ShopTalk Forums | Aircooled VW Tech & Restoration Help

You can accomplish this same goal for under $100 by putting your Thing arms/spindle back on and buying the caliper brackets from Things Unlimited for $85. Going to the Ghia spindles/arms lowers the Thing, and makes for a front end that is not as stout as the Thing front end.

If you took the Thing spindles off, then you would've had to take the Thing arms off as well. Thats because the Thing spindle/arm ball joint arrangement is different from a Bug/Ghia spindle/arm ball joint arrangement.

Thing ball joints both face down with the nuts on the bottom, they enter the spindle from the top. Bug/Ghia ball joints have the bottom ball joint facing up, and the top ball joint facing down. So, first you need to get your Thing arms & spindles back on there.

The bracket from Mike B is to mount the caliper. It has nothing to do with the hub where the wheel mounts. The 4 lug hub/disc will mount right onto the Thing spindle, and your wheel will mount to the hub/disc. The bracket you need is to mount the caliper to the Thing spindle. Get his brackets, and you can attach a Ghia caliper to a Thing spindle. Then you have 4 lug Ghia disc brakes mounted to a Thing front end.

Rich, Yes the coilovers will give you your goal of 1 1/2"-2" however
the advise Matt gives is what i would do as well. Both the cheap coil-overs and the Ghia spindles are a downgrade to the thing.
You can use an adaptor to retain your four hole wheels so long as they are 15". Good luck. Bob Ingman

Bob wrote: "You can use an adaptor to retain your four hole wheels so long as they are 15"


Why would he need to use an adaptor? If he already has 4 lug rims on his car with Ghia disc brakes, they will bolt right up to the disc,,,,no?

Scavengers are preying off you. Looking out for their own needs before their customers. You do`nt need that shop.
Matt you`re right. Was`nt thinking. I meant retain the 5 hole. Good luck. Bob Ingman

I have Mike's disc brake kit on my '74 and switched to a 4 x 130 pattern 15" wheel with no problem. I did not need to use spacers or wheel adaptors for the front. I did, however, use adaptors on the rear so that I could keep my stock rear drums and still use matching 4 lug rims on the back as well. Really easy install.

Good luck,
Rick

I, too, would like to raise my Thing's ground clearance between 1"-2" I'm not doing a body lift, and so coil over shocks seemed the easiest way to get some more ground clearance. Why is the coilover a 'downgrade' as Bob Ingram states? Does anyone make a quality coil over shock so I don't have to sacrifice quality? And if I get the entire disc brake kit from Things Unlimited I won't lose any lift will I? I want more, not less. Thanks, Bruce

Bruce ,yes there are many quality coil-overs available. Most are in the $400 ea range. Good race quality but probably more than most of us want to pay for our daily drivers. The common coil-over are about $50 pr. Will give about an inch and a half for awhile but then sag to near stock height again. They are considered a down grade because they give little dampening but a rather bouncy ride. Good luck. Bob Ingman

nthang wrote"Bob I know all about the suspension and the options". Well Richard thats more than I can say personally. When I need to become suspension savy I ask around on the Off-Road forum. Suspension is the name of the game over there. Good luck. Bob Ingman

Cambering up the rear suspention will give you a rougher ride on the pavement BUT, in off road situations the bigger the bumps the smoother the ride! The same is true with a cut and turned front beam. The stiff ride on road is a very small price to pay for the great ride off road.

opps, forgot to log- in I am the guest in the above post.

how long does it take for thoose coil overs to sag? i had to put them on to gain lift when my new 16 inch rims started rubbing my fenders...just to ask.

If you run them on the blacktop they are good for a long time. If you are off-road it wo`nt be long. Good luck. Bob Ingman

good, because my thing is mostly a street driven car....i only go offroad to avoid wrecks or to drive onto the beach to park.....thanks bob