newb question firewall missing?

le catweasel · May 21, 2014

im a bit new to bays but have had beetles in the past. iv just bought a 68 cali import as a project and amongst other things iv noticed that there is no firewall between the fuel tank and where the engine will/should sit.

should there be one? iv had a quick search and cant find a definate answer.

thanks olly

aogrady · May 21, 2014

le catweasel said:
im a bit new to bays but have had beetles in the past. iv just bought a 68 cali import as a project and amongst other things iv noticed that there is no firewall between the fuel tank and where the engine will/should sit.

should there be one? iv had a quick search and cant find a definate answer.

thanks olly

Hi,

AFAIK, 68MY bus didn't have it fitted, not sure about 69, but 70MY onwards definitely has it

Alistair

bananacustard · May 21, 2014

68s don't have a firewall. One of many quirks

.

le catweasel · May 21, 2014

ok thanks for that, is it worth putting one in? which would be suitable?

thanks

ozziedog · May 21, 2014

You could put one in if you wanted, I think I would just because it would shield the tank for a while if the worst were to happen and you had a fire. With decent maintenance though a fire is highly unlikely if you pay special attention to fuel supply which is the biggest issue. They come up for sale from time to time. I`m guessing up to 72 would fit yours.

Ozziedog............ I would :mrgreen:

vwcanuck · May 22, 2014

I put one in my 68 this year when I had the engine out for a rebuild. There's two styles ... actually three to be exact. Late bay firewalls won't fit. There are two style of earlybay firewalls ... you want the one that has identical top corners. The 71 earlybay will fit with some massaging in the event that you can't find the elusive "early" earlybay firewall. The frame is not the same our buses that never had a firewall so there will not be as many fasteners, but it only takes a few each side to secure it well. I also put some self-adhesive duct tape (grey stuff about 1cm wide) to seal between the firewall and the bus. See pics for the differences.

This is from a late bay ... bad :x

This is from a 71 earlybay ... meh. See the top corners are not the same :roll:

This is the one you want. I believe they were installed in late 68 to 70 buses :anim_19: