[T3] Late Model (dual bleeder) Caliper Assembly Bolt Question

[Jim Adney]

On 27 Sep 2019 at 10:21, Tim wrote:

> This picture shows "early with socket head cap screws" vs "late with
> socket head cap screws" vs "late with hex head cap screws".  All are
> marked both VW and ATE, so original units.  All with 42mm pistons.
> 
> https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1953090.jpg

Very nice photos of the different generations of ATe Type 3 calipers. I'm 
especially pleased to see the original "compensator pins" still in place inside 
each caliper.

I'm pretty sure the caliper on the right is a replacement made by ATe of 
Brazil for VW of Brazil, but that's just my guess because I don't think I've 
ever seen those on a car where I thought they might be original. It's possible 
that VWoA imported them as replacment parts for their dealers. It's also 
possible that these are late versions imported as replacements from ATe of 
Germany. There's really no way of knowing. Those, as shown in the photo, 
have tapped holes in the outer caliper halves, so they don't need nuts. This 
saved 4 nuts and some time in assembly. They are also easier to torque, 
since the hex head is much larger than the hex sockets in the earlier bolts, 
and you don't need a second wrench to hold the nut while you torque the 
bolt. As calipers, they are just as good as the earlier versions.   

I'm not surprised that M7x1.0 bolts are hard to come by. It's a very 
uncommon thread. I have a few good used socket head bolts if you need 
some.

Some of you may recall that one of my questions at the last Invasion's 
Mechanic's Quiz was, "Where did VW use 7 mm threads on Type 3s?" My 
answers were: Caliper bolts, caliper bleeder screws, and clutch cable 
adjuster threads. Someone else (who?) added the manual transmission 
housing to nose cone studs. Anyone got a fifth location?

I didn't know about the 7 mm tranny studs, and I don't know of any other 
uses of 7 mm hardware. Maybe some of you do. Let us know.



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Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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