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It's time to begin! If you remember from my newbie post, I bought a partially started FF/CMC Kit. Pan is shortened, a few things done like the upholstery on the seats, but beyond that nothing is done yet.

My disclaimer: This project is going to take awhile, with periods between work possibly lasting months as time and money become available. We are raising 3 daughters, 14, 12 and 10 so our lives are very busy!

I have a 2 phase plan. Phase 1 is to get this baby on the road. Do the things I need to for safety and basic operation. That way we can all enjoy this car before the girls are graduated and gone. Phase 2 will be more invasive, tear the car back down, with all the stuff I really want like disc brakes, fancy paint job, custom wheels and a big HP motor. That stuff will have to wait though in order to meet our goal of enjoying this as a family.

First task is to take the body off the pan and assess and inspect everything really well. Which leads me to my first question.

Is there anything I should look for that you guys have learned by experience, that maybe the assembly manual doesn't cover or account for? Any tips and tricks that would be good to accomplish now before assembly?

Let me hear your ideas!

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Great question. My answer is not meant to boastful, so I hope it doesn't sound that way!

My first car was a 1966 VW Beetle that I did a full body off restoration while in high school. The only thing I didn't do myself was reupholster the seats. I drove a 1970 Beetle while doing the restoration. One of the many ways I made money to pay for college was to maintained a Beetle and a Thing for some older people at my church. I have rebuilt engines, cared for and maintained all my own vehicles and boats, restored a 1975 Yamaha XS650 and a 1978 Kawasaki KZ1000 (boy I wish I still had that one!) and turned an old YJ Jeep into a rock crawler. I have welding skills and access to fabricating equipment, which will probably come in handy for this project.

Having cut my teeth on VWs, I was really excited to have found this Speedster as our first family hot rod!

@TreyG

Sounds like you've got a good plan that works for your busy (family) schedule.

I'm sure there will be a lot of recommendations from the conglomerate minds on this site. A LOT of expert recommendations, so just sort through what best fits your build (time) availability and funds at the moment and keep plugging on.

Looking forward of following your project progress, Trey, hopefully with pics!

@TreyG

I got a kick out of "Phase 1 is to get this baby on the road. Do the things I need to for safety and basic operation. That way we can all enjoy this car before the girls are graduated and gone."

Due to a lot of "work things" getting in the way, my CMC build took about seven years with help from my teenage son.  The final completion missed his Junior Prom, Senior Prom, highschool graduation and college graduation, but he finally got to use it as a getaway car when he got married.  That was a while ago - He's 43 now.....

It was a really good project and we had, and still have, a lot fun in the hobby.

You guys will, too!

I didn't find this group until well after my car was declared "finished" but we all know that they're never really done - you just move on to more and more "refinements".  If I had this group as technical and moral support during my build, I  (a.) would have been done sooner and (b.) would have done more than a few things differently.  

So ask questions and we'll all do the best we can to lead you astray....  I mean, help you out.  

Welcome to the Madness!

Last edited by Gordon Nichols
@WOLFGANG posted:

WAIT - It's 40 hours?  I thought it was 40 years!

@DannyP posted:

I guess it is for Greg and Al...

You think you're sooooo funny; just 'cause you've got a running car...

@TreyG posted:

If I have a specific question about something I am working on, is it best to post that question in the appropriate topic forum and keep this build thread more as an informational log on my progress?

@Stan Galat posted:

Probably.

What a courteous question. Welcome to the madness, Trey!

I find it easier if everything concerning a person's build is in 1 place (so you can keep track of all the changes and/tribulations along the way- if you or anyone wants to re-hash something about your build it's easy to find), but that's only my opinion, so take your pick.

@Al Gallo posted:
What a great family project!  Welcome.

We can help you spend your money.

