Classic VW Beetle Front Air Shocks - Install - How To - Monroe 756
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- Installing Monroe 756 air shocks on the front of Jawbreaker the 1973 Volkswagen Beetle. The air shocks fit the front end of a ball joint suspension.
My apologies for the camera issues.
Thank you for watching.
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Check out my playlists for engine builds, Volkswagen shows and get togethers along with tips and tricks to help keep your Classic VW in the road.
📷You can also find me on Instagram - / vwjawbreaker
💻Email at - 73Jawbreaker@gmail.com
🔷Other great channels to follow in no particular order:
Levi’s Backyard / @levisbackyard
Rob Stapleton - FabWorx / goxtreme1
Slades VW Beetle / @sladesvwbeetle
Vintage Speed VW / @vintagespeedvw7864
Misunderstoodboygenius / nightsky2431
Haptic Garage / @hapticgarage
VeeDub p8 / @veedubp8
5150MXVW / swadmx
Mustie1 / mustie1
Marcijunebug / marcijunebug
Jw Classic VW / @jwclassicvw
VolkswagenPlanet / @volkswagenplanet
Busman 54 / @busman5429
Big W Adventures / @bigwadventures7061
E-Man Deluxe / @emandeluxevlogs
Milage Unknown / @mileageunknown8910
VW Darrin / vwdarrin
EzGz / theezgz
VW Life / @vwlifevw
CT / @ctmoog
Good old Mike / michaelwittmer
Dust Buggy / @dustbuggy
Vané Pinstriping / vanepinstriping
DuckmanCycles and VW garage / duckmancycles
VW Nut 1967 / @vwnut1967
Just wanted to say " THANK YOU " for your time and effort in making these videos. Helps a bunch where we are stuck home.
Mike Briere thank you for being here, that’s what makes the videos worth it to me.... besides people finding them useful lol
Stay safe and healthy.
Great video.
Just a FYI, Its alot less work to press out the sleeves on your old shocks and press them into the new ones.
You use combinations of socket head bolts and sockets to accomplish this in a bench vise or big C-clamp if you don't have a press.
Edit: You can also use a nut and washer with the bolt to remove and install the sleeve. Might want to put a little soap on there to help it slide in...
Thank you and you’re right…. One of those after thoughts when I was already done lol
Lol yours look much much shorter than mines depressed
just brought a pair after watching many videos will keep posted 756 monroe for my baja
Still haven’t had an issue with them on this bug 🤙
Where can i buy them I'm in orange county California if you can tell me please for my 1977 standard bug
Look on Amazon or eBay.
My vw project i would need to name them Snowballer 1, 2 ,3 ,4 etc.. this year my son was paln gettin his 78 on the road just needed a tune up fix the gas gauge and have fun driving it.. .Dad snowballer that up, when I gave him the big bore motor and matching tranny out of Nascar Herbie which lead to him buying a new roll cage, disc brakes, seats , seat belts , tires and now a summer of working on it . My Bad..
Busman 54 the labor of love..... it nickel and dimes us to death. I’m glad he’s making upgrades to his bug to handle the additional hp.
Thanks for the video.
For the rear suspension which one do I use.
Thank you
Hope the video helped you out.
Rear shocks would depend on the year of the car. You’d need to look it up.
I did cutting and drill but what I did was press out old to new 1/2 Inch port for strength
So by doing that you can run a 1/2” air line?
Love the videos. Back in the vw scene after 10 years. I have the empi front disc on my 64 that uses factory drum spindle, but it says I can’t use dropped spindles. Was that what yours was as well?? Thanks for the help
Thank you, glad you’re enjoying the videos.
I honestly couldn’t tell you if the drop spindles were for drum or disk as I got them used from somewhere.
Wish I could be of more help.
@@VWJawbreaker no worries, thanks for the reply and looking forward to more videos
0n ma756 front you didn't have to shave are or nothing and how high does it go back to stock level if needed,I wanted to find right shocks love the way it sits,I have 73 beetle,thanks looks Ike I found them,oh can you make a full uturn or is it shorter
I’m using the air shocks to add a little bit of support since between the beam and drop spindles I’m about 1/4” off of the ground and that’s because who ever welded in the adjusters on the beam welded them incorrectly.
