I reinstalled the pedal assembly, master cylinder, and brake lines today. Attaching the clutch cable to the clutch pedal is a bit tricky. While attaching the clutch cable to the clutch pedal and mounting the assembly to the tunnel, you’ll want a helper (Thanks Aly!) to keep the cable nice and taut by pulling on it from the other end of the cable (back near the transmission). If you don’t do this, you run the risk of the cable unhooking itself from the clutch pedal.
The car came with an aftermarket VW Bus master cylinder. It’s the kind where the brake fluid reservoir is attached to the master cylinder itself. I thought hard about whether to leave it as is, or replace it with the “correct” stock German master cylinder for the Beetle. I decided to swap it out. As much as I don’t like the thought of brake fluid dripping on the paint inside the front compartment, I also don’t like the idea of having to get up under the gas tank whenever I want/need to add more brake fluid. The stock fluid reservoir holds a bit more fluid than the reservoir on the VW Bus master cylinder too. I’m not sure if this is the correct decision, but it feels right to me at the moment. Looks like I’ll have a Bus master cylinder to sell now.
I’ll bleed the brakes tomorrow. Here are some pics:
