[T3] Coil, Calipers, and Front Beam

[Keith Park]

Sounds like you made out well with getting a good beam, they are worth their
weight, fantastic!

Yea, they are a real pain to install, you need to grease those rubber
bushings real good and mush everything together, good to get grest around
the beam anyway as they tend to rust out there in the rust belt.

Keith


Top Notch Restorations
topnotch at nycap.rr.com 
http://www.a383ina68.addr.com/radiorest/main.htm
71 Squareback "Hothe"
65 Notchback "El Baja Rojo"
65 Squareback "Eggcrate"
87 golf "Winterat"
93 RX7 "Redstur"

-----Original Message-----
From: type3-vwtype3.org-bounces at lists.vwtype3.org
[mailto:type3-vwtype3.org-bounces at lists.vwtype3.org] On Behalf Of Adriel
Rowley
Sent: Saturday, July 09, 2011 12:23 AM
To: type3 at vwtype3.org
Subject: Re: [T3] Coil, Calipers, and Front Beam


Brian came over to save my butt and get me out the pickle I got myself in. 
I got the damaged beam removed, but could not install the replacement. 
Brian got a bunch of pictures; not sure when they will be available.  Brian,
thank you so much!

Apparently the tie rod took the impact, as the bars were centered and
strait.  The grease was clean except a bit of fine metallic grit so wiped it
all off and re-greased the beam real good; only had graphite additive grease
available but figured good for C.V.s even better for bearings.  The bearings
and bushings looked real good.  No cracks in the upper bushings, so real
lucky.  Think this is a low mileage beam as grease looked it and the fact
there is a number inked on the support for the shock absorber, but not a
chassis number.  Could it be a body number?

Worked good as a team, as while I was rebuilding the beam, Brian replaced
the tie rod ends, then while he was getting the ball joints out, I was doing
odds and ends.  Then as a team swapped to the best steering box as two were
grinding.  Installed the best Pittman arm meaning had the best bushing and
then the best steering dampener, but will have to be replaced down the
road.  The one on the Squreback was a nice German one, but was bent about
three inches from the end.  Guess that is why my turning radius was a bit
wide, right?

We got the beam in which was a royal pain.  I need at least one of the upper
rubber mounts, the one on the bottom side of the bracket so not fully in. 
Also, the middle mounts with the square hats take a lot of force to turn the
bolts.  Why?  Should I tap them?  Not sure I have large enough tap: 12x1.5?

All that is left is to get the spindles with all the bits in by bolting up
the ball joints.  Trouble with the new uppers I have is the shaft is about
2mm larger in diameter than the hole.  What is this about?  Any solution?  I
have the used upper ball joints, except for a small crack in their boots. 
Do have plastic plugs so could keep them greased if I could not get new
boots.


Thank you,
Adriel

----------------------------------------
> From: topnotch at nycap.rr.com
> To: type3 at vwtype3.org
> Date: Sun, 3 Jul 2011 17:53:49 -0400
> Subject: Re: [T3] Coil, Calipers, and Front Beam
>
> Pull the lower bars and arms and have a look, if they are straight and
> concentric go for it, if not, let us know... you can bend and arm and not
a
> beam especially if the beam is solid and not rusty but you wont really
know
> till you put new arms in it and try to get an alignment... what happens it
> is knocks the caster out and even in a stock height normal setup the
caster
> is often half to 2/3 of the 4 degree spec it should be, so you don’t have
> any to spare.
>
> Keith
>
>
> Top Notch Restorations
> topnotch at nycap.rr.com
> http://www.a383ina68.addr.com/radiorest/main.htm
> 71 Squareback "Hothe"
> 65 Notchback "El Baja Rojo"
> 65 Squareback "Eggcrate"
> 87 golf "Winterat"
> 93 RX7 "Redstur"
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: type3-vwtype3.org-bounces at lists.vwtype3.org
> [mailto:type3-vwtype3.org-bounces at lists.vwtype3.org] On Behalf Of Adriel
> Rowley
> Sent: Sunday, July 03, 2011 3:26 PM
> To: type3 at vwtype3.org
> Subject: Re: [T3] Coil, Calipers, and Front Beam
>
>
>
>
> ----------------------------------------
> > From: topnotch at nycap.rr.com
> > To: type3 at vwtype3.org
> > Date: Sun, 3 Jul 2011 15:06:58 -0400
> > Subject: Re: [T3] Coil, Calipers, and Front Beam
> >
> > No, not really, it bends the ends of the beam where the lower tubes are
> > mounted, hard to see that.
> >
> > I checked the length of the beam with a strait edge, and there is not
any
> > bend to it. To me, that is a good sign right?
> >
> > The torsion bars are equally set in the arms, is that what you are
talking
> > about?
> >
> > Where the bar comes out of the arm on the inside (inside the beam) if
its
> in
> > the center of the round arm then your OK, you cant tell anything on the
> > outside end.
> >
> Thank you for clarifying!  So, should I mount it, or wait?
>
>
> Thank you,
> Adriel
>
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