How much did you spend on the front (beam)

[kra710]

Franklins Baywindow Beams Are pretty Pricy with the modified 944 4 piston brakes. I am considering them since Next year or even as soon as this winter I will be Rebuilding the type 4 engine in my bus for more power. Typically how much would you guys say you spend on your front suspensions, On one hand I think that having the stopping power of some porsche brakes would be awesome, but I am also thinking that this can be overkill and all i need is a narrowed adjustable beam? any thoughts

[Panelfantastic]

Mine is a split so its a little cheaper...but here's my thoughts,
I narrowed my own beam, it was a ton of work especially since I did not know what I was doing... I would not do it again, ever. I know they are expensive but it is much better left to someone who has a jig made and has done several so they know how to avoid mistakes. The beam comes out looking better and your peace of mind stays up.
I bought the 944 brake conversion setup from Oldspeed. Nothing revolutionary in the kit but all the parts they sent were nice. If you were best friends with a machinist and knew exactly how to set everything up, you could build your own caliper bracket and have spindles/races made to allow everything to bolt-on. Franklin has hours and hours in mock-up and machining and that is part of what you pay for.
Bottom line, if you can save up and buy his or someone else's kit, do it. If I started from scratch all over again (heaven forbid), that is exactly what I'd do. I get a great deal of satisfaction out of building my own stuff but some parts really aren't worth getting into.

[volkdent]

Ditto! I had my beam narrowed by a local welding shop. It took forever and they ended up warping it. If time is not an issue, and I mean REALLY not an issue, and you like to tinker, go for it. Otherwise work a little bit more and buy it done, then if there are any problems you have someone to ask and someone responsible for it.

Jason