Of course, what everybody has said- Welcome To The Madness!  And that last bit is one of my favorites (we do that part so well!).  Al

Last edited by ALB

@TreyG

I'll be honest with you - Finishing the build on one of these cars is a lot of work, way more than 40 hours, so keep coming back here for moral support.  We all want to follow along anyway - building vicariously through YOU (and the girls).   Yours is well on the way to completion already so it won't be like starting from zero.  My son helped me as he was going through high school and college, when he was around, and we have had a lot of fun with it in the years since - He now owns a Porsche 996:

I bought my CMC body in 1993, but had no place to build it in, so I first had to add a bay to my garage.  That took about a year, doing all of the work myself after foundation install.  It was a 16' X 24' gem of a shop, complete with forced hot air heat.

Where Alan Merklin gets his cars painted in 2 weeks, it took me two years but I also was working at a place that was growing 300% per year, most of us were working 70+ hours/week so I didn't have real time for the car until I retired.  Then I got it road-worthy, started it up the first time and the engine seized.  Spent 2 weeks tearing it down, repairing it and re-assembling it, screwed that up, got the case welded and repaired and finally got it back together.  It's been running fine (more or less) since:

So it was on the road, but it had a rough interior and no dash pad.  I convinced myself that I liked it that way.  

I went to the first Carlisle Speedster gathering in 2004 and we drove home in the rain for over 3 hours with no top, so to keep from having to dry out the entire interior again, that winter I added the top.  Oh, and this was garage (and house) #2:

Then, other goodies got added, like Kafer bracing, anti-sway bars, a wind blocker in the roll bar, new bearings in the transaxle, little things like that.  Later on I added the dash pad (at house/shop #3) and swapped out the Porsche 914 seats for something more comfy ( at house/shop #4).  

We didn't know what the heck we wanted when we retired so we tried different places, only to eventually return to about where we started after 15 years.  

And a year or two after that I added a VW Gas heater in the Frunk, since I never had heater boxes on my engine:

Currently, I'm working on heater mods that will give me better heat modulation and enhanced safety, but that's all I have planned for this winter.  I don't have heat in my current shop, so car things tend to take a back seat unless I can do them inside the house.  These days, I mostly just want to drive it so it's nice that it seems to be really reliable and ready to go anywhere, any time.

Yes, the "Madness" runs deep in this one, but I'm trying to live with it.

Gordon
The "Speedstah Guy" from Massachusetts

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I got a little something done. I removed the doors, trunk and deck lids and steering col to prepare for removing the body. I also put everything I don’t need at the moment on the attic.
I also made my own wheel dollies out of miniature, $7.99 each Harbor Freight furniture dollies to help move it around easier. I had to add a 2x4 on each side to give them a little more strength. They work great and where a lot cheaper than actual tire dollies. image

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Rounded up some friends tonight and removed the body from the pan. More little Harbor Freight dollies under the body to roll it around easy.
I pulled out my old photo album of my Beetle project from high school, circa 1992. Found a pic of me and some friends removing the body. Showed the guys helping me tonight the history they will be part of! (I could tell they were very impressed 😬)

I’ll be starting investigation of the pan etc on Friday.

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Trey; it looks like you've got this in terms of your prior experience with VWs. My only suggestion is to organize things so that you do things right only once. Your foundation is of utmost importance. Make sure your floor pans are perfect; this can come to bite you years down the road and replacing after the car is put together can be a real pain (ask me how I know). If they are less than stellar I would replace with 18 ga. replacements (the heavy original gauge). If your foundation is good to start with you only need to tweak or add things here and there as opposed to tear everything apart to redo it. Looking forward to your progress.

Great advice Impala. I got the chance yesterday and today to work on the car. My first task was to check the pans and the dimensions over real well, just as you suggested. I went through the manual and checked all the measurements given in the instructions, and it seems to be spot on. The pans must have been rotten when the previous owner started the project and they have been replaced with heavy gauge sheet metal. It appears to have been done well so we moved on to my checklist.

I checked a number of other items too, found a handful of things that need replacing such as the steering box, shift rod bushing and coupling etc.

