Raised Thing Spindles from SoCal Imports

[ericj8]

Here are several pics of Thing Spindles with a 3inch raise. If you goto So Cal and take them your spindle they will raise them 3 inches. It takes about a month to get them back and about $200. The only downside is that your speedo cable will be too short but it can be replaced with an early bus cable to make your speedometer work again.

You can see the raise by comparing the original holes and the space between them. It is pretty beefy. Sorry the side pic came out blurry.

http://img15.photobucket.com/albums/v45 ... indle2.jpg
http://img15.photobucket.com/albums/v45 ... indle3.jpg
http://img15.photobucket.com/albums/v45 ... indle4.jpg

~Eric

[pjmacua]

The only downside is that your speedo cable will be too short

Do you know how much offset is there?

Regards
Pierre-J MACUA
www.volkswagen181.com

[Mattt]

Eric, pardon my insistence that you had raised Bug spindles. I stand corrected here. While you cant tell from the pics which way the ball joints go into that spindle, it does appear to have the correct spread between the ball joints to be a Thing spindle. As long as both ball joints go in from the top of that spindle you are working with a Thing spindle.

I also called SoCal, and they said they can build a lifted Thing spindle if you send yours in. They dont advertise them but they will make them. They dont have them ready to go since they dont have a source of cores, but if you send yours in they will do it for $300.

So, I stand corrected here.

You learn something new every day. Thanks Eric.

[Bob Ingman]

Its a good thing to learn too. Raised Thing spindles are the better option to cut and turned beams. All of the advantages. None of the down side but cost . By the time you remove,perform operation and replace beam you have considerable time invested. You know the old saying "Time is Money". Eric thanks for sharing that with us. I had no idea. Bob Ingman

[ericj8]

pjmacua- I do not know the offset

Mattt- Told you so! haha j.k Well, I got you on the spindle but you got me about the transmission so we are even. I have a friend at work that used to work at Rancho transaxles and he says it sounds like a 002 transmission but hes gonna check the ID number when he gets a chance.

Thats what this forum is for, to learn something and to share something. I have learned a lot from you and Bob.

I actually might sell my spindles because I might go with a different front end suspension. I am going down to the Baja Shop tomorrow to find out. I have $4000 I have been saving for suspension work. If its afforadable, I'll go with A-arms. If not, a wider beam with coilovers and a disc brake setup.

So if anyone is interested in raised Thing Spindles the cost is $400. I spent $100 on the spindles from Things Unlimited and the labor to raise them is $300.
I will reply tomorrow with my final descision if I am going to sell them.

~Eric

[Mattt]

Its a good thing to learn too. Raised Thing spindles are the better option to cut and turned beams. All of the advantages. None of the down side but cost . By the time you remove,perform operation and replace beam you have considerable time invested. You know the old saying "Time is Money". Eric thanks for sharing that with us. I had no idea. Bob Ingman

Bob, I dont know that a cut chopped re-welded raised spindle is a better avenue to take than cut & turn (w/ adjusters of course). You gain no additional travel with the lift spindles. They are purely for cosmetic reasons, and tire clearance on fenders. I would still cut/turn/adjusters as a way of improving the available suspension travel.

I wonder how much abuse these raised spindles can handle before they let go? They are somewhat metalurgically messed up from cutting, welding etc. I cant say for sure how much affect it has, but I know that heating up steel(especially cast, which I think spindles are) repeatedly isnt good. Im not a metallurgist, but I think I know what Im talking about. If I dont, someone set this straight.

[Mattt]

pjmacua- I do not know the offset

Mattt- Told you so! haha j.k Well, I got you on the spindle but you got me about the transmission so we are even. I have a friend at work that used to work at Rancho transaxles and he says it sounds like a 002 transmission but hes gonna check the ID number when he gets a chance.

Thats what this forum is for, to learn something and to share something. I have learned a lot from you and Bob.

I actually might sell my spindles because I might go with a different front end suspension. I am going down to the Baja Shop tomorrow to find out. I have $4000 I have been saving for suspension work. If its afforadable, I'll go with A-arms. If not, a wider beam with coilovers and a disc brake setup.

So if anyone is interested in raised Thing Spindles the cost is $400. I spent $100 on the spindles from Things Unlimited and the labor to raise them is $300.
I will reply tomorrow with my final descision if I am going to sell them.

~Eric

Thanks for spilling those beans on the spindles. How did you ever find out SoCal offered them? They dont list them anywhere? Did you just call on a whim and ask if they had them? They list raised BJ spindles in their ad, but those are strictly Bug ones.

I wouldnt even try IDing the trans from numbers. What does it look like? Is it rounded like the Type 1 trans, or is it more square-ish like a bus trans? If its a bus trans, how many ribs are going across the case right above where the CVs are? 3, 5, or 6 ribs? Thats how they are commonly ID'd.

Im interested to see which way AJ steers you. Are you keeping the pan in place? Seems like A arms would be almost impossible with the pan. Now if you lose the pan, and have a chassis built, thats another Thing.(pun intended)

[Bob Ingman]

Eric to begin with if you have a 4 speed trans it is not from a 914. If it is a five speed tha en you probably do. Best of luck. Bob Ingman

[ericj8]

Bob- it is a 5 speed tranny. It has 6 ribs. The guys down at bajashop said it was a bus with a 5th gear. Still not sure.

I found out about the Thing Spindles thru a friend of mine who had spoken with the owner of So Cal, Andy.


Mattt- I went to bajashop today and mainly talked to Pepe and a little bit to AJ. I told them what I wanted and they told me which way to go. For the rear I am going to get the 1 inch wider trailing arms with coilover shocks. In the front a new chromoly beam with shock towers for coilover shocks. Pepe suggested I build a new roll cage because he does not like to just add big shocks to an exisiting roll cage. He has a baja bug in the shop that he just added big shock towers to the existing cage and the shocks sheared the cage off. He basically told me to start from scratch.

Now I am planning on selling this current Thing and just buy the body of another Thing. I would get more money selling my current Thing whole.

With the new Thing, baja shop is going to build a complete tube chassis from bumper to bumper. The way Pepe said it is that it would be a sandrail with a cover over it. He also gave me the number to a guy who is selling a Toyota 2.7L engine. I am going to check it out tomorrow and maybe go with that engine instead of the Subaru.

[Bob Ingman]

Eric if you have a 6-rib with a fifth gear thats got to be a three grand trans. MINIMUM. I`ve never even heard of one before. Do`nt give it away. Also the EFI T-4 engine in there is a lot of value. I`m sure the two together represent a 5K investment in both time and money.
Did you ever see Gary Cookseys thing. The yellow Baja one built on a tube frame? There are photos of it here at the end of our Chopped and Lowered thread. Good luck. Bob Ingman

[ericj8]

Well, I am still on a search to figure out what kind of tranny it is. The more I look into it, the more questions I get than answers.

I understand the engine and tranny are worth a lot alone, thats why I am going to sell it complete so I can start from scratch on another Thing. I am going to get a complete chromoly tube chasis from bumper to bumper. They are going to put in most of the stuff like custom gas tank, towers for the coilovers(front and rear), steak tracks, engine mounts, transmission mounts, 8 point roll cage, front beam. So like I said, its gonna be a sandrail with a Thing body over it so I can drive it on the street.

I am on my way right now actually to check out that 2.7 Toyota engine.

Is anyone selling or know where I could get just a Thing body?
Thanks!