The Project Pad

I scored a set of these recently and today grabbed a set of front uprights.

Are there any good pics or directions out there? All the posts from Mance are missing their pics.

I also have a set of pro mounts to go with.
Any recommendations on springs?
These go with the URS bilsteins from what I understand right? I got a set of pro-mounts for URS struts on a b4 too.

Honestly, the easiest way to do it is to have the strut in hand. Cut the strut top off just below where it necks down, and test fit it. IIRC, Mance said to cut it off 2" from the top. I'll look through the pics of the sent I made for a different member, and see if I have and descent ones. I may have posted all of them in my BBSE thread here though.

Use a cheap exhaust pipe expander to hold and center the two sections during welding.

audifreakjim wrote:Use a cheap exhaust pipe expander to hold and center the two sections during welding.

That would work if you were using a cut off section from a 4k, or rear strut. With what Mance made, and I have tried to copy, there are two different bore sizes due to the lead cut onto the BBSE.



With this setup, you don't "need" to have the strut on hand, but I still do it to make sure everything is correctly aligned.

One of Mance's other recommendations was to space the BBSE from the strut with a penny, so that you had good weld penetration.

That being said, I actually installed the strut into the housing and lightly threaded the nut on to make sure everything was aligned, and then tacked the extender in place. Then I removed the strut and welded it on fully.

I was looking through my build thread, but it seems I didn't take any pictures of the actually installation of the BBSEs, just the aftermath.

So another question on this - I see that I want P36-0369 Bilsteins for the front of my B4 - what do I install on the rears to match those?

To answer my own question:

From Mance - circa 2011

Add B5/S4 Bilsteins to the rear of the B4, lose the OEM front sway bar altogether and add a B5/S4 rear swaybar & springs and you can hang suspension-wise with most any CQ/B3/B4 DD out there and wipe the floor with all the others!

So you'd have:

FRONT:
34-003695
Old part numbers:
P36-0369
F4-P36-0369-H0
F4-P36-0369-H1


REAR:
24-062145
Old part numbers:
BE3-6214
F4-BE3-6214-H1
F4-BE3-6214-H2

AJUSA.com had the best pricing that I see right now $98.48 on the fronts, $123.74 on the rears - and free shipping

Some progress on these:

First I measured the depth in total of the strut tubes:

14" exactly from the bottom of the deepest part of the strut tube.
Then I cut the old one about 2" from the end of the threads:

The new ones fit right in. Here they are test fitted:


Then Welded and sandblasted to get ready for paint.




Next is powdercoating and install!