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Lower stress bars was Re: Prep (on a budget) Q's



How is the 16V bar attached?  Sciroccos are a rare breed - I've worked on 3,
two were mine.  Could I just replace the front control arm mounting bolts
with longer bolts that go through a piece of square tubing and accomplish
the same thing, or are there more than two attachment points?  Does anyone
have a pic of a lower stress bar installed?

At a glance, it looks like a bar would clear the engine if it were installed
that way.  Is it worth my time to try it?  How big would it have to be
(assuming I use steel)?

Aaron
'82 Scirocco
'70 Beetle
'87 Jeep Cherokee 4.0
'81 Honda CX500

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Neal Tovsen [mailto:sixteen.volt@gte.net]
> Sent: Monday, January 15, 2001 2:55 PM
> To: aaron@makuta.com; 'Graffy/Carpenter'; scirocco-l@scirocco.org
> Subject: RE: Prep (on a budget) Q's
>
>
> > Based on several recommendations made by listers about a month
> > back, a lower
> > stress bar is even more important than the upper bar in
> preventing these
> > cracks.  Is this true?
>
> I know a lower bar is also very important. My apologies, as I
> forgot to
> mention it. 16v's come with a good lower stress bar from the
> factory, so I
> sometimes forget that other people don't have one. Everything
> I've heard
> says that the factory 16v lower bar is as good as any
> aftermarket one, so
> you should be able to find a used one cheap.
>
> As far as which to get first, I couldn't say for sure. If you
> think about
> it, it's obvious that the lower bar was determined to be more
> important by
> VW since they put one on the 16v! Get them both ASAP if you
> drive hard at
> all. Even with both bars (I have an Autotech upper), my car
> is getting tiny
> flex-cracks in the paint at the fender/windshield/shock tower
> joint. I've
> seen cars that have had huge cracks that go all the way
> through the metal!
>
> If you have some welding skills (I don't...yet), I'm sure you
> could make
> either of these parts quite easily. I'd bet Cheapass Ron has
> all the details
> by now. ;)
>
> The important point is that A1 VW's are not known for a stiff
> front chassis!
>
> Neal
> '88 16v
>
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Aaron Ness [mailto:aaron@makuta.com]
> > Sent: Monday, January 15, 2001 1:34 PM
> > To: 'Neal Tovsen'; 'Graffy/Carpenter'; scirocco-l@scirocco.org
> > Subject: RE: Prep (on a budget) Q's
> >
> >
> > > -Recommendations: Basic stuff like K&N air filter, Bosch/Mann
> > > oil filter,
> > > quality oil, bleed brakes with DOT-4 fluid, Ferodo or
> similar brake
> > > pads/shoes. Get an upper strut tower bar (Scirocco's flex a
> > > lot up there,
> > > and it could lead to chassis cracks) and a 28mm rear torsion
> > > bar to get rid
> > > of that understeer. A lot of people don't realize it, but
> > > tires are more
> > > important than any suspension setup. Get R-Compounds if your
> >
> > Based on several recommendations made by listers about a month
> > back, a lower
> > stress bar is even more important than the upper bar in
> preventing these
> > cracks.  Is this true?  I'm planning to eventually do both,
> but I want to
> > start with the one that does the most to save my chassis.
> I can say from
> > experience that a cracked chassis makes for some pretty inconsistent
> > handling - my '84 would really dig in turning right, but
> left turns felt
> > sloppy by comparison.
> >
> > Aaron
> > '82 Scirocco
> > '70 Beetle
> > '87 Jeep Cherokee 4.0
> > '81 Honda CX500
> >
>


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