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71Convertible · 18th January 2008, 09:27

Suspension Rebuild
(Partly a repeat from the BBC thread)

Rear Suspension:
The beetle rear suspension was sagging at the rear right and it has been like this for a while. I comtemplated doing it myself, but then took it to the local VW mechanic. I showed him the factory manual and how it should be done, but he said he has his own way. With some misgiving I left it with him (including some new bushings). When I got it back, the car now sat too high and the right side was still not level. So, I decided to redo it myself. First I picked up some tools from JC road including 3.5ton jack, stands, wheel not socket, breaker bars, and an inclinometer.

Then proceeded to remove the rear suspension:

Then carefully lowered the spring plate of the perch and measured it. Sure enough, it was way off spec:

Also, found the bushings were installed incorrectly. So, reinstalled them correctly, adjusted the spring plate to factory setting and reassembled the suspension to ensure the alignment was set correctly. (the mechanic had told me that rear alignment cannot be set -- wrong!!!)

Much better. Car sits level now and I the camber and toe-in check out (actually, the left toe in is 0.25deg more than spec - not too bad for setting without toe-in measuring equipment -- will correct it sometime)

Front Suspension:
THis car suffered from the typical Super Beetle shimmy (steering vibrates above 60km). My recollection was that his problem has been there back in the late 80s as well -- so for about past 20 years. When I measured the front, I noticed the wheels were set with toe out and negative camber -- when it requires toe in and positive camber. So, set about measuring camber with my inclinometer and adjusted it. Then eyeballed the toe-in adjustment to roughly straight ahead. Took it to a small alignment shop that allowed me to go into the pit and help adjust. Once we got the wheels balanced and the toe-in set correctly all vibration went away. The steering wheel is a tad off-center now. There is a special tool (a modified bolt) that can be used to hold the steering gear at dead center while adjusting toe-in. I think I can modify a bolt to act like that VW tool and then go back to have the toe-in reset.

But first I'd like to get some new tires. The ones on this car are over 8 years old are hard and dry-cracking. Any recommendations on tires? The original specs are 155R15, but I think the amby spec 165R15 are the closest avail. Are these avail in tubeless? Brand?

Thx,
Byas

Any

PS: Nitin, Many similar communities in Bangalore. This one is Palm Meadows.

18th January 2008, 09:27	#16 (permalink)
71Convertible BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 113	Suspension Rebuild (Partly a repeat from the BBC thread) Rear Suspension: The beetle rear suspension was sagging at the rear right and it has been like this for a while. I comtemplated doing it myself, but then took it to the local VW mechanic. I showed him the factory manual and how it should be done, but he said he has his own way. With some misgiving I left it with him (including some new bushings). When I got it back, the car now sat too high and the right side was still not level. So, I decided to redo it myself. First I picked up some tools from JC road including 3.5ton jack, stands, wheel not socket, breaker bars, and an inclinometer. Then proceeded to remove the rear suspension: Then carefully lowered the spring plate of the perch and measured it. Sure enough, it was way off spec: Also, found the bushings were installed incorrectly. So, reinstalled them correctly, adjusted the spring plate to factory setting and reassembled the suspension to ensure the alignment was set correctly. (the mechanic had told me that rear alignment cannot be set -- wrong!!!) Much better. Car sits level now and I the camber and toe-in check out (actually, the left toe in is 0.25deg more than spec - not too bad for setting without toe-in measuring equipment -- will correct it sometime) Front Suspension: THis car suffered from the typical Super Beetle shimmy (steering vibrates above 60km). My recollection was that his problem has been there back in the late 80s as well -- so for about past 20 years. When I measured the front, I noticed the wheels were set with toe out and negative camber -- when it requires toe in and positive camber. So, set about measuring camber with my inclinometer and adjusted it. Then eyeballed the toe-in adjustment to roughly straight ahead. Took it to a small alignment shop that allowed me to go into the pit and help adjust. Once we got the wheels balanced and the toe-in set correctly all vibration went away. The steering wheel is a tad off-center now. There is a special tool (a modified bolt) that can be used to hold the steering gear at dead center while adjusting toe-in. I think I can modify a bolt to act like that VW tool and then go back to have the toe-in reset. But first I'd like to get some new tires. The ones on this car are over 8 years old are hard and dry-cracking. Any recommendations on tires? The original specs are 155R15, but I think the amby spec 165R15 are the closest avail. Are these avail in tubeless? Brand? Thx, Byas Any PS: Nitin, Many similar communities in Bangalore. This one is Palm Meadows.