Getting Close 3
 

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/230084.jpg

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/230085.jpg

Note cutout for tie rod. It may have to be enlarged slightly, but this is the only major modification to the body, one of my primary goals in this endeavor

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/230086.jpg

Fills in the 2" wider fenders quite fully. I may still need to widen the top of the fender to allow decent steering in bump. I've already completely removed the stock-style lip on the edge of the fender, but it still binds when turning sharply in a bump position. Clears with room to spare currently at ride height.

Getting Close 4
 

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/230088.jpg

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/230089.jpg

Sweet!
Folks gonna be driving you crazy wanting this! But the part where it aint cheap will thin out the tire kickers. I would love to see this under my bus! I just haven't figured out how to reverse the rack and pinion.


Jeff-

I'm thinking you could do a chain drive maybe.....? :laugh:

Jason

Have'nt stopped in for a long time..
Your progress is lookin good..
how is testing?
Overall MAD PROPS.. Great Work
Troy

YEAH! Then with different sprockets I could get the ratio down to one turn, lock to lock. I LIKE IT! Just like a go cart! :D

Really looks awsome Jason,
I think you got the geometry right. A suggestion for steering might be to consider a draglink setup. So you could use either a stock steering box or a forward steer unit. I guess the only problem with my suggestion would be building your own spindles. More money, Oh well :rolleyes: that's wheels...
Good job...
Pete

Hey Pete,

If you take a look, you'll see the rack is already in place. The whole suspension was designed around it. All that is left is to get another tie rod, thread both of them, and shorten them and then hook up the steering wheel. Thanks for the props!

Jason

OMG Dude!!! I need to change my pants! So awsome to see this project go from dream to reality!!!!


You got some talent and vision man!! Keep it up!

Double Adjustable QA1s are in.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/232501.jpg

Mate this is awe-inspiring stuff. I congratulate you for your vision, and committment to following the project through the planning, design, fabrication and now to the installation (then to sorting out the bugs/problems which hopefully will only be minor). Yes I am sure many people will be asking you to develop kits, but I can appreciate the time, money, heartache involved in such a conversion.

Well done! :agree:
Alan

Thanks mate, I just hope this thing works as good as it looks. I'll be none too thrilled if it handles like $hit after all the work and money I've put into it. I'm quite confident though that it will be lighter and handle much better than a beam setup. I'm especially hoping that I can head into a fast tight corner and not FEEL like the car is wanting to keep going straight, a problem that I've noticed with lowered Type Is. Anyone else noticed the difference in how a bug handles compared to a modern car? Can you pinpoint the sensation you feel as a driver?

Jason

New shocks are on and the travel is PERFECT! The tire just clears turned when on the bump stops, and the droop is great, if not maybe a little too much. We'll have to see.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/233549.jpg

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/233550.jpg

Did you get mine packaged up and ready to ship yet?

Hey Jeff! Piss-off :D You've got a Bus! My Ghia needs it WAAYY before you do.

Damn! You people are always being greedy! Don't you know that Jason and I are family and I get first dibbs? :agree:

Just kidding!

Looking good Jason..

My address in case you deleted me from your rolodex after that last food fight at the family bon-fire last fall is XXXXX Blah Blah Lane, Somewhere, Michigan 4XXXX.

The truck drivers, postal workers and UPS drivers already know the drill. Mail....mailbox. car, motorcycle, and tractor parts (my other wierd fetish) behind the house.

Thanks Cuz
:laugh:

Hey Jason,
Do the shocks themselves provide the travel limits, or do you have other limits built into the system? Haven't seen any limiting straps or anything, I presume the upper stops are limit bumpers on the shock shafts?
Looks real nice guy - can't wait to hear how it rides and handles!
I'll be working on my M-II based system over the Winter, so always interested in hearing about your trail blazing!
Cheers,
Jeff

I lean towards Kubotas myself.... I'm soooo glad there are at least a couple of other guys as mad as me! I'm waiting on a couple of suppliers to find me a tie rod assembly, I think from Lemforder. I have one, but I need another. The cheaper ones have knurled threads, the threads are actually pressed from the tie rod, so the rod is smaller than the threads, but the one I need has cut threads, so the tie rod is actually larger than the threads. I can just cut and weld/splice the others, but being as crazy as me, you'll understand why I want the OEM look as opposed to the hack job look.

Once I get the other tie rod and shorten them, the suspension is complete.

Jeff, the picture with the wheel hanging in the air is full droop. If the springs are soft enough, they will be able to keep themselves from clattering around at full droop. If they get more stiff, I'll have to use a helper spring to keep things tight, or use a limiting strap to keep the wheel from travelling down too far. On the bump side, the bump stops touch just as the tire nears the fender while turned. I will get rub right now on a HARD corner bump, but I suspect it won't happen that often.

Jason

wow kabotas are interesting...uhhh do you have a dirt moving fetish, or are you possibly a contractor? Just kidding.

I really want to hear about how this setup works. I just bought a new audi quattro that set the project back a bit, I wouldn't have gotten it, except it snows a lot in utah, and all wheel drive is very important and subaru's aren't german. It's funny i'm using that as an excuse when i have a twin turbo subaru motor waiting for a home in the back of my dub

I can't find a freekin' Lemforder tie rod assembly ANYWHERE!!!! So it looks like I might have to make a rabbit tie rod work, or I'm going to have to do some cutting and welding on the Mk II tie rods. Not what I wanted, but you gotta make it work somehow.

Incidently, if ANYONE has a single new Lemforder non-powered Mk II tie rod assembly just kicking around in their garage, give me a shout.

