[T3] Rubber washers

[stans4@ix.netcom.com (Stan Schaefer)]

One possible source for rubber for making washers is your hardware
store's plumbing department. Most GOOD hardware stores carry rubber
sheet in various thicknesses for making gaskets and such.  You can
also get an arch punch of about the right diameter there or just
sharpen up a short length of electrical conduit and punch away with a
mallet.  Another source of material would be some discarded truck
mudflaps.  The center hole can be cut with a leather punch(looks like
a pair of pliers), a small regular punch or just cut an X with an
Xacto knife.  The washers are a fairly critical item, particularly in
the front, help keep the weather out of the trunk.   I've always saved
what I took off wrecks in the process of geting fenders and such, but
if you don't have that source....

On Tue, 19 Jan 1999 13:23:12 -0800, you wrote:

>I posted that question a while back.
>One person on the list did have a set of these bolts, washers, and clips,
>but it was more than I wanted to spend.
>I checked every place in town (not a huge city here, but still sizeable),
>and nobody has them. The FLAPS had speed clips with bolts that would work,
>but also at a fairly hefty fee.
>VW doesn't use this setup on the newer vehicles, as someone suggested - the
>speed clips are out, and something similar gets welded onto the fenders.
>We ended up buying a package of about 100 metal screws which were about the
>same size, a package of 100 washer®’with that, and a roll of metal
>strapping to do the job. This was all available at our local Canadian Tire
>store (hardware) at less than $10 US.
>The metal strapping was in the plumbing department - basically it's a rolled
>up metal strip about 1" wide, with holes along the length of it. I was able
>to cut it into pieces that could easily be folded over to make a speed clip,
>and the holes were perfect to hold the screw. So all we need now is the
>rubber washers... or a reasonable fascimile  :)
>I know this is not exactly what a purist would do, but since you can't see
>them, I'm not too concerned.
>I can't reuse the old bolts/clips/washers, 'cause time has really hurt them.
>Most are rusted beyond recognition.
>Anyhow, just an idea for anyone who may want to try this at home.
>
>Cheers,
>-Nico
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Jim Adney <jadney@vwtype3.org>
>To: type3@vwtype3.org <type3@vwtype3.org>
>Date: Sunday, January 17, 1999 2:38 PM
>Subject: Re: [T3] Fender Bolt Source??
>
>
>On 17 Jan 99, at 21:12, John M. Kowalski wrote:
>
>
>> Are the 8.8mm thread with 14mm head bolts still available for front T3
>> fenders?  What about the combination sheet metal screws and washers for
>the
>> rear fenders?  And the clips for the rear fenders that the screws screw
>into?
>
>I didn't know that 14 mm heads were ever used on 8 mm bolts. (8.8 is
>the grade, not the size.)
>
>> I checked with a retailer here (Zagreb, Croatia) who said that the 8.8 mm
>> bolts are only produced now with the standard 13mm bolt head.  However, I
>> won't give that easily.  There must be a source for these seemingly
>> nonstandard bolts.
>
>The DIN standard is 13 mm, the JIS (Japanese Industry Standard) is 12
>mm.  The smaller head saves quite a bit of steel over a year's time.
>
>I just save all my old parts to reuse, because it is often so hard to
>replace.
>
>Jim
>-
>*******************************
>Jim Adney, jadney@vwtype3.org
>Madison, Wisconsin, USA
>*******************************
>
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