WORKSHOP WEDNESDAY: Getting our WWII Volkswagen Schwimmwagen running (again!)
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- Опубліковано 27 лют 2024
- RIDE IN THE SCHWIMMWAGEN: bit.ly/ausarmourfest2024
Our WWII Volkswagen Schwimmwagen has been having some engine trouble lately... so our mechanic Steve gets to work pulling it apart!
Follow the progress of our workshop restorations every Workshop Wednesday! A must watch for students of history, engineering, mechanics and metalworking! 🧐🛠️
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You don't need to lock the prop down. Just the action of the propulsion of the prop keeps in place. Also if you happen to bottom out the prop it will just push the prop back and disengage it and prevent it from getting chewed up.
Well said.
My impression also. I wonder if the engine had to be stopped to engage? The prop rod would then provide just enough pressure to keep the prop from decoupling at engine start, and allow decoupling without having to stop the engine, as when going back on land.
@@danpatterson8009
No there is a 1 way dog clutch system thar auto engages on the spinning engine side. There is no reverse gear function on the drive though. The vehicle was designed for elite troops, usually SS to be able to ford small rivers and flat water bodies in order to outflank or surprise the enemy.
@@mikeschillinger4427 I understand that but there's no way to engage the coupling slowly. Maybe it doesn't matter. I'll guess that the prop assembly and pivot point are designed so that gravity tends to hold the two shafts together, in addition to prop thrust.
I was going to say that lol,
My name is SFC DeVos, Kevin M. I’m a retired US Army Tank Destroyer and Infantryman (MOS’s11H/11B) and a good German friend of mine who now lives in Bavaria is WELL known for his amazing restoration work on WWII German vehicles and VW bugs (mostly the split window type and rare buses.). Patrick Stoll can be found online or through German military vehicle owners groups. Patrick also restores German heavy motorcycles and he has components reproduced to exacting specifications through a network of small manufactures, including Kettenkrad track shoes. Patrick rents many of his vehicles to studio productions and if you want to see what Patrick looks like, there’s a scene in the movie “Valkyrie” where he pulls up on a BMW motorcycle with a sidecar and he takes up the screen, it was weird to see him at the local theater and I yelled out loud to my wife; “that’s Patrick!” Of course, people around me gave me a big frown. What I thought was neat was how he reproduced the sidecar MG and fuel cans brackets/mounts. I spent 4 1/2 years in Baumholder Germany from 2002-07 and I also own and restore vintage military vehicles and I owned 2 while in Baumholder, an M-151A2 and a German ILTIS that I restored to factory original, amazing vehicle to drive.
Thanks again for another great video!
Came into the museum on Monday (all the way from England) it was great to see so many of the vehicles I have seen here either being restored or serviced. Keep up the great work
Welcome to Australia mate. I hope you enjoyed your stay and felt welcomed here. Were you just up in Cairns? I’ve never been to that part of the country myself. The humidity must be something else.
@tdb7992 thanks been in Aus for around 10 days so far got another 10 to go. Spent a long weekend in Cairns and stayed a day longer simply to go to the museum . It was very humid !! Staying for the most part in Sydney visiting my daughter. Every Aussie we have come across has been great with directions etc. Been made to feel most welcome
Wow! I’m very pleased for you, and just a bit jealous!
How odd to be able to stand and point and think “I knew that Panzer when it was just a flat-pack kit!”
I’ve just bought Tiger Day tix for Bovington - hoping to win the raffle for a Tiger ride.
Enjoy the rest of your trip.
Have you been to "The Tank Muesum" in Bovington, UK, or the Polish "Tank Farm"? For an anti-militarist (way too angry to be a pacifist), it may sound strange that I find war machines fascinating, but Carl von Clausewitz (On War) had the right of it "war is diplomacy by other means"... that is, we got into the "cluster f**k" because of self-serving politicians... Veitnam being themselves in point (and who now remebers that this was a French "colonial" war?)
Jealous.
