Widened front beam - again

I drove my speedster for 6 years with a standard front beam lowered by Avus adjusters. The JPS S2 body has mild flares up front. To locate the 16 inch Fuchs wheels outboard, close the actual fender line, required the installation of two 54 mm (2 1/8 inch) wheel spacers. You end up with a wider track width - which is a good benefit.

Adding wheel spacers effectively moves the tire contact patch outboard, away from the pivot axis of the steering knuckle. This changes steering response, road feedback, increases steering wheel kickback when you hit any bump, and dramatically increases low speed steering effort

First driving impression - power steering! Steering effort is dramatically reduced a low speed, lighter at all speeds and causes no issues at high speed. Steering response, road feedback and high speed freeway tracking are improved and more relaxed. The overall driving experience has definitely improved. I like it!

A wider beam is not a trivial task. Take two lowered beams, cut about 60% off each beam and weld these two pieces back together for the required width. You have 4 separate beam adjusters and four separate torsion leaf packs

Wow, David. That's an awful lot of work. I'm really glad it's having the desired outcome.
I like the idea that you can adjust each corner independent of the other, too. Did you have to dye-grind new holes for grub bolts on the inboard sides? What holds the inner ends of the spring bundles where you want them?
It also looks like you welded the beam to the frame head. Is that right, or are the brackets welded and then bolted back on to the chassis?

Cory,

I'm not a fabricator any more (last time I "stick welded" was in 1978). I'm pretty sure my fab guy purchased the center beam section from a local supplier with the adjusters and a center spacer all ready assembled. Whatever he did- - it works.

No change to the grub screws. All stock. The leaves were cut to fit the adjusters of course. All torsion leaves still in place. I thought it would ride hard, but it corners flat and I like that.

All the "extra" welding you may see on the beam is old weldments removed (coulda been cleaned up I suppose, but it functions OK) or new weldments added. The beam still bolts on as per normal practice.

Yelp its not a good thing.. the car was dangerious..I went back to a stock beam. Then reworked the rack into a center stear unit.

Word of advise I highly recemend Center Steer... Its the Cats Meow

It truley made the car. I convertd a rabbit rack which is not a simple thing to do. But a 1989 Cavaler rack is a center steer unit.
Im not sure about the tie rod ends swapping out. But i think it would be a lot easyer than what I did. Make sure it mounted solid and 7 inches back from the beams centerline.and as level with the upper tube as you can get it..

Im quite tickle with the way the car is now. I think its time for that bigger engine.

I also used a stock swaybar and bent it like David's. Also perfect..

Center steer? Like mine?

Yes and No Cory, Yes to center steer and No to aftermarket The 1989 cavalier woud be a mass production unit.

Oppps!!! Sorry Cory yours is still different.

The true center steer has the tie rod ends side by side right in the middle of the rack. and I used the superbeetle tie rod assemblies. Go site searhing for a 89 cavaleir rack, and you will see the difference.

You could probably use a 911 rack, it is center steer.

How would you think the price of a 911 rack might compare with a Cavalier rack? I'm just sayin' . . .

Depends on who and where you get it from! Swap meets are incredible.

For example, I just got two rear light housings for a '72 911. They are clean, just need a little elbow grease to tidy up. These have a habit of rotting out, they are cast pot metal and the gaskets usually don't keep water out. It doesn't help that they are almost directly in the path of water splashed up from the tires, no inner fender liners on a 911. New ones are almost $400, each. I paid $40 for two!

That is ineresting We need picture comparisons and a price check on both racks.. Which year 911 ? and try to pic the most mass produced unit. that fits the most years . that will help lower its price.

A good uesd one from a salvage yard a used cavaleir rack might be $200 but a new one is over $650.oo

I did a search for all Porsche racks made from 1965 to 2005 saw pic's for every model..

None of what I found were center steer.

All were Myle the right factory supplier.. But none center steer..

I know as fact the Vw did make one optional for the early super beetle but it was changed to the more conventional rack around 74 and only a sport option then. (RARE)!!!! Most of the supers only had a steering box..

I'd bet the early rack is very rare..

If you have a VW Bentley Publishers Official Service Manual look in Strut Front Suspension ..8 key..#33. Figure 9-39. And tell me what you see..

Barry, look at this diagram:

http://www.stoddard.com/shop/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=189&cat=Steering+Components

If that's not a center steer rack, I don't know what is. Should be 1965-1989 or even later.

" Nope!" that is still different than what I copied mine after .

I like it and would have used it if I had known about it. but its still very different. Mine is a 3 peace thing like the 71 super beetle version, but made from a 82 Rabbit rack .. The 2 tie rod holes are right in the middle side by side then the boots, steering pinion on driver side and a carrier housing on the passenger side. the center section moves from side to side.

I have not seen anything Porsche like it. Yeat!

None of the Porsches had center steering racks? Really . . . ?

Uhhhh, Barry, did you even click the link?

Oh, no. ... Get the popcorn out ...

Yes Cory!! I surly did and its still different than what I copied mine from. I

f I could post pics I be glad to show what I had to go by ,and what I did..

but I have not donated here in a long while. and Im not going to worry over it anymore.

Its the clubs loss if they don't believe me..