I'm trying Monroe ma 805 on back still have to just back beam
Y'know, I have a pair of these shocks sitting on a shelf gathering dust...hmmm. Where's my tape measure!
Hope they work out!
@@VWJawbreaker All in good time! Right now I have an exhaust project to finish (converting rear muffler to hideaway dual tip).
If those air shocks measure up I'll look at narrower front rubber and drop spindles in the future. Lets get the car on the road again first!
Great work Gary. Loving the low life. BIG THUMBS UP
vwnut 1967 thank you Brian, I greatly appreciated you. Hope you’re staying safe and healthy.
“The snowballer” 👍😆great stuff as always!
marcijunebug if the shoe fits 🤷♂️😂
Informative and entertaining, as always! Hey check out that 1500+ subscribers!!
William Cronin still can’t believe people watch me on here. Thanks for always being awesome.
When i saw the 1st clip of the front..i said DAMN THATS LOW lol...but looked soo good 🤘
I hope the ride is better
VW RICH FLAT4 it was really low. The air shocks at 20psi gives me just enough where I don’t scrape and the ride is great.
Thanks for the video. I plan on doing the same thing to my 68. It’s so low the city should pay me for keeping the roads smooth. Any little pebble or small bump in the road is instantly removed.🤪
Robert Williams lol!
Can you said me the front tire size please ??
155/60/15
Great idea I used similar shocks for the back of a minivan to raise the rear when I towed a pop up camper they worked great I would pump them up when I wanted to tow and would let some air out after for around town for a softer ride 👍
Donald Ferguson they are very diverse that’s for sure.
What size airshocks for 73 beetle rear
Not sure, I only put air shocks on the front and not the rear.
Nice bug...did you use empi trough rode for front beam or this works with stock beam?
Thank you.
The setup here is a 4” narrower beam with adjusters and drop spindles. No through rods. Just using the air shocks to add a tad of lift since the adjusters were welded in wrong by the previous person.
@@VWJawbreaker Thanks...you help me a lot!cheers!
@@alencokic2263 happy to help 🤙
I cant seem to get my car to work with Monroes
The bug will go up but when i air it out it doesnt go back down. i have to sit on the hood to bring the car back down
Are you still running the stock front beam?
Are you trying to use them to raise and lower the car like air bags?
@@VWJawbreaker Stock front beam with through rods, I removed the torsion springs. And ideally yes, I want some up and down action but i think the front is too light weight to compress the shocks even when aired out
@@mangokraken very well could be. I know others with through rods and the same shocks that don’t have an issue.
So. If I use these shocks and put a vacuum in them will it lower my car. Ha Ha. Nice idea and great video.
Randy Peterson haha, thanks man!
Is there a movie for the rear wheel to reform the law?
I’m not sure what you’re asking.
Great job Gary!! The kit came with rubbers? 😳😂 Jawbreaker has a nice stance!! As usual well done!!
Slades VW Beetle yep, free rubbers! They weren’t ribbed though 🤷♂️
VWJAWBREAKER Oh man!!! 😂😂😂
Anyone know if I can get at least a 2in drop adding these shocks with a stock beam and no drop spindles?
Shocks will not give you any drop. You’ll need either an adjustable beam and or drop spindles.
Got it. Thanks for the quick reply.... subscribing now 👊🏽
@@MIGGIE87 anytime and thank you 🤙
Nice shocks, nice stance, nice shine, nice stinger. Nice vid, thanks for the install vid!!
Thank you for being here! Hope you’re staying safe and healthy.
Is bigger the line the faster up and down goes I'm at 1/4 so1/2 will go faster or slower and do I need a stronger compressor I have airlift
Yes, larger line will make it go up and down faster. Not sure about the compressor but make sure you have a decent size air tank so the compressor only has to keep the tank topped off.
What's the minimal tank I can get I'll put behind my back seat
@@VWJawbreaker and where
@@reginaldlarry2962 I’m not running a tank in my car. You’ll probably be ok with a 2 or 4 galling tank, just measure the area you want to put it and look for tank specs from whatever manufacturer you pick.
Bare foot, non edited mistakes, LOVE IT!
I have similar set up. Haven’t done front air shocks yet, just back. So how’s your ride quality w front air shocks in?? And where have you settled on psi for cruising.