I found that the clutch Bowden tube had too much sag in it, it was around 2 1/2”. (according to my Haynes manual it should have 1”-1 13/16”) . I checked the length of the clutch cable tube coming out of the pan and it was longer than the 1” (green arrow on photo) recommended by the assembly manual. So I trimmed it back, smoothed up the edges with a file and reassembled. Now it has right at 2”. I am going to replace the Bowden tube because it is separating at one of the connections. Maybe that will correct the problem?

The other picture is my oldest daughter crossing off some items on the list we hung up. It’s a pretty general list, big categories mainly, and we have a long way to go. But it feels good to be started!

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@MusbJim posted:

"Showed the guys helping me tonight the history they will be part of! (I could tell they were very impressed" 😬 - @TreyG

Very cool! Having your buddies around will make this project that much more fun...if you consider you doing all the work and them sitting around drinking your beer joking and supervising your every move FUN!!

I have considered making the beer fridge in the garage coin- operated for that very reason...

@ALB posted:

I have considered making the beer fridge in the garage coin- operated for that very reason...

When I had my home shop in PA it was the neighbors who would drop by but I only had my bench stool and a 5 gallon bucket this was on purpose so that when they had dug into by adult beverage refrig multi times and their ass would go numb they would stand up and there was a twinkle hope that they would keep heading for the door. That was bad enough but the final straw was when "  Beer Belly Dave" pulls into my driveway and unloads a Love seat... " NO... No........ No........... that's NOT coming in my shop" and I helped him shove it back onto his pick up.

@TreyG posted:

Great advice Impala. I got the chance yesterday and today to work on the car. My first task was to check the pans and the dimensions over real well, just as you suggested. I went through the manual and checked all the measurements given in the instructions, and it seems to be spot on. The pans must have been rotten when the previous owner started the project and they have been replaced with heavy gauge sheet metal. It appears to have been done well so we moved on to my checklist.

I checked a number of other items too, found a handful of things that need replacing such as the steering box, shift rod bushing and coupling etc.

I found that the clutch Bowden tube had too much sag in it, it was around 2 1/2”. (according to my Haynes manual it should have 1”-1 13/16”) . I checked the length of the clutch cable tube coming out of the pan and it was longer than the 1” (green arrow on photo) recommended by the assembly manual. So I trimmed it back, smoothed up the edges with a file and reassembled. Now it has right at 2”. I am going to replace the Bowden tube because it is separating at one of the connections. Maybe that will correct the problem?

The other picture is my oldest daughter crossing off some items on the list we hung up. It’s a pretty general list, big categories mainly, and we have a long way to go. But it feels good to be started!

Trey, from the looks of your shroud, it looks like you're missing some oil cooler ducting. (17, 20)

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Without it, you'll be pumping oil cooler heated air into your engine compartment.

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And, depending on the manufacturer of your tin, you may need a "Hoover bit," too.  

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Last edited by dlearl476

Thanks dlear1476! I’ll get those pieces to complete the shroud.

i looked around the base of the oil cooler and I can see that it DOES have the Hoover bit. I would never have known to look for this! This would be one of the reasons I joined up with this forum!

Seeing how these shroud pieces work tells me that my fuel line is incorrectly run through that vent. I did some quick googling and found that I am missing the portion hard line in the engine compartment. I’ll add that to my list.

I have been working on a parts list for missing items and for items that need replacing on my pan/suspension etc while the body is off.

QUESTION: Should i replace the rear torsion bar grommets/bushings? Should I assume they are worn out and replace them now? Seems most people suggest using the stock VW rubber ones, not urethane.

It is infinitely easier to change the rear torsion bar grommets now with the body off.

In fact, it is nearly impossible to swap them with the body on unless you cut one side of the grommet to get it around the torsion bar and then glue them back together with super glue.

