Imohr front suspension install impressions

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Those miss-matched parts came from advice from sellers (from different VW businesses 400 miles apart). The basic ideas aren't bad just the miss-matched parts. What I need to figure out is the off-set between the steering box and the driver's seat... if any and the penetration height/angle at the fire wall.

Nothing is as easy as it seems.

Lee

[maurice]

I just kinda eyeballed it and made a hole, then enlarged it to make it fit lol. It’s offset by about 5-6” I believe.

I really should take pictures and post them here.

I found a 3/4” rod with splines that fit into the u joint on the super beetle steering u joint, and also fits into my larger hollow steering shaft. I just had my neighbor put 4 holes in the rod, and I’ll make a hole for the hollow steering shaft so I can adjust the length of my steering.

I’m using a 7/8” generic steering shaft mount to hold my steering shaft, with a couple of clamp on stops. It has a tiny bit of play, so I’m adding an additional 7/8” heim joint to also hold the steering shaft.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Something that might be interesting but is trivial: In the old days the car builders were very careful to align the steering shaft, hence the steering box, to the center of the driver's seat but in about 1949 that changed a bit. They found that a small miss-alignment didn't seem to be noticed by drivers and started to work that way but if it really is 5" or 6" that seems to be a lot to me. I'm currently playing with the same problem myself.

Lee

Addition: if you think about it your left hand (here in the "states" anyway) does most of the work assuming that you have a stick trans as that is the right hands additional job so it leaves the steering wheel when necessary but then when we didn't have turn signals to signal/talk to other driver's defining you your intentions so when in use your left hand then leaves the steering wheel for the signal time. Turn signal use is, I think, still a requirement to be used in all states. It became a redefined mandatory use law in WA, as I understand it, this winter) . Sounds silly but it is true.

Lee

Remember, two wrongs don't make a right... but three lefts do!

[maurice]

My steering shaft is straight on to the driver, I’m just planning to use the super beetle double u joint shaft to manage the offset

[Ol'fogasaurus]

My steering shaft is straight on to the driver, I’m just planning to use the super beetle double u joint shaft to manage the offset

Both the height and the centering off-sets are what I am talking about too.

There is a bit of play that can be had using the notches in the steering box and the locating pin on the beam so some of the things (assuming you fully engage the two) can be changed there. Remember, a little movement there is accentuated at the driver's seat due to the fairly long distance. The way the connection is at the steering box using the disc with the cross-style of connections acts as kind of a universal but a low angle and not the strongest of solutions.

The use of the universals should be OK as long as there is a limitation of just two universals.

Lee

[GS guy]

Had to do something similar. Shortened std Beetle column with flanged steering bearing attached to lower end/firewall. Also keep in mind general clearance to fuel tank underneath. Not helping on LHD vehicles is more built-in clearance on the right side of the tank underneath! This worked in my favor though as I had to rotate the top of my tank 180* relative to the bottom to clear the lower firewall area - now fits like a glove.

DSCN2654(sm).jpg

Jeff

[hoghead]

Mine just arrived in Thailand. Decent overall, and value for money, but the welds are not pretty. I can only hope that they are strong

Like the OP, mine is less sway bar, and I now too see that one is offered. I will now have to weld a plate to the upper a-arm for the connecting link if doing it the Imhor method. The a-arm will then need re-powdercoating and hopefully I can get the right shade of red.
The front plate is drilled for a standard 65mm D mount sway bar clamp so that is easy enough, as is making or bying the end link to the a-arm
Any comments on bar diameter and solid VS hollow bar? Performance street use and windy roads

I am not keen on the single welded connection at the rear plate to the top of the hump, and I will also tie the rear plate back to the Napoleon hat at the outboard ends.
The bottom flate of the frame head will need cutting away for clearance at the lower a-arm piviot points. I am thinking to fabricate a new bottom frame head bottom plate as most here are rusted POS anyway, and tie it all together with a perimiter sub-frame under the stock pan. Imhor square tubes between the plates will bolt to the sub-frame
Bolting to the new sub-frame, and tieing into the Napoleon hat will be a lot better than the suggested method.

I am stuck on the front hubs. Does anyone have a drawing of a Type 1 disc brake spindle, and stock hub?

