Hello all. This is my first post on here and I am happy to see we are talking rabbit dampers. I am no engineer and have very little knowledge of suspenders. I am also building a rabbit into a stage rally car. I know, I know why am I building a rabbit. I love VW's and a very good friend of mine owns a VW shop. I own the old Thirdlane motorsport rabbit aswell and I am in the middle of transferring what is left of the poor old girl over to a mint 82 rabbit shell. I have the old dampers on the car and wondering if they are rebuildable or just junk? Sorry Im not a photographer either.... Any ideas John?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/2009 01:52PM by slidewaysrally.

pikespeakgtx Wrote:
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> It will never be as good.
>

Why not?
I see more golfs listed on the podium in wrc events than bmw's. (2 for bmw vs 4 for vw)
I dont think you can really compare a full-on prodrive built top level bmw on tarmac against a club golf on gravel. A more even comparison would be against an f2 mk3 gti, but no one is building any 2wd car to that level here in the us.

The golf is a great platform. I've rallied mine for the last 6 years, although now I'm looking to switch to rwd for a little different flavor. I'd definately pick a golf instead of a rabbit, though. But I dont think fwd has any disadvantages or advantages to rwd speed-wise over the course of a rally. Sure, some may be more suited to some situations, but overall I think it about evens out.

A bmw would be fun as well. I think either will go just as fast for the same money spent.

Carl S Wrote:
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> pikespeakgtx Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > It will never be as good.

Yeah, I don't buy that either.
> >
>
> Why not?
> I see more golfs listed on the podium in wrc
> events than bmw's. (2 for bmw vs 4 for vw)
> I dont think you can really compare a full-on
> prodrive built top level bmw on tarmac against a
> club golf on gravel. A more even comparison would
> be against an f2 mk3 gti, but no one is building
> any 2wd car to that level here in the us.

Exactly.
>
> The golf is a great platform. I've rallied mine
> for the last 6 years, although now I'm looking to
> switch to rwd for a little different flavor. I'd
> definately pick a golf instead of a rabbit,
> though. But I dont think fwd has any
> disadvantages or advantages to rwd speed-wise over
> the course of a rally. Sure, some may be more
> suited to some situations, but overall I think it
> about evens out.

Again agreed.
>
> A bmw would be fun as well. I think either will
> go just as fast for the same money spent.

Well there I do disagree from just the cost of gearsets and findrive.

Budget aside, tho a well built---properly geared, diffed car of either drive configuration can and do work just as well.

But budget is never for us mere mortals an aside consideration.

(building a hot motor costs the same regardless of if it sits North South in a rwd car or sideways in a fwd car. And since a car needs to have lots of "Ax" (acceleration) there is where we can see lots of differences.
Normal aspirated will only make so much torque so we eventually try and make it rev more AND then we gear it shorter. If we raise the point where max revs occurs very much we tend to also raise the point peak torque is and bring it closer to peak HP, we NARROW the motors powerband, and then we start to think about GEARSETS.
And you all know its several orders of magnitude more expensive when you look at the costs of gearsets for even VW vs rwd boxes.

That's why I push the 2,3 turbo cars I push.
They make enough torque STOCK (and even more with just a 3" exhaust and an OK intercooler) that they don't need a close ratio gearset, don't NEED really short gearing and still can be quicker than a built NA motor especially if the build was compromised by not wanting to be so rad as to absolutely demand REAL close ratios.

In THAT view, a some specific rwd cars can be much cheaper to build and run since so little is need to mod to go the same speed on stages as a pretty hot fwd car.

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

The two videos were hardly a fair comparison.

Kevin,

I replied to your e-mail. Did you get it?

Those struts can be rebuilt. Pull the inserts out first. You may want to talk to John. I think he has a batch going out for rebuild soon.

Robert.

---

Robert.

"You are way too normal to be on Rally Anarchy." Eddie Fiorelli.

Rallymech Wrote:
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> The two videos were hardly a fair comparison.
>
> Kevin,
>
> I replied to your e-mail. Did you get it?
>
> Those struts can be rebuilt. Pull the inserts out
> first. You may want to talk to John. I think he
> has a batch going out for rebuild soon.
>

Yeah gimme a call after dark.
Spin the nut off and whip 'em apart. Clean at the top of the chrome tube and see if there are marks, then call.

JohnV
I have about 10 ready to send.
> Robert.

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Yes i did get the email, thanks a lot Robert. I am still figuring out what I am going to do with the cage. The inserts cannot be pulled out. I tried to get the pics to show that there is no nut on the top, where there usually is on stock struts. I cant figure out how they come apart.

They're inverted inserts.
The nut thats missing in this pic:

Is what you need to take off. Then the insert should come out.
Although if you're getting them rebuilt you may want to send the whole thing so they can replace the seal on the housing and inspect the bushings inside.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/2009 04:51PM by Carl S.

Here are some more pics. Hopefully they are more helpful

OK great, thank you so much for the help gentlemen. Heading back to the garage

With the slot in there I think you turn the shaft to unscrew it from the housing, then it'll come out.

Turboing the inline bmw 6 cyl engine is routine. Which puts the BMW in the same class as the 2.3L ford stuff. No fancy gearsets needed other than maybe a final drive.

You stand a better chance putting big power down to the ground with the RWD config where at a certain point FWD can't put down big power and still have cope with steering the car.

---

Michael LeCompte

All right.... I am embarrassed I couldn't figure that out. I am new to this though. So bear with me.

I had trouble threading them out initially but a little heat helped out. I kind of munched the slot on one of them. One of them blew up on me when I pulled it out of the housing as well.

Thanks a lot guys and I will try to get in touch with you John when the time comes.
I am just starting to seam weld the shell now and saving for material for the cage.

I am happy to know that they are INSERTS and can rebuilt. About how much is it to have them rebuilt?

Again thanks everyone

Carl S Wrote:
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> > With the slot in there I think you turn the
> shaft to unscrew it from the housing, then it'll
> come out.

Yeah but all youse guys, that thread is M10 x 1. Fuckin fine thread. I anti-sieze 'em up but that fine thread wants to BOND with the tube so

Favorite penatrating oil first, ad some moderate heat, give it a test and if it refuses to budge, more squirt-ums and more heat.

You don't want to kill the threads.
ALSO be careful you get a screwdriver that fits the slot, you can deform the slot and that upsets the threads and you'll have a hellofa time getting the burr thru the strut bottom so check and see if you make a burr while you're being fawkin savages, and if you did make a burr, dress it down before trying to force it thru the bottom and fuckin up both the rod threads and the strut bottom.
(Everything can be repaired but no point in killing stuff needlessly.)

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

I got a deadline moved, I will be out for 2 months. see you guys later. thanks for everything.

---

www.frankthewelder.com
www.sinisterbikes.com
learning the ropes by wrapping them around my neck