how hard is it to cut the pivot boxes out of an irs superbug pan?
I have just bought a 62 bug that i'd like to convert to irs I have the back cut out of a superbug irs pan so have all the brackets etc just need to line it all up properly
marcel

Don't go cutting the pivot boxes out, you 'loose' a certain amount in the process, use new ones, always.
This job is 'easier said, than done'.
There're a lot of 'chalenges' in getting things lined up. If you don't do it exactly right, then the car will 'crab' and become very difficult to try and drive. It will over steer one way and under steer the other. Extremely anoying, not to mention, very unsafe to you and everyone else using the road.
The IRS brackets are available and need to be welded in properly and in line/square to the moving parts. The people who do this for a living, use jigs to get everything lined up and square to the different parts.
It's a job that not many people are capable of and in the end send it to a specialist. At least then, you know it's right. I'm not trying to talk you out of it, just advising you that it's not 'that' easy.
Think about it. This is very important. You can start off with an OK car, then end up with a 'dog'.
Regards,
Mark
:thumb

Ive done a few. Mostly on type 3's. I used the pivots from an IRS type 3. Its not really hard just takes heaps of time. HEAPS of measuring, welding remeasuring. Getting them in the right place isnt hard. Its getting the angle right. I spose none of it is so hard, just nerve wracking. You also need to cut out some of the frame horns to install the pivots. I'm not aware of any problems with the ones I have done.

This is becoming an FAQ.

[Edited on 20-7-2003 by amazer]

found this site about irs conversions
http://www.blindchickenracing.com/How_to/IRSconversion/IRSconversion.htm 
marcel

ALL REAR-ENGINED VWs HAVE IRS.

Swing-axle rear ends are still IRS. Each wheel is sprung and suspended independently of the other.

What you're calling 'IRS' is just VW's CV joint rear with four axle pivot points instead of two. The wheels stay parallel as they go up and down independently.

Earlier swing axle rears have wheels that describe arcs as they go up and down, but they're still IRS - each wheel moves independently of the other.

ALL REAR ENGINED VWS HAVE IRS.

How does a Camber compensator work? Do they work, and how well? I don't have a swing axle but just interested.

Yes they work,they look like a leaf spring upside down,they put more preload on your rear,and i didnt hear this,i got one.

Phil your splitting hairs what you say is true to a point. The IRS is fully independant ie it has two pivot points like Jags and Porches etc. but unlike the Commodores, one pivot point, look at the early problems they had with tyre wear.

Agreed, the 4-joint CV rear-end on later Beetles, Kombis and Type 3s is a superior IRS system. One CV is the inner pivot point, like a swing-axle system, but the outer CV is the extra pivot point. They allow the two rear wheels to remain parallel as they go up and down.

Swing-axle rears don't have the outer pivot point; the wheels move in an arc around the inner pivot point at the gearbox. This constantly changes the angle of the wheels to the road, and each other. Swing axle Beetles also have a more unusual tyre wear pattern.

But the fact remains that both systems are still IRS. One wheel can go up or down on both systems without affecting the other in the slightest - unlike a solid rear axle design as used in Holdens and Fords until recently. And every Japanese van I can think of.