Go for the stock rubber grommets on the rear.  The Urethane jobbies will give you a harsher ride and probably crack themselves into oblivion in a few years.

Don't forget to lubricate them with either talcum powder or CV joint grease when you install them.

Last edited by Gordon Nichols
@dlearl476 posted:

International Auto Parts is a major aftermarket supplier, like Beck Arnley. A lot of AutoO'PepCheckerZone stores sell them. I think for consumables like brake pads/shoes, fuel filters, etc they're find. I wouldn't use them for engine/transmission, etc. parts.  IIRC, I've got parts from Jbugs and CIP that were in IAP boxes.

Ok. I noticed on Rockauto that some items said IAP and then in the description said TRW or KYB. In that case are they the actual name brand imported or distributed through IAP and then to places like Rockauto (or Jbugs in your case)?

+1 on NAPA another source of IAP/Beck Arnley/Bosch reman stuff. On the plus side, they often have parts in a warehouse 1day away (with no shipping charges) On the negative, they're generally a little more expensive than online retailers.

One I've found recently and have been giving a lot of business lately is Wolfgang International. They were the only place I found that had German drums in stock.

@TreyG posted:

Are braided stainless brake lines worth the money over stock rubber ones? All 4 of mine need to be replaced.

Yes. Be careful not to twist or kink them. And make sure they absolutely do not rub on anything, the braid is quite abrasive to paint and tires.

I absolutely love the brake feel on my Spyder with 4 wheel discs from Airkewld with braided lines.

I ordered my first little pile of parts! Some brake parts, clutch bowden tube, some seals....this means progress!

Question: I have seen a lot of threads on sway bars such as stock vs 3/4" for the front and yes vs no for having a rear. I have NONE right now. Before I spend the money on them, how would y'all proceed? My intention to start with is to just drive, no autocross or racing (yet).

A good "entry level" front sway bar is a 3/8" so-called "stock" bar for a '66 - '77 Beetle sedan with a beam front end.  Since the car is lowered from the stock height as a speedster, the 3/8" bar seems to work quite well for many people, giving improved cornering control while not making the ride too harsh.

If you have a swing arm rear suspension, this should be accompanied by a rear camber compensator (others on here can offer suggestions on which is best).  

If your car is an IRS rear, then you could consider a rear sway bar, not a camber compensator - that's for swingers.

The next step up would be to the 3/4" front sway bar.  It will be a bit harsher ride than the 3/8" but honestly, many people don't notice the difference in ride.  What will be different is that the car will corner flatter when pushed than with the 3/8" bar and that will be noticeable.  I've often thought that a 5/8" front bar would be ideal for a Speedster as the compromise between ride harshness and flat cornering, but I don't know if anyone offers one.

Full disclosure; I have an IRS car and started with just the front, Sway Away 3/4" bar and it flattened things out a lot in the hard corners.  Someone gave me a new sway-away rear 3/4" bar that wouldn't work on their swing arm car (you oldies might remember Andreas, who left MIT to go teach back home in Germany) and I installed that, too.  That made the car corner even flatter than before and I have never been able to break the rear tires loose on track days, even when I was specifically trying to see how far I could push it, both at Roebling Roads, SC and Thompson Raceway, CT.  Those rear tires were 225/40's which have been replaced with 205/50's but I have no track time on the new tires.  

I have zero experience with EMPI sway bars.  All I've ever had or installed for others were from Sway-Away which are great quality and (more importantly) they fit without fuss.

Let's see what others think.....

Last edited by Gordon Nichols

A good "entry level" front sway bar is a 3/8" so-called "stock" bar for a '66 - '77 Beetle sedan with a beam front end.  Since the car is lowered from the stock height as a speedster, the 3/8" bar seems to work quite well for many people, giving improved cornering control while not making the ride too harsh.

If you have a swing arm rear suspension, this should be accompanied by a rear camber compensator (others on here can offer suggestions on which is best).  

