December 30, 1998

I bit the bullet today and took my Double Cab to the Volkswagen dealership
in Prince George to get my springs installed.  I found out that I had
frostbite on my knees from trying to install the springs myself on
Christmas Day!  The whole operation took three hours and this included
installing new ball joints on both sides.

How did the operation go? - PERFECT! The front of my Double Cab was
successfully raised 2" or 5cm depending on how you want to look at it.  Now
the distance between the fender and the center of the wheel axle is 52cm
(originally 47cm).  These prototype springs that I have installed are also
20% stiffer.  To be quite honest it is barely noticeable there is extra
stiffness when driving - doing silly stuff in a parking lot does produce
less body roll. So I guess I achieved my design goals with these springs.

The employees and many of customers at the dealership were amazed at my
Syncro that dwarfed the Westie that it was parked next to!  The 27" tires
and the lift kit sure make a difference!  Perhaps I should call it a
poor-mans Unimog!

Next step in the evolution - drive around on these springs for a few
thousand kilometers and see if anything changes.  Then, if all goes well,
I'll get a production run ordered up!

For those who are interested, I will be in Vancouver BC from January 10th
to the 12th (Comdex) so if anyone is interested in coffee - I'm buying!

--    David Marshall - Vanagon List Administrator    --
-- 78 1.8L VW Rabbit, 80 2.0L VW Caddy, 87 Audi 5KSQ --
-- 85 VW Cabriolet, 88 2.0L VW Syncro 16" Double Cab --
-- Volkswagen Homepage   http://www.volkswagen.org   --
-- Classic H2O VW Parts  http://www.fastforward.ca   --
-- mailto:david@volkswagen.org - Quesnel, BC, Canada --