I had to replace my original rear shocks to, mine were ok apart from the rubber bushes, hopfully one day I will sourse some new rubbers and be able to re fit them.
I opted for the black BOGE OEM as you have found, got mine from 'German and sweedish'
I have not got around to doing it yet but I was/am planning on repainting the new ones in red oxide primer and then clear coating them so they are true to the originals.

As for the paper spacers, Pete at 'Cogbox' gave me a selection of gaskets when I picked my box up from him after I had him replace the main shaft and said just use whatever is required.
There is no real set number or size.
It's a case of trial and error until you get a tiny amount of 'end float' for want of a better word. With the gaskets in place and the plate/axle tube bolted up, pull/push on the axle tube and feel for a tiny clearence between 'ball and socket'. If there is no float add another gasket or change one to a larger one and so on until your happy. The opposite obviously for a sloppy fit.

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Fair enough... :beer:

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Been busy cleaning the box up over the last few nights using a tooth brush and 3 full cans of brake cleaner. Amazing the amount of crud that came off...









Lucky I can buy in bulk!





It's not there yet, but most of the heavier dirt has been removed. Once it's flushed and I've got the axle tubes back on, I'll give it a proper going over, but for now, it certainly looks much more like a gearbox...





Next up was to fit my original genuine 1 piece axle boots....





The books and manuals say that you must remove the bearing carrier on the end of the axle tube to do this, which is a real pain in the ass, as the locking pin can often need a press to remove and re-fit it, and it is easy to damage and distort the main carrier when trying to remove it off the axle tube.

So, I followed the work of others and decided to fit them from the other end. On first inspection, you'd think there was no way on earth they would fit over, especially the narrow end, but they will, and here's how it's done. Big thanks to Mrs LT who offered a second pair of hands when I needed them most!

Settle down for another episode of LT-TV !!





Loads of parts on order, so more soon guys!

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Great vid LT :beer:

Nice one LT! You make it look easy!

:d

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I did a trial run on the other one first by myself and really struggled - it was only my wife's help that made it all possible.

Apparently, it's the same technique as she uses to get my kids school jumpers over their heads! :lol:

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What news do we have?

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First the earth cooled, then the dinasaurs came......

I've been waiting for parts to arrive which are stock piling in the garage as we speak.

Work has been long and hectic of late so evening sessions have not been as frequent as I;d have liked.

I've a day off on Wednesday which I hope to use to flush the box, do the final clean, fit the new starter motor bush, fit the axle tube spacer gaskets, new mounts and cleaned starter motor so as as unit, it is ready to install.

At that point I can begin to clean the frame forks up and then clean and porotect all the rear underside body work ready for the big install.

Then the motor.

Then the tank and flexi fuel lines.

Charge the battery.

Set up video camera.

Say small prayer.

Turn key.....

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:lol:

now that was funny... :beer:

Hi
a quick word on axle tubes, you will probably have noted this one already but the hexagonal axle securing cover things have a wee bit of movement on their studs so when your trying to figure out what size gasket you need to use tighten down the cover very gently and keep checking for free range of movement of the axle itself as binding in one particular spot could just be the cover not being centered, so if it does bind loosen the nuts and nudge the cover towards the area of movement that it was binding in, get it?? Also don't worry if you end up with fewer gaskets than you had when dismantled as the hemispheres in the sides of the gearbox do tend to wear, actually don't panic if you end up just sticking fancy sealer in there with no gasket at all, all you need to end up with is free range of movement for the axle tube with minimal play. It goes without saying the side cover must fit back in the same "plane" it came off and fit a wheel bearing secured by its cover so the spade end of the axle works in its normal position and does not bind itself, though you will have to stick a drum on or some kind of spacer so the axle is pulled all the way through the bearing. Good luck your doing a good job and demonstrating how to do things in an entertaining way.

I'd come to a similar conclusion, but hadn't realised that the cover plates had to go on in the same orientation.... I'm a bit stuck as I didn't note their positions when I removed them....

Oh, well - I'll just need to make sure there is uniform clear movement all the way round.

Interestingly, I reassembled the side plates and the original gaskets to measure the end play so I could work out approximately what thickness and how many new gaskets to order.

With the axle perfectly perpendicular to the box, and a magnetic base and clock gauge on the end of the axle against the bearing housing on the tube, I could only measure a repetitive 0.4mm play, which is right on the minimum clearance as per the Bentley manual which says 0.4-0.6 with a wear limit of 0.7mm. At least this shows there is very little if any wear.