If your car is an IRS rear, then you could consider a rear sway bar, not a camber compensator - that's for swingers.

The next step up would be to the 3/4" front sway bar.  It will be a bit harsher ride than the 3/8" but honestly, many people don't notice the difference in ride.  What will be different is that the car will corner flatter when pushed than with the 3/8" bar and that will be noticeable.  I've often thought that a 5/8" front bar would be ideal for a Speedster as the compromise between ride harshness and flat cornering, but I don't know if anyone offers one.

Full disclosure; I have an IRS car and started with just the front, Sway Away 3/4" bar and it flattened things out a lot in the hard corners.  Someone gave me a new sway-away rear 3/4" bar that wouldn't work on their swing arm car (you oldies might remember Andreas, who left MIT to go teach back home in Germany) and I installed that, too.  That made the car corner even flatter than before and I have never been able to break the rear tires loose on track days, even when I was specifically trying to see how far I could push it, both at Roebling Roads, SC and Thompson Raceway, CT.  Those rear tires were 225/40's which have been replaced with 205/50's but I have no track time on the new tires.  

I have zero experience with EMPI sway bars.  All I've ever had or installed for others were from Sway-Away which are great quality and (more importantly) they fit without fuss.

Let's see what others think.....

WORD! I have the Bugpack (now owned by EMPI) version; I imagine it's all the same now and they fit perfectly with their stainless steel/red urethane clamps and bushings. I am not crazy about urethane but at this point is the only thing you can find for this application. Sway-Away is the premium version. With EMPI things are hit or miss; they carry some good parts and some crappy ones. I believe they changed hands sometime ago and their advertisements now say they are more focused on quality than before; which is a good thing.

Feeling left out and suffering from a bit of peer pressure I started looking into this today. Looks like the SwayAway 3/4" bar is one if the cheapest out there but it doesn't come with hardware (although afaik, this could be a cached webpage from 10 years ago).

https://swayaway.com/product/v...ll-joint-front-ends/

I found references to a SwayAway camber compensator, too, but found no evidence of it in their website. I guess I'll gave to use the EMPI one.

Based on how my Spider handles now, and all the reports of sway bars, camber compensators and Vredestein Sportracs, I can't even imagine how it's going to handle next summer.

Last edited by dlearl476


The next step up would be to the 3/4" front sway bar.  It will be a bit harsher ride than the 3/8" but honestly, many people don't notice the difference in ride.  What will be different is that the car will corner flatter when pushed than with the 3/8" bar and that will be noticeable.  I've often thought that a 5/8" front bar would be ideal for a Speedster as the compromise between ride harshness and flat cornering, but I don't know if anyone offers one.



Correct, Gordon. In the 70s and I'm guessing the early 80s you could get a 5/8" front bar. For me, the stock bar wasn't quite enough. I bought a 3/4", but it hit my frame longitudinal members. It will be even worse for a Beck, as they use a 3" main tube rather than the Vintage 2".

The 3/4" hit, the car cornered FLAT, but it understeered(Spyder, swing axle, no camber compensator).

So I made my own 5/8"(actually 16mm) from an old 911 front bar.

It has been said(not by me, but can't remember who) that a 5/8" front bar is the best compromise for "hot" street use.

Dave, all you need to do is buy some clamps, and to remove your frame tubes in front of the beam....

Last edited by DannyP
@dlearl476 posted:

Feeling left out and suffering from a bit of peer pressure I started looking into this today. Looks like the SwayAway 3/4" bar is one if the cheapest out there but it doesn't come with hardware (although afaik, this could be a cached webpage from 10 years ago).

https://swayaway.com/product/v...ll-joint-front-ends/

I found references to a SwayAway camber compensator, too, but found no evidence of it in their website. I guess I'll gave to use the EMPI one.

Based on how my Spider handles now, and all the reports of sway bars, camber compensators and Vredestein Sportracs, I can't even imagine how it's going to handle next summer.

