Hey All - I'm a few weeks out from purchasing my V Speedster 356 Kit, and wondering (in hindsight...) if the '69 IRS donor that I just purchased will work with the 356 kit ? I have been reading that there may be some clearance issues, and Swing Axle is the only way to go? Any first hand experience shared will be much appreciated. Thanks!
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I'd give Kirk Duncan at Vintage a call about this if you want an answer.
I was under the impression that for some reason Vintage always uses a swing axle in their turnkeys----anyone know for sure?
Independent rear suspension will provide superior handling and ride over a swing axle car, but yes, there is the tire clearance thing to worry about, depending on the wheel/tire combo. Talk to whoever you're buying the kit from, as they should know what wheels and tire sizes will fit. Al
PS- Type 3 rear drum brakes and most rear discs will also add 1/2- 5/8" to the rear track on each side, so if you're not using type 1 beetle rear brake assemblies keep this in mind. Irs trailing arms can be narrowed an inch and early swing axles/tubes ('66 and older) are also about 1 1/2"? (that's per side; I'll look it up) shorter than '68 and newer sets as well.
Oh- An irs pan can be assembled with swing axle components.
And one last thing- Welcome To The Madness!!!
1969 is a one-off year for the VW pan. First year for the IRS rear and what they used that year was overkill for a VW sedan to be driven by little old ladies, but perfect for a great handling Speedster. Why? Because they used dual spring plates on the rear axles to provide a sturdier suspension base - exactly the same rear configuration as a Porsche 914/924/944. Late in the year they eliminated one of the spring plates on each side and that's what they ran til the end of that model.
That said, I have a wide-body car, so tire clearance is not an issue for me. I don't know the issues of tire clearance versus the dual-plate rear suspension, but I do know that some folks on here have done a number of bolt-on things like changing the diagonal arms and hubs for a narrower track, playing with the offset of the wheels and running different hub and brake assemblies to gain more tire clearance.
Any IRS car can easily be set up with a swing-arm rear suspension with no cutting or welding. You just eliminate the diagonal arms, drop in a swing-arm transaxle, bolt everything together and off you go (probably why we see so many VS cars with the unused mounts for diagonal arms still there but a Swing-arm rear installed - there are more later pans kicking around, especially in Mexico).
OTOH, there is a definite handling improvement to using that particular year pan in building up a Speedster.
Going from a swing arm pan to IRS requires very accurately locating the positions for the diagonal arm pivot mounts and them welding them in. Not easy, but do-able with some careful set-up.
JS...I have an IRS from Vintage Speedster, Built 6 months ago. He is doing more and more of them. I think you made a good choice to go with IRS. I would suggest going to four wheel disc brakes as well. You will see that there is a lot of help available on this site and Welcome.........Bruce
I have a 1970 donor IRS car. I run 165r15s, and a 175 would fit if they made an appropriate aspect ratio for my rims. 185s would be a tight fit or rub most likely. I have rear drum brakes BTW. I don't mind the skinnier rubber as it still handles well, and they are lighter than wider meats. I also wanted to keep the gearing that I had when I got it as it is just right for the power that I have IMO. I also don't mind a more "authentic" look.
LTL - just as a visual reference, the pics below are of my VS with '67 pan, swing axle, fake Fuchs 5.5x15, tires 185x60x15.
I got these fake Fuchs (5x130mm) from Kirk @ VS. They were only $25 more per wheel than the chrome wheels. These have the off-set to fit 185x60 on 5.5" wheels and about 3/8" clearance between tire & fender well.
…this is what they look like on the car...
Here is a comparison pic of my buddy's (SOC Dutch) swing axle (on left) with 165x65 on 4.5" wheels, next to my swing axles (on right) with 185x60 on 5.5" wheels.
Nice, Jim---that is some gorgeous car! Talk about making lemonaid out of lemons---you sure did it! And 185s---icing on the cake. Congrats.
All... Thanks for the feedback and comments. Spoke to Kirk and digested all the info from the forum. Going to post another topic on engines here shortly (again, need some first hand feedback) Thanks again!
