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Mon Aug 18, 2008 11:14 am

Air suspension and yellow headlights are gay. :roll:

Mon Aug 18, 2008 11:35 am

dubtype1 wrote: Air suspension and yellow headlights are gay. :roll:

Let me check my list of things I still need to do to be cool:

1) Buy some red paint
2) Definitley get me some Radars
3) ooh.. little matching amber fogs..nice

hehe.. Did you know you're my hero?! :D

Mon Aug 18, 2008 11:36 am

hey, seriously, is your beam on the ground Caleb? I need helping getting down that last little bit. :?

Mon Aug 18, 2008 11:49 am

Nawh man, I was looking at the MA750s and the MA777 as Bugniva suggested a while back ago. I don't have the flo' right now, but soon I'll be doing that same thing.

That looks badass, bro. How many inches of difference between aired up and slammed? I wish I knew how to get 5/8"s lower without mods, but I don't. :cry: Unfortunately I think u'll have to raise you upper shock mount.

BTW, do you have you torsions still in?

Mon Aug 18, 2008 11:49 am

azmousejockey wrote: dubtype1 wrote: Air suspension and yellow headlights are gay. :roll:

Let me check my list of things I still need to do to be cool:

1) Buy some red paint
2) Definitley get me some Radars
3) ooh.. little matching amber fogs..nice

hehe.. Did you know you're my hero?! :D

That sh!t had me laughing my a$$ off!

Mon Aug 18, 2008 11:57 am

Oh, one more thing. Is the air shock bottoming out or does it bottom out without the air shock?

Mon Aug 18, 2008 12:49 pm

When I air them up to about 120psi they raise the front end up about 7.5"; so the distance from the bottom of the beam to the ground is a little over 8". From the side, the fenders go from 20.5" (measuring from center of the arch to the ground) to about 28".
I could probably get another 1" but then it's close to the 150psi max rating of the shocks, and I'm afraid something will burst. Also the ball joints are touching anyway, so you can't drive around that high.

The torsion springs are still in place, but the adjusters are completely out. Yesterday I drove up on bricks, unbolted the top of each shock and dropped the jack. The beam was on the ground even with the tires up on blocks, so the shocks are bottoming out and the only thing keeping the beam off the floor right now.

two months ago I didn't even care! I was happy with just a adjustable beam. Now I have the sickness and want to lay that beam on the ground. 5/8ths of an inch!!! My thumbnail is wider than 5/8's! Matchbox cars are taller that 5/8's! So close!!! Arrrrgh. :x

I can't cut and weld them, I'm horrible at welding. They would snap coming out of the driveway, then I'd be stuck sitting there on the front beam looking like a dillweed. (hehe.. I said dillweed)

Mon Aug 18, 2008 1:30 pm

azmousejockey wrote: Hay, any ideas on how I can get that last 5/8 inch of drop without welding anything?
guess I'll have to explain :lol:
clearance ball joints..
"these ball joint will allow your stock travel to be increase by 2 inches. What does this mean? It allows you to have a better ride at a lower stance. If you go with an adjustable beam, these ball joints will be the best thing for the ride to improve"

Mon Aug 18, 2008 1:57 pm

Now I get it. These would never fit with the wheels I have. :(

Mon Aug 18, 2008 2:26 pm

http://www.monroe.com/catalog/documents/08_MountingLengthSheet.pdf

The air shocks are on page 16. There are many different ones to choose from. I have a Keoki beam and the MA768 worked perfect for me. I got mine from rockauto.com for $55.79.

My limitation is my rod arm hitting the bottom of the fuel tank when all the way down and it hitting the frame head all the way up. I'm very satisfied though.

(edited for new link)

Mon Aug 18, 2008 5:31 pm

the bottom of the shock tower where you are measuring is gone on my beam.. :shock: so are the lips that drop from the beam locators on the framehead... :wink: but it took extending the towers....

the lowered balljoints are not necessary as many will claim.... my stock balljoints hit bind at about a 1/4" lower than the framehead will let the car go...

in my maxxair shocks I run up to 175 psi, so don't be afraid to get near the 150 psi...(if i'm not mistaken the literature with mine claimed 200 psi as maximum, but my old memory may be failing me), however at 150 or more, my tierods make contact with the top of the framehead and you see the steering wheel start to move... if I had a little more travel i'd guess it could actually bend them at full extension...

Mon Aug 18, 2008 7:16 pm

I haven't had my ball joints bind, but I'm thinking that's because the drop spindles are keeping them from rotating to that extreme.
I really don't want to try to lengthen my shock towers myself, but I also don't want to have to pay someone else to do it right. :?
I want to replace my Empi 8's with something else anyway, so I guess I'll just wait till I get new wheels and use those extended ball joints.

Mon Aug 18, 2008 7:25 pm

azmousejockey wrote: Now I get it. These would never fit with the wheels I have. :(
:lol: WHAT ?

Mon Aug 18, 2008 7:34 pm

my empi's are to wide? the offset or backspacing or whatever... there's no room for those because that bottom ball joint is literally inside my rim. right? am I going crazy? Your short sentences are killin me Mr. Miyagi!

Mon Aug 18, 2008 7:38 pm

"bottom ball joints have a flat low profile base for better wheel vs. ball joint clearance"

Who I plan to order from...

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=268983

Mon Aug 18, 2008 8:13 pm

azmousejockey wrote: my empi's are to wide? the offset or backspacing or whatever... there's no room for those because that bottom ball joint is literally inside my rim. right? am I going crazy? Your short sentences are killin me Mr. Miyagi!

I have 'em and I have 8 spokes with no clearance problems. You can even see the flipped tie rod ends here as well.

Mon Aug 18, 2008 8:18 pm

Maybe the po put those in already. I can't see how that bottom ball joint could be any flatter than what we're looking at here.

Also there are tire rub marks at the top of my wheel wells that are not from me, and the inside of the tubs were hacked to fit a narrowed beam BEFORE I put my narrowed beam on.
(It had a stock beam when I bought it)

Mon Aug 18, 2008 8:22 pm

Euro, does your beam lay on the ground when you deflate your shocks?
That's really all I'm trying to do now, but without cutting then lengthening the shock towers. Everything else is fine when I'm at driving height.

(nice ride btw!)

Mon Aug 18, 2008 8:31 pm

It does, but I have the MA768 shock (I have a Keoki beam so I have a link pin upper shock mount set up), compressed length is 12.00 and extended is 18.50 inches. I still have my torsions attached so right now it won't bottom out, but I tried it with the center adjusters loose and it set itself on the ground. Check to make sure your tie rod on the right side isn't hitting the bottom of your gas tank when you let all of the air out, if it is that might be why it's not bottoming out for you.

Mon Aug 18, 2008 10:44 pm

I just went out in the garage, marked a line on the shock at it's lowest deflated point, then unbolted it and compressed it all the way with my hand until I felt the inside bottom out metal on metal.
It goes right to the line I marked and stops. So at least now I know that they are indeed bottoming out.
I checked all my clearances around the gas tank and undercarriage and nothing else is stopping the car from going all the way to the ground.
I remeasured the gap from the beam to the ground and it's down to 1/2 inch, but that's it. That's all she's got. :(