Advice on front sway bar for an Oval Convertible...

[BulliBill]

Okay, I'm interested in your suggestions for adding a front sway bar and I'll probably mount a vintage style camber compensator on a '57 Deluxe Kabriolett. Stock height, stock suspension and a Okrasa engine with stock spit-case swing axle transmission. I will not be racing the car, but I do hope to improve cornering and handling, especially if I ever had to make an evasive swerving turn to avoid some idiot.

Has anyone with a basically stock Oval Beetle already been thru these improvements for your Bug and care to comment on your purchases and how your front sway bar and rear compensator combination has worked out? Does anyone have any suggestions for my planned improvements?

I asked the folks at "Sway away" via email if they made a sway bar kit for a stock-ish Oval Bug. I eventually received a reply from those folks and they said they have a PN9164 with urethane bushings. I can't find it in any on-line catalog, so I have no idea what the kit looks like or how it might work. Anyone using this already? Again, I'll also be adding a vintage rear camber compensator.

Talk to us!

Bill Bowman
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I'm looking for these license plate frames for my fleet:
Coeur D'Alene - Lake Shore Volkswagen
Mission VW - San Fernando
Thornton VW - Stockton

Thanks for any help!

[EVfun]

I've driven a number of late '50's and early '60's Bugs. The 40 horse ones do seem to handle a little better. I was even thinking of fitting the sway bar from a early '60's Bug under my '57. Fitting later parts under a Bug is about as vintage a move as one can get.
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[janerick3]

My '54 has had a stock front sway bar installed on the original front end as long as I have owned the car (36 years). It looks like it's always been there.
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Thanks,
Jan K.

[sgmalt46]

stock sway bar and camber compensator is all you need. the front sway a way bar is too stiff for me. when pushed hard in a corner or freeway on ramp i used to( push) the front tires on my 68 cal bug with 195/50's on the front.but that is with a 2276 trying to gas it in a turn.
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55 deluxe 23 window bus
64 crew cab
55 rag top beetle
66 beetle
71 square back (sold) ! good luck with it Henry!
46 beetle 552nd royal army service corps CCG

[esde]

Stock is a huge improvement over none at all, especially on a stock beetle. The sway bar won't know it's a convertible, so that makes no difference..
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modok wrote:
Bent cranks are silent but gather no moss. I mean, ah, something like that.

[slalombuggy]

Make sure the camber compensator you get will fit a split case transaxle. All the modern ones are made for tunnel trannies. All the ones I've seen also seem to make the side covers leak like sieves. I would make a mount that fit on the frame horns if it were my car.

brad

[BulliBill]

Here is the exact camber compensator that I have laid away for the '57 Kabriolett.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=587621

This is the type of unit that doesn't use a bracket that attaches to the bottom of the split case transaxle. This one has rubber pads that cradle the frame horns. Very different than the more available bracket/tranny mount style. I haven't trial-fit it yet, the '57 Kab is buried away in my storage. Just hoping this will work well and make the Kab safer to throw around occasionally.

Some of you mention a "stock" front sway bar, but I don't believe that my '57 Oval Kab or my '55 Oval Sunroof had front sway bars in the Oval era. When did the front sway bar become standard on all USA spec Beetles? I'll be looking for recommendations on a complete add-on front sway bar kit for my Ovals...


Bill
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I'm looking for these license plate frames for my fleet:
Coeur D'Alene - Lake Shore Volkswagen
Mission VW - San Fernando
Thornton VW - Stockton

Thanks for any help!

[EVfun]

The front sway bar was introduced with the 1960 model year Bugs. You should be able to get the sway bar and clamps from any 1960-1965 Beetle and install it onto your front end.
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