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lowering early beetle . questions

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frenzix Son of Jim - Creator of Good

2,742 posts · joined Dec 2003 ·

#321966
Hi dudes,

Can anyone give me a rundown on lowering an early beetle with an adjustable front beam, narrowed tie rods, narrowed leaves, dropped spindles??

Would be muchly appreciated.. even a brief rundown on how to go about it.. We have all the bits and are ready to slammmmmmm

BTW it's a 61 beetle.

Cheers, Tim
www.nkcrew.com.au

frenzix Son of Jim - Creator of Good

2,742 posts · joined Dec 2003 ·

#321968
btw we know how to lower the back.. just never done the front before..

Tanks, Tim
www.nkcrew.com.au

vwtyp2 Son of Jim - Creator of Good

2,504 posts · joined Sep 2003 ·

#321972
ask '57 Chookshed. 😉

pod i`ve got to finish this thing one day

4,980 posts · joined Dec 2003 ·

#322032
mines got adjustable front beam,but youll need 135`s or similar to help with the tyre scrapping on full lock
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frenzix Son of Jim - Creator of Good

2,742 posts · joined Dec 2003 ·

#322100
we have 135's on front and 165's on rear running BRMS 😉
www.nkcrew.com.au

frenzix Son of Jim - Creator of Good

2,742 posts · joined Dec 2003 ·

#322103
hey adam, thanks mate.. just got back on the puter and added you.

Cheers , Tim
www.nkcrew.com.au

Dasdubber DAS Resto Haus

5,746 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#322155
Tim

Lowering can be achieved by:
A) removing torsion leaves - highly unrecommended and unsafe;
B) adding weight in the front of the beetle - not ideal for handling, fuel consumption etc;
C) cutting the centre of the beam, turning and then rewelding - effective but not adjustable so if you didn't get it right the first time you're screwed;
D) Cutting cente of beam out and welding in adjusters - most common method - effective and can dial in ride height to desired level (slammed I take it) - best to use castor shims to get some straight line stability back though as the car wanders on highway etc;
E) Use dropped spindles - again effective but gives you 2 to 2 1/2 in drop - retains normal suspension geometry so handles and rides well but again not adjustable;
F) use combo of D and E so you can have your cake and eat it too. Most expensive but worth the effort.

Re. narrowing, I think I have replied to a previous post already in this section or the other tech section - maybe scroll down for narrowed beam thread.

http://www.vw-resource.com/front_suspension.html
...for more general front suspension info. Read read read....best way to learn before tackling it head on. Learn from others mistakes to save yourself money and heartache.

Alan
www.dasrestoparts.com.au

frenzix Son of Jim - Creator of Good

2,742 posts · joined Dec 2003 ·

#322162
dude thanks for that, sorry i maybe was a bit unclear on my post.. i was saying that we have these parts..

Adjustable front beam 2" narrowed
Dropped spindles
Narrowed torsion leaves
narrowed tie rods and all other associated parts needed..

Just was wanting some basic instructions if anyone else has gone through this before.
www.nkcrew.com.au

Che Castro ankle straps

1,945 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#322314
Remember, lowering screws around with the geometry. Dropped spindles is a good idea. narrowing the front beam is difficult and generally makes it handle worse.
Jon

MattY-64 Seriously Crusin Dubber

189 posts · joined Oct 2004 ·

#322317
Castro,

Do you know if drop spindles are legal/RTA approved. I have been told that only the adjustable beem is legal here in QLD anyways.

Matt.

BUGBOY Moderator Chief Toy Dude / Head Cruiser

2,147 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#322458
I run a narrow front beam in my oval.
I built the one in my 57 oval over a year ago and drive this car everyday.
It drives and handles just like stock.
But I must point out its not just a job for anyone.
If you have any questions send me a U2U.
I can also can supply you with a narrrow beam, tie rods, torsion bars etc if you havn`t got them already.

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Dasdubber DAS Resto Haus

5,746 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#322560
frenzix wrote:dude thanks for that, sorry i maybe was a bit unclear on my post.. i was saying that we have these parts..

Adjustable front beam 2" narrowed
Dropped spindles
Narrowed torsion leaves
narrowed tie rods and all other associated parts needed..

Just was wanting some basic instructions if anyone else has gone through this before.
Sorry bout that, I did misread the post...I just figured if you already have the narrowed beam and dropped spindles etc all already assembled (may be wrong about that too?), I thought you would have no probs reinstalling - after all its just four bolts that hold the beam on 😉

Of course there is aligning everything which is more difficult but maybe you can let us know exactly which part you are having difficulty with then we can give some more accurate advice.

Cheers
www.dasrestoparts.com.au

frenzix Son of Jim - Creator of Good

2,742 posts · joined Dec 2003 ·

#322764
cool, thanks everyone. I do already have all the bits, he just lowered the back 1 spline yesturday.. that was far enough me thinks. We have the beam out and are assembling the new one, the only concern for us is the aligning of the new dropped spindles... might have to take it somewhere for that.. Will let you know how we go this arvo...

Cheers, Tim
www.nkcrew.com.au

Adam_C Custom Title Time!

1,180 posts · joined May 2003 ·

#322850
Tim, if you find any tips on allignment then pass em onto me ....... will be doing the same in a week or 2
Adam
Adzslick@iprimus.com.au