Camber adjustment???

[Panelfantastic]

My panel has been converted to bug IRS by P.O. Lowered a bit also. Camber seems to be off ( / \ ) and I don't know how to adjust it. I know with swings if you try to go too low they do this but I thought IRS was a little more forgiving....

[Panelfantastic]

Anybody???

[bren]

IRS still swings through an arc like swingaxle, its just a larger arc and as such is less visible. when slammed, some obvious negative camber can result. if (and only if!) you are totally happy with your ride height, you can remove the a-arms, swap them side for side and reweld teh shock mounts and brake fittings on the correct way up. this restores some camber to the rear end although i cant rememberexactly how much.. the info is out there though.. before going ahead, work out how much -ve camber you have, and how much +ve camber this conversion creates as you dont want to end up with too much +ve!

[Richie]

Maybe you can raise the inner pivot of the irs-arm to restore youre camber. There are adapterkits which are bolted to the torsionbartube. If you have these, than it's easy, loosen the bolts and twist up.
You've got more work in store when they are welded though! I have done this and it's a tough job. I have some pics but have to scan them first.
7mm up translates to about 20mm less camber.

Hopefully you have the bolted ones!
Good luck!

Richard

[Panelfantastic]

Its funny you would bring that up Richie, I was just looking at that last night and thought hmmm....I wonder if....
Mine does have the bolt-on kit but I noticed its been welded in a couple places also. The direction of rotation and amount to rotate numbers help a ton, THANKS! I would'nt have known where to even start. One question though... you don't notice any suspension binding by changing/rotating the pivot point, do you?

[Richie]

You're welcome.

No I didn't have any binding but I have to say that I had heimjoints(?) in there instead of rubber bushings.
But, twist it in very little increments and you will very probably find the best cambersetting without binding.

Cheers,

Richard

[Panelfantastic]

Thanks again,
I would like to see some pics when you get a chance - no rush, I'm waiting on parts so my project is really starting to slow down :( . Hiem joints instead of bushings? Sweet! (you are correct btw, invented by a German machinist named "Hiem" for use on the military aircraft which the Americans stole during WWII and has become a universal term for that style of rod end :silly: ).

Jeff

[Richie]

I'll try to see what I can come up with.

Cheers,

Richard

[juse]

I dont like the idea of swap/turn-welding those mounts. Even if I made a jig for it and got it in line satisfactorily enough, it would be illegal by the roadlaws here in Finland.
What are these adapterkits? I havent seen those. If you have pictures of them or a link, I would be interested also.
Justin

[juse]

Has anything like this available/used before on superbeetle?:
http://www.pdm-racing.com/products/suspension.html Look for: Eccentric Bolts for Camber Adjustment
Justin

[Panelfantastic]

Good idea on the eccentrics Justin. Wonder if they will fit our control arms?
The "kit" we're talking about is a IRS conversion for swing cars (and buses:D ). Go here http://www.bus-boys.com/index.htm and look in the index on the side under "suspension conversions type 2" for a blurry picture of the parts.

Jeff

[bren]

bolt-on rear a-arm mounts?!?! where did they come from? ive only ever seen the weld-in bugpack mounts used.. or original 1302/3 mounts grafted in..

[kdanie]

The bolt on inner trailing arm mounts only work on a type 2. Type 1 inner mount conversions must be welded in, the mount must be set into the frame horn and welded. A bolt on piece will position the pivot too far outboard.

ken

[juse]

Sorry guys, I mixed up things. I somehow tought that you were talking about adjusting camber with an IRS setup.
So is there any decent way to adjust camber after a radical lowering? As I said before; welding suspension arms is illegal in Finland. I want them to be adjustable, not only corrected.
Justin

[Panelfantastic]

You were correct. That was the topic we started on, it just kinda drifted into IRS conversion stuff. I have heard that 944 arms will work in place of Beetle and they are supposed to HAVE adjusters as factory. Would it be legal to use a set of those?

[RonRyon]

I don't know how much your camber is off, but you can adjust it to a limited degree by the placement of the washers at the mounting bracket.

[juse]

Sorry the delay; I had a short vacation there.
Its illegal to weld control arms in Finland, but replacing them to Porsche units would be OK...only that its out of my budget. Porsche parts can cost a lot of $$$ here.
So hasnt anyone tried to adjust the camber by using an eccentric bush???

Justin

[juse]

I have abadoned the idea of using an eccentric bolt to adjust the rear camber. I dont think I need an adjustment, as my car will not be driven on track. But something needs to be done to de-camber the rear.
My friend has now this idea to raise the irs-mounts about 50mm (2"), about the same amount that he has lowered his rear. I think that should de-camber the rear tires back to stock specs. Has anyone done this before?
Justin

[boygenius]

Check this thread out for some ideas. http://www.germanlook.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=3831

[juse]

Thanks, I didnt notice that topic before.
Justin

[boygenius]

No problem, I keep re-reading that post as I will be doing a little tinkering on my rear suspension in the coming weeks. :D