Swing arm to irs

Yes, the brackets are available to weld on to your pan and mount irs trailing arms, so it can be done fairly easily.

http://vwparts.aircooled.net/I...-arm-brackets-t1.htm

 You have to be able to weld and you'll need to rent the jigs to hold the brackets in place as well. You'll have to fabricate a front mount, as the 901 nose cone is very different from the type 1, the frame horns need to be clearanced for the cv's and I'm not sure what's done for a shifter in the conversion.

PS- I haven't done it but have a friend that has. He's a competent welder/fabricator.

Interesting...  

This covers the required jig and attaching the brackets.  

https://www.pacificcustoms.com...jig-instructions.pdf

Linky-no-worky

Everybody says that this is an easy conversion, and it is, IF YOU HAVE THE PROPER CHASSIS JIGS!

If you don’t, it is really easy to get the rear wheel alignment out of whack because you need to get the forward mount of the diagonal arms positioned within +/- 1/16” !

If you can find and procure those jigs, your golden.  If not, you’re toast.  

OTOH, you could find a decent IRS VW pan (1969 or newer), shorten and upgrade it with new stuff and disk brakes and use THAT under your existing Speedster body.  If I were doing I would go that route.  

Try this -

http://www.pacificcustoms.com/ac530004.html

I would think that the easiest would be to find a real good VW mechanic who has those jigs or rent them and get it done by somebody who can guarantee his work.  my 2 shekels. 

No, the easiest is to get an IRS pan in the first place.

Really?  If I know IM there are many aircraft quality rivets that hold that thing down so it may be a challenge.  But then, what do I know

Sounds to me like the easiest thing would be to leave it alone and drive it.

But then it wouldn't be madness... would it...

I think this would be a case where I'd go with the Gene Berg swing axle 5 spd.  If you were building the car from scratch the conversion to IRS wouldn't be that difficult but looks like it would be difficult with the fiberglass body mounted already.  I've seen the jigs available on SAMBA for loan - was surprised they are only $108 at Pacific Customs to buy.

Gordon Nichols posted:

Everybody says that this is an easy conversion, and it is, IF YOU HAVE THE PROPER CHASSIS JIGS!

If you don’t, it is really easy to get the rear wheel alignment out of whack because you need to get the forward mount of the diagonal arms positioned within +/- 1/16” !

If you can find and procure those jigs, your golden.  If not, you’re toast....  

 

Gordon brings up a very good point, so yeah, I wouldn't want to try this freehand or just measuring with a tape measure. The chassis jigs rental is in the "Related Items" on the lower right of the page I linked to at Aircooled.net for the brackets, and is $40. I thought everyone would see it. Al

Morning all. As of this am I have purchased the brackets, bushings and bolts, as well as the jugs to do this.

 The long-term goal in the reasoning behind my doing this is I want to put 911 front suspension and steering, 911 rear suspension, 901 transmission and a 911 motor into my speedster. IM used to offer a version of their car that had this option. I’m also looking to see if just replacing the pan with a tube frame already set up to accept 911 parts is more cost efficient.

I realize that this may not be everybody’s cup of tea and that people may think that I’m going overboard or that it’s just crazy to do this but this is a vehicle that I have wanted to try since I was 15 save my money and bought my speedster and now I am going to do what I can to try and turn it into the car of my dreams.  If anybody has any help or suggestions I would love to hear it.

please try and keep the nasty comments to a minimum remember this is my car and my dream. It may not be for everybody.... but it is for me 

You have a lot of work ahead of you! Which 911 engine will you be shoe-horning  into your car? Keep us posted (with lots of pics). Al

Jzzzake:

I don't know if this would help, but the '69 Beetle (OK, really late '68, too) had a unique, dual-spring-plate-per-side IRS suspension that shares it's parts (especially the diagonal arm/Hub) with the Porsche 924/944 for the same year (maybe the 914, too...Not sure about that).  I believe the P-cars retained the same bits for several years, but VW went, in 1970, to something less robust on the Beetle (single plate, less beefy parts, rear drum brakes).  

The point of this is that 924/944 rear disk brake components bolt right up to the '69 VW diagonal arm hubs, no machining needed.  I think someone outlined the process on the Shop Talk Forums a while back.  I would think that going to 911 parts back there would require the 911 diagonal arm/hub and I don't know how much of a big deal that would be - Different length?  Different hub/arm angle?  Since you're creating everything from scratch, maybe you just do it that way, no problem...   Anyway, something worth looking into that might save you some time/grief.  Gordon

I’m not sure which 911 I’m putting in there. Was thinking a massaged 2.4 or 2.7 would do just fine. Plenty of power and options galore. I’m not looking to make a rocket ship I’m just looking for something I can drive back and forth to work, on the highway, at 70+ mph comfortably. I would like the option of the 5 speed, without the freeway flyer gears. She’s already set up with disc all around. Perhaps I just swap to IRS and do the 901 swap, then figure engine options after that. I may just have to fabricate the tube chassis to accommodate what I want and then fit it to the body. It’s going to be a long process I know, but should be fun...and when it’s done....oh my

If you are planning to do all that a custom tube frame would be far less work and would not only save $ but give a better finished project.  The Porsche 911/914 front suspension is completely different from the bug front end. 911 has no H beam with shocks but instead 2 "A" looking arms that hold the torsion bars plus strut shocks (more like a Super Beetle suspension). No practical way to mount a 911 front suspension to a bug pan. 

Photos: VW front suspension to left and Porsche 911 (912 and 914 are same) to right.

jzzzake posted:

I’m not sure which 911 I’m putting in there. Was thinking a massaged 2.4 or 2.7 would do just fine. Plenty of power and options galore. I’m not looking to make a rocket ship I’m just looking for something I can drive back and forth to work, on the highway, at 70+ mph comfortably. I would like the option of the 5 speed, without the freeway flyer gears. She’s already set up with disc all around. Perhaps I just swap to IRS and do the 901 swap, then figure engine options after that. I may just have to fabricate the tube chassis to accommodate what I want and then fit it to the body. It’s going to be a long process I know, but should be fun...and when it’s done....oh my

You might find it difficult to shoehorn a six cylinder in there.  Henry has to build a special frame for his 911 based builds, and widen the rear fenders to fit all the suspension stuff back there.  It's a tight fit even with his craftsmanship.

But the result is worth it.

Gently, and with no rancor: The most cost and time-efficient way forward for this project is to sell the car you have and roll that money into the build you want. And it will cost. 

The 911-based car is a tube frame. The pan won't like it.

The '69 pan is a fine IRS as Gordon says but the double spring plate seems to do little more than add weight. The 5-speed/six-cylinder combo can be made to fit but, really, you're gonna be into some major stuff. 

Once you pull the body off the pan (and you will pull the body off the pan) you're basically back to square one anyway, so why not just buy a new body, build a proper tube frame for it, and put the parts together rather than first taking apart a perfectly nice car? 

jzzzake-

I was just up in CT picking up some of my Dad's (Carl Berry) remaining parts stash and have a 901 5 speed transmission available, I am sure we can work something out when you are ready.

Matt

You arent going to get many opportunities like that one!

if you are serious about the conversion you should reach out to Matt.

Matt Berry posted:

jzzzake-

I was just up in CT picking up some of my Dad's (Carl Berry) remaining parts stash and have a 901 5 speed transmission available, I am sure we can work something out when you are ready.

Matt

Matt can you message me here so we can talk?