Front Axles

[Matt48]

Hi

one things fixed another falls apart!!! (dead kennedys)

Buttys throttle repair and linkages done but cracking spotted on the front axle. so which way to go, jk vw heritage standard or narrow. Or rescued import from California or schofields etc. Any thoughts gratefully received. I'll be getting vw werks doug to do it in sussex, so that bit is easy.

cheers for all input.

 

[Clem]

Are you currently lowered? Do you want to do the lowering thing?

If not, get an og standard beam from a cali bus.

If you want to get low, then choose a lowered/narrowed beam to suit what you want, but be aware you'll potentially be adding the cost of trackrods, leaf narrowing, maybe spindles, damper and tyres to the cost.

 

[Matt48]

had her lifted a couple of notches when I got her. It is all standard set up.

Are these claifornian imports that good? Are all the heritage jk ones any good. what have people done.

Personally not interested in being low low low down so standard is the way to go for me.

 

[Clem]

had her lifted a couple of notches when I got her. It is all standard set up.

Are these claifornian imports that good? Are all the heritage jk ones any good. what have people done.

Personally not interested in being low low low down so standard is the way to go for me.

Most cali import beams are solid as a rock. If you are at standard height, I cant see any reason to buy a 'new' beam. Stock beams have all the bump stops, grease nipples, roller bearings and steering stops that new beams often don't. A decent og beam from a dealer is what? £350? A new one is £500-ish I think - no brainer!

 

[Happystamps]

As a general rule mate, always inspect and buy second hand parts rather than new parts. There are exceptions of course, but they're very, very rare.

The problem within the industry is that when a car is in production, all suppliers have a big scary manufacturer breathing down their necks. Automotive is a damn difficult business, quality wise, and most parts fitted to cars are pretty much bang on. As soon as that car is out of production, the manufacturer doesn't really care about quality too much, drawings get lost, tooling gets scrapped, and parts are made ad-hoc. And if it's not going through the manufacturer, it's 10X worse. Make one part that fits one van, then put it in production and cut as many costs as possible without being sued for manslaughter. And they cut that line very fine indeed.

Take ball joint boots- original boots are still on vans and they're still fine. Not all of 'em, but after 40 years it's not surprising to see an original ball joint boot on a van. As soon as they go, though, and you replace with a new one, they'll degrade and split after 6 months-1 year.

Good luck with your search, hope you find a nice solid beam for a good price.

 

[Matt48]

cheers guys I will consult with my campervan garage specialist in angmering!!!

 

[bac2ba6]

I've dealt with these a couple of times and they've been ok . Only used them for small things possibly a bit pricey but isn't everything .
http://www.fbivw.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sent from my SM-J500FN using Tapatalk

 

[Clem]

MCJ sold me a good beam a year or so ago. Very fast delivery and good price.