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How to Narrow your own Beam !!!
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BajaF150
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 12:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Foun a stock lenght adj. beam on Craigslist im gonna pick up and narrow it.

When i cut the beam..I cut flush on each side of the adj. then take the material from each beam side correct?

now is the beam then sleeved at the beam/adj joint when rewelding together? I would assume so for strenght so its not just we;d holding it together.
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Derek Cobb
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 5:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A proper weld is all the strength you should need. The sleeve will make it easier to get the pieces aligned, but ultimately A good weld should be stronger than the base metal.
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econo_bug
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 9:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I already had my beam narrowed 2" and turned 1/4". Is it still possible to use my stock shocks or should I buy a new pair of shorter shocks?
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BajaF150
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 9:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Derek Cobb wrote:
A proper weld is all the strength you should need. The sleeve will make it easier to get the pieces aligned, but ultimately A good weld should be stronger than the base metal.


OK, ill most likely sleeve it with at least .090 wall, just to be safe. Thanks for the reply
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D_M_S
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 10:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm such a n00b!

Basic question: WHY do you want/need a narrow'ed beam? What are the advantages or purpose of it?
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BajaF150
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 10:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

When you lower the car (especially with drop spindles) it add's track width, thus causing your tires to rub the fender, narrowing the beam sucks the tires in more to elimate that problem.
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econo_bug
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 3:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

econo_bug wrote:
I already had my beam narrowed 2" and turned 1/4". Is it still possible to use my stock shocks or should I buy a new pair of shorter shocks?

Any answers for this Question
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spotco2
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 11:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

econo_bug wrote:
econo_bug wrote:
I already had my beam narrowed 2" and turned 1/4". Is it still possible to use my stock shocks or should I buy a new pair of shorter shocks?

Any answers for this Question


I do not know what you turned 1/4".

How much lower is the car than it was stock?

Over 2", get some shorter shocks.
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econo_bug
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 6:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

spotco2 wrote:
econo_bug wrote:
econo_bug wrote:
I already had my beam narrowed 2" and turned 1/4". Is it still possible to use my stock shocks or should I buy a new pair of shorter shocks?

Any answers for this Question


I do not know what you turned 1/4".

How much lower is the car than it was stock?

Over 2", get some shorter shocks.


I didn't use adjusters on my beam. Instead, I just cut the center retainers off and turned them 1/4" clockwise then welded them back on. Wink

I also installed CB dropped spindles. I think 1/4" turn from the beam is equivalent to 1" drop to the front.
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iaccy
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 9:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi I'm new to this as well, although my car came with adjusters installed already. I'm going to pick up a stock ball joint beam this weekend to learn and start fresh.

My plan is to do a 4" beam for my '67 with sway away adjusters and drop spindles. My car currently has disc brakes, so the combination of the discs and spindles will that push my wheel out 1/2" total? I know the spindles extend the tires out 1/4" but do the disc brakes as well?
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71supervw
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 10:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

can this be done to the beam of a super as well
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JKalpowsky
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 2:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

71supervw wrote:
can this be done to the beam of a super as well


if you have a super, you don't have a beam like this
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iaccy
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 5:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

how much will ghia disc brakes and drop spindles extend my tires out on each side? 1/2" total? Confused
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 4:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

BajaF150 wrote:
When you lower the car (especially with drop spindles) it add's track width, thus causing your tires to rub the fender, narrowing the beam sucks the tires in more to elimate that problem.



Dont get me wrong, but you mistake the physics of the torsion beam suspension with a classic Chevy double wishbone suspension.

If you lower a double wishbone suspension it adds trackwidth because the stock setting of the wishbones are angled downwards like 40 degree. If you lower the car the wishbones come more and more up, angle out in a horizontal possition and and straighten out that way all up to the point at which the wishbones are parallel to the ground. Over that point they reduce the track with again.

The beam arms do not rotate parallel to the cars lenght but to its width, so the wheels do not travel appart but going from the front of the car to the back.

As for the drop spindles, from the way they are built it has been said that they expand track width too, thats correct.

Tanks Wink
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 3:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

any body just put in one ajuster?? I have droped spindles but might want to fine tune it a little.. this should also soften the spring rate .but not real sure havent tried it yet. and witch works better bearings or the polyurathane bushings . and for the last q. why not an aluminum BJ beam???where's it at??thank you for your time and have an aircooled day!!!
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Derek Cobb
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 5:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

One adjuster would probably work okay, but they are relatively inexpensive and once you're already welding one in it wouldnt' make a whole lot of sense to skip doing the other. With Just one you'll be loading up the other spring stack and that might make the ride bouncy.
The bearings make for a smoother ride when compared to the poly bushings, and last far, far longer.
The aluminium beams are designed for very lightweight sandrails and racecars that don't have to endure the stresses of everyday driving. One good pot-hole could crumple a lightweight aluminum beam, and that could be deadly on the highway. I'm sure they have been run in street cars many times before, but weight savings is hardly worth the loss in stoutness, for a non-race vehicle, in my dumb opinion.
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mark tucker
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 6:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I dont see it making the ride any bouncyer, probly less +I run shocks,it would also help with weight transfer,but these things dont have much of a problem in that area .like the old mopars we used to put the 6 cyl torsion bars in the v8 cars for traction/weight transfer, worked great & road much better/softer. and the aluminum beam.thay have been making aluminum controal arms, heck have you looked under a vette latley or just about any performance car.compleate rear end assy driveshafts,all Kinds of stuff.and as light as a bug is +it is not just on one tube but 2.I think if they will work off road then there very well suited for the street, unless you go to jumpin curbs on a daily routine.but with that said I havent checked the thickness of the beams.but I'm pretty sure there robust enough for these things.just wish they made them for BJ. What has surprized me is that I havent folded up one of my front cms wheels, there so soft,not heat treated,no triangliation , just 2 flat sides stuck togeather , there should of been at least a .750"thick center ring that the bolts go through & that would triangileate them. Ive been thinken about light weight arms also. oops sorry a little off track there.
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twmcbrid
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 6:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

at the beginning under one of the pics, it says that he puts the adjusters at the "correct" angle and it shows an magnetic protractor at 15 degrees. is this the "correct" angle?
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thewreckingsoul
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 12:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Is that a countersink that he's using to drill the dimple onto the torsions? If not, what type of bit is that?
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 12:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

twmcbrid wrote:
at the beginning under one of the pics, it says that he puts the adjusters at the "correct" angle and it shows an magnetic protractor at 15 degrees. is this the "correct" angle?
15 from what? and is that lowered ,raised, or stock? how much movement of the ajuster lowers the car how much?. and for the question of the day. poly beam bushings. how long do they last?does synthetic greese affect them?.are they worth a shit?
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