front suspension dimensions

[mattnsac]

hey im going to be talking to heidts and chris alston today or monday regarding their mustang 2 front suspensions for my 63 bug. im at work and unable to get the dimensions from my car but i want to get a quote and see if they can supply what i need. i need the dimensions of the area under the gas tank front to rear and i need the legth of the stock beam from end to end (spindle to spindle). they should be able to supply what i need but i need those dimensions before i call. On a side note i dont understand why people would make the instalation of an a arm front suspnsion so complicated when there are compnies that already make a finished product. there are way to many people ready to mix n match parts on this forum when that is probably the worst way to go. K.I.S.S keep it simple stupid oh well if i can get those measurments i can report back with what is available.. thanks

[volkdent]

How do you think a Mustang suspension on a bug ISN'T mixing and matching? I guess it depends on what your going for, but I for one hate mixing and matching metric with standard. The Mustang front suspension also requires much cutting to the body, another thing I'm trying to steer clear of. The last thing is what are you looking for in an A-arm suspension. The geometry on a Mustang setup is nothing special, so if you want to maximize what a setup will do, the Mustang won't get you there, its designed for a much different kind of car than a bug.:eek:

[mattnsac]

im sorry let me clarify, when i say mix and match i mean like using this upper contol arm with this other cars ball joint and this lower control arm from another car kind of thing going on. I like things that are made to be put together, where i dont have to spend massive amounts of time and money trying to get everything to work. As for the reason for a mustang 2 type front end the are a few different reasons. First and formost cost. Plain and simple you can get the full spindle to spindle with disc for under a grand if you shop right. Second parts availability. You gonna just run to kragen and get brake pads for your turbo brakes? you gonna pay under 30 bucks? no you wont granted turbo brake are better i really cant see the need for brakes of that caliber on such a light car I feel that its needlessly wasted money. You can get 13 in cobra brakes with calipers for under 500 dollars and those can haul a 3500 lb car down faster than my new gti which i feel brakes very quickly, not put that on a 1500 lb car more than adequate. Third sure the M2 suspension isnt all that special but when you think about easy of adjustabilty in caster camber and heigth and the availabilty of numerous types of coilovers it just makes sense. now as far as keeping it metric i think that is petty. Please justify how having to have a second set of wrenches should cost you thousands more. ANd lastly my belief is anything is better than the stock beam. Im not offroading so i have no reson to utilize probaly the only redeeming qulity of it and that is strength and the a arm will be more than adequate for what i want. Ive spent thousands on my car already and at this point the return on investment would be worse with any other setup in my opinion. Cutting th car up is trivial at this point i deced either this or a RLR full tube chassis and just drag race but i still wanna turn hence this set up. I agree with you on certain points but i have to disagree on others all in all i want to do is go fast Ive wasted far too much money being brand name and getting sub par results. And hey maybe your right maybe im thinking the wrong way about it but till there is a clear cut better alternative I think this one is good.

[volkdent]

You're right, for the money you can't touch it. And again, your right, in that what you want will work just fine. I thought about doing what your doing for awhile, but in the end, I wanted to have something that would or could come out of Germany, which, like you said, is a little petty, but the car is complete and not mismatched then. Also, the geometry can be tailored when it is modified, but with the MII its kind of fixed. I'd like to see how things work out when your done. I suspect you'll only have a little trouble with mixing metric and standard brake lines, but that should be a pretty easy fix. You'll have to have the hubs redone to get the correct lugs, or just run standard American rims.

Jason