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Re: [T3] Shocks & stuff


On 6 Sep 2003 at 18:09, Aaron Clow wrote:

> Realized that both front calipers were totally stuck on the discs. Glad
> I didn't drive far yesterday. I tried to pry the pads off the discs,
> but I eventually had to hammer the old calipers off. Can old calipers
> be rebuilt or should I just toss them? I re-used the old pads since
> they looked OK and the ones I bought off Ebay were too wide. The guy
> said they were for Type3/4, but I guess not. Anyone need some free Type
> 4 pads? 

Frozen pistons in the calipers is an almost universal problem. Every type 3 out 
there which has not been driven in a few years has stuck pistons unless it is 
using silicone brake fluid.

I rebuild the calipers because the ones you can buy today aren't as nice as the 
originals. If yours have pistons which look like the pictures in the manual, 
then they are good ones. No matter what you do, don't toss them. At a minimum, 
I'll pay the postage to mail them to me.  

72-3 pads are wider and are the same as early type 4 pads. Late type 4 pads are 
the same wide width, but are thicker, too.

> Also, ALL my shocks were bad. You could compress them and they didn't
> pop back at all. When I went to replace the driver's side shock, the
> bottom mount was the same diameter as the bottom grommet on the shock.
> The passenger side fit fine, but the driver's side was maybe like 3/4".
> I had to drill out the bottom grommet on the shock. Hope that was OK? 

The OE shocks were not pressurized, so you should not expect them to pop back 
out, although they will usually creep out over time. The test is to hold them 
upright and compress and extend them and make sure that they resist you in both 
directions. Most of the OE shocks are still good today, although I DO see 
failed ones.  

It is most likely that you left the old steel bushing on the bottom shaft. They 
are often rusted to the pin and have to be torched off.    

-- 
*******************************
Jim Adney, jadney@vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
*******************************

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