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

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

Tanks, Tim

ask '57 Chookshed.

I added you to msn, chat to me and i should be able to help

mines got adjustable front beam,but youll need 135`s or similar to help with the tyre scrapping on full lock

we have 135's on front and 165's on rear running BRMS

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

Cheers , Tim

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

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.

Dude you probably shouldnt do it if you have no idea...

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.

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.

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.

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

Tim, if you find any tips on allignment then pass em onto me ....... will be doing the same in a week or 2