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A Great way to lower 1949 through 1965 Classic Volkswagen Type 1 Beetle and Karmann Ghia is with a Complete PRObuilt Lowering Kit from Airkewld. It lowers the vehicle from 2.50" or 63mm to 10" or 254mm up front and from stock height to 6" or 150mm in the rear.
Stock
is a relative term. Even though you have not changed anything over
time, you are assessing the vehicle's overall height as it currently
sits. But it has relaxed over time, gradually starting to sag.
This
is what a stock Beetle at stock height looks like off the showroom floor,
over a 6" gap between the top of the tire and the upper fender arch.
Even the rear wheels have some positive camber.
Assembled in the USA | Product updated 6/23/23 by Pete
Related: I might want an assembled beam instead of this | Front Disc Brake Kits | Rear Disc Brake Kits | Performance Transaxle would match this kit
Typical time to install - 12 Hours | Install PDF Link | Install Video | Tools Needed
The
Ultimate Beam (UB) allows you to adjust your ride height from stock
height down to *seven inches on average. The UB has Delrin bushings, a
steering dampener bracket, and grease-able zerks. The UB can come in
stock width, up to 4" narrowed with shock towers.
What's included?
- The Ultimate Beam comes powder coated satin black with adjusters installed, delrin bushings, grease zerks, and hardware (steering dampener lock nut, washer, upper shock bolt assembly hardware and steering box locator hardware should you not have a steering box clamp with notches). New Torsions, correct sized tie rods and the correct install kit for your years and model.
What's recommended?
- Four-inch narrowed is the most common beam purchased. It gives you the most versatile options in fitting wheels that are wider than stock, drop spindles, and disc brakes that can add track width.
Kewl Features
- American made
- 7.5 inches of up-and-down movement
- Taller shock towers allow for the use of shocks that will work with any ride height adjustment and allows the vehicle to lay out with the use of air ride
- Industries finest packaging to ensure it will arrive to you unscathed
- Can be adjusted in 1/16th inch increments in ride height
FAQ
- Do I need to do body mods to install this beam? No. The inside dimension is 29 13/16". That gives a clearance of 1/16" on each side.
- How do you narrow the beam 4" when I only have 1/2 inch on each side of my stock beam? We utilize the outer ends of the tubes and gusset outwards to give us the needed space. Here is a video that explains it.
- My arms don't slide into my Ultimate Beam. Do I need to buy your arm set? No. Your control arms haven't been serviced in their lifetime, you probably have wear on them, and they need to be emory cloth polished until they slide in smoothly. Skipping this step or forcing them in will cause the vehicle to ride poorly. Here is a video that explains it.
Adjustable Shocks
These shocks fit the Classic Volkswagen Type 1 Beetle and Karmann Ghia with a
link pin front suspension. Monotube shock technology is more responsive
with better oil control and is vastly superior to twin tube shock
design. Shock absorbers are without a doubt the brains of your
suspension.
Nothing influences how your car rides and handles more than its shock
absorbers. To
best accomplish that objective, RideTech shock absorbers utilize
monotube design which allows for a larger piston and more precise
valving. The design is superior to twin tubes shocks with respect to
damping and reliability. These HQ Series Shocks are rebound adjustable
shock absorbers and offer exceptional quality thanks to impact-forged,
hard-anodized bodies and heavy-duty shafts. They carry an industry-best
1,000,001 mile warranty.
PRObuilt DRUM Drop Spindles It will lower your vehicle 2.5" and add 3/8" of track width to each side. They work with either stock drum brakes or our GEN 1 or GEN 2 BAD Series Brakes.
Early model 2 bolt wheel cylinder backing plates will need a small
grind on the back of the spindle where it touches the backing plate.
What's included?
A set of PRObuilt DRUM Drop Spindles comes with the following;
- Left drop spindle
- Right drop spindle
- Left OEM VW Carrier - Quality Control Checked
- Right OEM VW Carrier - Quality Control Checked
- German King Pins
- German Link Pins - Gun Blued
- German Bushings
- Shim Kit
- Reusable Shim Chart with grease pen
- Install Guide
- New Grease Zerks
What's recommended?
- It is recommended you check the adjustments in your link pins ever 2500
miles or every year. There is a 14mm square end on the back of the link
pin that you can adjust to tighten up. It will require you to loosen the
clamp bolts to do this. If you don't have a #SlickSpanner with all the front end popular wrench sizes,
check this one out.
