Improve Your Handling

3/8", Mike.
1-1/2" in length should be long enough.
Wait......those are the bolts I used to attach the brace to the beam.
The other bolts (the ones that are to attach the "L" side of the brace) were already in place as they are the same bolts that hold the sub frame to the pan.

The ones I have already in place to attach the subframe to the pan are 7/16", as specified in the CMC manual.

They are too big to go through the holes in the brace.

It looks like I may have to use 3/8" there too, although I may be able to use 10 mm, which would be a little bigger,

I wonder if the Beetle uses 10 mm in that location.

Just bore out the openings a little, Mike.
A step drill would make short work of it.

Terry,

Thanks for your reply.

This afternoon I bought some 10mm bolts. They fit and are a bit bigger than 3/8"

You can buy those at Bugpack.

I did better.. Mine are bolt on continue actions of the pan frame that catch both the upper and lower beam tubes and go all the way up the sideof the cab almost to the seats. a 4 x 2 square tube is far superior ,,and it dont hang down below the pan.

It doesn't look like they will fit on a Beck, but then it looks like the way the Beck frame is, you don't need them. Is that right Beck owners or Carey?

It basically duplicates the way the Beck frame is connected to the front beam as far outboard as possible. The Beck won't need it, nor could it be fitted.

Warren,

The front beam is integrated into the chassis at a point 6" wider than the stock bolting points AND it is triangulated back to the main 3" tube. No need for something like this in a Beck.

Likewise, in the rear, we don't use frame horns, rather a down support like the 356 had, which is also triangulated back to the frame much like what VW drag racers call Kafer bars.

Hey Carey,
If I haven't mentioned it before, it's really great having you on this site.
It helps to have a manufacturer post on this stuff.
Thanks.

Amen brother, Carey rocks.

...and having met Carey in person, I can say he is a pretty laid-back kinda guy! We're lucky to have such a great resource for tech info from a bonafide manufacturer/custom-fabricator!

I'm gonna grow a beard like Carey's.

OK, so it'll be "salt and pepper", but it'll be cool.

Terry---how do you know how fast I do 30 mph turns??

Your post lacked clarity and focus.----Jack

Hey Jack,
How does it lack clarity when I say you're happy going through a 30 mph turn at 35?
My God, man. It took you two weeks to respond!;)

I think Jack took a two-week break from our website madness and spent that time driving down along the California coastline.

I think it would have only been 1 week if he had taken those curves faster than 35 mph! :-)

Has anyone with a VS made this install?

The passenger side looks easy enough, just got to pull the carpeting to access the bolts.
Did a test fit and it looks like I will need a single shim for a nice tight fit.

The drivers side looked a little more complicated with the steering bracket being in the way. Could I use the u-bolt that is already there to secure it to the front?

thanks - M

Jim's right we flew to Seattle, met up with friends from Florida and spent several days seeing the sights on the way to Los Angeles---fabulous trip. I didn't see a computer the whole time I was away and really missed this great site.

For some reason I don't feel any guilt about taking two weeks to respond even if it did "take two weeks". Admonishment wasted.

I just didn't understand the post about doing 35 mph in a curve.

Jim--sorry we couldn't connect in L.A. as that would have been nice. I'll look forward to seeing you at the Colorado event.---Jack

Jack - Terry is kidding you about enjoying the car at speed (35 or more in a 30) in the curves. Nothing more.

Lane---maybe you know what the point of the post was --I am sure it was in fun but failed to get the point--that's all.---Jack

Jack,

I'll say this REALLY SLOW........;)
I think you would notice a big difference in handling if you were to spend $35.00 and about 1-1/2 hours and install the braces.

I am still in the process of installing these.

It looks like the front beam grease fittings are about where the brace wants to be.

On the passenger side I moved the brace toward the car center so there is about a 1/4" clearance between the brace and grease fitting.

This results in the front brace flange not being parallel to the beam tube. It only touches on the outer edge.

Did any of you confront this issue?