That’s right man, you get to see the real me and no bs hype crap lol
With my setup I’m running about 40psi in the front and it rides surprisingly well.
Got a question: when I bought my 68 vw beetle someone had wired up a new key ignition so I ordered a new ignition cylinder when I took it all apart I think I'm missing parts inside the ignition sleeve and I can't find it anywhere!! And I'm not 100 percent sure what I'm looking for. Do you know anybody who would have a 68 vw hole sleeve (where the key goes in) off a donor car. I will pay for it and shipping. Or do you know what part I would be missing?
I don’t know if anyone off hand that would have what you’re looking for. I’ll ask around and get back to you if I find anything.
Hahahaha I know all to well the snowball affect on my Fasty Penelope! Stinger for the win! LOL People used to trip over mine on Bugly All the time! Nice looks like some decent travel!
Snowball effect seems to be the story of my life lately lol
Lost sound on your side not mine, on my 73beetlle to put air shocks on front and back with compressor can I use a plastic hose,want to up,down at same time,do I need to take out bars on front beam or can I just use airshocks
Does that line come with shocks or separate what kind of release valve and switch I need to release air from inside car
I’ll check the video, thanks.
You can use the plastic hose that it comes with but the air up and down will take longer with small hose. Best to go up to 1/4” if possible.
I don’t have mine setup like you’re asking, best thing to do is look for air ride kit so you get the valves, etc that you need to do what you want.
What airshocks for rear ma803 from Amazon is that wrong one for rear still in box I bought airlift kit already do I use ma756 for rear also and drill out also on 73 beetle do I have to grind part of arm for ma756 front to fit
@@reginaldlarry2962 not sure about the rear, I only put air shocks on the front.
I’ve gotta talk 2 U about the 67 I just bought. You are definitely the guy 2 talk to. This will be our first experience with the LOW LIFE! 🤔🙄I’ll be calling you soon! Love the great information and guidance on How Liw can U GO??!?🤔🙄
Can’t wait to see what you do with the 67! Hit me up 🤙
Another Great Video for Us from You. Thanks for sharing your learning experience. I just put new shocks on all 4 corners, that was a pain in the Butt sitting on the gravel doing that job. Can’t wait to see you on the road again. You take care and keep VeeDub’n for all of us. BigW:-)
Big W Adventures sitting on the gravel must have been a pain!
Hope you’re both staying safe and healthy, have a wonderful rest of your week!
Who make your beam?
Not sure, bought it used.
Fun stuff, VWJAWBREAKER. You've really transformed that car into something unique, can't wait to see it again!
Haptic Garage were long overdue for a hang out!
Just received my ma756 but cannot depress by hand like yours went down a hair then stopped do I have a bad pair or what or do I need to adjust them and how,can't get to go down,help
Did you loosen up the plug where the air line connects?
Yes doesn't go to numbers on shocks like yours how far is it suppose to go down,feels like it's stuck what's your measurements expanded and depressed from top screw area to bottom of shock,yours go down to the numbers mine move maybe a half inch,need help please trying to install,my other shocks can depress by hand
@@reginaldlarry2962 I’m not sure what the exact measurements are, you should be able to find those on the manufacture web site. Seems like yours may be sticking, hard to say what’s going on without being there.
I've learned a lot on previous videos thank you so much your my hero lol still need help on shocks part tho thank you,but Love your videos your funny also,great instructor for beginners
Sorry to keep bothering you but how can stop sticking part I think I saw on another video you had this problem
Hey Gary! No snowballs in Louisiana now. Just a little hail. Hope the family is doing well. Oops! You forgot to cut the ends before drilling them things out. Oh well, we all make mistakes. Moe
jdmeaux no snowballs here either.... ever lol
Stay safe and healthy my friend!
I’m back again Jawbreaker. Finally installed these Monroe’s up front. So…mine are rubbing the upper trailing/control arm. Figure they’ll eventually run through the airbag. I ground the arm some but still on it. Also I’m going to have to adj my beam down as these shocks bottom out higher than the regular shocks I had. Did drive it at 40lbs and it’s as nice ride and don’t hit the random cans in the road anymore
Hmmm…. Not sure why yours are rubbing. Try running a washer between the shock and the spindle mount? Maybe that’ll space it over just a tad.