I had 2 x 0.3 and 1 x 0.1 making a total of 0.7mmm (checked with a mic) of spacer giving me 0.4mm play.

I spoke to Heritage who were very low on stock and only had the 0.38 (0.015") ones in stock, which if I use two of them, gives me a total of 0.76mm which should still leave me with 0.46mm play in theory, and certainly within the desired specs.

I'll post the pics as and when it happens.

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Hi
if you pull the plates clear you will see a wear pattern in an arc that mimics the path the swing axle makes, a similar wear pattern will be on the Hemisphere on the side of the box, its kind of important to get the cover on in the right place as the instead of settling back into its comfortable pattern of peaks and hollows the axle and side plate will be riding on the tops of the peaks, which may give a kind of false "reading" when setting up the axles, you will also get a higher rate of wear as one part grinds its way back into the other.The ends of the axles can actually wear a fair bit as its metal to soft metal, the later tunnel case gearbox's had a kind of almost sacrificial plastic spacer, looks like a flower, to help address this. As for flushing I wouldn't bother get change out the gearbox oil after a couple of hundred miles a couple of times, Bill.

I'll have a look at the insides of the plates and see if I can get them realigned.

As for flushing, the oil came out crystal clear which tells me that all the crud has settled at the bottom. I'd feel happier giving it a quick slosh and swill with some very thin oil (Jet fuel) to at least get some of the pate out the bottom?

Hope Postie comes tomorrow with my spacer gaskets...

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Sadly, the postman didn't bring what I was expecting today so progress was limited to cleaning and preparing the gearbox.

As the ring gear teeth had taken some abuse in the past, I decided it was a good idea to replace the starter motor bush. I gently tapped out the original with a 1/4" socket and extension which was the perfect size for the bush.







As this picture shows, it is plenty worn and probably the a contributing factor to the ring gear condition.





Although it was just above freezing, I opted to work outside today in good light and fresh air - plus my cleaning job was gonna be messy! I set myself up with all my brushes and cleaners, mainly jet fuel and brake cleaner, then set to work..... what fun!





The green 'sheet' catching all the debris underneath is an old air bed that had a puncture and was responsible for probably the worst nights lack of sleep at Santa Pod last year for the 2009 VW Action show.... it was now getting it's just desserts!

It came up really well and revealed some lovely details....







This little hole is the breather at the top of the nose cone...





The bell housing came up nice - it'll be a shame to remove and replace the original input shaft seal.





And there it is - all clean!







The clutch release bearing operating mechanism was still very grotty and I wasn't happy to leave it this way...





So I stripped it down and cleaned it a little bit....





Then put it back together again, looking like it belongs on the gearbox once more!





Now was the time to flush all the sludge out of the bottom of the gearbox. I knew it was there as the old oil drained crystal clear! I re-fitted the two drain plugs, then filled it to over-flow with jet fuel.





To cut a long story short, and a bit like when I cleaned the fuel tank, it was just a case of rotating the gearbox back and forth in the engine stand so the jet fuel could slosh and splosh about. After the first couple of sessions, thick black gunk poured out. Then for each subsequent flush, it ran clearer and clearer until the the 6th flush saw the jet fuel come out as clean as it went in which reassures me that it is now pretty clean in there.





To finish off, I thought now was as good a time as any to protect the gearbox as intended with my supa-dupa transit sealing wax spray. For those who don;t know, this is a Valvoline product recommended to me by a fellow enthusiast and is what must be the best kept secret in the industry. I've been experimenting with this stuff for a while now and can confirm that it sprays on in a very fine and thin mist which then takes a good few hours to go tacky, and a good few days to dry, then another few days to fully dry.

It sets a bit like candle wax, but is tougher to scratch off, won't chip, yet will come off with a decent solvent. As I go through the car, all the inner wheel arches, floor pans, suspension components - basically anything underneath or put of site will be drenched in this stuff. Pretty it isn't, but as a non-permanent anti corrosion protection coating that is vastly superior to the like of Waxoyl etc, it can't be beat.

Even when fully set, it still has a very very slight tackiness to it (you couldn't polish it for example) so with use, it will attract dirt and dust - but I'm not bothered by this at all -- it can always be removed and re-applied whenever you desire, but will keep components sealed from the elements and in tip top condition. The final bonus is that it has a lovely golden amber colour to it.

In these last two pics, it is still very much wet ans I;d only just sprayed it on - deliberately avoiding the axles and starter motor apertures which can be gone over when everything is back in one piece.







Doesn't seem like 7 hours work, but that's what it was.

