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Yikes... close one!

I think my Beetling season has come to an end...... On my way home tonight at close to 70km/h I heard a sudden bang and was thrown across several lanes of traffic.

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It took all I had to keep myself off the concrete island and out of the light standard!

I haven't made a full assessment but it looks like the lower ball joint completely seperated; at this point it also looks like the shock tower has been severely damaged.

Thoughts and comments?

Is it worth trying to repair this end or would I be better off getting a new bean (phase II spindle to spindle)? I'm opting for a full beam because I'm a little suspect about the other side shock tower and the beam itself => it was pushed inta a couple of rough spots on the road before I cam to a stop.

How hard is it to remove and replace the entire beam? Can it be done without pulling the body?

Right now, I'm just thankful that no one got hurt!

Thanks for your comments.

Mike Zeeb

Reply to
Canuck V'dubber aka Michael Ze
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Beam me up, Scotty!!

Close one. Fairly straight forward to change the beam. Body does not come off but the fuel tank comes out. Some hefty bolts to undo, but no hill for a climber...

Glad you're OK.

Speedy Jim

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Reply to
Speedy Jim

Should have added:

Before you even buy a new beam, carefully inspect the frame head for rust. If the beam rusted, there's a fair chance there is rust elsewhere. Jim

Reply to
Speedy Jim

Thanks for all the advice Speedy.

I'll have a good look around once I get it home.

Reply to
Canuck V'dubber aka Michael Ze

Yikes! Glad you're alright! That looks scary. I would lean towards replacing the whole beam. They're not terribly expensive, and it shouldn't be too difficult to put in. In order to remove the old one, I think you need to cut through the front bumper braces becuase they're in the way. After you replace the beam, you can weld them back on, or bolt them to the side a little further up. You have to remove the gas tank (easy, drain it first, DON'T SMOKE around draining or the empty tank. The fumes inside make it an armed bomb) and pull it out. Then there's four bolts holding the beam to the framehead....and maybe two that hold the beam to the body? Watch for rust, if you see an surface stuff under there grind/sand/wirebrush it off and POR15 it. Those four bolts may be tough to get out, I think they're torqued to 100-something foot pounds.

Good luck!

PS: I can't really tell from the pic, but is there any body damage? That's one nice looking car you've got there.

~ANthony

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Reply to
Anthony

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