I am wondering about drilling the front clamp piece to allow it to fit over the grease fitting.

Thanks.

Michael,

I didn't have any problems with the grease fittings.

Michael,
The bolt slots on the angle bracket side of the brace left enough wiggle room to angle the left brace around the steering bracket. That was my only problem with the fit.
Do you have photos?

I think I could do that too.

But, that would increase the angle between the brace flange and the tube.

So, I am thinking of notching the end of the brace so I can put it in the same position as the one on the passenger side. The end of that one is about 1/4" inside of the grease fitting.

I don't know if I am clear about this. For the end of the brace to be parallel to the tube it has to move out toward the end of the tube. This would result in full contact between the end of the brace and the tube.

In the brace's current position, only the outer edge of the brace end touches the tube.

Also, as you move the end of the brace toward the center of the car it isn't doing as much bracing. The most effective brace would be right at the end of the tube.

After looking at it again, I see that it wouldn't work to drill a hole for the grease fitting. If I moved the brace end out that far it would hit the bumper bracket.

Michael, excuse me in advance on a dumb question.
You are aware that the braces are side specific, right?
The braces should flare out towards the hub.
And you know you need to use caster shims for a proper fit, right?
I looked at my beam and it doesn't even have a lube fitting on that side.

Terry,

Thanks for hanging in there on this conversation.

Well, now I seem to have more questions than ever.

I am indeed aware that the braces are side specific. But, I am not sure which side each is specific too.

The brace in my "brace 1" photo has the horizontal leg of the angle on top with the vertical leg extending down to the floor. This would be the installed orientation.

The angle is almost square on the end of the brace tube. The clamp end is rotated several degrees.

Were yours like this?

Would you call this passenger side or driver side?

It seems like the brace should have the clamp end parallel to the angle, even if it is offset with the tube being angled.

As it is, if the clamp end is in intimate, continuous contact with the beam tube, the angle will be rotated where it attaches to the pan.

You can see that the tube is offset on the angle. Is this offset toward the center of the car or to the outside?

You can see my passenger side brace installed in "brace 2". Actually, it is a little hard to see with everything black.

This brace does not "flare out towards the hub". It flares in a bit towards the center of the car.

You can see in "brace 3" that my beam has grease fittings on the tubes about 2" in from the ends. Don't they all?

There isn't room for the brace outside the grease fittings and I believe that is where the bumper brackets mount.

Thanks for any additional comments you may have.

Michael,
The brace in picture 1 should go on the passenger side as the braces should flare out to the hubs.
My beam does not have grease fittings on it so they weren't an issue.
I have a Puma beam to install in the future and it doesn't have fittings, either.
Feel free to give me a call:

Home: (now and evenings) 530-268-2496
Cell: (days) 530-305-1836

I am surprised to hear about beams without grease fittings.

Did anyone else install these braces on beams with grease fittings?

You need to have much grease in the beam, easy to tap and install the zerk fittings most anywhere in-board of the bumper brackets. ~Alan

Alan,

I thought grease was needed too. That is why I was surprised that some people have beams without grease fittings.

If I want to replace the fittings I have with new ones in a new location, how do I avoid getting metal bits inside the tubes?

Mike, you'd be only drilling a very small hole. 1/8" or so. A few tiny bits would get suspended in the grease inside and probably wouldn't hurt anything. But a trick you can do is put a magnet next to where you drill and it'll catch most of the shavings.

I am still wondering if anyone installed these braces on a car with grease fittings.

It looks like the one I installed is on the wrong side of the car.

It still seems like, if the clamp end fits nicely against the beam tube, the angle would be rotated where it attaches to the pan.

Bought a pair of VW(Australia) Factory originals on eBay - they bolted straight on to my 1976 Beetle - could feel the extra tightness on rough roads and at speed - 130kph+.

See link below for the source of the Orig-ine-als:

http://www.vwtrendsweb.com/features/0404vwt_1968_volkswagen_country_buggy/

The Speedster is jealous, but really doesn't need them.