- It is recommended to grease the upper and lower zerks every 2500 miles or every year to keep the system lubricated.
- If you don't have the right tools to measure control arm offset, the PRO's suggest this tool with the deluxe options.
- When
installing brakes on these spindles and it is time to adjust the
bearing thrust, you need to tighten the bearings until the drum or rotor
does not move by hand, then back off 1/4 turn and lock it down. This
will ensure that as long as you packed your bearings correctly, lubed
the seal correctly, this too will last forever* and failure will almost
be non-existent.
Kewl Features
- Assembled by the PRO's in the USA.
- Bolt-On ready
- 2.5 inches of drop
FAQ
- Why would I want to purchase these PRObuilt Drop Spindles over the UN-assembled spindles? One word to answer this. Ease. UN-assembled
spindles require a list of tools to press apart, check thrust, ream to
OE specs and press them together. This takes expertise, precision and
skill. Many try, few get it right.
- What would the install-time difference between the PRObuilt Drop Spindles and the UN-assembled drop spindles? The PRObuilt Drop Spindles would roughly take 1 hour to install with mechanical skills. The UN-assembled
drop spindles could take a weekend or more depending on the condition
of your king pins, bushings, carriers, link pins and the tools you need,
the trial and error you need to endure and the waiting time you need to
be patient with, should you find an issue along the way.
- It seems like everyone is selling a very similar UN-assembled drop
spindle, why would I want to invest in your set up compared to others?
QC.
Quality Control. Companies say they do it, but they do not. We QC every
set of spindles we get in to eliminate the possibility of down-time the
#AirkewldArmy has to endure when finishing their project. If the PRO's
sign off on the spindle, the carrier, the king pin, the fit, the feel
the finish, it is a guarantee, that you will have the BEST user
experience. Now it's up to you.
- Are you able to guarantee that the assembled spindles on your VW now are done correctly to keep YOU and YOUR family SAFE? If you are, perfect. If you can't, the PRO's at Airkewld will give you that confidence as long as you install them correctly.
- I have slop in my king pins and link pins, does these PRObuilt Drop Spindles fix this problem? They do indeed! With these PRObuilt Drop Spindles, we use a German brand, FEBI king pins and link pins
that come with new bushings. We install the new bushings are ream them
with Volkswagen tools to get the perfect fit and feel. Since these
spindles come with our
reusable link pin chart and install directions, say goodbye to slop with these PRObuilt Drop Spindles.
- I
have heard that early two bolt wheel cylinder drum brake equipped
vehicles have to do a little surfacing to the spindle face to get the
backing plate to fit. Is this accurate?
Indeed it is. The amount
of two-bolt wheel cylinder applications are small, when it comes to
years available. So when vendors decide to make spindles, which takes a
ton of money to make happen, they make them fit a majority of years
rather than the few it might take a mod or two. Using an angle grinder
or something similar to make a small indention in the face remedies this
quickly.
- I want to add disc brakes to my Volkswagen, will your Gen 1 or GEN 2 set of BAD Series Disc Brakes fit them? Yes.
Our BAD Series Disc Brakes fit all DRUM Drop Spindles and do NOT fit
ANY drop DISC spindles. Sounds weird, but other vendors build spindles
that incorporate the caliper mounts in them. We build them so that the
caliper bracket bolts onto the spindle using the backing plate mounts.
It allows for versatility in your build. Drum Brakes, two piston brakes
or four piston brakes. You choose, not us.
Manufactures
- Ultimate Beam - Airkewld
- Torsions - VW of Mexico
- Tie Rods - Airkewld
- Installation Kit - Airkewld
- Adjustable Shocks - Fox Racing/Ridetech
- Spindles - CB Performance/EMPI
Products included in this kit;
- 4" Ultimate Adjustable and Narrowed Beam
- Torsions
- Tie Rods
- Premium Tie Rod Ends
- Steering Dampener
- Beam Bolts
- Rubber Body Pads
- Inspection Plate and seal
- PRObuilt Drop Drum Spindles - Will work with BAD Series Brakes with Wilwood Calipers
- ARP SS Spindle Installation Hardware
- Adjustable front and rear shocks
- ARP SS Spring Plate Hardware
No Body Mods, all bolt-on.
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What does this product fit?
- 1949 through 1965 Type 1 Beetle | Bug | Fusca
1957 through 1965 Karmann Ghia
Vehicles with a Link-Pin front suspension and Swing-Axle rear suspension
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