Setting up adjustable front narrowed beam
oldturtle22 - May 5th, 2015 at 07:32 PM
I have a 59 beetle with a 4in narrowed beam and drop spindles.
Ive heard theres a way of setting up the position of the adjusters.
Whats your experiences/opinions on this?
Cheers.
oldturtle22 - October 7th, 2015 at 08:17 PM
So no one here has done this???
adlbeetle66 - October 7th, 2015 at 08:56 PM
So your beam already has adjusters in it?
empi - October 8th, 2015 at 01:36 PM
Each beam will be different there really isnt a setting to go on you will just need to get under there and experiment
petemart - October 8th, 2015 at 09:21 PM
I have a 4.5 beam but I run CB Performance Wide 5 disks so its the same as a 4"
I use my bug as a daily and I drive it as hard as the current 1200 will let me.
I have 2 sets of caster shims stacked under the bottom beam (you'll need longer bolts) and I have the two adjusters in tension against each other:
i.e work out how low you want it, make the bottom one one notch higher, lock it in then set the top one one notch lower by putting blocks under the
wheels and setting it when its under load by letting the jack back down and you'll see the adjuster move.
Every component must be new and be the best quality you can find and buy if you are going to drive it more than 3 times a year (Parts from importers
like Tooley Imports, HM Ferman NOT CIP1 and all the other online Chinese rubbish)
I have also always run Koni adjustable shocks which are the one thing that turn a lowered bug from a miss-handling dog to drivable. They are expensive
but it is like day and night.
oldturtle22 - October 11th, 2015 at 09:50 AM
Thanks for the replies,
Denver it has got adjusters in the top and bottom tubes but not the ratchet type. The car will track slightly sideways when you hit a bump, and in the
wet its shocking.
It also has dropped adjustable Jerfab springplates in the rear.
Petemart, I think you've hit the nail on the head. I don't have castor shims and I'm sure its a chinese beam and the front wheels display positive
camber. I may have to replace the beam I think.
I have considered in the past narrowing my own beam as I have a couple spare, or is it more economical to just buy one.
Do skinned knuckles still build beams? I've heard these are pretty good. I'll check the other suppliers.
Cheers
karmann141 - October 11th, 2015 at 12:32 PM
| Quote: |
Originally
posted by oldturtle22
I have a 59 beetle with a 4in narrowed beam and drop spindles.
Ive heard theres a way of setting up the position of the adjusters.
Whats your experiences/opinions on this?
Cheers.
|
Without opening up the whole "narrowed beam" debate again, you do ask for experiences and opinions and I do believe in answering the question/s
asked.
In my experience a narrowed beam car is always going to be a sub-standard drive when compared to a standard beam. The narrower the beam, the more of a
pig it will be. You'll always compromise ride and handling with a narrowed beam - it's the trade off for aesthetics (if that's the look you like).
That's my experience and opinion.
petemart - October 11th, 2015 at 05:22 PM
| Quote: |
Originally
posted by oldturtle22
Thanks for the replies,
Denver it has got adjusters in the top and bottom tubes but not the ratchet type. The car will track slightly sideways when you hit a bump,
and in the wet its shocking.
It also has dropped adjustable Jerfab springplates in the rear.
Petemart, I think you've hit the nail on the head. I don't have castor shims and I'm sure its a chinese beam and the front wheels display positive
camber. I may have to replace the beam I think.
I have considered in the past narrowing my own beam as I have a couple spare, or is it more economical to just buy one.
Do skinned knuckles still build beams? I've heard these are pretty good. I'll check the other suppliers.
Cheers
|
I have a DUB Beam with the Avis style but the beam brand and adjuster type shouldn't make any difference.
When I first got mine it did the same and I felt totally unsafe over 100km/hr as it was all over the road all the time and it had brand new Empi
shocks on it.
With the shims and Konis shocks I can sit on 110km/hr all day long on the highway and have had it up to 130km/hr and was still staying straight.
I also think the red bushes that we all use are absolute sh&t and is probably 25% of the issue as the arms are always moving around.
Vintage Vee Dub apparently have good ones that they beat in and then ream the inner for the arms so they are right.
I will be getting this done when I put my big motor in and I'm thinking of putting a narrowed stock size front sway bar and steering damper on it.
Koni shocks are the best things anyone can do their VW.
Get it all on, set the height and find a place who can do 4 wheel alignments on lowered vw's.. 
oldturtle22 - October 12th, 2015 at 09:15 AM
Thanks Karmann. I appreciate your input.
So petemart maybe i dont need to replace the beam? Mine has got the red bushes. But how do I address the positive camber issues?