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Fri Mar 19, 2010 9:54 pm

I read on a previous post (I think one of Glenn's posts) that a 1970 Opel GT front shock is 2" shorter than the Beetle's front shock.

This sounds great for me except that of all my local parts stores only one store lists a front shock for a '70 Opel GT and the parts guy says it's "Heavy Duty" and stiff as Hell.

Does anyone know if there is a short shock I can get that will give me as cushy a ride as possible ?

Thanks,

Dave

Sat Mar 20, 2010 12:41 am

try the monroe #32249. the have a compressed length of 9.375 and extended length of 14.625. it is the monroe matic plus shock absorber. the stock replacement monroe's are #31538 compressed are 14.125, extended 16.750.

if you need even shorter try the monroe #33113. they are 8.875 compressed, and 13.750 extended.

Sat Mar 20, 2010 3:58 am

Wow Hoghead, thanks for the great info.

I know the parts guy that had access to '70 Opel GT shocks told me they were Monroes and I was a little surprised when he said they were really stiff because I haven't ever had any Monroe shocks that I felt were rough riding but what do I know ?

I'll try the parts stores again with those part numbers. Any idea which one might give me a soft ride ?

Thanks again,

Dave

Sat Mar 20, 2010 6:21 am

Are they gas or oil? I bought some kyb gas ryders, WAY too stiff.

Sat Mar 20, 2010 7:59 am

I think the only way to get a nice smooth ride in a lowered front end is to use the original oil shock.

I guess you'll have to modify/extend the upper shock mount to make it work. The amount of extention will depend on the static ride height. There is 13.5 inches from the center of the lower stud to the bottom of the upper mount on my beam. This would make the KYB 344054 a perfect choice (16.375 ext-10.25 com) but from the post I've read it appears to give a stiff ride.

I think I'm going to try to get the orignal oil shock back in there somehow.

Anyone tried this yet?

Sat Mar 20, 2010 9:52 am

Here's the latest.
Monroe , part # 32249 --Available but only in the standard shock, not in an upgraded "Sensa-trac"
Monroe, part # 33113 --Can't find anywhere, no one has a listing or cross reference number for it. Does anyone know what vehicle this is supposed to be for ? Most part guys nowadays can't cross reference anything so it's a lot easier to say, (as an example) "71 Opel Cadet front shock, please".

From NAPA:

'69 Beetle front shock (NAPA part number 94096) is 14.12" compressed, 16.75" extended.
The NAPA guy said they are standard duty Monroe shocks in a NAPA box.

Also from NAPA, '70 Opel GT, (part number 94011) is 10.25" compressed, 15.5" extended.

So, after a Saturday morning spent searching, I can get the '70 Opel GT standard duty shock or the Monroe part number 32249 standard duty shock -- and that's all I can find locally.

Does anyone with a lowered Beetle and the '70 Opel shock have any ride issues ? Again, for my purposes, I'm looking for the cushiest ride I can get out of the shock.
I wonder if different shocks really make that much of a difference?

Dave

Sat Mar 20, 2010 11:56 am

Good info, will try & locate a pair. I gave $90 for these kyb, can't use em.

Sun Mar 21, 2010 11:36 pm

but the opel is a front engine car. SO those shox have to be a heck of a lot firmer than a bug.

Mon Mar 22, 2010 3:36 am

zeroman wrote: but the opel is a front engine car. SO those shox have to be a heck of a lot firmer than a bug.

Yes and no. Whether the shocks need to be stiffer for that front engined car depends on how stiff the springs were...and how long the control arms were and how much leverage they generated.

As an example....the rear shocks on the VW 411/412....are the same exact part # as the ones for the FRONT end of a Ford econline 150 van with a V-8 :shock: . The weight difference is about 850 lbs. You would think that they would be too stiff. But the difference is that the Ford has really short A-arms with HUGE springs. The mounting point for teh shock is very close to the pivot point so it exerts alot less leverage on the shock. The 411/412 has the springs and shock almost 3 feet from the pivot point so it exerts a lot of leverage on the shock.

You will need to kind of look at the front end of the Opel...and make a jusdement call. Ray

Mon Mar 22, 2010 4:08 am

Now that does make a lot ot sense, thanx Ray

Mon Mar 22, 2010 4:14 am

I used to run with Austin Mini shocks. Short, oil filled and super soft. :D

Mon Mar 22, 2010 2:03 pm

I have Mazda B2000 pick up truck shocks on the front of mine. They are shorter than stock and cheaper than the lowered ones. Don't know the part # right now though.

Mon Mar 22, 2010 2:51 pm

the 1990 mazda b2000 used a monroe #32217. they will fit the front of a vw, and are almost exactly like the #32249 i posted earlier. they will work great for lowered cars.

the biggest problem is shock length. if you run the opel shocks, and you are only lowered a small amount (2~3 inches) they work great. if you go lower than that, the opel shocks will be to long. this is where going to one of the above mentioned shocks will help. you really need to measure how long of a shock you need.

Mon Mar 22, 2010 3:03 pm

for those that need to know.

stock vw shocks use a upper mount S4, and the lower is a LS 23

this is from the monroe website, may be different in other shock websites, but should crossreference at parts stores.

go to monroe.com
click on online catalog
click on misc information
click on mount and length sheets.
there you will find all monroe shocks, there compressed length, extended length, and mounting configuration.

for general knowledge, the monroe matic is usually the softest shock in there lineup. the sensa trac is next.

Tue Mar 23, 2010 3:13 am

In Front is KONI for 356 super short and very hard position.
Rear is KYB Gus shocks. Feel good :shock:

http://newimagevwsaloonz.vox.com

Tue Mar 23, 2010 4:48 am

Awesome looking ride Dude. REALLY nice.....

Tomarse, can you please give me more details on the MINI shock ?
I thought they used struts but my knowledge of MINI's is pretty limited.....what year shock ? Front or rear ?
Approximately how low was your Beetle ? 2" ? 4" "?

Thanks,
Dave

Sun Oct 10, 2010 10:57 pm

i've read over 100 posts about lower and still i'm wondering if i can lower the front of my car without any modifications other than shocks.
i'd like to lower the front only a bit so that it doesnt have the bug 4x4 look over the wheels.

here's my question, can i put on a smaller shock to the front of end of my car and lower it slightly?

i'm sure other people have tried this in the past. any luck?

Mon Oct 11, 2010 12:53 am

Gr-2's on my lowered front end give a smoother ride than oil shocks. I am using dropped spindles and a 2" narrowed adjustable beam. The Gas a Justs were murder, no give at all, but somehow worked great on the stock set up. :-k

Tue Oct 12, 2010 3:22 am

Would these work?

http://www.minimania.com/web/Item/442002/InvDetail.cfm

Tue Oct 12, 2010 8:06 am

oldtimebuglover wrote: i've read over 100 posts about lower and still i'm wondering if i can lower the front of my car without any modifications other than shocks.
i'd like to lower the front only a bit so that it doesnt have the bug 4x4 look over the wheels.

here's my question, can i put on a smaller shock to the front of end of my car and lower it slightly?

i'm sure other people have tried this in the past. any luck?

a simple and short answer to your question is no you can't. the position of the leaf springs in the front beam has far more to do with your ride height than the shocks do. the leaf springs are what carry the weight of the front end. the shocks are just there to absorb the force of the vertical wheel movement so it doesn't all transfer to the frame.

if you are just looking to lower a couple of inches drop spindles are the easiest way. if you want to drop less than that an adjustable beam would be the only way to do it right. this is an area where there really are no shortcuts to take.