This urethane mount helps eliminate some of the noise and vibration associated with VW bus transaxles and tilts the transmission's nose down 10° to allow you to use the factory shifter linkage inside the beetle's shift tunnel. It also helps increase ground clearance under the engine's oil sump. This kit is designed to fit into Baja Bugs and buggies with three rib 002 and six rib 091 bus transaxles.

WARNING: This kit requires welding, cutting, and should only be installed by a qualified fabricator. This kit will NOT fit in a stock bodied Volkswagen. It is intended for Baja's and Buggies only.

Installation:

• Remove the beetle transmission
• Clearance only the necessary webbing inside the frame horns
• Weld the remainder seams / webbing on the frame horns
• Cut the WELD for the clutch tube and move it outward 1/2" so it will clear the new transmission
• Cut the beetle transmission's nose cone mount off of the torsion housing
• Remove the bottom 4 nuts on the bell housing of the bus transmission
• Install the rear mount on the bell housing of the bus transmission. It will only fit one way. Tighten the nuts to 14 ft lbs
• Using a 5/16" drill bit, drill four holes through the bell housing, using the transmission mount as a guide
• Install 5/16" bolts, making sure to use flat washers on the inside of the bell housing
• Bolt the front nose mount onto the bus transmission. You will need to fishmouth / radius the pipe on the nose mount to fit up against the torsion housing
• Set the transmission in the vehicle. Position the transmission's hockey stick through the stock hole in the chassis
• Make sure the shifter hockey stick is in the center of the hole. If it isn't then some clearancing may be necessary
• Install the rear cross member mount on the frame horns
• Install the 1/2" x 3-1/4" bolts through the cross member mount, through the bell housing mount and then through the weld on tabs
• Tack weld the nose mount and the two tabs that sit on top of the frame horns
• Remove the transmission then fully weld the nose mount and the two tabs
• Reinstall the transmission and attach the shift rod. The shift rod may need to be shortened and/or rotated to work properly
• The clutch cable bowden tube sleeve will need to be shortened



Other considerations:

• Bus three rib 002 transmissions use the same starter as your bug transmission. They have a short bell housing
• Bus six rib 091 transmissions with a STOCK 091 bell housing use a longer starter because the bell housing is deeper. Normally customers purchase the HiTorque IMI104
• Some transmission builders install the shorter 002 bell housing and input shaft on a 091 to use the shorter starter. Just because you have a six rib 091, doesn't guarantee that you have the 091 bell housing. Ask your transmission builder what was installed
• Bus transmissions are wider than a bug. So you'll also need new axles
• The beetle and the bus shared the same 33 spline axles. The difference was the outside diameter of the CV joint (90mm vs 100mm). It's not uncommon to run bus CV's at the transmission and bug CV's at the wheel. Or you can run bus on both ends if you buy adapter stub axles. If you're keeping the stock beetle IRS trailing arms, then you would use 15-5/8" axles
• If your bus transmission has Porsche 930 drive flanges, you'll also have to notch the top of the frame horns for the 108mm CV joints and because the CV's are 28 spline, you'll also have to run 930 CV's at the wheel with adapter stub axles



Normal axle lengths:

• Bus trans with stock bug IRS rear arms: 15-5/8"
• Bus trans with 3" longer rear arms: 17-1/4"
• Bus trans with stock bug IRS rear arms and 5-3/4" wider torsion housing: 18-3/4"
• Bus trans with 3" longer AND 3" wider rear arms: 19-1/4"

This is all assuming a VW beetle floor pan and rear arms that have VW beetle bearing housings. NOT micro stub rear arms. Way back in the day, people used to take a stock bug torsion housing and widen it 5-3/4" in the center. They left the trailing arm pivot points in the stock location and used stock bug trailing arms. They would then use 24-11/16" long torsion bars with spring plates that were designed for 21-3/4" long torsion bars to make up for the 2-15/16" extra width per side. The whole 5-3/4" torsion housing with 18-3/4" axles is way less common today.

If you plan to run micro stub rear arms or anything else out of the norm, first mount your transmission and arms, then follow these instructions to figure out what length axles you need.

Measuring axle length

Check your toe in/out wheel alignment.

Lift the hub up, so that if it did have an axle, the axle would be at zero degrees, parallel to the ground.

Measure from the BOTTOM of the drive flange cup on the transmission to the BOTTOM of the stub axle cup on the brakes. Reference Figure A

Subtract 1/4" to 3/8". That is your TOTAL axle length.

Check both sides of the vehicle. It is very common to have two different length axles.

Now use a PVC pipe as a mock-up axle. Cut grooves 1/4" down on either end into each end of the PVC for your clips. Install your CV joints and mock-up axle.

Lift the vehicle so the tires drop down to full droop. Depending on the type of CV joint you're using, will govern how much angle you can handle at full droop.

Grab your mock-up axle and make sure that you have 1/4" to 3/8" free play. Reference Figure B

If you have 1/4" to 3/8" free play at zero degrees and at full droop then you're perfect.