Author Topic: Lowering A 73 Bus (Read 3812 times)

synner88tc · « **on:** August 29, 2007, 12:00:51 PM »

hi all,

i just picked up this 73 baywindow and i want to slam it. what is the best way to acheive this?

i have read in other threads about adjustable beams and dropped spindles, with beetle kyb gr-2's. is this the way to go for the front? and if so what is my best option for aquiring such a set up?

for the back i read about adjustment in the spring plates, would i also replace the rear shocks? (with kyb's?)

i am hoping to pick up a set of 17\" or 18\" wheels for it eventually (before the lowering) if that makes any difference.

thanks for any help.

James Buchan · « **Reply #1 on:** August 29, 2007, 01:28:05 PM »

I *think* acvw.net has a beam ready to go in their shop, check them out.

dannyboy · « **Reply #2 on:** August 29, 2007, 04:36:31 PM »

i think thats an splitty beam at acvw.net , but give them a shout, i might be wrong...

for the front the best way to go is it a narrowed adjustable beam, with droppped spindles, and either early beetle gr-2s or empi has a gas shock for the for early beetles that work well. your wheel choice will dictate how narrow you will need to go on your beam

how low you want to go on the rear will dictate what you need to buy...
if only a couple inches lower, you wont need anything, just adjusting the splines,
if you go any lower than that, you can use notched spring plates for extra clearance before you bottom out..
and for slammed vans the easiest way to lower them is with \"horseshoe\" plates which bolt on and lower your van about 3 inches more, without screwing with your camber too much...
in any case while your in there replace all the bushings, seals, tie rods, shocks, flex lines (you may need longer flex lines with the horseshoe plates) and any other wear part.
another fun thing to do while your in there is to install 7/8\" swaybars all around, you wouldnt believe how well your van will handle and ride after all those mods... and of course acvw.net will hook ya up with all that stuff

72vwtype2 · « **Reply #3 on:** August 29, 2007, 10:56:35 PM »

Don't do it, keep it stock. It's much cheaper, easier to maintain and more reliable. There is nothing wrong with a stock ride height.

My .02 cents.

synner88tc · « **Reply #4 on:** September 03, 2007, 06:53:28 PM »

thanks for the reply's

72vwtype2 - i hear ya man, but i love the look, this van is getting slammed.

dannyboy - i looked at acvw.net, the one they have is for a splitty. i also looked at the adjuster kits, they look fairly straight forward to install
but what about narrowing the beam, is it as easy as cutting the tubes down and re-welding and inserting shorter torsion bars, or even shortening the existing ones?

what is the purpose of the narrowed beam? is it to allow for a wider tire to go in? i am not sure on my tire sizes but is a 18\" wheel going to be wider by alot than a 15\" wheel? regardless though, i think that a wider tire would look better under there. do you know what is the maximum tire size in height and width i could get away with before having to go to a narrowed beam? i guess i also have to acount for the width of my adapter plates.

the horse shoe plates seem like the way to go in the rear. what else need to be changed for that? install the gas shocks? what about my width here, is there any offset required for my tire size/adapter width?

i am sorry to flood you with so many questions, but i am very excited about this project and have very little experience with buses, so any help is muchly appreciated!!

thanks cam

Chris · « **Reply #5 on:** September 03, 2007, 07:19:07 PM »

You shold figure out what wheels you want to run before making decisions on heights and method of lowering your bus

BUSDADDY · « **Reply #6 on:** September 03, 2007, 07:59:26 PM »

No doubt you've read this;

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic...ic.php?t=156211

synner88tc · « **Reply #7 on:** September 06, 2007, 11:17:49 AM »

i hadn't read it when i posted this thread, but since i have and there was alot of good info there.

epic3 · « **Reply #8 on:** September 12, 2007, 09:38:21 PM »

PM deadlytoys he's canned his real good

silas · « **Reply #9 on:** September 12, 2007, 11:24:56 PM »

Quote

PM deadlytoys he's canned his real good

afaik, carlos (deadlytoys) has spindles up front and a stock beam with no adjusters so it's set at that height with no adjustability. the rear of his bus is still stock height. looks killer and is pretty straight forward if you're looking for a nice rake.

dannyboy · « **Reply #10 on:** September 13, 2007, 12:31:13 AM »

if you do end up using a stock width beam, just buy a complete one, you *can* do them without any special tools but its really difficult. when i use to build them at airspeed we had special tools to break the center out of its dimples, and it was still a complete pain in the ass. plus you have to clean it and paint it aswell, which usually takes just as much time to do as installing the adjusters...

i hear what your staying 72vwtype2 , stock height is nice, but there is no better feeling than to be going around corners on a mountain road at well over twice the limit, and still be comfortable. its that thought/feeling \"I REALLY shouldnt be able to do this in a van!!\"

-danny