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Sun Dec 31, 2006 10:59 am

What is the difference in an oval and a later link pin beam? The only ones I know of is that the 1960 and later cars have a steering dampener, and the steering box changed around 62 or 63. Any other differences?

Thanks

Sun Dec 31, 2006 1:08 pm

i just got a new narrowed adjustable l/p front end and my early steering box wont fit between the little tabs welded on it. i am thinking of taking one of the tabs off.

Sun Dec 31, 2006 6:08 pm

elbow grease '57 wrote: i just got a new narrowed adjustable l/p front end and my early steering box wont fit between the little tabs welded on it. i am thinking of taking one of the tabs off.

Those little locating pins are never in the correct location on aftermarket beams.

Sat Mar 31, 2012 8:11 pm

When did they start using the location tabs on the beams? I notice some beams dont have them and some do..

Sun Apr 01, 2012 6:34 am

at some stage they changed from needle bearings to fibre bushes or vice versa. someone with more knowledge will have to tell you which and when.

Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:09 pm

a 2 foot level straight edge... find one of them and align your box up, the pins are there for VW mechanics to worry about numbers 13 and 14 in which never understood hence tis why their a VW mechanic, any ways especially on a Friday or when the roach coach showed up for lunch, I grind the effers off and align it myself, they never are correct...

Tue Apr 03, 2012 7:01 am

13 - Type 113 - Beetle
14 - Type 114 - Ghia

Different angles on the steering column.

I knock the pins off my beams and mount everything up, makes sure the steering shaft is centered and straight and then tighten the box to the beam. This is for buggies or aftermarket beams in Bugs only if it's an OE beam leave them on.

As far as diferences in the beams. the only external diference is the size of the grease zirks and steering dampner mount. As ar as when they changes these 2 things IDK, I just grab one from my stack and begin work. Real early beams also had serial numbers stamped on the snubber mount on the right side. My buggy has one.

brad

Tue Apr 03, 2012 7:47 am

There is also a difference in the faces of the trailing arm where the link pins mount.

The early beams had flat faces and used 10 shims, and the newer beams have the recessed face that uses the square washer thing, 8 shims and O-rings.

Tue Apr 03, 2012 6:46 pm

drscope wrote: There is also a difference in the faces of the trailing arm where the link pins mount.

The early beams had flat faces and used 10 shims, and the newer beams have the recessed face that uses the square washer thing, 8 shims and O-rings.

Now that we've moved out to the arms ... at some point they added crimps to the sides of the square holes that hold the torsion springs. The v-shaped holes for the grub screws don't go all the way out to the outer spring leaves so it seems that you have to have crimps to hold the leaves in. I'm not sure why they didn't need it before ... where the leaves originally welded together on the ends?