Questions about Panelfantastics ride
 

A work in progress. A lot of the unseen stuff to make GL (suspension,brakes,eng) before anything visually GL.

Jeff, I've just been looking on VKG at the pictures of your bus.
I'm interested in what set up you are using on the front suspension?

I'm planning on using King & link to retain some comfort, after all my bus is a daily driver and you guys from the UK all know about rock hard suspension and UK roads :mad:

Rob, I'm using a 4" narrowed beam with dropped (some call them "flipped") spindles. I've removed all of the small torsion bars from the beam and only left in the center ones on top and bottom. Normally this would slam the front to the ground and give you no suspension but I fitted coilover shocks in place of the regular shocks. The coilovers now control my ride height and are adjustable.

http://pic9.picturetrail.com/VOL267/...5/90530040.jpg

Jeff what make and spec are the coilovers you use, the roads you drive on must be 100% better than UK roads but what sort of ride do these give?

Cheers

The brand is QA1. They are a universal coilover used on streetrods. I think I used one of the lightest springs they offered since I still have some torsions left.
The ride is a little stiff, but that was what I was looking for. It isn't bone jarring harsh, but it is stiff.
As for the roads here... the highways are usually excellent, but the local roads aren't anything to brag about. Some serious wheel bending potholes.

http://www.qa1.net/

Jeff,

What is your rear suspension/transmission setup? I'm considering an IRS setup on my panel, and am trying to do some research.

Lanner

It was already converted to bug IRS when I got it. It uses bolt on pivots for the front of the control arms, and had regular steel bug control arms, drum brakes, etc.
I changed everything but the front pivots though, coilovers replaced torsions, chromo narrowed arms replaced the bug ones, disc brakes, hiem joint replaced the spring plates. Still running a stock type 1 box.
Several places make kits to convert to bug IRS, check Wolfgang International, Franklins VW Werks, and I think my front pivot kit came from Bus Boys. There's also something called a "straight axle kit" but I'm not sure what that does? Maybe a way to just lose the reduction boxes and keep everything else?


Jeff-

[QUOTE=Panelfantastic]...chromo narrowed arms replaced the bug ones...[QUOTE]


I'd love to see pics of those if you have them...

Lanner

http://pic9.picturetrail.com/VOL267/...5/45746091.jpg
http://pic9.picturetrail.com/VOL267/...5/44745182.jpg

They were made by this guy, BCR .
... and are available through this guy,John Connolly .


Jeff-

Very nice. How much narrow are they? What axles/stub axles/joints/transmission combo are you using?

Lanner

1.5" narrower if I remember right...
944 stubs
T2 cv's
sway-a-way axles
181 inner flanges
and just a plain ol' type 1 IRS box.

What really gave me the room was ditching the torsions and going coilovers. Look at the ear on my arms where you would normally bolt your spring plate, I had it moved in 1.5" also and used a custom pivot that I made.

Jeff-