Walt said he's going to be able to start working on the rear strut mounts within a couple of weeks, so I'm trying desperately to get the steering squared away before he takes it.

Jason

Big News!
 

Wow, what a day! First I ran around looking at tie rod options. After the purchase of 3 of them, I finally found that while freaking expensive(read Made in USA), Moog's RABBIT tie rod worked PERFECTLY! I now have a bunch of Golf II tie rods in case anyone needs em. I cut a few more threads on the rods, and then cut off about 2cm, and they worked perfectly. Besides steering shaft, the front end is done.

Now on the back, though temporary, I made some upper strut mounts and cut the strut holes for the drivers side, leaving me with....

A ROLLER!!!! That is what hot rodders call a rolling chassis. I bolted up the wheels, adjusted the ride height, and OMG, IT ALL WORKS!!!!! I had eyeballed a lot of what I did on the rear end, so to have it all work out, at least for now, is such a big relief. I put the rear fenders on just to check, and again, the width is just perfect.

So now I can roll my car around at least, and maybe move it to my residence instead of being over at my rental. Next weekend I should be able to roll it onto a trailer and over to Walt's.

I worked till 10 tonight, and never thought I'd get as far as I did, so expect pics tomorrow.

Jason

Is it tomorrow yet?? :D


Jeff-

I've posted in 180hp 1.8t in Bug because it has more to do with the rear end. I'll get some better pics of the front end when I get a chance. Most of the time today was spent on getting the garage cleaned up and re-organized after the car was rolled out.

Jason

i want one too!!!
 

[QUOTE=Panelfantastic]Did you get mine packaged up and ready to ship yet?[/Q i want one too

Let's make sure it works well first before we all get too excited!!!

Jason

i really can't wait to see how this thing rides and the adjustability on it and all.

it looks so awesome

I have no more patience... :mad:

That's funny. And your doing what to your car.....?

Here's the steering shaft. The stock outer housing has been shortened and will need to be shortened some more, and the main steering shaft has been shortened as well. It will have the intermediate piece slipped inside it and welded. Residing inside the housing is a machined Delron(if I remember correctly) bushing that limits lateral movement of the steering shaft. A new bushing will be machined and pressed into the end of the housing to rub up against the Ujoint to limit in/out play of the steering wheel. Don't tell anyone, but the Ujoint is AMERICAN!!! Its a Flaming River hot rod one, but I could only find a guy that made standard splines on shafts, no metric. Ever try to find someone that makes splines? If you want to spend LOTs of time, give it a try someday.

Jason

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/237716.jpg

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/237717.jpg

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/237718.jpg

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/237719.jpg

Ya you got me...

by the way, i'm ordering the 993 rear suspension assembly on Mon. the 28th and i got my ej20tt a month ago. The biggest thing i'm saving up for so i can really start fabbing up some shizzle is the 6 speed g50. Too bad its $3500 then 1100 for a lsd, with 500 hp and 400 lb/ft of torque, i don't want to worry about 1 wheel burnouts.

Good luck with your project, its looking great!

The steering is now complete. I'll get pictures soon. I had to enlarge the hole for the steering shaft at the front bulkhead by about double towards the midline to accomodate the steering shaft angle dictated by the rack location.

A friend of mine machined a spacer for the end of the steering column to resist in/out sliding of the steering shaft. It inserts into the end of the steering column and rides on the edge of the Flaming River U-joint.

It should work out really well, but it uses the stock 1960 steering wheel. It's very "sleeper" but I'm afraid I'm going to have to do it all over again with something I can use the Porsche 996 Tiptronic steering wheel on.

Jason

Tiptronic? You don't have an auto, do you? Just want the buttons for something else? :D

http://pic9.picturetrail.com/VOL267/.../122485154.jpg

I figured I could use one of them for the volume control, and the other to shoot laserbeams!!! Seriously though, 2 possiblities, full track/volume control, or they have this sequential shifter that comes out of racing that could be used to shift. I'm thinking those buttons will be used for volume control for a LONG time before that tranny will get into this car though!

Jason

Sequential... yummmm :D !


Jeff-

I watched one of these go on Ebay uk last month for £600! Factory fitted LSD, less than 5K miles. :eek:
I knew I should have bid on it :sleep:

OK, IF ANYONE FINDS A DEAL LIKE THIS LET ME KNOW I'LL GIVE YOU MY CELL # SO I CAN FIGURE THIS OUT ASAP! come on. thats soooo cheap for a g50, i'd've definately gone for that and eaten the shipping. Sorry volkdent for killing your thread. It seems that this is the most popular thread and everyone checks here the most...including me.

Rock and roll, the rear suspension is here, so is my motor (to bad i'm only gonna use the heads off of it), and i'm still looking for a good deal on a g50.

I should add it was a '95 year box and the porsche forums i looked up suggested avoiding these early year boxes.....

Darren, sweet looking panel in your avatar.

LLB, be careful about getting too new of a box. Make sure you can get it adapted over. "I think" the watercooled 911s have a completely different bellhousing. They are not gonna be any stronger than the older boxes but might create unessecary costs that you could use elsewhere.


Jeff-

Wasn't that a 4WD one? If so, they are a lot longer and need adapting for 2WD use...

Good thing for me, the water-cooled 911's didn't start till the 996 in 99', so consiquently all of the tranny's from 95' to 98' are all identical apart from the c4 boxes, they have a 9.31 rp, which handles 800 lb ft of torque in a 3100 lb car.

Russell