Where to start?

[68convert]

Hey everyone.

I am new to bug restoration and even more to autostick. The main question I have is about my latest project. I was able to get a 68 convertible that came stock with a autostick the person that I aquired it from had changed it over to a manual with a motor and trans out of a late 70's bug. Luckily he had the original motor and trans that came with the car. The problem starts with the rest of the equipment that makes it a autostick is missing and I am not sure what all I need to make it original which is what I would to do. If anyone knows what I would need to look for and a drawing or something that would guide me into how to put it back I would appreiciate it. I know that 68 was the first year for autosticks and I dont know if anybody would know this but is there any way of knowing the amount of autostick convertibles VW produced in that year?
This is probably the first of many Newbie questions that I will have.

Thanks,
68convert

[Bookwus]

Hiya 68,

Welcome to the group!

About 68 AS convertible production..........  generally one can use 10% as a production factor for AS equipped cars.  That is to say, of all the VW Type 1s imported into the States in 1968 (or most any other year) around 10% of them were AutoSticks.  The problem here is that I do have the number of convertibles imported in 68.  If you can dig up that number you can easily compute the approximate number of 68 AS convertibles.

I sense that you are actually asking, "Is the 68 AS equipped convertible rare and therefore worth saving?"  I wouldn't venture so far as to say that it would be rare.  Although I cannot recall seeing one.  Generally AutoStick equipped cars do NOT command any sort of premium price.  Just the opposite as a matter of fact.  Because the VW crowd is dominated by the "I gotta go fast" contingent, AutoSticks are often talked down.  And their price reflects this.  We have had more than a few stumble into this forum because they got a great deal on an AutoStick.  In fact some recommend buying an AutoStick because its a great deal and usually in good shape just to convert it to a manual.

That would kill me.  I'm a stock kinda guy and I would like to put cars back in to the shape in which they left the factory.  This usually results in the highest value for the car.

So.............what do you need if you're going to reconvert your car back to AutoStick?

Let's start with the engine and the tranny you have.  That tranny needs to have a clutch servo attached.  It looks like this....



The servo is the round canister gizmo on the left.

You'll also need to make sure that you have an oil/ATF pump on your engine.  This dual purpose pump was installed only on engines bound to be mated up with an AutoStick.

On the interior of the car you'll need an AutoStick specific pedal cluster.  It has only the one large brake pedal pad beside the gas pedal.  The shift lever is unique to the AutoStick as well.  You cannot make a manual shift lever do the work for you.

In the engine compartment you'll need a Control Valve, one of these things..................



You'll also need a special intake manifold which has a vacuum port that hooks up to the aforementioned control valve via a hose.  And as long as we are talking hoses, you'll need hoses to route the ATF from the oil/ATF pump forward to the torque converter and then back to the ATF reservoir located under the passenger side rear fender.  And.....located under the driver's side rear fender is the vacuum tank.

Take a look at this picture of my engine compartment and we can do some sightseeing....



See the red coil?  Just to the left of it you can see the control valve.  It lives on the left firewall and the three hoses coming from it connect it to the vacuum tank (you can see the hose connection going into the firewall just below the control valve), the intake manifold (you can more-or-less track that vacuum hose over to the intake manifold just below the carburetor base, and the clutch servo which is forward of the engine compartment and attached to the transmission.

And looking down and into the right hand side of the engine compartment.................



You can see the cap to the ATF reservoir and just below that you can see the ATF hosing which leads to the oil/ATF pump and to the torque converter.

That's a rough idea of what you'll need and where it is.  Best bet for you would be to invest in a Bentley Official VW Service Manual (see Amazon.com for the best prices) and take a look at the whole system.  And another good idea would be to find an AS equipped car and give it a good looksee.  For what it might be worth, most AS parts are not that difficult to locate and pretty reasonably priced when you do find them.

Best of luck and make sure you check back in with us.

[buggerfly]

Mike,

I agree with the keeping it stock, it makes it more valuable to us the owners if nothing else and I don't care for the custom look.

68vert,

Good luck on putting the transmition back together. If anyone can help you its the people on this site, they are the only ones I have found that have ANY knowledge of the auto stick because they all own and drive them.

[68convert]

 First thank you Bookwus for the detailed description. On inspecting my trans it indeed does have the servo attached to it. On the back of the engine closer to the bottom and near the center it has what looks like a pump with 2 steel hydrolic lines coming off of it one on each side of the pump the only problem is the previous owner just cut them off with what looks like tin snips about 4 inches from the fittings. As far as the intake manifold goes the original motor is totaly complete except for the air cleaner and distributer so it should be there. It looks like I got a start on getting parts. I need ATF resisviour, vacume tank, control valve, pedal cluster and shift lever. Is the shift conecting rod able to be reused or do I need to find one of them also?
Another question I have is this bug has front wheel disc brakes is it possible that verts came stock with them?

