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Tue Mar 28, 2006 11:59 pm

If anyone is out there getting ready to shop for adjusters, let me add my input. If you already know about how low you want to go, then that's great, the 1st step is over. If you just want a mild drop, maybe a traditional Cal-Look style, you can go with either the Avis, or the Sway-a-way styles. If you plan on going LOW...I would suggest skipping the S.A.W. style all together, and just go ahead and get the Avis style. The bottom adjuster bolt on the S.A.W.'s will just grind off, and if you hit something hard enough, you will end up breaking the bolt off, or the entire bottom adjuster. You do not have this problem with the Avis style. (Just speaking from experience..)

A few days of driving around caused this:

While a week or so later it ended up looking like so:

(Notice the missing bottom adjuster all together..)

Wed Mar 29, 2006 8:07 am

Welcome to the single adjuster club! :P

Thu Mar 30, 2006 8:28 pm

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Thu Apr 20, 2006 11:23 am

Germanpride wrote: If anyone is out there getting ready to shop for adjusters, let me add my input. If you already know about how low you want to go, then that's great, the 1st step is over. If you just want a mild drop, maybe a traditional Cal-Look style, you can go with either the Avis, or the Sway-a-way styles. If you plan on going LOW...I would suggest skipping the S.A.W. style all together, and just go ahead and get the Avis style. The bottom adjuster bolt on the S.A.W.'s will just grind off, and if you hit something hard enough, you will end up breaking the bolt off, or the entire bottom adjuster. You do not have this problem with the Avis style. (Just speaking from experience..)

A few days of driving around caused this:

While a week or so later it ended up looking like so:

(Notice the missing bottom adjuster all together..)

You can't blame that on the adjuster, IMO. This isn't the rants, so I'm not bashing you, I want to make that clear--but this type of thing is caused by an excessive lowering job on a car seeing regular use. You can't expect to have a car lowered in a stationary fashion and not bust things up because there's no clearance. Bagged cars are far more practical for avoiding situations like this, but that's just my thoughts.

Thu Apr 20, 2006 10:13 pm

bugnut68 wrote:

You can't blame that on the adjuster, IMO.

Sure I can, it was sticking down too far, Avis adjusters don't stick down like the S.A.W. style, and that's all I was saying. The only thing I was "blaming" the adjuster on, was sticking down too far. If you want to go low, go Avis. If you're going for Cal-look, or just a little low, use either one.

I never figured a car like this would always stay perfect..far from it. I was and still am, ready for anything, and everything that can break.

Mon Apr 24, 2006 8:39 pm

dose anyone know of any lowering kit wed sights that are in canada or any sites that ship free to canada.. thanks

Mon Apr 24, 2006 8:59 pm

Fuzzy...try http://www2.cip1.com/ ...they are out of Langley BC! Huge catalog...they may have what you are looking for ( what ever a "lowering kit wed sights" may be).

Your northern neighbor,
Dan
Winnipeg

Tue Apr 25, 2006 8:34 am

hey thanks you live in BC do you have a beetle and if so wht year and what colour i might have seen you around

Fri Apr 28, 2006 1:50 pm

just want to add to this thread. as dopebeatderick said, i have one of the ridemasters beams in my car. 64 type 1, 6" narrowed ridemasters beam...IT IS AWESOME!!!! the beam fit in easy, bottom adjuster is out of the way, and it drops like a MO-FO. you can see the pics here http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c18/heath0203/
i dont have the adjusters all the way down, and do not have my drop spindles yet.... when i get them next week, i will post another pic of it w/ the ront end on the GROUND!!!
THANKS RIDEMASTERS!!!