Glad it’s riding good for ya 👍
Same problem here, '69 Beetle. No way I can live with that. I already drilled/cut the bottom fastener so I'm stuck...
What year is ur bug
1973
Omg 😱 your my inspiration for this type of setup for my suv!! 😭😩 I thank you so much because I’m actually in the process of doing this! Thank you soo much!
Glad you found the video helpful. 👍
What do you need to do to get this to work? Drop spindles? Adjustable beam? Thru-rod mod?
I’m not using the air shocks to raise and drop like an air ride setup, I’m using them to help support the front end since whoever welded in the adjusters in the beam clocked them wrong. With the beam all of the way up, drop spindles, the frame head was 1/2” off of the ground.
They are all ball busters. You can name them whatever you want to. Lol oh, thank God you put on your shoes. The drill chips could have cut your feet! Great video Gary. Have a fantastic day. Jim
Jim Lester that they are Jim! I know when to wear shoes 👍
Hi Gary can you explain how these work please? I noticed when you installed it you had to jack the spindle up with isn’t that lost travel. So when you pump them with air won’t that reduce the travel further? Instead of bottoming our now the travel stops on the airbag in the shock to prevent grounding out? Doesn’t that stiffen up the ride even more and introduce bump steer? Like the idea just trying to figure the benefit. Thanks Steve
porsche356a these work the same as regular shocks. Yes I had to Jack the spindle up a little with the shock almost fully extended, the shock was not 100% extended. However I’ll never be at that ride height all of the way maxed out like that. I’m only running 20psi in the shocks to being the front of the car up around 3/4” which gives me plenty of ground clearance. No bump steer, smooth ride.
It looks like the driver side had tighter clearance on the arm and you had to space the shock further inboard. Look forward to seeing how your going to air it up on the road conveniently. Tired of driving mine on the scrape.
Sean Powers just running it at 20psi for now, I might mess around with stuff later down the road. I did need to put a washer between the arm and the shock on the driver side to keep the shock from barley touching the arm. It might have been fine but did it anyway.
Nice upgrade man!
👍
Gary if I would want some shocks for lifting and lowering mu bug, what would you recommend?
Shocks aren’t going to give you much travel up and down but these air shocks would work well up front. You may have to take the torsion out of the top or bottom and install a through rod also.
Are you still running the Monroe756? Been wanting to air my ride but looking for a air shock with good enough quality
Yes sir, still running them without issues!
I have learned a lot of things from your videos,thank you so much,I'm going to make sure you get a raise on your next paycheck lol
Haha, like my boss said… if I want a raise get a taller ladder 😂
Glad to see you made it to the dark side:) you can always carry a small bicycle pump if you want some adjustment on the road. Careful though your on a slippery slope soon you'll want it lower and lower than you'll need to have air front and back.... or maybe thats just me.lol keep up the good work
V8N8T great point, however this is as low as I can go and still drive the pants off of the car. I do have a great electric air compressor that I always carry with me.
@@VWJawbreaker my driving ride height is Slightly higher than yours but its nice to air it out and have it sitting on its nuts! I can still drive mine on the ground but choose not to I don't need to ruin my car to be a half inch off the ground. It is nice when you go to work on something just hit a button and up it goes:)
+V8N8T excellent point. I’ve been toying around with a diy style tank setup for the front. Need some cash first before I can pull the trigger.
VWJAWBREAKER we did a bike pump for a while, but last summer ordered a little $60 air compressor...push button in dash and bam, easy...works great with air shocks, I can send you the brand we ordered, and it fits perfect in beetle right behind glove box area up front
@@VWJawbreaker my first setup was a harbor freight aluminum tank with a lifetime warranty 12v air compressor from O'Reillys and manual ball valves in the car, whole setup cost around 100 bucks and was fun till i upgraded:) I like marci's idea better though for on the cheap
Looks good.
Does that garage door have a tight clearance with that stinger!
Vintage Speed VW it’s a little snug.... stupid small garage 😂
Love the videos man keep them coming
Josh Hill I hope to be able to do that. Thanks for being here and stay safe out there.
does adding air to the shock lift the beam further from the ground also? curious if I could add these shocks as a way to get a tow bar under the car
Yes sir, it sure does!
