but won't change the fit of the backingplate/caliper adapter.

As Dale M pointed out, there are different bearing cap depths to correspond with the different axletube bearing recess depths...also, pre`65 used sheetmetal slingers to direct any oil that got past the seal out through a hole in the face of the drum, so the early covers don't have a drainback hole to route it through the backingplate. See the theSamba thread he referenced (there's a picture of a Type III axletube/bearing cover alongside a pre`65 "slingerless" Beetle that clarifies things some); it's also discussed at length here, including the July 2005 DB&HVWs article he mentioned. Unfortunately the article is a wealth of misinformation and not worth the time to read - I only furnished it so nobody would waste their time looking for it.
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=140117

The factory workshop manual gives the dimension of the bearing recess in the cover as 19.5mm for the `68 Type I and all Type III, and 22.5mm for the `67. I'm not certain from what reference point that's taken but the 3mm difference is comparable to the 1/8" in the DB&HVWs article. They've got it backwards, though - the `68/III is the shallower of the two covers, with a correspondingly deeper recess in the axletube endcasting.
I believe that the recess depth on a `67 tube is the same as pre`67 and that the "1967" cover may be the same as pre`67 (could even be that `65-`67 covers are the same part) but I don't have all of the parts handy to measure.

[Fiatdude]

Your car has come out GREAT

[cefolar]

As Dale M pointed out, there are different bearing cap depths to correspond with the different axletube bearing recess depths...also, pre`65 used sheetmetal slingers to direct any oil that got past the seal out through a hole in the face of the drum, so the early covers don't have a drainback hole to route it through the backingplate. See the theSamba thread he referenced (there's a picture of a Type III axletube/bearing cover alongside a pre`65 "slingerless" Beetle that clarifies things some); it's also discussed at length here, including the July 2005 DB&HVWs article he mentioned. Unfortunately the article is a wealth of misinformation and not worth the time to read - I only furnished it so nobody would waste their time looking for it.
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=140117

Thanks for the insight - but I got it worked out. I switched to the earlier cap (actually the billet early cap from ISP West) and everything tightened up correctly. They are a pretty nice piece too http://www.vwispwest.com/311501311.html.

[cefolar]

I'd love to see you out there. What section of the country are you in?

Southeast - Tallahassee, FL. I have been to a few LeMons races - they are fun. I thought there was a limit on the cost of the car (but maybe that is chump) - whatever it is I'm sure I've surpassed it

[Marc]

...I have been to a few LeMons races - they are fun. I thought there was a limit on the cost of the car (but maybe that is chump) - whatever it is I'm sure I've surpassed it

Oh, yeah - easily...with your trans alone. "Vehicles must be acquired and prepared for a maximum of $500"
Lots, if not most, of the competitors have broken that rule, but sneak in because they look like trash. That'll never happen with yours

http://www.24hoursoflemons.com/pricesandrules.aspx