Btw.: in colloquial German this type of key is called "Zündnagel" - ignition nail. It is (still) so popular that you can buy them in hardware stores in rural areas as most German/Austrian tractors used it for a long time after the war (at the very least until the 1970ies/80ies).
I really hate the words “That’s all we have time for…”. Best content on UA-cam!
Agreed lazy fuck, especially camera man who misses most of the intresting action. These things are rare really you eont see many restoring tiger panther videos and he is just sitting there st home on the counch and laughing
The rear tires need to change sides so that they run the right way around like the front tires. Warm greetings from Germany! 👍
We need more Steve! He's a natural in front of the camera and gotta love that hat in the Schwimmwagen!
My opinion is more towards a real "Tropenhelm"
There is no need to lock the prop down, on the contrary it needs to be free to lift when retaking the ground. It's own weight and subsiquently the thrust of drive maintains contact with the drive coupling.
That makes complete sense! Trust the krauts!
Fun key story for Steve. I was a fitter in Tech Sqn 2 Cav on Kangaroo exercise at Katherine. The whole Regiment of M113s were staged in a transport yard waiting to be loaded and trucked up to Darwin and shipped home. However, the Officer in charge of all keys had left without passing them on so we were called in to cut each locking lug off every driver’s hatch, load vehicle onto trailer then weld the lug back on to secure each vehicle as they all had weapon systems onboard. What a day!
Did he get an interview without coffee?
Promoted probably
Probably went on order of "your hat, my office."
Interview without coffee.
Carpet parade.
Formal bollocking.
Promotion and posted, never to be seen again.
I was in 16RWAR and went on many kanga excersises back in the day.
Dear Guys,
This WWII Volkswagen Schwimmwagen runs like she just left the Volkswagen works in 1942. Very nice restored she is and will fit very well in your collection.
I look forward to your next vlog and send you love from the Netherlands
The Schwimmwagen had a top speed of 50 miles per hour on land and six miles per hour in the water. It had an air-cooled overhead valve, flat-four cylinder engine with a displacement of 1,131cc, and a rating of 25 horsepower.
This is a Schwimmwagen, it a Wagen that SCHWIMMS!!
thats german, combine words to get a new word "Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän"
Now that, is an awesome vehicle. Idea: Make the Schwimmwagen schwimm again.
Really neat unit , bare bones construction built for its purpose. I didn't realize these were 4-wheel drive, but that makes absolute sense coming out of the water to pull itself out and up the bank.
My mother (ATS -WO2) said during the war it was advised to remove distributor rotor arm and carry it with you when leaving a vehicle in a public place. That to prevent theft/authorised use.
I had to laugh, some of us oldies don't know much about any other system except points and distributor. Could clean and reset the things (every 1500 miles or so) in our sleep. Similar to points on a magneto. Always carry a slip of fine emery for a roadside clean up and a cigarette paper to set opening time.
I guess injection has replaced it.
🏴
The best thing I ever did to my VW powered offroad racing buggy was change to an electronic distributor, no more points and condenser.
had that prob on an old 85 car, opened the bonnet, got the emery paper and found it didn't have points, so stuck for the w/end in a small town waiting for new parts
Years ago, a friend of mine was very drunk and wanted to drive her VW home. Words were said, but the action of removing the rotor arm solved the argument. The friend was incensed, but at least she did not drive and hurt herself or someone else.
I changed the distributor on my VW to an electronic one....
@@aussievaliant4949 Running with the moral of your funny story - So now you can drive AND drink ??
How times have changed.
That was a very interesting AusArmour production / really took me back to youth !
I used to do that in the 90's with my 72 BGT to stop it getting stolen. You sixteen need a key to start it, the tip of a flat-head screwdriver would turn the ignition switch!
Fun vehicle to have in the recent Cairns floods... a "pond" definitely needs to be added to the Aus Armour Fest track.
The entire Volkswagen lineup an example of pure engineering genius. I owned a 1961 Type II Van which was a marvel of simplicity and utility. Nothing like it around today.
Trip down memory lane for me too.