Nice one Gary, are you putting an onboard compressor on as well or just leaving it and blowing up when your back home ?
Dean Robinson not sure yet. Right now I’m just leaving it at 20psi and driving around. Haven’t had to put air back in the shocks yet.
Are you running a narrowed beam? What did you do with the adjusters on the beam leave them loose so you can raise and lower the front?
Joshua Poche I’m running a 4” narrowed beam. Adjusters are set in place and tight. Air shocks just help preload a little
Nice!! I like that idea!! Keep up the awesome videos!!
ils360 I thanks buddy, I appreciate you being here!
Hey man Kevin here from Australia. Looks like a good solution to a problem. But why not move the air valve inside to the cabin and run a small compressor to a small air tank.
Could look nice.
Q. Can you drop something heavy on those safety boots i wana see them do their stuff.
Anyhoo as usual stay safe and stay well. ✌ Peace man
Kevin Hamling I’m working on a lil something down the road. The valve up front is just temporary I hope. Set the pressure and leave it alone.
I know, maybe one day I’ll wear proper shoes 🤷♂️
The pumps can be expensive but are available as a kit.
You can even get self leveling/programmable kits using ride height sensors.
Low, normal, high and off road like a range rover
What size tires you got on the front? I your ajustable beam narrow?
4” narrowed adjustable beam. I bough the beam used and whoever put the adjusters in clocked them wrong. I didn’t realize that until I put the drop spindles on and the frame head was 1/2” off of the ground with the adjusters all the way up. Front tires are a 155/60/15.
I originally thought you named your car after the hard ride.Shortly after that you clarified that it was the paint.glad you are making progress getting a better drive out of jawbreaker.i believe ride height and performance should work in harmony.Anything else creates unwanted wear and tear on other components.Keep up the great work.
Rich Peacock I couldn’t agree more Rich!!
Stay safe and well buddy!
I can't wait to see how it rides down the road!
Did you cut your upper trailing arms to clear the air shocks?
I did not, they bolted right in on both sides. Some have said they needed to clearance the arms a tad with a grinder, be careful not to weaken them.
Well, in order to clear mine I had to cut off quite a bit
@@michaelnibblett2089 I’ve heard some say that but I haven’t experienced it myself.
I hate to admit but in order to clear mine I had to cut off a lot
@@michaelnibblett2089 oh wow
I just bought a set of these for my 66. Im on 2.5" drop spindles and converted to disc on 2.5" drop spindles. Unfortunately the disc brake kit pushed the wheels out even further than the drop spindles on the drums. It's so stupid. Im hoping that these shocks will fix the occasional rubbing as I dont want to have to narrow my beam. Fingers crossed.
Fingers crossed is all you can do. Normally with disk brakes people usually have to narrow the front beam. Let me know how it works out for you.
How did it work out? I think I’ll have the same issue.
@@westsidesurfsnaps I ground down the calipers a little and they worked. Since I've had the front beam narrowed two inches which has nothing to do with the wheels rubbing it just looks better and I can drop it on the ground now.
Now I'm real interested in how she handles. I can't wait to see a test drive.
Mas Beetleboy she’s handling good so far with only 20psi in the shocks.
Thanks for being here and stay safe!
@@VWJawbreaker couple of questions, do you get the air transfer from one shock to the other when cornering? Also, I noticed that you didn't use the through rod upgrade, any advantages or disadvantages in not installing through rods? Last question...have you tried to drive it with all the air out of the shocks, in the event that you lose all air in your shocks how far off the ground would it end up? Thanks, Love your Videos by the way don't stop making them they are great.
@@gustavorodriguez6997 great questions my friend.
I installed the air shocks because whoever installed the beam adjusters installed them wrong. With the beam adjusted all the way up, I’m still too low to the ground. So, with the air shocks I run approx 40-50lbs of pressure and that raises the front enough that I don’t hit everything going down the road. I did not do through rods since I didn’t want “air ride”. Also, I left the beam adjusters adjusted to the max upper position so even if I lose pressure the beam will still be off of the ground…. Barley 😂
I have not had any issues with cornering and I do drive this car pretty hard at times.
Also, to date I’ve never had an issue with losing air or any other issues with this setup. Again, I didn’t do this for true “air ride”.
