TheSamba.com :: View topic - Garage built bagged A-arm front end ...

Wed Jan 11, 2012 8:45 pm

so let me start by saying hello. i semi-restored my 62 beetle back in high school and shortly there after i joined the navy. now being that i have spent about 8 of the last 12 years overseas the old girl had been sitting at my brothers house waiting for me. finally this last NOV i got the opportunity to pick this project back up and run with it.

the idea!! over the years i have built several mini trucks (bagged and bodydropped), 50's bombs and even simple bag jobs on friends VWs(type3's) but what i really wanted to do with my beetle was just have fun and build something i like. a simple retro custom exterior and interior and a "full" homebuilt suspension. this is what i have accomplished in the last three weeks and a couple old pics.

the last time i had her out for a drive (jun 2000)

my two flat windows

1835

the way it sits now.

soon to be A-arms

frontend underway

rear setup

first time test fit and layed out........ oh ya camber front and rear.

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Wed Jan 11, 2012 9:00 pm

Maybe I'm confused on what the bar does, but how it's attached with those tabs does not seem very strong at all...Do you have some more pictures?

Wed Jan 11, 2012 9:04 pm

Think there should be a gusset on the uprights/upper "A"?

Wed Jan 11, 2012 9:21 pm

(buguy) upperarms have the inter tabs now i was waiting till i finished the upper bag mounts before i welded them on, also it already has the sway-bar and rack and pinion mounted i just didn't think to take pics before i put it all on the car for mock up. ill take some more once i pull it all back off.

Wed Jan 11, 2012 9:42 pm

(GtiKyle) those are the lift link bars and the tabs are 1/4 plate, i have also plated most of the spring plate with 3/16 plate making it just under 3/8" thick in that whole area...... and i have also swapped out the spring plate bolts for 9/16 grade "8" hardware.... if its not strong enough i don't know how the stock shock mount could be (airkewld kit) that is just a 2" x 1/4 "L" shaped strip of cast.

but thank you guys for looking out.

Thu Jan 12, 2012 12:49 am

Thats some dam good progress for 3 weeks. Nice fab work. what the hell did they have you doing it the navy? Or have you just learned from working with mini trucks vws and such?

Thu Jan 12, 2012 5:23 am

(hurley62579) I'm a Gunners Mate meaning i deal weapons and ammunition so no The Navy didn't teach me anything about fab work.. (: i just spent a lot of time in the garage growing up. but thank you for the complement.

Fri Jan 13, 2012 12:46 am

I don't really like lowered bugs, but that car looks AWESOME!

Fri Jan 13, 2012 6:14 am

Im curious how you came up with the design? The A arms are longer than anything I have ever seen. And why not equal length arms? Im no suspention guys, so im just asking questions here. I just thought the draw for A arms was to keep the spindle straight throughout the travel?

Fri Jan 13, 2012 8:13 am

Very interesting front end design, can we see some more photos?

Fri Jan 13, 2012 10:00 am

(buguy) the unequal length arms has to do with the fulcrum of the R&P, the lower arm are longer to keep the extended bag as strait as possible and also to increase the workload of the bag its self. the way i have it setup is to have very little negative camber from around 1" of lift all the way up to 9"" and when its laid out it has around 12 degrees of negative camber. the toe doesn't change till the car is lower then 1" and then it only change by about 1/4"

again thank you for the comments... i will try to get out there and get some more photos.

Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:24 pm

so the mock up went well and i painted everything. in these pics you can see the R&P, sway-bar, bag mounts and compressor mounts. you can also see how i have made the main support frame a three peace unit so i can assemble it with the body on the pan. i have also utilized the rear cross member as the rear support

laid out

ride height

Viair 450's

Sun Jan 15, 2012 9:26 am

This is great, although I don't see any adjustment for toe? You have it right on the money? Also how will this attach, looks like you have holes to attach it directly to where the factory beam would bolt up?

Sun Jan 15, 2012 9:55 am

pOrk wrote: This is great, although I don't see any adjustment for toe?

Toe is adjusted with the tierods.

Sun Jan 15, 2012 11:19 am

lol dur

Sun Jan 15, 2012 12:45 pm

Different

Sun Jan 15, 2012 7:11 pm

i gotta see how this turns out

Mon Jan 16, 2012 2:44 am

here are some pics of how the main support frame comes apart. and then it installed on the car.

Mon Jan 16, 2012 11:08 pm

I hope you made a good set of drawings. I would like a set up like this, and I'm sure there are a ton of others as well. Looks killer!
Thank you for your service.

Tue Jan 17, 2012 11:52 am

Thanks for all the great pics. Really like this thread!!