JeffH

May be a bad assumption on my initial ID of the '72. I thought that Super Beetles had MacPherson struts, initially with a more rounded hood, later with the curved windshield as well. That is about the extent of my knowledge! I would love to see a breakdown of models in this transition time-frame... U.S only would simplify it??? Looks like there is more to it than I ever knew. Jeff

Timely coincidence on the Super Beetle picture. The new neighbors across the street had their parents visiting, and the Dad walked over to visit with my '38 Buick and introduce himself. In the course of our conversation he mentioned that he was a VW guy, and currently had a '72. He was into keeping it totally stock, but made one modification, and that was to lower the front end - only slightly. He mentioned that the MacPherson strut Beetles always sat a little high in the front - I now see what he meant by this picture. He also mentioned that the MacPherson strut cars are second class citizens in the world of VW enthusiasts, who prefer the torsion bar Beetles. Interesting stuff. As for me - I like them all!

I would like to move this speedometer out of the basement, and prefer dealing with an AACA member. Jeff

That would be: http://www.bills-speedometer.com/ in Bellbrook, OH.

I agree with you Jake, this one is specifically for a '51. I would recommend Bill's Speedometer for your calibration needs. Jeff

Not sure, but I will try to find out. Best to get a picture of yours to be sure.

I have a nice '51 Ford Speedometer for sale. This came to me used, from a garage clean-out of a former Ford dealer. I did the following: cleaned correctly lubed new green and red mylar for the turn signal and bright indicators calibrated reset odometer See pictures for calibration compromise (about 62 mph indicated, vs. 60 actual, and 28 indicated vs. 30 actual - typical compromise!) $120 plus shipping Jeff

Great feedback... maybe the production number will clear this up. Certainly possible that there was a mid-year change. Jeff

Could this be for a '38? The reason I ask is that I have had both a '37 and '38 gearbox on my '38 Special. The '37 was on it originally, for reasons unknown. When I got a '38 gearbox, and had both of them apart to make up the best from the two, I learned that the '37 and '38 have a different sized clutch spline, and the '37 used a bolt-on retainer that held the clutch gear bearing in place. This was eliminated on the '38 models (as your third picture seems to show). The only reason the '37 fit my '38 clutch housing was because someone had modified the '37 gearbox to eliminate this feature. Cut-off bolts were still threaded into the case where the retainer used to be. Also, my clutch disc was purchased to fit a '37 (spline issue). Jeff

If you are not a complete stickler for authenticity, think about this... I bent my hose clamp to allow it to be secured to the battery's front hold-down bolt (the long bolt that passes through the battery clamp and secures the battery). This pulls the hoses away from the engine a bit, and allows them to run more along the side panel. Works great, and I think the engine appearance is improved - as well as spark plug access or access to my later model (1950) oil filter. Just a suggestion. Jeff

You may want to road test it. Adding some rpm to the pump may make the difference. I cannot say whether or not this is true on my '38, but I distinctly remember my 1970 AMC Hornet - perfectly good heater output, unless you were idling on a very cold day... heater temperature dropped off to nothing, warming up again as I drove off. Jeff

I guess I probably chose the inlet, but it really doesn't make much difference. Jeff

I agree, that is a great solution!

Here is a picture of my generator. It was on my '38 Special from the time I bought the car (getting close to 30 years now!) until about 4 or 5 years ago when I found one that had a nicer case, and also still had the Delco Remy tag. Other than these appearance issues, it is perfectly functional. The scale next to the generator shows the overall length, since I tried to align the beginning of the scale with the very end of the generator (rear bearing housing). You can see the width of the pulley as well. $40 + shipping, from Dayton OH. You can send me a PM to make arrangements or ask any other questions. These generators are fairly heavy, so if there is any way to pick it up... not sure where you are located. Let me know, Jeff

OK, I will take a picture and post it. Jeff

Bloo, Were you still interested? Let me know before I try to dig it out. Jeff

Let me check my garage shelf. I think I have a spare generator for my '38 Special. Jeff

Thanks very much for clarifying the front / rear thing! Jeff

I have a basic question. How can you cite the same part number to fit a front and a rear? Aren't they different parts? (I may be mis-reading your post.) I might have an interest in fronts and / or rears to fit a '38 Special. What are your prices? Jeff

Yep, that's me. Would you like this steering column / box?

I have a steering column that came out of my '38 Special. This is the left-over assembly after I went through a parts car steering column rebuild. Price: FREE (but, you have to get it from Dayton, OH) Condition: Well, it served me for about 20 years of happy touring. I did not like the condition of the pitman shaft knurl, which is why I pulled parts from the parts car column. Everything else was fine. I would rather not send this to the scrap yard! Jeff

I have a torque tube, drive shaft, 4.40 differential, and axle shafts that came out of my '38 Special when I upgraded to a 3.9 ratio. Price: FREE (but, you have to get the parts from Dayton, OH) Condition: Well, it served me for about 20 years of happy touring. I will say the gear set is not perfect, but is serviceable. I would rather not send this to the scrap yard! Jeff

I did a partial rebuild on my engine some years ago. Cleaned and re-used the existing rocker arm shafts and rockers. With this configuration, the oil squirted out at idle. Pretty messy during a valve adjustment! When I re-did the engine using a much nicer shaft and much better rockers, the oil just barely flows out of the rockers. I decided this was as it should be. Why? Because the oil has to flow around a portion of the annulus of the shaft OD and rocker ID before it gets to the outlet port. On my worn shaft, the wear was so bad that the rocker could wobble a bit on the shaft. With my newer parts, the fit is quite close - I can see how the flow is supposed to be minimal. Jeff