Stop thinking cheap- it'll bite you in the @ss in the end.  Think quality and value.  Guys here have complained about the Empi cc being poorly made- look at the units from CB Perf. and Aircooled.net.  Al

I actually owned one of those super beetle conversion kits from CMC.  It was based on 1/4” or 3/8” steel plate and heavy!  I didn’t need it (it came as part of an unstarted build I bought ) so I sold it to a guy in Florida who wanted to use it on his kit.  

And yes, that is the only one I’ve ever seen in the wild.

It figures I have a rarity, my projects seem to go that way. I considered cutting it off there and welding on a regular frame head, but that goes against my goal of having this car on the road before my kids grow up!

I think I’ll go with that sway away bar on the front and after I get it on the road and see how it handles with my driving, then maybe add the rear sway bar later.

The EMPI sway bar is fine. It will work as well as you could expect with this type of bar. The red neoprene bushings will last about 16k miles.

The best solution is a frame mounted bar that is anchored in a couple of places along the straight section. The bar itself does not move, but twist. I built one of these for my Spyder. Dannyp also built one. We both used 5/8" - 4130 steel bar.

Drawings available.

What in the world is AFAIK?

Last edited by Jim Gilbert - Madison, Mississippi

Thanks Jim! That is a nice looking fabrication. I might give that a try. My Dad is a hobby machinist and this would be a great way to get him involved in the project since he doesn’t live close enough to just come by and turn a wrench.

Plus it seems this could be made to work with less interference and modification to my CMC bumper supports (I just read up on the sway bars hitting the bottom tube on those bumper supports).

The EMPI sway bar is fine. It will work as well as you could expect with this type of bar. The red neoprene bushings will last about 16k miles.

The best solution is a frame mounted bar that is anchored in a couple of places along the straight section. The bar itself does not move, but twist. I built one of these for my Spyder. Dannyp also built one. We both used 5/8" - 4130 steel bar.

Drawings available.

What in the world is AFAIK?

I was really surprised when I watched a couple of install videos. I'd always assumed that the large bushings mounted to the beam and the smaller ones to the trailing arms. I've never seen a sway bar that just attached to the suspension L&R.

I imagine anchoring it to the beam would stiffen it a bit, but that's easily compensated for by using a smaller diameter bar.

Last edited by dlearl476

I’m really committed to the Madness now. First load of parts delivered! Small bits of stuff as funds allow, and some of it my girls are wrapping up for Christmas presents (They all wanted to get Dad some Porsche parts, but I believe it is self serving from their standpoint, they want it finished so we can ride in it!).

Anyway, this will give me some things to do as I save up for the next round of parts. 6D00B8A8-49DB-48B6-A273-5B50E6E33A32

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In the next few weeks, I'm going to power wash my pan and do some touch up painting, so I have a clean foundation before I start installing new parts. I'll pull the engine and probably the transaxle, since I am going to replace the transaxle mounts sooner than later. That got me to looking at how to remove the axle shafts, that led to reading about inspecting/re-greasing the CV joints etc.

Question: Complete CV joint axles shafts are about $80 each. Should I just replace the whole thing since I don't know the condition/history of mine? Or is this a waste of money?

It's  cracked/torn CV boots that destroy the joints by letting grit/sand in.  I'd get new quality boots and take them apart for inspection and cleaning.  Of course you don't want "blue balls" - a sure sign of over heating or "galled balls."  Nuff said!  Then regrease - force it between the balls.  And use new boots.

Ha, I'm sure this post will be censored!

Last edited by WOLFGANG

I just went ahead and installed new complete axle shafts instead of replacing the boots. It was so much easier that it seemed worth the money.

I used Duralast from Autozone.  The shafts themselves are a little larger in diameter than the old shafts.

My old shafts had urethane boots that over time had gotten stiff.

Well, that would keep me from worrying about those certain colored balls that Wolfgang mentioned! (Was that diplomatic enough to keep from getting censored?)

