Variant Suspension Replacement

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MeyerII
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Variant Suspension Replacement

Post by MeyerII » Sun May 03, 2009 11:52 pm

Pretty tired right now after all the work. We tried to get it ready for the Cruise for the Cure -- came pretty close, but failed. Its done now, though.

Started with my '65 Variant, slammed to the ground. Bump stops cut off in front, removed in the rear. Shortened axles and shaved drums in back. Tie rods completely shot. Reverse gear practically gone.

Tram arrived at the house a few days ago with parts.

The goal was to replace the front beam, rear subframe, transmission, wheels and tires in three days of working. I had already gotten five stock wide-5 wheels, sandblasted and powercoated with correct Coker thin whitewall tires and Bilstein shocks.

Rear subframe with torsion spring and trailing arms at proper ride height:

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Transaxle- Cleaned up and detailed with OEM VW German mounts and boots:

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Front beam with German Meyle ball joints and tie rods, Bilstein steering dampner, NOS FAG needle bearings and seals at trailing arms, Lemfoerder steering gear, adjusted to stock ride height

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Rear bump stops (need to be cleaned up and detailed yet)

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OEM Meyle German horn:

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I also prepped and painted a correct T3 trailer hitch to tow the '67 Heilite camper.

Before:

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After:

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We were up past 2am most nights and last night we were up until 4:30am - and I had to wake up early and haul sound equipment over to the Cruise for the Cure today. It was nightmarish at times, but Tram is a trooper and just doesn't quit. Whatta guy.


 
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Amskeptic
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Re: Variant Suspension Replacement

Post by Amskeptic » Mon May 04, 2009 9:17 pm

MeyerII wrote:Pretty tired right now after all the work. We were up past 2am most nights and last night we were up until 4:30am - and I had to wake up early and haul sound equipment over to the Cruise for the Cure today. It was nightmarish at times, but Tram is a trooper and just doesn't quit. Whatta guy.
Classic! That is the essence of the early sixties Volkswagen right there.
Looks good. And will have that mountain goat handling once more.
A question, do you have a Z-bar for the rear suspension?
Colin
(Coker tires. . . . right on, that's effort right there)
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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tristessa
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Re: Variant Suspension Replacement

Post by tristessa » Mon May 04, 2009 10:22 pm

Pics of the Tram-mobile but none of Tram himself .. how does that keep happening?
Amskeptic wrote:A question, do you have a Z-bar for the rear suspension?
Z-bar didn't happen until '67, this car is a couple years too "old" for it.

In lieu of the period-incorrect Z-bar (which the body lacks mounts for), I'd suggest either a pair of equally-incorrect Flop Stops on the spring plates which work well and are inexpensive, or a camber compensator. Either that, or really get the feel for the limits of a swingaxle VW, camber changes and oversteer. Usta pull flat-road 90-degree corners at 45-50 in my swingaxle Bug .. back when I was immortal. :cyclopsani:
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MeyerII
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Re: Variant Suspension Replacement

Post by MeyerII » Tue May 05, 2009 11:17 am

tristessa wrote:Pics of the Tram-mobile but none of Tram himself .. how does that keep happening?
Amskeptic wrote:A question, do you have a Z-bar for the rear suspension?
Z-bar didn't happen until '67, this car is a couple years too "old" for it.

In lieu of the period-incorrect Z-bar (which the body lacks mounts for), I'd suggest either a pair of equally-incorrect Flop Stops on the spring plates which work well and are inexpensive, or a camber compensator. Either that, or really get the feel for the limits of a swingaxle VW, camber changes and oversteer. Usta pull flat-road 90-degree corners at 45-50 in my swingaxle Bug .. back when I was immortal. :cyclopsani:
You have to get over to the SEWR for the Tram pics. One more pic in there of the Tram bus as well. You should be in there anyway - its mostly fart jokes, but every now and then you get something valuable out of it.

The front end is slightly high and there was a bit of camber at first, but those torsion bars hadn't been loaded in over ten years. The rear is settling down nicely, and we're going to wait on the front. If it doesn't level out a bit in the next few months, I'm taking it down a spline.

That front end only had 40K miles on it before it was decommissioned, and with the Bilsteins in there, its pretty stiff for now. I guess we'll see. And when I put the Heilite camper on the back, that is going to change the dynamic even more - so some changes are going to be likely.

But I'd rather drive it as stock as possible. The goal is to replicate as much as is possible (and convenient) what that car would've been like in, oh, say 1968 if a family of four took good care of it but drove the living snot out of it. So it will have a few dings here an there - it won't be a trailer-queen by any stretch of the imagination - but it will be clean and it will be largely correct. This way, I can drive it daily if I have a mind to and not have to get all puckered up about it.

 
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Amskeptic
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Re: Variant Suspension Replacement

Post by Amskeptic » Tue May 05, 2009 4:49 pm

MeyerII wrote:
The front end is slightly high and there was a bit of camber at first, but those torsion bars hadn't been loaded in over ten years. The rear is settling down nicely, and we're going to wait on the front. If it doesn't level out a bit in the next few months, I'm taking it down a spline.

but drive the living snot out of it.
Drive it hard with a bit of ballast in the front to help the torsion bars set.
Put two people in the car (average build) and then check your sill line. It should be level. Empty, the front is always a little higher than the rear.
Colin

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(we have vernier adjustment on these front bars? I know my Squareback is droopy in the front. . .)

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BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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MeyerII
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Re: Variant Suspension Replacement

Post by MeyerII » Tue May 05, 2009 8:38 pm

Amskeptic wrote:Drive it hard with a bit of ballast in the front to help the torsion bars set. Put two people in the car (average build) and then check your sill line. It should be level. Empty, the front is always a little higher than the rear.
Colin
Yes, that's exactly what Tram said. I actually had originally wanted it down a spline in front to begin with to completely eliminate the nose-up attitude, but he wasn't having any of it (I guess a little nose-up attitude of his own, there). It was meant to be high up front when empty, and that's the way its going to be. And I know better than to argue with somebody who is right.

Of course you met him on your way down from here, so you know what I'm talking about. Heh.

 
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