IRS Set ups on Race Beetles, whats your set up?

[leec]

Im toying with the idea of going Independant rear suspension on my race car....

If anyone has any hints/tips on their set ups I would appreciate it.

Is it possible to remain wide 5 rear drum brakes and also stay with the same track width? Ive heard of narrowed arms, how does that work?

Lee

[volkskris]

here's a howto on germanlook.net on narrowing the arms
http://www.germanlook.net/html/tech/Tech12NarrowingIRSArms.php

[Neil Davies]

Lee, is this on the oval? Most people that I can think of that have changed have done so for a bus box conversion. Closest set-up I can think of is Adele and Steve Woodbridge's '59 - that was IRS with a type 1 box, but with narrowed arms. Then there is Jason Rew's '56 - Deano Weaver converted that when he swapped the Berg 5 for a bus box. Paul Bate and Bernard Newbury are both IRS and bus box converts, but on later pans than yours. Might be worth sending an email to the O/FF members to see who else has got the setup you want?

[leec]

Thanks guys,

Hi Neil,
Great idea, will send an email to some off members. Was thinking a bus box will eventually happen and
just wanted to educate myself on the joys of IRS!!

Lee

[Turbo_Rich]

If you swap the arms over side to side and then cut and turn the shock mounts you can restore the camber so the wheels sit straight. Easier is to get some camber adjusters for the front pivot bolts then you have the adjustability. Steve and Adele have some fabbed by Wayne Allman if i remember right.
 
Not sure on the 5 bolt thing i'm afraid. Definately a fan of IRS- certainly helps the car feel planted at speed

I'm using adjustable spingplates, koni red adjustable shocks, 1303 torsion bars and aftermarket Nova bumpstops. This info may be of no help though as the cars quite heavy with the 2.5 turbo type 4 and 915 box!

[Mike Lawless]

I'd been wanting to do the switch for quite some time. I had been running the Folts swing conversion on my bus box for several years, and was never quite happy with the severe alignment change throughout the travel. Here's a link to the transformation. A little "Outside the Box" but it was a fun project. Perhaps it will be useful

http://home.comcast.net/~mlawless29/wkrswingtoirs.html

[kev d]

Hi Lee,

I've converted a 65 pan to IRS but with a bus box on my oval using late type 3 parts, the early wide 5 t3 drums are a slip on fit to the 4 stud backing plates
If its an oval pan I think you have clearance issues with the A-arm & early style shock tower, Adele & Steve or Mat Keene could answer that though.
Cheers,
Kev