[PonchoTom6062]

Does anyone know if lowering a '62 Tempest will affect the rope drive or transaxel? O.K. before all you purists kill me, I am just looking into the prospect of doing something different with this car. The ride height is a little too tall for my taste. Thanks guys (and gals).

[Sirrotica]

The trans axle is solid to the car and doesn't move when the suspension moves so there should be no issue whatsoever in lowering the car in relation to the driveshaft. The rear wheels will have quite a bit of camber angle though when the suspension is lowered and will only use the inner portion of the tire tread, not the best scenario for tire wear or handling.

[U47]

Originally Posted by PonchoTom6062

Does anyone know if lowering a '62 Tempest will affect the rope drive or transaxel? O.K. before all you purists kill me, I am just looking into the prospect of doing something different with this car. The ride height is a little too tall for my taste. Thanks guys (and gals).

Instead of lowering the car by creating negative camber why don't you go to a lower profile tire....say a 225-60-15 series tire.

Don

[b-man]

A little suspension lowering will enhance the handling on a swing axle car.

My friends and I used to lower our early swing axle VWs all the time, it really changed the handling characteristics for the better. We called it 'decambering'.

Tire wear wasn't a big issue if you didn't lower the car excessively, tires wearing a bit faster is a small price to pay for much improved handling.

The installation of a camber compensator really helps too, it keeps the swing axle suspension from 'tucking' the outside wheel during hard cornering (VW application pictured):

http://vwplusvw1500.blogspot.com/200...mpensator.html

[U47]

Originally Posted by b-man

A little suspension lowering will enhance the handling on a swing axle car.

My friends and I used to lower our early swing axle VWs all the time, it really changed the handling characteristics for the better. We called it 'decambering'.

Tire wear wasn't a big issue if you didn't lower the car excessively, tires wearing a bit faster is a small price to pay for much improved handling.

Lowering a Porsche or VW swing axel the way you described starves the wheel bearing for gear oil (oil can't make it up the tube to the bearing) and was not recomended and voided warranties by both manufacturers. Even IRS (68 A/T beetles and 69 through end of production regular beetles) voided warranties for two reasons 1. tire wear and 2. bearing life. Lowering the car by going to a lower profile tire ( not a radical 45-50 series ) but to a 60 series tire will lower the car and NOT change the geometry of the suspension.

Don

[b-man]

Changing the geometry of the suspension will help the handling, there's no reason not to.

We didn't have an issues with bearing life on any of our cars, all of which were way out of warranty.

My daily driver for 5 years was a '66 VW Type II pickup, the factory swing axle suspension was removed in favor of a Type I IRS suspension including trailing arms and CV joints. I put 90K miles on that truck in those 5 years on the same wheel bearings and never any issues, the bearings were good used ones and not new before I put all of those miles on them. Ran 16X8.5 wheels and 205/55-16 tires on it, tire wear was normal and the truck was lowered 4" at all 4 corners.

Modified cars usually won't have the same service life as one that's kept at factory specs. Lowering one's car a bit may shorten service life of certain components, but that doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't do it.

If you like lowered cars, then by all means lower it. Lowering it a lot can lead to problems, a moderate lowering job is fine.

Bart

[U47]

Originally Posted by b-man

A little suspension lowering will enhance the handling on a swing axle car.

My friends and I used to lower our early swing axle VWs all the time, it really changed the handling characteristics for the better. We called it 'decambering'.

Tire wear wasn't a big issue if you didn't lower the car excessively, tires wearing a bit faster is a small price to pay for much improved handling.

The installation of a camber compensator really helps too, it keeps the swing axle suspension from 'tucking' the outside wheel during hard cornering (VW application pictured):

http://vwplusvw1500.blogspot.com/200...mpensator.html

You said early transaxel and that either means split case or tunnel type, both are a single joint per side transaxel. If you de-camber them you will starve the bearing. A C.V. jointed beetle won't starve the bearing because it's a sealed lubricated bearing pressed into a hub. Side by side that bearing will wear faster if it's loaded to one side as opposed to the factory set up which allows the bearing to support the load evenly-that is not me or the factory saying so it's just physics. It really dosen't matter if you drove the car say 100,000 miles that way. What does matter is if the stock setup would go 150,000 miles under the same conditions. My dimes on the stock setup.