@@VWJawbreaker Thanks for the reply, I am in a similar situation, I have a 68' that was lowered with drop spindles and a 4-inch narrow beam along with offset wheels, I can perform a 3 point turn with absolutely no rubbing but it sits exactly 1 1/2 inches off the ground, so for peace of mind I added a skid plate "WOW!" I hit and scrape everything, thinking of changing the Bugs name to SKR8PIN, so last weekend I went on a 200-mile trip and bottomed out so hard that I bent the skid plate and the fuse box cover shattered and landed in my lap, lol. So I searched through UA-cam and came across your post, this is exactly what I need, just enough air in the front to lift it to travel to shows and air it out when I get there, I have a portable air compressor that will work just fine but wanted to know if you actually drive at the very bottom Zero air? is there any play in the shocks? thanks again for your help and keep up the content!
@@gustavorodriguez6997 oh man, you hit hard to cause all that!
Without air I’m about 1/4-1/2” off the ground, with a little bit of air I hover about 3/4”-1” off the ground…. No skid plate either 😂
Same boat though, barrows beam, drop spindles, stock rims with smart car 155 tires.
I haven’t driven it without air and usually keep the air in the system.
Definitely put a grommet in that hole, it will cut that line down. Better yet sleeve the air line to the shock with something similar to a small Id rubber line so road debris doesn't flip up and cut it.
**👍✌️
Sleeve it is what I did.... used some small diameter clear tubing, sliced it down the middle to make a inch long sleeve for the air line.
Nice catch man and thanks for chiming in.
@@VWJawbreaker I just found your page tonight so I haven't watched everything yet. Just a quick question, is the front beam narrowed?
@@kdigiacomo no worries man, I appreciate you being here.
Yes, this beam is narrowed 4”.
Hello, i'm from Brazil and i will do It on mine 74' beetle, to do this, you needed to disable the torsion leaf Springs? The car didn't come to hard?
All of the torsion leafs are still in place. I added them to be able to dial in the front ride height.
@@VWJawbreaker ok, thank you a Lot. Hugs from Brazil.
Paddock anytime 🙏🤙
I've been thinking about doing air shocks but possibly adding the air compressor and tank to be able to adjust ride height on the fly. Thoughts? . As always thanks for the great videos!
Vdub618 it would definitely work, you’ll just need to upgrade the lines from the small 1/8” the shocks come with to larger.
@@VWJawbreaker oh ..good to know thanks!
Vdub618 they make adapters that screw onto the air shock to give you 1/4” line.
Thank Thank so much will continue to watch for more input
I appreciate the feedback sir.
A half inch step bit works like it was designed for it.
gsxr419 good point
Hey Gary are you on 2 1/2 drop spindles as well?
KUTZFRECH yes sir I sure am! Whoever welded these adjusters in the beam didn’t clock them correctly.
Thank's for the video.
Douglas Barnhart thank you for being here.
Do you think I need to put the 2 inch drop spindle on or just use the air shocks?
I doubt you will need to unless your beam adjusters were put in wrong like mine were.
@@VWJawbreaker thank you for your fast response. Love your videos . I have a 68 bug. I have the 2 inch drop spindles but if the air shocks will lower the front inn I was just use the shocks. I ordered them today.
do you still have the sway bar on the car?
No sir, I’m running a narrowed beam.
Great Video thanks!
Thank you for the comment.
seems like a good solution!
Matt Jackson it’s been working well so far. Stay safe and healthy!
Awesome
. Love your videos 🤙
Thank you, I appreciate you being here!
Great video as usual very informative love that bug
N Turner I appreciate you being here. Hope you’re staying safe and healthy.
This stuff hit very close to home lost a family member a few infected but God is pulling us through. Your videos are a great distraction I can gain knowledge without any negative vibes love seeing your son help you I have four sons and we are getting ready to start our first of at least four bugs. Thanks again your content is awesome be safe and be blessed
N Turner I’m sorry to hear you’re dealing with all of that. Thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family.
Do those fit any year??
Sir Ernest ball joint front end only. From what I was told, king pin front ends take different shocks.
@@VWJawbreaker ok thank you
She looks fantastic
Lara Hadington thanks buddy.
No problem