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Thu Apr 13, 2017 7:59 am

I recently bought my first Baja style Bug and it came with these adjustable spring (not true coil over) shocks on the front. The chrome coils are rusty and look horrible. I am replacing the ball joints and brake calipers and repainting the whole front beam assembly and I do not want to put the ugly springs back on.
My question is, would it be worth me buying similar shocks or should I just get plain old style shocks without the springs on them? I feel that regular shocks would be easier to clean and look better for longer as the chrome springs on these seem to rust up.

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Thu Apr 13, 2017 9:10 am

I would ditch the shocks with coils on them. A KYB gas shock or the more expensive Bilstein shock are a popular choice. Another consideration is the extended length and compressed length of the shock. If your front suspension is unmodified, stock replacement KYB or Bilsteins will be fine. If you've modified the front suspension (cut and turned or adjusters), make sure the shock extends long enough (extended length) or it will rip apart. The same goes for compressed length. Hook and rod stops can also be installed to protect the front suspension from over extending or over compressing. Check out Shocks Shocks Shocks in the sticky section above.

Or, here's the link ...

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=488803

Thu Apr 13, 2017 3:43 pm

all good info above- just thinking out loud here! on a ball joint beam the shocks are the limiters for travel both directions i think.. if so you still wanna use the stock lenght shock even if front end has been cut and turned. just because you do not want to over extend the ball joints..
i think on my link pin that was cut and turned and stops cuts off i still used stock lenghts stocks (kyb white)and was pulling 9 in of travel-you gain alot of droop when the stop is cut off and it seamed the shock had plenty of extension to handle that.

Thu Apr 13, 2017 5:38 pm

Those "shocks" are garbage. The coil spring is useless because you already have a spring pack inside the beam. On the other hand, I highly HIGHLY recommend limiters for a ball joint front end. View the larger photo and you can see them maxed-out here.

Thu Apr 13, 2017 9:45 pm

I bought Bilstein B46-0493VW shocks for my ball joint front beam with torsion adjusters. I'm still in the "build" stage and haven't installed them yet :roll:
We'll see how they work out.

Here's a couple links ...

http://www.eshocks.com/bil_ORvh.asp?Series_Index=Q7&Length_Index=3Q5&Manf=All&SubChar=Q

http://www.eshocks.com/bil_ORvh.asp?Series_Index=Q7&Length_Index=2Q5&Manf=All&SubChar=Q

Thu Apr 13, 2017 10:56 pm

Dark Earth wrote: I bought Bilstein B46-0493VW shocks for my ball joint front beam with torsion adjusters. I'm still in the "build" stage and haven't installed them yet :roll:
We'll see how they work out.

Here's a couple links ...

http://www.eshocks.com/bil_ORvh.asp?Series_Index=Q7&Length_Index=3Q5&Manf=All&SubChar=Q

http://www.eshocks.com/bil_ORvh.asp?Series_Index=Q7&Length_Index=2Q5&Manf=All&SubChar=Q
That's exactly the front shock I'm running in the photo above.

Thu Apr 13, 2017 11:12 pm

EnjoyNukaCola wrote:
That's exactly the front shock I'm running in the photo above.

Cool !! Thanks EnjoyNukaCola. I like the picture. It shows it all.

Sat Apr 15, 2017 5:27 pm

I figured they weren't worth it. Good, I would prefer plain style shocks. So much easier to keep clean and no cheap chrome to rust.
I doubt if I will take this thing offroad much, I just like the baja look.
Plus, I have a Jeep and an M1009. They handle fulfilling the offroad itch.