Steering Box

Steering box.
VW Beetle 1200 | 1300 | 1500 sedan - from 8/65 onwards.
VW Beetle Convertible - 8/61 to 7/70.
VW Beetle export models - 8/61 to 7/65.
Type 14 Karmann Ghia - from 8/61 onwards.
VW Type 3.
181 (Thing).
For sedan Beetles up to 7/65 and convertible Beetles up to 7/61 you can use this steering box together with steering arm 4004354 or steering arm 4004347.

If there is too much play in the centre position of the worm-and-sector or worm-and-roller steering box and the adjusting bolt is already screwed in to the maximum, so the steering wheel turns stiffly, the steering box is worn. An overhaul is a solution, but due to the difficulty of obtaining separate parts for the steering box and the high level of knowledge required for this work, we recommend fitting a factory-new box, which is not only better but also considerably cheaper. The steering boxes mentioned here are new and are supplied without mounting hardware and/or mounting brackets; you have to reuse these or reorder them where possible. The T25/T3 steering box is fitted with power steering; if your Volkswagen Bus is not equipped with this feature, you have to overhaul the old steering box, as there are no new boxes of this type yet.

Types of steering boxes:

On the old Beetle and Karmann Ghia it is the worm-and-sector drive, which was then changed to a worm-and-roller drive. Later, on the Beetle 1303 and the T25/T3, rack-and-pinion steering was used. It is important to know what is under your car; here is the full explanation:

Volkswagen used the worm-and-sector steering for the Beetle up to 1965 and for the Karmann Ghia up to 1961. The steering box is fitted with a toothed fork (sector) that turns around a shaft (worm) and so makes a rotary movement. In the later years the worm-and-roller steering was used. Here too only the toothed sector was replaced with a mounted roller (worm wheel). From 1974 the Beetle 1303, like the third generation of buses (T25/T3 Vanagon), was fitted with rack-and-pinion steering. This is a rectangular bar with teeth on one side like a gear. With the pinion, a small gear that engages the teeth, the bar can be moved lengthwise. Volkswagen did not implement this change on all models at the same time, so below we have listed which VW system was used for which model.

Worm-and-sector steering:
Convertible Beetle up to 1961 (VIN 3 933 184)
Export Beetle up to 1961 (VIN 4 236 756)
Beetle for the domestic market (standard model) up to 7/1965
Karmann Ghia up to 1961 (VIN 3 933 184)

Worm-and-roller steering:
Beetle Convertible from 1961 (VIN 3 933 185) to 7/1974
Beetle for export from 1961 (VIN 4 236 757) onwards
Beetle 1200-1300-1500 from 8/1965 onwards
Beetle 1302 and 1303 up to 7/1974
Karmann Ghia from 1961 (VIN 3 933 185) onwards
VW Bus up to 7/1979
Type 3 all models and years
Type 181 (Thing) all models and years

Rack-and-pinion steering:
Beetle 1303 from 8/1974 onwards
T25/T3 (all years)

Note: For the years of the Beetle and Karmann Ghia up to and including 7/1965 with worm-and-sector steering, steering box 4001368 can be used, provided the steering arm is also replaced with a conversion arm 4004347 or 4004354.