[hoghead]

My steering shaft is straight on to the driver, I’m just planning to use the super beetle double u joint shaft to manage the offset

Me too. I am RHD
I bought the Imhor 54L plastic fuel tank for clearance, and had them install two AN6 fittings for FI

[maurice]

I’ve got mine mostly together now. Yesterday it sat on the ground under its own weight, and I’m thinking I may need a little more spring since I’m mid engine, but I may give it a go with a good sized sway bar and see what it does. I was going to use a complicated removable clamp for the sway bar mount, but I’ll just be welding a plate since clearance is an issue. Any ideas on tubing thickness on this a arm? I’d hate to blow a hole through it.

I had to cut the brake mounting tabs off the spindle assembly so I can run an adapter for my 4 piston wilwoods.

Still working on getting my cooling lines through the suspension, and new electric water pump around it too.

I’m pleased with the suspension, as I’ve said, I’d love to find all the flaws I can, but it seems to be quality. Biggest problem was fitting my clutch and brake master cylinders, but they’re now inside the car.

[maurice]

[hoghead]

I’ve got mine mostly together now. Yesterday it sat on the ground under its own weight, and I’m thinking I may need a little more spring since I’m mid engine, but I may give it a go with a good sized sway bar and see what it does.

The front springs that come with mine are 350 in/lbs which seems pretty stiff for street use to me and the web based calculators I have run. Then again I am still guessing at front corner weights. I have a set of QA1 adjustable coil over shocks (and 225 springs) that are the correct length so will be using those and weigh the car once finished to determine proper spring rate.

No idea on the tube wall but Ricardo is very helpful and I would shoot him an email. Please keep us informed about your progress on the sway bar as something that I may well need too.
See the pic of their mounted sway bar - it uses a simple 65mm D clamp to the front plate at the upper a-arm pivot pin, and provided hole

[maurice]

Finally got around to making a mount for the sway bar.

I bought some brackets that would technically work for a removable setup, but they ended up being in the way of the steering. So tonight I welded a plate to the suspension. My welds didn’t turn out great, but they should work fine. I think I may have felt the hair falling out from stress while welding it.

The wall thickness of the a arms is 2mm btw, if anyone is going to do the same.

Besides a brake bleed and my steering shaft/assembly, I’m almost ready to hit the road!

[hoghead]

The Imhor 54L fuel tank required for clearance, that doubled in price by the time I got it landed in Thailand, is LHD!!
Bloody hel!! Imhor seemed unaware that they are different due to the clearance for the steering shaft
Money well wasted and they are no help

Bearing surfaces on the spindles are oversize and the outer bearing does not fit!
More bloody hell

Next bloody hell is the weld splatter inside the ball joint cups. An easy fix, but should not happen

The RHD rack is a mini 15.5mm splined shaft so now stuck on finding a j-joint. As you can imagine impossible here.....................

Working on the hubs now for the 996 rotors and callipers

[maurice]

Woah 996 brakes!! Sounds dope.

The spindles were easy enough to sand down a hair for the bearings to slide on. Just take off whatever coating/machining grooves are on it and you’re set.

That sucks about all the other stuff though. Sounds like a lot of stuff to slip through the cracks. Luckily I have a franken-bug and use a plastic fuel cell that sits pretty high.


Going back to the spring rate, I think you’re right about them being maybe too stiff for a normal bug setup. I think they’re just about right for me, but I’ve got considerably more weight forward now.

[hoghead]

I have Global Dimensions from Bangkok coming to my house this morning to scan the rotor, calliper, and spindle, so that they can 3D model the brake set up. This produces a CAD drawing for the CNC machining process. Wayyyyyyyyyyy better than doing it the traditional way, fits the first time and everything will line up perfectly.

The fuel tank issue is very annoying in that Imhor did not realize that a RHD tank is different, and have no interest in either giving me the correct one, or refunding the purchase price. I am now going to have to make my own tank, and while not an insurmountable problem, Imhor could have stepped up and recognized their error.

The other issues are simply shoddy quality control, that while I can fix, should not happen

Note how the lower shock mount can be changed to vary the effective angle. This changes the lever ratio, and hence the spring rate.