@@iancole944 Yeah, my van developed a rod knock, so I pulled it into my garage, pulled the engine, tore it apart, completely rebuilt, and put it back in by myself. Well, not exactly ... I had help from my now invaluable copy of the 1969 illustrated classic "How To Keep Your Volkswagen Alive - A Manual of Step By Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot!" manual, oil stained and all!
Reminds me of the time my 65 Kombi broke its forward gearbox mount. Found a beetle mount in Tenterfield, which the guy sawed off the rubber bit at the front, so it would fit. Then me and the Mrs headed out of town, found a paddock with some bricks in it, which we “borrowed”, and proceeded to take the engine and gearbox out on top of the bricks, by the side of the road.Let the tyres down to do it. Caused much interest from passing truckies. The next morning we reversed the process and got the thing going again. Got smiles and waves from the truckies on the road. Interesting times!
@@TheSonicfrog The spiral-bound edition, I hope. Later editions are sacreligious.😂😂
@@grantm6514 Absolutely ... well worn, stianed, and you can still just make out the price: $5.50.
Nice to see the secondary propulsion system still in place strapped to the side.
G'day Fellas
Have to appreciate old school technology, so much more reliable. Could nearly always be made to run good enough, to get you home or at least to the next servo.
Another great vid.
Keep up your great work.
Cheers from Down south. (Vic)
Best friend and I spent a fun winter rebuilding our 67 and 68 bug engines in the shelter of a 10 man army issue tent in his folks backyard. We were 17 with tools and an idiots guide to VW Betels. They were running in the spring!
As the owner of a 1968 Beetle Convertible it's impressive to see its ancestor, even if it's the crazy uncle because ours is descended through the plain-jane Kubelwagen. Excellent job getting her tuned up and running perfect again!
The Beetle came first, the Kubel, second and the Schwimmer, third.
Check for the steering column grounding on the boot floor above your feet, or at the dash, where the cutout is for the horn thing.
I'd bet on the wire inside the column has a spot where the insulation has worn through.
Steve’s got screen talent. More mechanical repairs!
Wow, if you guys started making these units you would soon be RICH. Especially you flared the guards a bit , added beach buggy wheels, turbocharging, roll bar and good sound system (bouncy seats and mg 42s would help too). The future is yours.
I like the way this guy thinks!
I always wanted a VW Thing
VW 2.0 litre turbo engine would be amazing in this thing with 4wD and the prop on the back. I would almost swap my FTE fitted Troopy for one of those!
I saw one parked in Martin St, Paddington nearly 50 years ago. Couldn't believe it!
Shut up and take my money!
Great job there Steve, excellent analytics and process of elimination. No-one could have done better, mate.
Nowadays, that's the only VW I would be tempted to buy!
Oh boy this brings back memories of owning 4 Volkswagons over the years. Great to watch Steve going through the engine. The 4 wheel drive is genius. I would love to put that system on a Beetle. Thank you!
Great episode, what a great little unit the Schwimmwagen is. I loved the attention to detail that Steve has and the walk through looking for the issue. I love Workshop Wednesday Cheers, seven more days
Got to ride in a Schwimmer on a small lake... that was something!! I was in the back seat helping to steer in the water, and the water line was awfully close to the top edges. But, we stayed dry, it wasn't too choppy. Great to see all these being taken care of :)
Enjoyed the video…thanks!
I got into VWs back in the 1970s and must have had 20 of them. Used to buy them cheap and fix them up and sell them cheap, back then they were just an old car. Was interesting to see how the engines from the 1950-70 hadn’t changed that much from the one in the video
I talked to an old man from the Ukraine that surrendered to the Germans and was being transported across a river by 3 soldiers in one of these. Told me the water came in and it sunk and the Germans because of all the gear they had on drowned
He swam to shore and surrendered to some Germans in a Truck
Remember to check the sponge in the centre of the distributor, so the vacuum advance mechanism can be lubricated.
