05-11-2017, 09:19 AM
Along those same lines is the pittman arm attachment on '61 Bug products. The '58 thru '60 Bugs had a bent pittman arm, but in '61, Bug went to a square end milled onto the steering shaft with a 1/4" tapped hole in the end with a welded-on steering wheel. A flat pittman arm with a square hole pushed onto the end of the shaft and was secured with a 1/4" cap screw and flat washer. Horrible assembly! They always loosened and the shaft end became slightly rounded, as did the hole in the pittman. The only solutions are to weld on the pittman, which means the shaft has to be cut in order to disassemble, or to replace shaft, pittman and wheel with an aftermarket setup. The other issue with early Bug products was the ease with which the steering could go over center and steer the kart in the opposite direction from that intended. My pal, Jerry, had this happen in Ft. Pierce, FL when he was coming into the pits after a run on Pop's Wasp. He ended up stiff-arming another fellow's Oldsmobile and putting a big dent in his door. TJ