Tue May 02, 2006 8:13 am

heath0203 wrote: just want to add to this thread. as dopebeatderick said, i have one of the ridemasters beams in my car. 64 type 1, 6" narrowed ridemasters beam...IT IS AWESOME!!!! the beam fit in easy, bottom adjuster is out of the way, and it drops like a MO-FO. you can see the pics here http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c18/heath0203/
i dont have the adjusters all the way down, and do not have my drop spindles yet.... when i get them next week, i will post another pic of it w/ the ront end on the GROUND!!!
THANKS RIDEMASTERS!!! That is really not that low. You could have gotten lower doing the work yourself. I guess it will look a little lower when you get the spindles on, but that is definitely not dropped like a "MO-FO".

Wed May 03, 2006 11:42 am

if you look at the post on my photo bucket acct, i dont have it set at the lowest setting. i am sitting on my headlight buckets, so i cut the out, and set it a little higher till my drop spindles get here this week.....keep looking at it this week, you'll see low!!!!!

Wed May 03, 2006 4:44 pm

heath0203 wrote: you'll see low!!!!!

Low? Pshhh.. just set it on the ground, it'll eventually wear away giving you some ground clearance.

Thu May 04, 2006 10:28 am

Germanpride wrote: heath0203 wrote: you'll see low!!!!!

Low? Pshhh.. just set it on the ground, it'll eventually wear away giving you some ground clearance.
so much for "restoring" that car

Thu May 04, 2006 8:08 pm

HamburgerBrad wrote: Germanpride wrote: heath0203 wrote: you'll see low!!!!!

Low? Pshhh.. just set it on the ground, it'll eventually wear away giving you some ground clearance.
so much for "restoring" that car

Hey, I didn't scrape everything off the bottom, but close. ;) It just makes for more work when I "restore" it.

Fri May 05, 2006 11:58 am

HamburgerBrad wrote: so much for "restoring" that car

Watchu know bout restoring cars. :wink:

Mon May 08, 2006 4:23 am

Maybe someone can explain a few things tat I dont get yet.
First, how low can I go with an adjustable beam? Three inches or so and still be safe?
When should I go to a narrowed beam? I'd like to run 195/60/15's up front, would a 2" narrowed be enough?
Lastly, how can you run without shocks? Isnt the ride horrible horrible?

Mon May 08, 2006 6:16 am

cfvwtuner wrote: Maybe someone can explain a few things tat I dont get yet.
First, how low can I go with an adjustable beam? Three inches or so and still be safe?
When should I go to a narrowed beam? I'd like to run 195/60/15's up front, would a 2" narrowed be enough?
Lastly, how can you run without shocks? Isnt the ride horrible horrible?

A 195/60/R15 is a very large tire to be using in the front. I know that a adjustable beam with 135s will get the panhead about 2" off of the ground. But, you'll rubs the fenders like crazy. IMO a 2" beam is a waste of time and money. You'll still have rubbing issues. If you must have shocks then I would go with a 4" narrowed beam with custom 1/4" plate shock towers. You would be suprised how well a narrowed beam without shocks rides....I would say its better than with shocks.

Mon May 08, 2006 8:10 am

My car is a 1962 Sunroof. Motor plans are probbily a 1641 with dual singles. Wheels will be "empi" 5 spokes
I'd like to run a 195/60/15 tire, but really no smaller than a 165. It seems like I'd have to go with a 4" narrowed beam, and no shocks.
How do I shorten the torsion leaves to the new housing? Do I just use a cutoff wheel and cut 2" off each side?
I'm thinking that running a 205/60/15 out back and dropping the torsion bars one spline should do it.

Running without shocks if tough for me to imagine. I have 5 years autocross and track experience, and would never run a car without shocks. I know an old swing axle bug isnt a race car, but still.
Thanks!

Mon May 08, 2006 8:24 am

How low are you really wanting to go? You won't be able to go much lower than a couple inches down with 195s...the tops of the tires won't even recess into the fenders..

Tue May 09, 2006 4:10 pm

I want to lower my 65 front and rear on the stock 15's...so I shouldn't need a narrowed front end right? Or maybe 2in at the most??

Probably 135's in front and 165's in back.

I guess that I should say that it is a 65 pan...