WECSOG Improvised Breeching Washer..

eodinert · November 23, 2001, 20:19

I Have not built an inch gun, and for that matter I've never even seen a breaching washer, but I was swapping motors in my volkswagen today and I noticed the shims that adjust the belt tension on the generator pulley seemed to have the right inside diameter to fit on an FAL barrel.

Of course, I had one handy in the garage to check. It's a light friction fit over the threads, then it falls down onto the barrel shoulder real nice like. The outside diameter would need to be trimmed a bit, but that would be easy.

It would even be sort of authentic for your G1

Doug

Deltaten · November 24, 2001, 07:47

eodinert:
Year/model/motor? I don't wanna walk in to the parts dept. and ask for "ya'know, hose little dealies that go on the generator..".
Sounds like just the ticket. What's the thickness, or does it vary, by request?
TIA,
Paul

Snakeshot · November 24, 2001, 09:33

eodinert,

Excellent observation. I was about to trim down some shim washers to fit...

Used to spend a lot of time wrenching on those dang things- I know exactly the part you're talking about.

sixplusone · November 25, 2001, 00:39

I know those washers..
If they are to thin and you want to make one single out of good quality metal that takes cold blue well and costs .75..( I'm embarassed to say) try a sickle knife from a farm implement parts store. I think they are used on wheat combines. They are ground flat, have harden 'teeth' on two sides of a triangle. I was desperate OK? Took 5 min. with a belt sander and another 20 or? to make the hole and grind down. Good steel though.Oh ;;keep one ground side untouched to measure from a uniform flat side.

[ November 25, 2001: Message edited by: sixplusone ]

eodinert · November 25, 2001, 20:07

They are the shims used to adjust belt tension on most any aircooled VW. Were I to attempt to buy them at the FLAP (favorite local auto part store), I would ask for 'generator pulley shims for an air cooled VW'. If that does not do it, you're in the wrong auto parts store. Here in PHX, we have one that caters to the VW/import crowd (called BAP).

For the un-initiated, there are only two pulleys on an aircooled Vee-dub.. the crank pulley, and the generator pulley. They are in solid mounts, a fixed distance apart. The generator pulley is in two halves, split down the middle (like a slice of pepperoni). The shims go inbetween the two halves. The farther apart the halves, the looser the belt.

Every air-cooled VW on the planet (beetle, baja, bus, thing, etc. ) has a stack of 5-15 shims adjusting the belt tension.

I wouldn't bother buying them new (most of the new parts these days are crappy thaiwanese), try a boneyard. Take the nut off of the generator pulley, remove the nut and goofy washer, and discover the shims. Remove the outer half of the pulley, and discover more shims (extra shims are stored under the pulley nut, in case you need them for a shorter belt).

I'm no machinist, so I won't guess as to thickness. There are probably some variations in thickness, depending on year of manufactur, etc. They are thin enough to be flexile. Probably best for fixing metric barrels that over-clock, rather than inch guns.

If anyone uses one of these, let me know how it works.

Doug

[ November 25, 2001: Message edited by: eodinert ]

November 23, 2001, 20:19	#1
eodinert Registered FALaholic #: 1488 Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 787	WECSOG Improvised Breeching Washer.. I Have not built an inch gun, and for that matter I've never even seen a breaching washer, but I was swapping motors in my volkswagen today and I noticed the shims that adjust the belt tension on the generator pulley seemed to have the right inside diameter to fit on an FAL barrel. Of course, I had one handy in the garage to check. It's a light friction fit over the threads, then it falls down onto the barrel shoulder real nice like. The outside diameter would need to be trimmed a bit, but that would be easy. It would even be sort of authentic for your G1 Doug Last edited by W.E.G.; November 25, 2002 at 12:37.

November 24, 2001, 07:47	#2
Deltaten Registered FALaholic #: 124 Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Lancaster, PA USA Posts: 8,500	eodinert: Year/model/motor? I don't wanna walk in to the parts dept. and ask for "ya'know, hose little dealies that go on the generator..". Sounds like just the ticket. What's the thickness, or does it vary, by request? TIA, Paul __________________ All or Nothing! Senator McCarthy was right! and as always......FYB!

November 24, 2001, 09:33	#3
Snakeshot Registered FALaholic #: 909 Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Non Harry Reid Nevada Posts: 4,046	eodinert, Excellent observation. I was about to trim down some shim washers to fit... Used to spend a lot of time wrenching on those dang things- I know exactly the part you're talking about. __________________ "When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that justifies it." Frederic Bastiat

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November 25, 2001, 00:39	#4
sixplusone Registered FALaholic #: 2667 Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: NE Oregon Posts: 489	I know those washers.. If they are to thin and you want to make one single out of good quality metal that takes cold blue well and costs .75..( I'm embarassed to say) try a sickle knife from a farm implement parts store. I think they are used on wheat combines. They are ground flat, have harden 'teeth' on two sides of a triangle. I was desperate OK? Took 5 min. with a belt sander and another 20 or? to make the hole and grind down. Good steel though.Oh ;;keep one ground side untouched to measure from a uniform flat side. [ November 25, 2001: Message edited by: sixplusone ]

November 25, 2001, 20:07	#5
eodinert Registered FALaholic #: 1488 Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 787	They are the shims used to adjust belt tension on most any aircooled VW. Were I to attempt to buy them at the FLAP (favorite local auto part store), I would ask for 'generator pulley shims for an air cooled VW'. If that does not do it, you're in the wrong auto parts store. Here in PHX, we have one that caters to the VW/import crowd (called BAP). For the un-initiated, there are only two pulleys on an aircooled Vee-dub.. the crank pulley, and the generator pulley. They are in solid mounts, a fixed distance apart. The generator pulley is in two halves, split down the middle (like a slice of pepperoni). The shims go inbetween the two halves. The farther apart the halves, the looser the belt. Every air-cooled VW on the planet (beetle, baja, bus, thing, etc. ) has a stack of 5-15 shims adjusting the belt tension. I wouldn't bother buying them new (most of the new parts these days are crappy thaiwanese), try a boneyard. Take the nut off of the generator pulley, remove the nut and goofy washer, and discover the shims. Remove the outer half of the pulley, and discover more shims (extra shims are stored under the pulley nut, in case you need them for a shorter belt). I'm no machinist, so I won't guess as to thickness. There are probably some variations in thickness, depending on year of manufactur, etc. They are thin enough to be flexile. Probably best for fixing metric barrels that over-clock, rather than inch guns. If anyone uses one of these, let me know how it works. Doug [ November 25, 2001: Message edited by: eodinert ]