924Board.org

[5150]

Ok, can anyone tell me the list of parts, tasks and pitfalls of changing my early style front suspension over to the post 1982 type - my front wishbone on one side has the anti-roll-bar drop link attachment piece bust off it and the replacement wishbones of that type are damned expensive!

Presumably the swap will be - both wishbones with ball joints, bushes etc, replace the 15mm anti-roll bar with the later 17mm, replace the drop links.

Does the anti-roll bar need to be re-positioned? If so, what work is involved?

Will any other suspension parts need to be replaced to fit - struts? any changes needed to the brakes?

I suspect this may be a post-xmas chunk of work and I'll be welding the broken piece to tide me over....
_________________
Mars Red '78 Euro 924 n/a
http://www.cardomain.com/id/5150_uk

Graphite? Grey Metallic '85 (late model) 944 2.5

There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead.

[gohim]

There is a lot more involved to switching to what you are calling the "late front suspension" (which only involves changing the front sway bar, mounting and lower arms) than you are expecting.

The front sway bar change is not much of a change in diameter (the early 924 front bar is 20mm, and the "late" 924/early 944 bar is 22mm.

The way that the sway bar center mounts are secured to the chassis are different, and the work required will be complexed and expensive. Instead of bolting directly to the chassis, the later sway bar is attached to two brackets which are bolted to the chassis with two small bolts each. The small bolts are secured by blind nuts which are welded to the inside of the chassis member. You would have to cut open the chassis member to weld the four small nuts on, then close and weld the chassis meber back closed. Or, you could try welding the nuts to the outside of the chassis member, and hope that they hold, and put up with the changes that the modified mounting would make in the geometry of the sway bar and the changes that this will make in the handling and the fit of the parts.

It would be cheaper and easier, if you just took two new late model lower arms, and added reinforced sway bar mounts so you could use your existing sway bar.

[5150]

Cheers gohim, so the best bet is to pick up the cheaper wishbones and have somewhere fabricate the pieces that the drop links connect too.. ohh well, I was hoping I could have just changed the lot over to save any future messing about.

Ta for the info anyway, saved me starting something I couldn't finish
_________________
Mars Red '78 Euro 924 n/a
http://www.cardomain.com/id/5150_uk

Graphite? Grey Metallic '85 (late model) 944 2.5

There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead.

[gohim]

I should have mentioned that the late lower arms, are unmodified VW Rabbit/Jetta lower arms.

Get them from a VW Shop, or pick up a couple of cherry used ones from a salvage yard. Brand new ones used to cost $25 directly from a VW Dealer.

New ones do not include the ball joints. You will need to pick up replacement ones which usually include the bolts needed to hold them onto the arms. The original factory arms have the ball joints riveted on, but all the replacement ball joints are bolt on.

[-nick]

I didn't think the VW arms had the mounts for the swaybar drop links?

I'm surprised that I've never had any trouble with these mounts as others appear to. I run the 924na and the 931 both very hard + autocrosses and these mounts are still perfectly fine. I wonder if worn bushings/etc. contribute to these failures?

Best,
nick

[5150]

yeah gohim, my local place has the late arms at £14 each whereas they list the correct arm for the early 924 at £240

Good news is - my brother works at a university which has a big metalwork department, they've all the gear there to make up the mounting pieces and weld them on... He's pretty busy so it'll be a case of he'll do them when he can, but it won't cost me anything more than a couple of beers
_________________
Mars Red '78 Euro 924 n/a
http://www.cardomain.com/id/5150_uk

Graphite? Grey Metallic '85 (late model) 944 2.5

There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead.

[gohim]

I have seen plenty of 924 lower front arms with bent or broken sway bar mounts. Maybe they were damaged from contact?

The late sway mounts mount with a hole that is drilled in the center portion of the "web" horizontal surface. I have seen plenty of lower arms from later cars that show fatique damage, bending and cracks radiating from the sway bar hole.

While the new lower arms are getting sway bar mounts attached, see if you can get your brother to put a continuous weld all around the seam between the upper and lower halves of the arms.

[5150]

welding the seam - will do gohim, many thanks for the advice

I suspect that apart from corrosion, mine may have got damaged when I skidded off the road in the early part of this year, thumped up a kerb pretty hard.

decided that while I'm pulling things apart down there I might aswell replace some of the other old parts - obviously there'll be the new lower ball joints, but i might aswell replace the wheel bearings, brake disks and perhaps also replace the suspension struts with some used but better condition ones if i can find some in my area.. makes sense to use the opportunity for a bit of an overhaul.
_________________
Mars Red '78 Euro 924 n/a
http://www.cardomain.com/id/5150_uk

Graphite? Grey Metallic '85 (late model) 944 2.5

There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead.