Page 1 of 1

Front brake disc conversion.

Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 9:10 pm
by ZeroAxe
Ok, I am NOT going to sound like an idiot asking "How do I fit discs to my Beetle?" What I AM going to ask for is SPECIFICS. Bearing size specifics to be exact.

I have aksed on the forum before, but had no answers. I have looked/searched, but nothing SPECIFIC came up. So here I am..... I am not being one of those "feed me" type of people, I have done some searching of my own on this subject. But FIRST of all, here, with these @#&$%* French people, I dont get any damn answers! If something is not the everyday run-of-the-mill thing, "I DONT KNOW" is all you get :evil: I spoke to Chris, but he didnt have specifics on hand either......

Now that you all know where I am coming from, HERE is my request:

With the front disc brake conversion with stock Beetle spindles, what are the inner and outer bearing sizes? When I mean sizes, I am referring to:
1. The internal diameters of both internal and external bearings that fits on the Beetle spindle.
2. The external diameters of both internal and external bearings that fits INSIDE the Golf 1 disc brake.
3. The thickness of both internal end external bearings?

Today I MIGHT have made some progress. I asked someone what bearings to use, and he said that normal Beetle or Golf bearings would work in either case, as they are 100% the same. I was like "No shit! You are pulling my leg." He insisted. So, I went and tried to dig up some info, and this is what I came up with from an internet site.

Golf REAR wheel bearings(a set):
1st bearing
External dia. 50.292mm
Internal dia. 29mm
Thickness 14.732mm

2nd bearing
External dia. 39.878mm
Internal dia. 17.462mm
Thickness 14.605mm


Beetle FRONT wheel bearings(a set):
1st bearing
External dia. 50.292mm
Internal dia. 29mm
Thickness 14.732mm

2nd bearing
External dia. 39.878mm
Internal dia. 17.462mm
Thickness 14.605mm

The Spindles that I have here measures as follows:
29mm for the inner 'shoulder'(closest to the centre of the car)
17.5mm for the outer 'shoulder'
For either bearing, I cant measure the thickness as I dont know where the reference marks would be on the spindle 'shoulders'


Now, was this French guy actually right for once? Come on guys, yes, YOU that do these conversions......, help a man out here 8)

Re: Front brake disc conversion.

Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 9:34 pm
by Tony Z
If one of you guys have the bearing lying around but dont have a vernier, just post the numbers on the bearings, those can be traced back and the dimensions and type of the bearing can be found thru that info.

Sorry Zero, cant help any more from here.

Re: Front brake disc conversion.

Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 9:35 pm
by Tony Z
ZeroAxe wrote: But FIRST of all, here, with these @#&$%* French people, I dont get any damn answers! )
Glad to hear I am not alone on this...

Re: Front brake disc conversion.

Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 9:48 pm
by Chris
Zero,I thought you said the guy said that the front wheel bearings on a Golf and a Beetle are the same.

Sorry,I understood you wrong.I know the front w/bearings are one solid bearing.The rear ones are 2 sets though,but I'm not sure about the sizes.

Re: Front brake disc conversion.

Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 10:16 am
by ZeroAxe
Well Chris, that is what I understood too! When I actually ended up writing down, after double checking, I found out that the Golf bearings were indeed for the rear!

So I found this surprising for once, that things MIGHT just be so simple!? :shock:

Re: Front brake disc conversion.

Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 10:18 am
by ZeroAxe
PS. FYI ONLY ::::::: The front bearing dimensions for the Golf is something like:
Int. Dia. 34mm
Ext. Dia. 64mm
Thickness 37mm

And for the Rear of a Bug I got these:
Int. Dia. 30mm
Ext. Dia. 72mm
Thickness 19mm

Re: Front brake disc conversion.

Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 7:01 am
by ZeroAxe
**BUMP**

Re: Front brake disc conversion.

Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 8:20 am
by Chris
I went to a spare shop last night and asked to look in their bearing and seal catalogue.The front bearings on a 71,72 and 78 Beetle is the same as the rear wheel bearings on a Golf.

The bearing kit number is KT 108.

You learn something new everyday!

Re: Front brake disc conversion.

Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 8:45 am
by louisvr45
Hi do any one know if its possible to do a disk convertion on a 1968 splitwindow kombi/fleetline. If so whats the steps and whats the est costs?

Re: Front brake disc conversion.

Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:51 pm
by ZeroAxe
Thanks Chris. So this French website was right too(what a surprise that it was THAT EASY to find the info :shock: ).....

Now, should I, or shouldnt I buy the bearings?

Re: Front brake disc conversion.

Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:52 pm
by ZeroAxe
PS. louisvr45, I dont have any fleetline spindles laying about here. But I would only assume that if both the Fleetline and Bug spindles are the same, you should be able to do the conversion without a problem.....

anyone got a Vernier and a Fleetline spindle?

Re: Front brake disc conversion.

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 9:37 am
by RONALDO NO 9
ok so you saying fitting the rear golf bearings on the front of the beetle i can do the conversion
is it really that simple

Re: Front brake disc conversion.

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 10:06 am
by Chris
It seems to be.

Re: Front brake disc conversion.

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 11:03 am
by RONALDO NO 9
so i just need hubs bearings and disks and calipers

Re: Front brake disc conversion.

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 11:15 pm
by ZeroAxe
This is still my personal 'myth' that seems to be out there.... either that, or it is a closely guarded secret!!!

Hubs should be obvious, they should be on your Bug already :lol: Other than the bearings and calipers, you ALSO need the caliper brackets to 'hang' your calipers from....