Clay wrote:,

>Amother problem with this bus was that even though it was in gear it
>would not move, if you revved up the engine then it would inch
>forward. It felt like the worst slipping clutch in history. Upon
>separating the bell housing from the engine it was obvious that demons
>are at work. The piece that is bolted to the front of the tranny that
>surrounds the input shaft  is melted.  I cant think this is normal. I
>have not pulled the pressure plate yet, I need to construct something
>to hold the flywheel because there appears to be  a lot of torque on
>the mounting bolts. When I do I suspect I am going to see a very
>unusual wear pattern on the clutch disk. I will keep you informed.

the piece around the input shaft is called the throwout bearing retaining
shaft. It is the same on all busses from 71-79, except for one year, when they
did not have them.  Mine was melted just as yours is, I got one from a 73
beetle infact, and it was made from metal.  Exact fit.  typical VWAG trying
to save a few dollars, at the cost of long life. cost me $5 from Austin VeeDub
As can be expected there were no plastic ones in the parts bin.  My clutch
was toast when I replaced it(bought it with dead clutch), and there was no
visible wear on either the flywheel, or the pressure plate.

Cheers,

David
74 Thing
79 Westy