Help identifying suspension set up please

[shiggi10]

Hi,

I bought a 1960 bus last year and finally getting some time to look at it.
It runs and drives but needs some sorting out as it looks to have been modified way back when…

Reason for the post- I assume it is running an early bay front beam and early bay IRS rear but would be good to hear confirmation and any observations/ thoughts on challenges with this set up.

It sits quite well but haven’t had the opportunity to drive very far. Ideally I would like to go through it and make it safe- some things alarm me like the steering box being held on by coach bolts!
Then I need to work out a longer term plan!

Front
Assume early bay beam, can’t believe its on dropped spindles as that and the brake adapter would make it quite wide (happy to be wrong on that). Has a strange bar that revolves welded to the beam- not connected to anything and no idea what it does

Rear- welding doesn’t look great so I suspect poorly aligned.
Running a 130*5 adaptor to 205*5. So assume this is all early bay?

Any advice or confirmation appreciated

Thanks

Front

Rear

[karl h]

the front is a porsche 911/944 hub, it fits the spindles
the beam seems to be early bay, you can see the balljoints
the bar seems to be there to hold a rollbar?
the rear arms are definitely early bay due to the angle of the inner bolts
a pic from further away would help (like on a hoist)
for fitting these arms you normally have to modify the chassis rails, but these seem to be suspended out wards. i have the same setup in my panel, there are pics in my buildthread.
these are custom shouckmounts in the rear split/bay shouckmounts are not compatible, the empty one is the stock split upper mount
_________________
61 panel: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=465022
68 ghia vert
arctic alice (63 ragtop on irs): http://cal-look.no/lounge/index.php/topic,27456.0.html
86 Caravelle
04 new beetle vert

[karl h]

there seems to be an unused brake booster adapter welded to the beam.
for improoved braking, mount one
it seems the center beam has been cut/turned/welded to lower it, the bumpstops are cut off. is there an adjuster on the rear side of the beam?
_________________
61 panel: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=465022
68 ghia vert
arctic alice (63 ragtop on irs): http://cal-look.no/lounge/index.php/topic,27456.0.html
86 Caravelle
04 new beetle vert

[shiggi10]

Hi Karl,

Great build thread! Have read a bit, will read some more

Great info thanks!
Front-
Yes will look to use the booster, once it is welded on properly!
Further pics of the rotating bar ( in a different position) its not a roll bar / ARB but looks more like a cable actuator
No beam adjusters on the rear, but look to have been cut and rotated.
Maybe these are dropped spindles? No idea how to spot them

Rear
I can’t see any cuts to the motor mount but the cradle has been trimmed

[karl h]

i cant see an adjuster or welds for a cut-and-turn on the front beam, so if it is lowered it seems to have dropped spindles
the welded on front bracket is a mistery. i meant that the actual rollbar is missing and just the brackets are still there (hope thaqt makes sense)
_________________
61 panel: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=465022
68 ghia vert
arctic alice (63 ragtop on irs): http://cal-look.no/lounge/index.php/topic,27456.0.html
86 Caravelle
04 new beetle vert

[karl h]

front calippers look like my non turbo 944
_________________
61 panel: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=465022
68 ghia vert
arctic alice (63 ragtop on irs): http://cal-look.no/lounge/index.php/topic,27456.0.html
86 Caravelle
04 new beetle vert

[karl h]

for the rear brackets to fit outside of the chassis rails the rear IRS arms have to be modified, or they would push out the brake drums a good 2"
no rim would fit without cutting the wheelarches (and you would need 2" longer irs axels)
sorry for the multiple posts
_________________
61 panel: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=465022
68 ghia vert
arctic alice (63 ragtop on irs): http://cal-look.no/lounge/index.php/topic,27456.0.html
86 Caravelle
04 new beetle vert

[velvetgreen]

where are all the missing washers on the beam bolts and in their proper orientation?

[Long-roofs]

[shiggi10]

[shiggi10]

[shiggi10]

[shiggi10]

I drove it for the first time today- truley terrible. I know they wander but this was heading significantly left or right with the steering straight ahead and no wind etc

I was aware the previous owner was concerned and had stopped driving it.

Bear in mind I bought it knowing it needed work and undriven

Rear toe looks significantly positive and tyres hot on inside edge
Front made a mess of a gravel drive and tyre edges are gone.
Steering very notchy and drag link has a huge amount of play as does the steering box

So plan is to

Front
Pull and probably replace front beam as its a mess- double adjuster, brake booster std width
Rebuild and replace all moving parts
Rebuild steering box

Rear
Replace all wearing parts and cvs
Change spring plates for dropped / adjustable plates and get the toe in spec

Open to further ideas and thanks for the advice

[karl h]

as of the washers: the upper bolt has one assymetric washer, the lower one on the pic doesnt. there should be 8, one for each bolt
_________________
61 panel: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=465022
68 ghia vert
arctic alice (63 ragtop on irs): http://cal-look.no/lounge/index.php/topic,27456.0.html
86 Caravelle
04 new beetle vert

[velvetgreen]

[shiggi10]

Great info - thanks

[shiggi10]

[shiggi10]

Its just dawned on me what the weird rotating bar welded to the front beam is…. Connects the brake pedal to the, now removed, brake booster/ servo

[shiggi10]

[karl h]

i allready thought it was rhd
_________________
61 panel: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=465022
68 ghia vert
arctic alice (63 ragtop on irs): http://cal-look.no/lounge/index.php/topic,27456.0.html
86 Caravelle
04 new beetle vert