I have just picked up a tired 57 oval which I intend to rebuild in a cal look style. It is running a stock 1600 at the moment with a1500 gearbox on solid mounts. Tyres are 225/70 R70 on rear and some R14 on the front. It needs a new front end and I have four wheel discs coming for it in wide five. What are the mods I should do to make it handle for street use? Sway bars,, narrowed beam, shockers and the like. What has work for you? It will get a bigger motor probably a 1776 with dual 40 IDF if I ever get round to putting it to gether. any suggestion would be appreciated.

[Edited on 25-5-2004 by wombatone]

I think keeping the beam normal width would help. Replace all the bushings with urethanes, fit adjusters to the beam, get the beam straight and get your geometry set up first. Replace the steering box, tie rod ends, King & link pins. Get a camber compensator and get some good tyres.

Another option is to switch to the late pan

At the moment I am running KYB GR-2 shockers and sway-a way camber cpmo on my 61 just what to know whats the next step for the oval with out going a putting an irs pan under it, or is that what i should be doing? I have a few extra oval pans to play with so a plaining to pick the best one and go to town on it.

are rear sway barsand limit straps an option like we run on formula vees?

I have never driven this car so I don't know how noise it is but I've herd that solid gear box mount are noise. Am i better to got to urethanes mounts and straps? I have troble im my 61 keeping the front mount to gether and get to much wheell hop so was thinking of installing a Gene Berg style intermediate gear box mount, to take the pressure of the front mount. or is this over kill?

I've got a berg intermediate mount on the pan that im building up now. They're not really hard to do and u can urethane mount it so it wont be as harsh as solids. Also the other advantage is that u wont even need the front mount anymore so u can fit late swing axle boxes with the later front mount. Straps arent really that great, a berg mount is pretty strong, if you need more reinforcement, you can make or buy a traction bar and tie it into the bodywork on rubbers - steve carter has something like this.

I reckon just getting everything tight in the front end, like urethane all round, ball joints, basically rebuilding it all and setting it up right should make a world of difference. replacing the fat rear torsion bushings, setting it up right would make a hell of a diff.

I dont know what other criteria you have, but if you're going to go to town on a pan, might as well switch to a late pan???

well the worst thing you could do is narrow the front beam!!! if anything you would want it wider. and you will lose heaps of steering lock!!

Until I opened the thread, I was going to suggest using a jigsaw.....

If you are going to spend money (swaybars, discs etc etc) DON'T until you have bought an IRS chassis/floorpan with a balljoint front end. I'm not sure of your experience with VWs; if you don't know what that means, ask us

Spending more than a couple of hundred dollars on a King pin front end chassis for a roadie is simply a waste...

I know ball joint irs is a better option, but all the rest of my stuff is pre ball joint bot road and race so I would prefer to stick to that. Don’t see the point in carrying two set of sets for different models. I like the fact that both my 61 bug and buggy run the same 1600 engine set up, gear boxes, breaks etc.

How much K&L and swing axle stuff do u have? I dont think you should limit yourself to 1930's suspension just because you have lots of K&L stuff. Its not like suspension components are particularly rare, and K&L belongs in the stone age same with swing axles

late pan late pan late pan late pan

http://www.clubvw.org.au/Handle%20with%20care.htm 

So what you're saying Wombat-1 is

"how can I make my Oval handle a little better, but not as good as a BJ/IRS bug?"

late pan late panlate panlate pan late pan late pan late pan late pan late pan

let me see if i have this right, I should use a BJ/IRS pan? Then all the preformance stuff I've all ready got woul be usless. Plus I could not fit my Empi 5 spokes, or my new four wheel disc breakes. anyway I don't have a BJ/IRS but I have 6 oval pans to play with.

Sway bar on front

Camber compensator on rear

well the best step would be to by a super!!!