The End of the High is Nigh! Say goodbye to two inches. [How to lower any fox ~2" using rabbit front strut inserts]

[Ian!]

I'm sure you've answered this before, but I can't remember.. Your arches are rolled, correct? Did you use a real fender roller or the bat method?

[the brit]

Quote, originally posted by Ian! »

I'm sure you've answered this before, but I can't remember.. Your arches are rolled, correct? Did you use a real fender roller or the bat method?

I used (and own) a fender roller. Don't buy one though, just use a bat. Honestly!

[mk4_2.ho]

jamie, bud, this is soooo awesome.

please post more driving impressions...this is the solution i've been looking for in terms of the front not being low enough.

mad props to you.

[1sikfox]

All bickering aside man this is a great project and the results are unbelievable. Please do continue to post up driving and handling impressions cause I am definitely on board for doing this mod!

[Fox-N-It]

one of these maybe?

If that passanger side weld fails I assume no responsability

[ryubiggie]

Quote, originally posted by Fox-N-It »

one of these maybe? If that passanger side weld fails I assume no responsability

this is a photo chop job. and what i want.

[Ian!]

Absolutely perfect ride height Jamie.

[Longitudinal]

Looks very nice. Judging by your lack of GC in that photo, I think you could benefit from a well-tucked QM exhaust.

[Fox-N-It]

hi-res 1600x1200 also available.

[the brit]

This thread is going to be locked for the benefit of future generations.

Final thoughts?

>> 46mm is the key. This will leave you a little +/- which will be absorbed by the insert nut at the top of the housing.

>> Before you cut anything, score a straight line on the housing where you will cut. This will allow you to use the line for alignment when you are welding. It's important to keep everything lined up.

>> There is +/- 1-2mm space inside the housings for penetration of welds.

>> This is all basically untested. Don't blame me when you crash / die. Do blame me when your car is slammed on the ground and looking oh so sweeeet.

>> Hints for cutting and marking: Use masking tape wrapped around the housing as a guide for a nice straight cut when removing the 46mm section.

>> Really do score the body to show a straight line for keeping the steering arm at the correct angle. This angle is pretty critical - a bit can be overcome with tierods, but not a lot.

PM me if you have questions or need help.


Modified by the brit at 11:40 PM 9-27-2007

[Longitudinal]

Welcome to FAQsburg (pronounced Foxburg.)

[the brit]

Just did the same exact mod on my Polo, which shares a very similar, but reversed suspension setup as our Foxes. I did take some quick measurements and the Polo struts off no height advantage over the Fox versions, which is something I always wondered about.

A bad instagram of the Polo on ugly wheels:



Reading back, I didn't write the clearest How-To on this. To be honest I'm going to leave it like that as if you can't work out what's going on, you probably shouldn't be cutting and welding a important part of your car

[kerensky]

Wow, there's someone I haven't seen in awhile! They were talking about you over in the Scirocco forum - some dude posted up pics of his RHD '84 that he shipped over and your Stormie was brought up.

Good to see you, man.

[the brit]

Wow, there's someone I haven't seen in awhile! They were talking about you over in the Scirocco forum - some dude posted up pics of his RHD '84 that he shipped over and your Stormie was brought up.

Good to see you, man.

Yeah, I'm still around and still have my Fox of course. That's funny about the Scirocco

[Banned wagon]

This thread is awesome! I can still rember how exciting it was back then. (reading back this thread is not as bad as most of the ones from the time period)

[the brit]

This thread is awesome! I can still rember how exciting it was back then. (reading back this thread is not as bad as most of the ones from the time period)

Yeah, I remember how it was uncharted territory for us. Now I see kids doing it all the time to their Polos and other cars, but back then this was weird and scary. I can't believe it's been five years..

I wonder how many people have changed their suspension using this FAQ

[QuantumSyncro]

The real question is whether you can lose the 46mm without altering the angle of the steering arm while maintaining vw et38 14" wheels and 195/60x14 tires?

At first blush it would appear that this is not possible unless you resort to lower offset and / or tiny tires...

[Masquerade]

As I understand it, this is as low as it gets due to the frame rails with a fox? Is this correct?

[doppelfaust]

Correct. I believe Banned wagon put is this way, Foxes are boat shaped so the rockers are not nearly as low as the lowest part of the car.

[Masquerade]

Thank you sir for the quick response.

[denver_fox]

So...found a whole mk1 neuspeed/bilstein sport suspension being sold nearby me for $200. What would have to be done to fit this into a fox 2 door? Are jetta springs/struts different than the rabbit counterpart?
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...1#post81461763

[the brit]

So...found a whole mk1 neuspeed/bilstein sport suspension being sold nearby me for $200. What would have to be done to fit this into a fox 2 door? Are jetta springs/struts different than the rabbit counterpart?
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...1#post81461763

You can use the front strut inserts, as long as they're removable. You can run the whole rear setup. You'll need to cut and weld your front strut housings. You may be able to run the front springs if you don't want to do coilover sleeves. The mk1 front housings will be junk to you.

[What the Fox]

Quote, originally posted by Ian! »

I'm sure you've answered this before, but I can't remember.. Your arches are rolled, correct? Did you use a real fender roller or the bat method?

I used (and own) a fender roller. Don't buy one though, just use a bat. Honestly!

So true, I used 4 different sizes of round pipe 4ft long and heat gun on the rear trying to avoid the dreaded cut and weld... question to Brit, have you rolled the rears to the point the pannels buckle and would you have a pic in your photobucket?

[the brit]

So true, I used 4 different sizes of round pipe 4ft long and heat gun on the rear trying to avoid the dreaded cut and weld... question to Brit, have you rolled the rears to the point the pannels buckle and would you have a pic in your photobucket?

Yeah, you've got to be careful on the rears. I don't have photos sorry, but in the end I cut the inners slightly, folded them flat, pushed the whole thing out, and tacked the cuts slightly. For that, a fender roller is actually pretty damn useful..

[What the Fox]

Yeah, you've got to be careful on the rears. I don't have photos sorry, but in the end I cut the inners slightly, folded them flat, pushed the whole thing out, and tacked the cuts slightly. For that, a fender roller is actually pretty damn useful..

Not what I wanted to hear but useful info, was avoiding the welding... on a different topic for bump steer, my plan was to raise the inner tie rods from the steering rack as mine is dropping more but waiting for the new motor/tranny weight to go in... or would you cut the struts or guessing do both?? Trying to visualize it but I can always check FAQ

[the brit]

Not what I wanted to hear but useful info, was avoiding the welding... on a different topic for bump steer, my plan was to raise the inner tie rods from the steering rack as mine is dropping more but waiting for the new motor/tranny weight to go in... or would you cut the struts or guessing do both?? Trying to visualize it but I can always check FAQ

No bump steer. Control arms are pretty amazingly level when it's slammed after cutting down the struts. Wayyy better than mk1/2/3 etc when very low.

[efritsch]

So, stupid question and I didn't see it mentioned.

What do you use for front springs if you don't decide to make them adjustable? Rabbit? Since you're using the inserts and the complete rear setup?

[the brit]

So, stupid question and I didn't see it mentioned.

What do you use for front springs if you don't decide to make them adjustable? Rabbit? Since you're using the inserts and the complete rear setup?

If you don't remove your spring perches, you can use anything that fits a fox - even your stock springs if you just want a roughly 2" drop.

[efritsch]

Excellent!! I can't keep it running more that 20 minutes in warm weather till I replace the fuel pump but I'm already looking to lower it. Go figure.