Hans! Bring the Schwimmwagen, i have the Badehose!
the standard operating procedure for a broken horn is to start cheering about your favourite sports team 😆
That guy you've got is a real asset.👍
On the prop, there's no lock down. The rod is all it needs. Afaik, the rod's end is a different shape tho, which allowed the user to hold it easier (kinda like a fire poker). In the event it would bottom out, the prop would disengage and save the bits (which is why it doesn't lock) and the user would then push it back down. They could also pull it out on a moment's notice when the vehicle was supposed to "land" in what today might be called a "tactical" fashion, yet another reason i think my knowledge on this is acceptable. It would be extremely bad for the occupants if they came upon the bank and they had to stop to disengage some sort of mechanical latch. As is, you pull the rod and Bob's your uncle.
3:45 Bosch key. Have a couple of those from tractors (tho they might've been post WW2 "recuperated materials and components", like the delided Shermans.
Another feature of the design is the thrust of the propeller helps press the dog clutch engagement more firmly together.
The horn. I had this issue on a 1971 Beetle. There was a wire run inside the steering column and it was grounding out. It might well be a similar issue on this one. I always wondered about bench testing a carb but I never knew just how to do it. Thanks!
In the 1960's/70's JAWA/CZ and MZ motorcycles had an ignition key that looked almost exactly the same as the one for your VW 😃
I know, I had one. It was new in 1993 and utterly bulletproof. The only downside was the vibration which would give you whitefinger after an hour or so. Not great when driving 2000km to Spain!
Ah, fond memories of working on my 1966 Type 3 Fastback. Those Solex carbs could be tricky at times. And fun on hot summer days when the fuel pump would be empty due to it being located on top of the crankcase. The petrol would vaporise out. The solution would be an old towel and some water to cool it down.
Geez, rebuilding a carb brings back memory. Last time I did that had to be 1984, 4 bbl for my '69 Plymouth Roadrunner. Then in '85 I got married, started a family, handed the Runner off to my brother and have been EFI ever since. Thank you.
The pull from the prop keeps the shaft gear engaged, and if the prop guard hits everything it flips back.
Simple effective.
The "L" inside the shield is the emblem for Panzer Lehr Division. A training division initially but was pressed into action in Normandy.
"Lehr" units are units assigned to schools (e. g. armour school) for purposes as teaching demonstrations and trials. Units for training are "Ausbildungs" units, units for personnel replacement by already trained personnel are "Ersatz" units.
In 1939 Panzer Lehr was already something of an elite unit. Just a few weeks before the Poland campaign they were issued with the newest and most powerful combat tank the Germans had available, the Panzer III E, which was just coming off the production line.
Great job explaining what you were doing as you troubleshot and then fixed the ole carb. Points, condenser and rotors! Brings back memories of my first few autos I owned.
The NGK sparkplugs in this Porsche are mostly original ...
Isnt there a somewhat deeper puddle, a small pool on your track, ideal to show off the Schwimmwagen...?
Wonderful to see, nice work Steve! Now just missing the optional MG-42 to help deal with rush-hour traffic 😁. Best wishes..
I spent my teen years rebuilding Beetles, Buses and type 3's. Even worked on a Formula V (vw engines) pit crew. I'd have to shake the cobwebs...but hat baby id right up my alley.
It looks different but sounds the same as my 1964 Beetle. ❤
Reminds me of stripping the carbi of my petrol landrover on the uni common room floor at Gatton in the early 90’s and cleaning the needle and seat so I could take my girl friend home for the weekend without breaking down! Simple systems…..
The most interesting thing on this video is that the parts on this thing are very very familiar to anyone who has an old air cooled VW
True. My first car was a '65 Beetle followed by a '66 Bus. Apart from the transfer case and front diff, all the other mechanicals are instantly recognizable. Even the reduction boxes/Portal axle visible at 1:10 was carried over to the Bus. I'll bet the rear of this one hops under acceleration on bumpy ground like my Bus did.
the Schwimmwagen was always one of my al time favourites, from my earliest years i always wanted one, had a few models of them, and in later years half decided it wasn't practical, and might have myself the Kubelwagen - that never happened either, i passed my test, had an old Mk2 Ford Escort for a short while, and then bought my dream car an Ex Military Lightweight Land Rover, and after many years, still own it, but it resides in a field somewhere feeding sheep i think
The Schwimmwagen - Built by Ambi-Bud for the German army for it's eastern campaigns. I had the pleasure of driving one on land and water a few years ago. The driving was fun, the water crossing was slow, so much drag. The wheels keep turning along with the propeller so getting out of the water is a balancing act - enough revs to power the hull up to the muddy bank, but not so many to spin the wheels in the mud.
