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VintageWatercooleds.com Technotes :: greggearhead Technote - B1 Front Suspension

OK - so I finished the rear spring upgrade and with the KYB gas shocks - it felt pretty good, but it was hard to get a good feel for anything, because the front end was still flopping around like a fish out of water with any throttle or brake input.

So, after a good bit of searching, I found my strut options to be KYB GR-2 (which are entirely too soft), Boge Automatics (also way too soft), or Monroe Sensatracs - which are a high pressure gas and relatively stiff. I went with the Monroes as I have ridden in cars with them in the past and for an inexpensive strut/shock, they aren't bad at all and much stiffer than I expected from Advance Auto Parts. I got them for $42 each, and $20 rebate on the pair.

I also needed one bump stop and dust cap, but the local shop couldn't get the caps. I got the bumpstops, but ended up going a different route.

Here is a picture of the factory Dasher bumpstop and dust cup on the right, and a Rabbit or A1 chassis bumpstop and dust cup on the left.

The Rabbit one is so much longer I feared it would interfere with compression travel too much, especially since I was lowering the Dasher. The Dasher ones would have worked, but without a decent dust cup, I didn't like that solution. So I looked through my stash of VW suspension pieces and found some (I believe) VR6 front bumpstops. These are much more compressible than the hard rubber of the Dasher pieces, and I should give a much smoother "bottoming" effect if they are ever called into play.

Now what to do about a dust cap - well, I had these accordion type boots sitting around from some VW and they looked like they would work perfectly.

So, I had the damping pretty well dialed in, I thought I should probably put some springs on there. I had great luck with the Volvo 740 rear springs, but for the fronts, I have such a collection of VW pieces that I felt pretty sure I could find something that would work. For some perspective, here is a picture of the Dasher springs on the far left, (I think) an A3 2.0 spring, (I think) an A2 spring, an A3 VR6 spring, and an A2 16V lowering spring. I don't know the brand of the lowering spring, but it was a light blue in color before I repainted it.

Since I already alluded to repainting the A2 lowering/sport spring, that should clue you in to the fact I was going to use it. I thought even with the Dasher's additional travel, the A2's heavier weight should about balance out and still give a firm ride with a little lowering.

There is a problem, however. Isn't there always with the lovable B1 chassis and modifying? If you notice from the pictures, the spring diameter of the Dasher is constant from bottom to top, and it is quite large (the largest VW spring I have come across). The A2 (and A1 and A3 springs for that matter) are smaller diameter, and since 1980, they "pigtail" or get smaller at the top. Here is a picture from left to right of a late A1/A2 spring cap, an early A1 spring cap, and the Dasher spring cap.

The slightly smaller diameter on the bottom of the A2 springs would fit the spring cup on the strut housing alright - not perfect, but I didn't think they would move around when under any load. Here is a pic of the stock Dasher spring/strut and the lowering A2 spring/Dasher strut.

Well, I noticed torn CV boots while I was in there and replaced and repacked those, and got to reassembling the suspension. After bolting everything back up and setting the car on the ground, I bounced it several times, and it was obvious it was lower than before. A lot lower. Of course, it was "nose-high" before so it really isn't that low. The control arms are just about horizontal. The wheel fits the wheel well very nicely, while just cosmetic, is a nice touch.

I was, however, worried about how it would drive. I drove around the block fairly gingerly to make sure things weren't going to clunk or bang and then came back and gave it a once-over. It settled a bit more (sorry no pics - too dark out, will get some in the morning). but not enough to worry about. Satisfied it was sound, I headed down the street to the Garden of the Gods - a neat State Park of rock formations right next to my house that has a rather winding, one-way route through it. At night, there is almost no traffic and as a low to medium speed romp, it is perfect for a suspension test.

Heck Yeah!!! This thing handles, and really well. I lucked out on the front springs just like I did on the rear. It is firm - taut, even, but not so much it is bone-jarring or uncomfortable. It is stiff enough to realize it likes taking corners more than hauling groceries, however. To be honest, even without swaybars, it handles better than my Rabbit truck with poly bushings and Koni springs, etc.

The front is a little lower than the rear, giving a slightly raked look that I like, in addition to allowing for some cargo in the back without riding on bumpstops. So, with a very small amount of work and outlay of cash, the Dasher can be made into a very impressive handling 25 year old car. Autocrossing, here I come!

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