Thanks for the help,
68vert

[68autobug]

HI,
I don't know if Karmann cabrolets came with disc brakes or not..
all Autosticks sold in Australia had front disc brakes..

the gearshift lever has a wire coming off the bottom of it
as there are electrical points in the bottom of the lever...
make sure You also get the plate that fits under the gearshift lever
they are different to manual beetles...

the long gearshift rod in the tunnel
I'm not 100% sure but I think they would be the same...[hopefully]

Buggerfly
I do really like original looking beetles...
but I can't help improving My beetle...
like electric fuel pump
extra sump
weber carburetor
chromed air cleaner
1976 engine lid and alternator.
new headlamps
chromed wheels
glass sunroof..
extra instruments
electronic ignition
driving and fog lamps
tinted windows

but overall it still looks standard to most people...

cheers
Lee

http://community.webshots.com/user/vw68autobug

[buggerfly]

Lee,

The way I see it, everyone has there own preferences in their vehicles and others may not like what you do to yours, but as long as you like it is all that counts. I prefer stock and sticking to original as much as possible, of course I will be adding 4 speakers and a cd player and replacing the door panels with ones that have no pockets, but I don't want to change the over all apperance. Other than the color I actually like the look. Of course I dont need a sun roof, my whole top goes down. Can't wait to cruise through Houston this summer!!!!


68vert,

You can find the pedal cluster on eBay, not sure of the condition though and maybe www.thesamba.com. As far as the other parts you can try www.bugcity.com or www.evwparts.com. I've already found that auto stick parts are hard to come by in Texas, so maybe even a junk yard.

[Bookwus]

Hiya 68,

You will need an AutoStick specific shift rod.  The manual shift rod will not work in an AutoStick application.

Yes, it does sound as if you do have the oil/ATF pump.  That is a definite plus.  The hard lines are not all that difficult to locate.  Matter of fact I just did away with them and replaced them with flexible hose.

On the intake manifold look for a 12mm port pointing to the left side of the engine.  This port will be located just under the carburetor base, like this one...........



I'll do a little checking on the original braking set-up, but I'm pretty sure that a 68 (convertible or otherwise) would have had four wheel drum brakes.

[buggerfly]

68vert,

You can find the pedal cluster on eBay, not sure of the condition though and maybe www.thesamba.com. As far as the other parts you can try www.bugcity.com or www.evwparts.com. I've already found that auto stick parts are hard to come by in Texas, so maybe even a junk yard.

Here's the link to the pedal assembly on eBay if you want to check it out, its missing the rubber brake pad but you can buy them on evwparts.com

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/VW-Bug-Beetle-Auto-stick-automatic-pedal-assembly_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247QQcategoryZ34199QQihZ015QQitemZ250170953679QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWD1V

[68autobug]

When you say shifter rod Mike

is that the long rod from the bottom of the gearlever to the front of the gearbox??

I don't have a spare one of those as I thought the person who changed the auto for a manual
used the same shifter rod....

I have seen auto gearlevers in imported Karmann Ghias in Australia
complete with auto rubber boot...
I think all they do is tighten up the points so there is no movement..

Lee

[Bookwus]

Hiya Lee,

Yes Lee.

Up here in the States, the shift rod is the beastie that lives in the tunnel and connects the shift lever to the transmission (via the shift coupler).  Picture...............



The one on top (with the bend) is what should be in a 68 to 72 AS.

[68autobug]

Interesting Mike,
the standard manual shifter rod is straight
and Ours has a curve..
I couldn't see in the photo the length of them
are they the same length??
could the autostick rod be modified to be used in a Manual car??

:Lee

http://community.webshots.com/user/vw68autobug

[Bookwus]

Hiya Lee,

Manual and AS shift rods are not interchangeable due to differing lengths of each.

Here are the lengths of the differing shift rods as noted by Larry in a previous post.......

'73 on T-1 manual - 43 1/2"
autostick - 43 1/8"

'68-'72 T-1 manual - 45 1/8"
autostick - 44 5/8"


And...............both the manual and AS shift rods are supposed to have that gentle bend.  The "straight" shift rod pictured above is one that I had mistakenly "modified".

[68convert]

Hey All,

I contacted someone who had converted a autostick to a manual and has all the parts that I believe I need.
Pedal cluster
Shift lever
Control Valve
ATF reservior
Vacuum tank
I asked him what he wanted for it all. He said dosent know make him an offer.
I have no idea of the value of these parts any suggestions.

Thanks
68vert

[Bookwus]

Hiya 68,

Good work!

As to values.............
Pedal Cluster.........$25
Shift Lever............$25 (should have a blue wire lead about 4 feet long)
Control Valve ........$35  (should have bracket and three vibration proof mounting screws included)
ATF Reservoir........$25  (should include cap with dipstick, mounting bracket, neck collar, and banjo fitting with hose)
Vacuum Tank........$20  (should include mounting strap)

Now the values I've posted above are what I'd expect to pay at my local boneyard.  You will find much higher prices in ads.  Just scan the ads in the Samba to verify that.  But also notice that many of those ads have been running for quite some time.  Those folks are just asking too much for what they are offering.  Should you have any questions about the condition of any of these parts, take a picture or two and get back to us.

Assuming the parts are in acceptable condition, were I you, I'd offer that prospective seller $75; be happy to pay $100; and pay $125 if I had to.

[volkenstein]

Ha! Beat me to it Mike

I'd just add - Get the STOP PLATE with the shifter as it is A-S specific and figure on some dollars for shipping.


Regards
Volkenstein