As far as I know, AMBI BUDD “Presswerk” < ! , Berlin Johannisthal, only manufactured the body parts for Wolfsburg. < It was built there.
@@BoydCooperLegend interesting - many thanks. My information came from Maj. Ivan Hirst R.E.M.E. His recollection was that AMDI BUDD were the builders. With 50+ years elapsed between the events and our conversations perhaps the memories may have been confused.
My 1971 Super-Beetle, (bought in 1972), got me through 20 years and this makes me miss the simplicity of everything. And all 60hp, on a good day. This was another great video.
I have a 67 beetle, it’s amazing how the basic parts are the same, but different, but really the same.
Just like working on my old 1980 Corolla. Very simple, not like now!
In Vietnam our M151 Jeeps did not have a key so everyone took the rotor arm to help prevent theft. The only problem there was that pretty much everyone had a rotor arm of their own. Second defense was a padlock on the hood.
Yeah when I was in the Army we just used a heavy duty padlock and chain to lock the steering wheel to the brake pedal.
What an amazing little vehicle! Steve rocks!
Always a joy to watch Steve work, keep it up
Panzer Lehr markings, very cool.
The force of the prop pushing the swimwagen forward will keep it engaged.
And: Swimwagen can't swim backwards for this reason (and also because the engine can't run backwards).
Listening to the sound track gear noise, that thing has straight cut gears and/or full-time 4WD. There's still heaps of carburettors in this world, mostly on motorcycles and small engines . Same principles apply.
that must have been a long ride from the northsea to australia, thank good the swimmwagen made it.
I used to love working on my 1969 Type 2 engine. Spent many hours adjusting points and valves.
Thanks guys that was a great show
Old school diagnostics 👍🏻🇬🇧
Two hundred likes in the first 20 minutes. Shows the level of interest in this place.
Hej , I think you need an Isolator between the carb an the intakemanifold (Bakelit) , mostly all old VW have one.. greets from Austria
Definitely a vehicle I would love to drive my frandfather fought in the us army in ww2 and he came home loving 2 vehicles the willys jeep and the Volkswagen.
Simple design, just brilliant. The distributor “ distributes “ the current from the coil to each spark plug. Spent a lot of time playing around with the one in my 1951 Morris Minor
Nice one. Just for the record this was a newer carb, since the original ones don't have an acceleration pump. But it's make it more drivable.
An example in amazing condition! A collector’s dream! 👍
Just what I need for the commute in and out of Brisbane via the Brisbane River!
Steve is a solid mechanic, no doubt. When I tune an idle mixture screw I use a manifold vacuum gauge and tune for maximum vacuum.
Seeing the prop turn made my day, looks like it may have been a good swimmer.
What brilliant episode, brought back memories of when you could work on your own vehicle - I loved it ❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥
From my understanding the ,"Swimmagen, The Klubelvegen and the Volkswagen all the components were about 90% interchangeability with each other. Even some of the Auxiliary tank engines used Volkswagen engine parts as Auxiliary motors to keep the tank batteries charged on the "warm Siberian winters."
That distributor cap brings back memories. My parents had a 1972 beetle and the distributor cap was the same brown/reddish color. I remember it mostly because it broke at some point and my father had to replace it.
Shame on you Kurt, “not successful”. These things went everywhere in WW2 and performed well in all weather on and off road with the added bonus it could cross lakes or slow flowing rivers with no preparation. Plus if VW were to build them now they wouldn’t be able to keep up with demand. Excellent stuff guys, keep it up 👍🏻👍🏻
Fascinating.
