anyone used either of these setups for a coupe ? Would they fit?
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I've never seen this. Do you have a link where we can learn more about it.
Just like land surveying questions, the answer is almost always: It all depends.
What or which coupe? Are you asking whether it will fit within just the coupe body, or the coupe body with a frame, and which frame? VW pan or tubular? And which engine and transaxle? If it was made for a type 1, then it would be fairly safe to assume that a stock type 1 engine and transaxle will fit, but then, very few of the engines in a replica coupe are stock type 1 engines.
If I wanted to put these suspensions in my coupe, I would make a cardboard mock up of each unit and then see if I can get the mockup in the car.
The front is very similar to a Mendeola. Don't know if it is any shorter (front to Rear)
The Rea is real interesting ! looks as though the transaxle will fit right in the middle. Mounting it is interesting too.........Bruce
I've been in contact with them. The front ends come in a lot of different flavors-- no spindles, all the way to heim joints instead of bushings. Pretty cool. They ship to the US, although it is expensive.
They also have a coil-over rear (in addition to the cradle) with the tubular trailing arms (as Mendeola). All in all, there's a lot to love on that site.
I have a friend who installed one in a 59 bug. After hours of struggling installing it with the body on.
he said it handled great.
FYI, they do not offer any sway bar mounts or components. Mendeola May take months to get but are made in USA.
This is all good info. Do you think that a sway bar is essential if i am not tracking the car? I really just wanted to take advantage of the coilover technology and the rack and pinion steering... hoping that the ride was more solid/connected feeling...
It will definitely feel "more solid".
Regarding the anti-sway bar, you don't absolutely need one on the street, but it will certainly make the car handle better, especially if the rear is Swing Arm. Most street cars would benefit from a bar on the front of, say, 3/8" - 1/2" thickness. More than that and the bar begins to transmit road vibrations to the rest of the car (and you).
I have a 3/4" bar at both the front and rear (IRS rear). It handles like a banshee BUT seems a bit stiff (my wife is not thrilled with that). Most everything on these little cars is a trade-off.
It’s all a matter of what you want. Driving Miss Daisy or making it handle like it’s on rails.....
5/8" bars used to be available, back when EMPI made good parts. So, a very long time ago. The 5/8" bars were a good compromise between ride quality and handling. I made a front one for my Spyder. It is made from an old 911 through-body bar. It works well.
The world today is pretty much on the "bigger is better" and "extreme" track. Sometimes more is NOT more.