The execution of my decision to build HW2 with an IRS setup didn't come easy. There was a time when I thought it would never happen, but as you've seen in my HW2 thread it all worked out well so far, with special thanks to IMPI and Bugger for their valuable assistance.

Eversince I got the Khaki Cruiser, she would occasionaly jump out of fourth gear, especially when flooring the accelerator, in other words when more power was put through the transmission. I've adjusted the gear lever, and the problem even went away for a few months, but came back worse than ever a few weeks ago. According to the guys who know, it is most probably due to long-term wear (hell, the poor car is 40 years old this year) either/or due to low gearbox oil levels, or because the previous owner drove it with his hand constantly on the gear lever, causing more friction and wear in the long run.

So on Saturday morning HW2 donated its gearbox temporarily to the Khaki Cruiser, and I did the exchange. Unfortunately I only realised late Saturday evening that I need a different release bearing, and I could only get a new one yesterday morning.

By around 16:00 yesterday afternoon, the Khaki Cruiser was running again with its new Bugger box - and the 4th gear stays put!

The two boxes next to each other, old Type 3 IRS to the left (the remains of some river crossing recently with all the rain here in Gauteng can be clearly seen on the top..), and HW2 1303 IRS box to the right.





These aluminium plugs were fitted by the factory to Type 3 IRS boxes, since they don't use the same engine mountings as a Beetle.



Although the Khaki Cruiser has reverse lights on its rear lenses, the reverse light circuit wasn't fitted in the factory, and the bulb holders were blanked off. (Reverse lights were not compulsary in 1970, and fitting them was probably only a dealer/factory option for higher spec vehicles.) So installed the reverse light switch, so that she can have functioning reverse lights for the first time in 40 years! Pictured next to the switch is the old factory-fitted plug.



I had to work rather precisely, as I was constantly being supervised by very strict quality controllers...



I will ask Bugger to help me recondition the Squareback's gearbox, and either put it in HW2 again, or switch them back, but it is quite a job, and I am currently pretty GATvol for lying under cars on weekends..

Glad we could have been of assistance
Did you change the preassure plate with the different thrust bearing that was needed
Remember your Bay window experience

I changed the release bearing, and took the ring off the pressure plate that was in the car

How much to send an IRS box for a lab-test and a cat-scan ?


Looks so good when it's that clean, it's a shame you have to hide it under the car!

What did your seatcover say when you were under a car on Valentine's day!!

LOL @ Karma - good one, it is the first time I saw it!

After little more than a week with the Bugger 'box, I must say I am extremely happy with it. It has a longer 4th gear than what the Khaki Cruiser originally had, resulting in a more comfortable ride with lower revs at higher speeds.

There was however a small glitch, which I didn't mention earlier, and that was that I did not have reverse gear at all since last week when I put the other box in Bugger helped me this morning to do a small modification on the dimple of set screw of the 'hockey stick' below the car. It seems like there is an eversoslight difference between the Beetle and Type 3, but it is A-OK now.

I hereby categorically withdraw and apologise for any statements that I may have made that Bugger accidently installed two fourth gears when he rebuilt the 'box

Thanks Pierre, it is as good as new now

I got this reply from TheSamba, after my reverse gear problems, something to keep in mind in the future...

I've had two gear boxes with the dimple on the bottom How many type 3's were there that are still on the road, cant be many if their boxes are that easy to find...

No wonder the cat's waching you every move ! after the swimming pool incident who can blame her !! cat "now what the hell is he thinking of doing to me now ! , better keep an eye on this chap !"

Well you know what they said about curiosity and the cat

You mean your cat is dead then? Drowned?

Nah... the cat is OK

Lol at Pine I was teasing him also about the two 4th gears

What Pine is trying to say is that even some bug Hocky sticks have both dimples one on top and one facing down to mother Earth
The one facing down to mother Earth is not on the right spot where a Type 3 dimple hole is
When this dimple hole is used then you will only be able to engage the 4 forward gears and the inner Gear shift rod will be to much to the right as to be able to move more to the right to select Reverse Gear

As when I did the HW2 Tranny it had a 2 dimple hocky stick on and Pine thought the bottom hole would be right but it ended up off center so all I did was to help pine not to remove motor and transmission just to change to the original Type 3 stick I used the Pencil gringer and slotted the shaft to the level position and now he had his 5 speed transmission what he Paid for