So many memories ! I had numerous 1950s and 60s car and motorcycles in my youth, and knew carbies, points and alternators inside-out and backwards. If only I had some of those "Old" vehicles now ! Excellent Channel !
I noticed the wheels have been flipped around. Back in the day we did that with the five lug wheels it makes them look beefy but not wise for highway use. Great vid tho thanks guys
I really need a schwimmwagen now....
Talk about a trip down memory lane! I had 1959 VW and went thru that carby cleaning routine more than once. And how amusing for Steve to have to explain how a distributor works. Digital control rules!
I have to admit I just can not get enough bums me out when the end comes.
Nice Carb Cleaning and adjustment . Good Ole VW . !
nice to see you learning a lot about this antique sort of engines.......my wifes first car was a beetle and i did all that maintanance myself, adjust the contact every 50k km, replace the "Zündkerzen" (what one time leaded to a complete removal of the engine because the forward sparkplugs were "festgesessen" (stuck completely), lol ! like you guys doing all that work on these old stuff, greetings from an old german guy !
Briungs back memories.
Here is a Volkswagen tip, only use bosch spark plugs as the thread is perfect....both ngk and champion are slightly different pitch. Was taught that by an old German Volkswagen specialist mechanic.
No, Germans are funny. However Bosch 145's are the EXACT heat range but, NGK 6 is too hot and NGK 7 is a bit too cold. Bosch is best for old VW's...threads are DIN for Bosch and JIS for NGK...close enough.
A cross between a Mini Moke and a tinny, and the idea would still sell today - why not ? What more would you need for a bit of fishing out on the river ?
That was a great trip down memory lane and a quick guide on distributors and carbs. Once just about everyone could do that, but now ......
I recall one of these was cruising around Perth back in the 70's.
Did you check the fuel tank breather? I have owned a fleet of beetles in the past but I had one very ancient example which would run for hours, even days on end, then die for no reason. It nearly drove me to hammer time. It turned out to be a 1940s NOS non-breather type cap was fitted which made the mechanical pump turn the fuel tank in to a vacuum chamber. I found it when I decided to remove the pump a week later and there was a huge whoosh when I cracked the pipe fitting. It never missed a beat after that. Worth checking.
I had the pleasure to have a passenger ride in one of those once. Pure joy entering the lake, some nasty surprise having only about 15 centimetres to the water surface… As long as there are almost no waves all is fine.
Thanks for this very enjoyable video!
Standard rivers are usually pretty calm.
I love the Schwimmwagen ❤ It was a real treat to see the inner workings.
How cool, going for a spin in a schwimmwagen.
I loved the museum when I went there 8 years ago. I could’ve spent all day there if it wasn’t for the impatient youngster…
Working on this reminds me of working on Holdens and Valiants(no Fords!) in my younger years. 3 spanners, a pair of pliers, a flat head screwdriver and some wire would get you out of trouble in most cases! 🤣
My old next-door neighbour from 25 years ago would’ve loved this in particular too. He was a retired mechanic and VW nut. He still had his race Beetle from the 1960s and his daily driver was a Kombi. Anytime he saw the bonnet of my EK go up he’d be straight over.
These videos are fascinating, and oddly enough, relaxing to watch. Thank you and keep them coming. As an American, I’ll likely never make it to your museum, it appears quite impressive indeed!
I am sooo jealous that you have a Schwimmagen, I've always wanted one of those or a Seap or both and that SW sounds really really good.
An amazing creation for the time. I’d love to see it swim.
The first time I ever saw one was on Combat Dealers. The sight of Bruce and Hus testing it on a lake to see if it would float whilst at an event was classic!
What a little gem
Such a wonderful little machine. So capable and so versatile.
Let’s go Ausarmour!
I've seen a couple of hundred willitrun's, and this is one of the best. Great explanation & overview, plus dissection of Der German Solex carb tech from the 1930's (used in the 1940's and far beyond). Didn't see whether this boat came with a paddle.