What else am I waiting for in the post....? Not just the axle spacers I can tell you! I'm expecting from Italy a new pair of original BOGE rear shocks in the original red/brown colour. I've not been able to find any in the UK, as all the very latest stuff is now black, but good fortune saw me contacted by a guy who had a pair - still very new, so not NOS, but the best that is available in terms of OEM originality and colour.

Hope they are as good as my on-line translation software says they are....

Fingers crossed for some more action at the weekend!

---

Sadly, the postman didn't bring what I was expecting today so progress was limited to cleaning and preparing the gearbox.

As the ring gear teeth had taken some abuse in the past, I decided it was a good idea to replace the starter motor bush. I gently tapped out the original with a 1/4" socket and extension which was the perfect size for the bush.







As this picture shows, it is plenty worn and probably the a contributing factor to the ring gear condition.





Although it was just above freezing, I opted to work outside today in good light and fresh air - plus my cleaning job was gonna be messy! I set myself up with all my brushes and cleaners, mainly jet fuel and brake cleaner, then set to work..... what fun!





The green 'sheet' catching all the debris underneath is an old air bed that had a puncture and was responsible for probably the worst nights lack of sleep at Santa Pod last year for the 2009 VW Action show.... it was now getting it's just desserts!

It came up really well and revealed some lovely details....







This little hole is the breather at the top of the nose cone...





The bell housing came up nice - it'll be a shame to remove and replace the original input shaft seal.





And there it is - all clean!







The clutch release bearing operating mechanism was still very grotty and I wasn't happy to leave it this way...





So I stripped it down and cleaned it a little bit....





Then put it back together again, looking like it belongs on the gearbox once more!





Now was the time to flush all the sludge out of the bottom of the gearbox. I knew it was there as the old oil drained crystal clear! I re-fitted the two drain plugs, then filled it to over-flow with jet fuel.





To cut a long story short, and a bit like when I cleaned the fuel tank, it was just a case of rotating the gearbox back and forth in the engine stand so the jet fuel could slosh and splosh about. After the first couple of sessions, thick black gunk poured out. Then for each subsequent flush, it ran clearer and clearer until the the 6th flush saw the jet fuel come out as clean as it went in which reassures me that it is now pretty clean in there.





To finish off, I thought now was as good a time as any to protect the gearbox as intended with my supa-dupa transit sealing wax spray. For those who don't know, this is a Valvoline product recommended to me by a fellow enthusiast, and is what must be the best kept secret in the industry. I've been experimenting with this stuff for a while now and can confirm that it sprays on in a very fine and thin mist which then takes a good few hours to go tacky, and a good few days to dry, then another few days to fully dry.

It sets a bit like candle wax, but is tougher to scratch off, won't chip, yet will come off with a decent solvent. As I go through the car, all the inner wheel arches, floor pans, suspension components - basically anything underneath or out of site will be drenched in this stuff. Pretty it isn't, but as a non-permanent anti corrosion protection coating that is vastly superior to the like of Waxoyl etc, it can't be beat.

Even when fully set, it still has a very very slight tackiness to it (you couldn't polish it for example) so with use, it will attract dirt and dust - but I'm not bothered by this at all - it can always be removed and re-applied whenever you desire, but will keep components sealed from the elements and in tip top condition. The final bonus is that it has a lovely golden amber colour to it.

In these last two pics, it is still very much wet ans I'd only just sprayed it on, deliberately avoiding the axles and starter motor apertures which can be gone over when everything is back in one piece.







Doesn't seem like 7 hours work, but that's what it was.

What else am I waiting for in the post....? Not just the axle spacers I can tell you!

I'm expecting from Italy a new pair of original BOGE rear shocks in the original red/brown colour. I've not been able to find any in the UK, as all the very latest stuff is now black, but good fortune saw me contacted by a guy who had a pair - still very new, so not NOS, but the best that is available in terms of OEM originality and colour.

Hope they are as good as my on-line translation software says they are....

Fingers crossed for some more action at the weekend!

---

That looks brilliant!

This Valvoline product you talk of, can you purchase it in the high street/online?

Yeah - Tectyl 506.

KK sell it and it's also available on ebay - approx £10-£11 per 400ml can.

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Postman came today with my 'Itallian Job' - I was not disappointed!

Check out these little beauties!







Very pleased indeed!

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Glad you like the Valvoline wax. It is fantastic and looks factory. The black is good for floor pans
:wink:

Indeed, although I'll probably use the amber/clear stuff all over. I've nothing to hide and would quite like to be able to see what's underneath etc. Horses for courses and all that.

I'm still excited by my original shocks! :beer:

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