OEM CV joints tend to last a long time unless the car has been beat to death. I agree with Wolfgang. Many years ago I built a dune buggy from scratch starting with a totally rusted out 1970 Beetle. Pans and mostly every system was replaced including the full front beam and steering components and brakes, wiring harness, rebuilt motor with new tins, carb, ignition, exhaust, etc (back then in the middle to late ‘80’s good parts for these cars were plentiful and inexpensive). I pulled the axles, cleaned them and took them apart and the CV joints were good so I got one of those colored EMPI axle boot sets (we didn’t know any better then; I recall they were blue and included the grease tubes) and repacked them with the special gray grease. Anything OEM is infinitely better than any new replacement you can get today unless it’s New Old Stock. This is one if not the only remaining photo of it; our female Lhasa Apso Nina on the right seat. Note the old faithful ‘79 Olds next to it, which along with a beautiful ‘69 Ghia were our first cars that took us to and back from high school and first few years in college. My youngest brother totaled the Ghia in a car accident around 1986 and I built the buggy to replace it. Needless to say, I’ve had my Speedster since 2004 and my brother has never driven it; can you guess why? 😉EC9ECEC2-A9DF-46D9-80DB-071303ECD4AC

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08335474-C4A6-4CB2-9BA1-44EAA5F375251EC9198F-EC31-4B8A-B876-7FFD733FFBA1@TreyG posted:

Thanks guys, this gives me something to stew on.

Impala, you mentioned the blue boots and you didn't know any better, is there something wrong with colored boots?

Not really anything wrong I guess, although at least for my swingaxle car the EMPI colored numbers didn't seal well. I now only use  OEM VW (when I can find them) or the FEBI/Bilstein German units (they are marked "Volkswagen" so maybe even their molds were the OEM units). Those seem to last. The anti bling thing also seems to set in as you grow older...;-)

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Last edited by Impala

I haven't replaced a drive shaft boot on IRS in, like, forever.  I do the same as Mike and Alan and just get complete axle drive shafts and put them in.  The pair in my car now came from Raxles in Gainesville, Florida and have beefed up (Porsche 924/944) CV joints and thicker shafts.  They've been in there for years.  It is best to call Raxles and talk with someone to determine the best product mix for you.  They'll want to know the car, your driving habits, engine size (torque and HP) and a few other tidbits.  IIRC, they were around $120 each but they'll probably last forever in this car.  Raxles never rebuilds from used axles.  Their website is a good read:

https://www.raxles.com

I have a spare set from NAPA, too.  Last I knew, they were around $65 each at my local NAPA store and they'll take your old ones as "cores".   Just order a pair for a 1970 VW sedan.  They seem pretty good quality, but I haven't had to use them yet.  While I'm not a fan of "refurbished" and especially not of "reground" CV joints (the regrinding cuts through the case hardening and causes premature wearing), I don't put enough miles on my car yearly to worry about refurbished quality for a pair of spare shafts.

Regarding IRS CV joints and boots: as usual, I'm swimming against the current.

The boot/axle/CV kits sold by EMPI on eBay (and well, everywhere else) have Chinese CV joints. They are nowhere near OG quality.

If you want quality CV joints, GKN Löbro is the only good choice. A single CV joint costs about as much as the entire setup from EMPI-- but they are the best available, and one of the pieces where you get what you pay for. As far as I know, nobody sells the already assembled kits using these CV joints, and you are stuck with EMPI boots no matter what you decide to do-- but the EMPI boots at least offer some options (stock, or a couple of heavy-duty options).

I really wish I could unbolt the entire setup and slip new ones in when the boots crack (and if you've got an IM with the drivetrain slid forward, they will crack), but I'm unwilling to risk it with a big/powerful engine. I might risk it with a 1776, etc.-- but not with a 2L+ engine.

As I said, I'm often the guy swimming upstream, but this is my story and I'm sticking with it.

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