Lowering

[mstatedog]

gee....mine rides just fine with an adustable beam, 145s and kyb gas shocks......took the raised spindles off...if you can't take the heat, get off the street.

dog

[surferdudedav]

are you running stock beetle spindles? or dropped?

[mstatedog]

wow, that was quick, I'm running stock type 1 spindles. I had raised (dropped) spindles but that was too much with the type 1 beam and 145s.

dog

[rene p. l.]

Any other way to lower the rear than move the spring plate 1 or 2 notches?

[surferdudedav]

know any fat chicks? take em for a ride!

[surferdudedav]

[cubist]

My beam scuffs and top of r/hand tyre before the adjusters but then it's only got 40mm clearance beam to tarmac. On a flat road the rides great as it uses stock (new) cofap shocks and has the same suspension travel as a stock bug. All fine unless a bird's accidently lost a tail feather in the road and then the grinding starts! This will improve when i put stiffer shocks up front

[mstatedog]

The adjusters are not adjusted that far. I guess the combination of raised spindles, type 1 beam and adjusters was a little too much. I have 145-15s on the front.

Sorry for the late response...don't check in too often.

dog

[rene p. l.]

hello,
I've just got my first THING last week-end. Out of the road since 1985 and store inside, I drain the old fuel, a little tune up, and wow... 2 days later it ran like a dream. 44000 miles original, all the receipt since the buy in 74. Now I need to do an overall of brakes and transmission fluid.

Now I want to lowered it and I don't know much about Thing.

1- I looked to the CIP1 website and I don't know which spindle I have to buy. They all seems to be for disc brake.

2 - Do a narrowed beam is really necessary?

3 - Did my Thing brakes will fit to the beetle spindle?

4- Any other advice will be appreciated.

[surferdudedav]

[rene p. l.]

oh yeah... sorry.

this height look good...

and I already have a set of MWS BRM 5.5 from my bus to put on the Thing and they have 195/50/15. I think i will need change the tire size to have bigger at the rear and smaller tire in the front.

[Erwin vs]

[cubist]

A 2" narrowed beam gives more clearance on a very slammed 181 but you may still need to grind the reinforcement plateoff the inner top face of the right fender (OE only) and trim back the inner wing joining panel a few mm's as i did. Not neccessary if you can live with the scuffing!

Your 181 drums will bolt straight up to the dropped beetle spindles without any problems.

[surferdudedav]

[rene p. l.]

I've bought a complete beetle ball joint beam yesterday to start with. I loked at the bearing and they are the same as the Thing ones. So I think brakes will be a straight bolt on.

Beetle beam with stock beetle spindles gives 2in of dropped?

Which tires size have the avocado green on BRM thing above?

[Ian Epperson]

[rene p. l.]

Yes, It look the same except for the reinforcement plates.

[surferdudedav]

[mstatedog]

That's my Avacado 181 with BRMs above. I am running 145-15s in the front and 19560R15s in the rear. The rear is down about 2 splines. The front has a 2" narrowed type 1 beam, spindle to spindle with adjusters and 2" narrowed white line sway bar. Your thing drums will fit the type 1 spindles except for the inner bearing. The inside diameter of the inner bearing is different. You have to get the inner bearing that matches the type 1 spindle. You also need the inside seal that matches the spindle year. I am also running kyb gas shocks on all 4 corners and a rear sway bar. The type 1 beam will get you down about 2-3 inches...the rest can be done with the adjusters.

I did not have to trim or cut anything to fit this beam in. If it was any narrower, It would have gotten into the tire well.

dog

[rene p. l.]