My 1962 Bug RAT STEW

[david58]

[helowrench]

I see possibilities there

[crvc]

Fancy new rims and tires would have been the LAST thing I spent money on, not the first. But I agree with helo

kevin

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Lets see… a pretty nice looking sedan body (formerly red), fancy pedal assembly (ominous) stored inside, is that a kite in the front seat, wide rear fenders (looks like), a smiley face front end, a tired soft top, fancy-antsy donuts and mounts slapped on the suspension. Pretty cool, so... ahhh… what-cha gwana doo with it?

Welcome back David.

Lee

[david58]

I took the engine out of my RED 74 bug and traded for the 62 which needs an engine too. But I have one already for it. It came with a few nice parts, like a 4 inch narrowed beam, disc brakes on all fours, new 20 inch tires and wheels, Rear Carrera coil-overs already on the car. The rear torsion bars have been removed. And has IRS rear suspension instead of the swing. I have the front coil-overs, but the springs are missing and the top piece of hardware the spring sits in is missing on one shock. It even has a radiator in the front with dual fans, but I will be staying with the air cooled engine. I have most everything to get this bug on the road. I will need to redo the interior and that is where I need parts. I think I have a set of stock fenders that are new. What I would like to do is be able to change out the fenders,rotors, wheels and tires. So I will have a stock bug or put it back like it is now by changing the same parts.

[Hedrock]

Wow David, I would have never guessed this one! That definitely has some possibilities.


I think I need to pay more attention to what's going on in other forums .

[david58]

Wow David, I would have never guessed this one! That definitely has some possibilities.


I think I need to pay more attention to what's going on in other forums .

The deal was made here locally with a friend not thru another forum.

[Marc]

Post a picture of the coilover seat you're missing...also, you should be able to determine the inside diameter of the springs by inpecting the seats you do have. Estimate how long the springs would be at ride height, too.
I'm not promising anything, but there's a possibility that Chris and I have some retired racecar bits around here that could work for you.

I really don't think you'll want to go through the hassle of mounting that suspended pedal setup, if it were me I'd try to find the P/N and new price for them and the hydraulic bits, then peddle them on eBay.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

David, to be honest, I kind of like the way it sits now. It has that (cutsie-pie) look (not an insult) that too many people look for but seldom succeed in finding. The other good think is that it looks like the basic bones are there and it’s a rag top.

I agree 156 7/8ths% with Marc: the pedal assembly will give you no end of fits; even it you invert is and go for hanging pedals it is going to be way more work than you want for a daily driver. Sell it or save it for something else. Just look at my build and see all the problems I have had, and still am having with accommodating it.

Lee

[david58]

1.855 inches

47.16 mm


Thanks for the info and help guys. The pedals won't be going in this car there is nothing wrong with using a stock pedal assembly. What M/C should I use with disc brakes on all fours?

[Marc]

I think most of my coilover stuff is for larger-diameter springs, but I'll get back to you on that.
A stock dual-circuit M/C will be fine unless you're running BIG calipers. I've got one in my daily driver, which has Type III fronts and Porsche 924T rears. Decent pedal travel and pressure.
There is a larger M/C you can get, but that increases the pedal pressure required so I wouldn't recommend it with smallish calipers.

[Hedrock]

Wow David, I would have never guessed this one! That definitely has some possibilities.


I think I need to pay more attention to what's going on in other forums .

The deal was made here locally with a friend not thru another forum.

I meant besides the OR forum

[itawolf]

hey DAV

did that car come from BAMA?? Looks like one of my old bugs

very nice find!!!

[david58]

I am not up on the history of the car. When I see the guy I traded with I will ask him.

[Marc]

Carrera is now known as QA1, you should be able to find the coilover bits you need at their website. If you get frustrated easily, it might be quicker to search for a distributor in your area and pick their brain instead.
http://www.qa1.net/index.php

Personally, I would not try to bear the entire front end weight of the car on the shock absorber attachment points, they were never intended for that. But if you were to cut/turn the beam ~5/16" or so, ~100lb/in coils should work nicely for dialing in the ride height and cross-weight.