Swing Axle VS. IRS !! Beat this to death..

[Shadd]

[steelvisions]

I don't know what I have, how do I tell? Just getting started in VW's, and I just bought a 68 Baja for $250.00. It doesn't sit very high in the back, yet the tops of the wheels are pointed way out. Doesn't look right to me. But I just don't know the difference between the two, and not finding any pictures to help me. Frustrated in Colorado. but

[drscope]

Go under and have a look at the rear axles.

If you have a rubber boot on each end of each axle, you have an IRS. If you only have a rubber boot on the inboard ends of the axle, you have a swing axle.
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Mother Nature is a Mean Evil Bitch!

[drscope]

[Helfen]

[Helfen]

Just a interesting note I will post. BTW I have seen the early 1960 footage of testing Chevy Corvair, Ford Falcon and Plymouth Valiant. On the skidpad the Ford Falcon was the only car to roll over. Isn't it interesting how slander of any kind can live in the minds of people decades after the fact, even after the subject was exonerated. Here was NHTSA said;

The NHTSA results are remarkably simple when compared to Ralph Nader’s cataclysmic rhetoric. That’s how the truth usually is. Here is the verbatim conclusion.

The 1960-1963 Corvair understeers in the same manner as conventional passenger cars up to about 0.4g lateral acceleration, makes a transition from understeer, through neutral steer to oversteer in a range from about 0.4g to 0.5g lateral acceleration. This transition does not result in an abnormal potential for loss of control.

The limited accident data available indicates that the rollover rate of the 1960-1963 Corvair is comparable to other light domestic cars.

The 1960-1963 Corvair compared favorably with the other contemporary vehicles used in the NHTSA Input Response Tests.

The handling and stability performance of the 1960-1963 Corvair does not result in an abnormal potential for loss of control or rollover and is at least as good as the performance of some contemporary vehicles both foreign and domestic.

[steelvisions]

Thank you both, that definately helps. Now, what may seem a stupid question to you. In looking at it, (Which it is a swing), I noticed that there are no trailing arms. Is this a problem? I would seem so to me, however not sure if the swings have them, or if they have just been removed by the previous owner. This may be why he had me bring a trailer and not use a tow bar.

[crvc]

[quote="drscope]

Nader is a really strange guy and you can hate him all you want. But the reality is he has saved aot of lives on the highways.[/quote]

BUT...when he ran for president as an independent and in the final days didn't throw his support to Gore, he essentially handed Bush the presidency. For that he can never be forgiven.

crvc

[Helfen]

[61SNRF]

[steelvisions]

Thank you all, most informative! I appreciate it very much.

[drscope]

[veedubfreak59]

[Helfen]

[smitty24]

In stock form, IRS handles better in a bug, and a bus. Ive done both conversions in split window buses. Ive had more than one of each in bugs. IRS hands down, in stock form.

This should not discourage folks who have swing. I did a lot of research and found out how to make a swing a road handling beast!

1. 2-3" rear drop by using Z plates or drop plates
2. Kyb gr2
3. CB camber compensator= not the other style.
4. 25-25 1/2" rear tires
5. Rear toe to 0 or 1/8" toe OUT

This is all it takes. I actually run a little more air pressure than required and it does fine. 3/4" bar and caster shims up front helps. I actually like to rake the front down, even though it is supposed to be detrimental to have the front of a bug lower than the rear.

[flyboat]

My 2 cents worth. I think a lowered swing with all the negative camber looks rediculous jmho. So as I am restoring a 62, I have purchased 1985 1/2 944 trailing arms and I am converting the 62 to IRS so when I lower it, there will be very little camber. I expect it will make the swing guys ask "why doesn't that car have negative camber. I think this will be a less invasive mod as opposed to raising the tranny, because it can always go back to swing. It is a numbers matching car after all.
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79 super Vert
62 Ragtop Bug
66 tintop Westy
Porsche 914
09 Z06 Vette track car

[smitty24]

Just to inform folks on here, you can get away with very slight minimal negative camber if you flip your trailing arms as well. The UK guys have been doing this for years. My "how to mod vw suspension for high performance" book has this in there. I think James Hale did this one, by HP Books. Been a while since I looked at it.

[flyboat]

I would like to do that to my project but the 944 arms are aluminum or as they say in europe "Ala-arms" I could get the earlier 944 arms that are steel i suppose.
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79 super Vert
62 Ragtop Bug
66 tintop Westy
Porsche 914
09 Z06 Vette track car

[drscope]

One modification we do on the lowered 911's is to raise the pick up point for the trailing arm about an inch. It's a GIANT help and you don;t have to do all that silly arm swap stuff.

Its something you may want to keep in mind when you do the bracket install to mount those 944 arms.
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Mother Nature is a Mean Evil Bitch!

[flyboat]

So you call the pick up point, the location where the front of the arm mounts to the chassis? If so, I will remember that. That should be an easy adjustment
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79 super Vert
62 Ragtop Bug
66 tintop Westy
Porsche 914
09 Z06 Vette track car