Ernoman

@Juggular yes I set the camber to almost straight. Also removed the toe in by swapping left and right uprights. This is with the tires you recommended. They are quite big. But they do give me the clearance I need. I am hesitant to take them for a spin as the feel very soft. I'm afraid the pavement I ride on will wear them down quickly. I rather save them for when I go on grass again. How is their longevity? Edit: I need to make the body sit higher. They rub the rear fenders :-(

Thanks for the tip. That works a treat Nevermind the dust on the cup. I still need to do some cleaning. The scratced are from the **** thing not wanting to come out. I had to take the whole car apart to push it out from the inside. She is now on the low setting with longer shocks. Shims behind the cup and a spring in the cup. This is the ride height I need. Thanks for all the tips.

Took the car for a spin. The ride height is a bit too low in the back. I could make the suspension another notch stiffer. But I could also increase the height of the shocks. This is how it would sit when I do: I'm unsure if this is acceptable. The pin only just touches the cup. Would this setting work out would it just wear out the drivetrain again?

I'm all for customization. While the box art of the beetle is nice, I wanted my own touch. Since this is my first car, I stuck to one paint color. I did learn alot in the process. If you want to go custom, take it at small steps at a time. I'm sure there is a lot to learn before going outrageous.

My first version of the seventies style bumpers. They are made from multiplex wood cladded with aluminum. The posts are made from plastic and the rubber strip is a cassette player belt. The problem is that the posts are sitting too low. I had to go through great length to get them on an acceptable height. The rear came out too wide and the arc is not correct. It's should also be a bit closer to the car. But, for a first attempt I'm actually quite enthusiastic about the result. I'll leave it for now and will first drive it to see what more problems the bumpers will exhibit. I really like the seventies style bumpers as the headlights are upright. In Europe beetles never had these rack style bumpers in combination with upright headlights.

Thanks, I found them at about 18 euros for two of them. Still hurts when my car eats them in two rides. Maybe they will last longer once all the problems of the suspension are corrected.

I suspect dust getting into the grease has been the problem. I knew that was bad. I just did not expect it to be this bad. My car is fixed and I'm running it on the low setting in the back. The front is still at the high setting and for a beetle that actually looks correct. @Juggular what wheels did you fit and would they fit now I'm running the lower ground clearance at the back?

On the low setting this is not an issue. When I rode the high setting I just limited the left to the same droop as the right using a sponge under that upper arm. Worked.

@Juggular great post 👍 awesome! I'd rather ride it on the high setting. But when I do the pin barely touches the cup: On the low setting it looks a lot better: So, it will remain as such. Edit: these shafts are intended for the M5. So the high setting of the MF01x may require longer shafts. That would explain why it does not sit right on the high setting.

So, I found a suitable spring. She can take moderate jumps without becoming uncontrollable on landing. I do hear some bottom scraping sometimes. But these were extreme tests. She passed! Also less dirt on the driveshafts than before. I made those deflectors too. Don't know if they really work. Just a bit peace of mind I suppose. I did notice she swings her tail more and rolls over more easily than before. It could be the changes in the rear suspension causes this. Not only does she sit lower, the toe in is less and the camber seems more straight. Maybe the tires I have underway will benefit and wear less quick as the contact is more even. I'll practice some more with this in the mean time. Sure hope these drive shafts will last longer than the ones before.

That would be an option. For now I'm increasing the spring strength. I just driven it and it bottoms out on some bumps. So I need to look which springs suit this height better. I cannot use the high setting with these shafts. I just don't like the way they sit when I use the high setting. More testing to do.

Mounted the new driveshaft. She is sitting lower to what I expected. I cannot raise the body anymore as I trimmed down the posts. Will have to see how this holds. If it grinds the body too much I'll have to raise it again.

Thanks for all the replies. I love that spring idea. As for the o rings: I simply followed the manual and put these in each cup. I had to use two on the diff at the rear or the driveshaft would pop out at the wheel side. When I have my parts I'll post photos of what I've made of it.

You are probably right. But I'm holding on to it for just some more. When the driveshaft would not have worn, it was not so bad. Apart from the tire appetite.

Probably. I think the gravel doughnuts were the most outrageous thing we did to it. Maybe you are all keeping shelf queens or something? Edit: oh and stock torque tuned motor. 21t pinion on a nimh.