[U47]

Originally Posted by PonchoTom6062

Does anyone know if lowering a '62 Tempest will affect the rope drive or transaxel? O.K. before all you purists kill me, I am just looking into the prospect of doing something different with this car. The ride height is a little too tall for my taste. Thanks guys (and gals).

Before doing anything to the car first check the camber of the rear wheels. You might be supprised where the car sits after all this time on the road.

Don

[TIN TIGR]

lower the biotch and tell us how it rides...dont be scared..i like the idea..

[63Banshee]

F the bearings. I'd try this if I wasn't already dropping one by way of a Z06 chassis.

Originally Posted by b-man

A little suspension lowering will enhance the handling on a swing axle car.

My friends and I used to lower our early swing axle VWs all the time, it really changed the handling characteristics for the better. We called it 'decambering'.

Tire wear wasn't a big issue if you didn't lower the car excessively, tires wearing a bit faster is a small price to pay for much improved handling.

The installation of a camber compensator really helps too, it keeps the swing axle suspension from 'tucking' the outside wheel during hard cornering (VW application pictured):

http://vwplusvw1500.blogspot.com/200...mpensator.html

[poci1957]

If you are on the stock tires they are unusually tall for the era. You probably want a lower & wider tire anyway so do that first and maybe it will give you the effect you want without all the extra work. Just watch clearance in the rear fenderwells, good luck.

['62pest]

I cut my coils about 1 1/2 and it still is too high but it rides nice. I am running a 14" wheel with a 185/65 tire. The fender lips did rub until my friend and I gave it the 'ol baseball bat trick. You fellow vdub guys should know that method of rolling in the fender lip. For those that don't, when I lowered my vw's i would put the handle of a baseball bat on the tire and roll the car foward and back on each corner to clearence the fender from the tire to help not rub the tire as much. Thinking back to what it took to make those front wheels on my tempest fit makes me a bit scared, but I guarentee I have the coolest set of wheels you will ever see on a '62 pontiac tempest 4 door ever.

[63Banshee]

If you have fender rub with a 185/65/14 you've got the wrong wheel offset.

['62pest]

Not no more

[GaryK]

Can you post a picture? I would love to see it.
Gary

['62pest]

My car needs reassembled before pictures can be shown. All the body parts are in tact, but the chrome, glass, interior, and engine need put back in. My car does not sit as low as it does without the engine.

[John in Minnesota]

62pest 14" wheels!! From what and they have the correct offset. More info please. Did you take before pictures? As in before tear down. John

['62pest]

Ok ok the cat is out of the bag now. You guys pressured me into revealing what I have for wheels. Let's clear the air first.

Yes I have aftermarket 14" wheels on my car
Yes the back spacing is wrong
Yes the wheels now work with a bit of modification to the suspension
Yes I am running 3/8" spacers to make the wheels clear
Yes the wheels still rub on the fender if I turn too hard.
Yes these wheels are worth it.

Now to the goods.
Originally I wanted a set of forsight venture indy 500. Once I bought them from akhwheels.com I found that they were the wrong bolt pattern. I called terry and he said no those should fit because its a pontiac. Pontiac is the same as a chevy 5 on 4 3/4. Well that may be true for full size, but not the tempest. So I sent them back and he sent me these wheels that I now have sight unseen. I have a set of Parnelli Jones 14" x 6 or maybe 7".

[Sirrotica]

The 4 3/4 bolt circle is correct for Tempests 1964 and newer, pre 64s are 4 1/2.

['62pest]

Which I found out and told the guy I bought my wheels from