MexiBeetle rear suspension

[roadmenace]

I tried to lower the back of my Mexibeetle today, but I got stuck and I couldn't figure out the proper way to do it.
It doesn't look the same as a swing axle suspension and I didn't want to do any damage to the car.
If anybody did this operation before please feel give me some input.

P.S. I tried youtube and searching all over, couldn't find anything related to this

[67rustavenger]

Welcome to the samba.
Did you read the sticky below?
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=586687
Good Luck.
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[roadmenace]

Yes I did. But as you can see from my pictures, my suspension is different.

[hopkin]

Is your car a 'true' Mexi-Beetle, or a re-pan (what year is it registered as?)
_________________
1971 Super Beetle (past)
1971 Super Beetle (past)
1974 SunBug (past)
1972 914 (past)
1991 Honda Civic (Original Owner)
1996 'Open Air' Mexican Beetle (current)
2015 Golf (current)
2017 Dune Edition (daughter's car)

[Bruce]

The long leaf spring under your gearbox with the red cups at each end needs to come off first.

[roadmenace]

The main issue is that I don't know how to take remove the wheel hub.I tried but I have no leverage.

[Gerrelt]

That's a swingaxle pan, not a IRS pan.
But it has a "camber compensator" added, and the rear stabilizer is
decommissioned.

I think you need to remove the "camber compensator" and then you will be able to push the axle backwards so it clears the spring plate.
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[ArnoudH]

Sorry Gerrelt but it apears to be an IRS car(look at picture#2-the pivot points ).Also the forks are flat where the CV-joints are to be.

Regards,Arnoud

[hopkin]

As other's have pointed out, the suspension is not a stock Mexi-Beetle suspension.

Many of the Mexican Beetles found in the US are registered as an earlier car, the cars were built onto an earlier German chassis.

Some of these may or may not be IRS cars.

This link on JBugs has an explanation of Swing Axle vs IRS with illustration:
http://www.jbugs.com/category/vw-transmissions.html

The Mexi-Beetles have also have a Z-bar.
_________________
1971 Super Beetle (past)
1971 Super Beetle (past)
1974 SunBug (past)
1972 914 (past)
1991 Honda Civic (Original Owner)
1996 'Open Air' Mexican Beetle (current)
2015 Golf (current)
2017 Dune Edition (daughter's car)

[Gerrelt]

[Bruce]

[alikatcraig]

All Mexican pans were actually IRS converted to swing in the factory - they plated over the IRS pivot area. If you want to confirm this, try adding a rear disc brake kit for swing axle, and you will find the cable is too long! Been there, done that. They got the last of the German tooling and made do.
_________________
1967 Ghia
1971 Deluxe Microbus
1974 Convertible Bug
1973 Standard Bug
1998 Mexican Bug

[Gerrelt]

The mexican beetle pans do indeed have the space for the IRS pivot area. But it didn't have the threaded insert in it, like is shown in the OP images.
Also the little bracket that holds the connector for the backup lights switch is not there in the picture. Which is something the mexican pans have.
So I don't think it is a mexican pan.
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[roadmenace]

The car is registered as a 1969 Beetle.

I'll try to remove the camber compensator and see whats going on.

[mukluk]

Not sure what all the hubub is about as far as what the car was originally or when/where from, the simple fact is it's a swingaxle with a camber compensator -- nothing special or mysterious here.
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1960 Ragtop w/Semaphores "Inga"

[Bruce]