WTB: A1 externally threaded front strut housings in CA or near.

[wolf_walker]

I'm stuck with a pair of these non-rebuildable Boge strut assembles so I need some housings, either bare or I'd be interested in some with good Bilstein HD's if I happened to come across them.  But at least a pair of good strut housings.  I'm in Santa Barbara, closer the better.

[Worldwide73]

I have these, one internal, one external

[8v-of-fury]

Buy new, any used ones you will find will be.. well, used.

They will be rusted, rotted and dented. And usually fitting new cartridges to them is a PITA.

www.autoparstway.com my friend. $54 ea. Gets you the housing, and a strut. Sure they may only last 75k, but then you have a pristine housing to work with

[wolf_walker]

That's the ill begotten hencho en mehico POS I'm replacing now because you can't put a new cartridge in them

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[Worldwide73]

I've also bought a set of sealed struts, actually went to 4 sets and never got a good set. 

[wolf_walker]

I've been round and round the last few years with Boge/Sachs, with very, very, very few exception non of there stuff is worth a damn since ZF bought them and started merging and shuffling there respective markets around and moving production to Mexico.  If you manage to get a good one they might be marginally better than Monroe or such from the McParts store, but that's about it.  Real shame too, some of the old school Turbo-Gas ones were pretty decent for the money.  Bilstein and Koni are really about it for early watercooled VW's anymore.  I've used new-production Boge/Sachs on VW and Volvo with crappy results several times over now, interestingly I've still been able to get what I assume is NOS green Boge dampers for old Porsche cars that are still German made and of quality, I bet they run out eventually though.

And Worldwide73, I'd really like a pair that match and are both externally threaded, from what I gather Bilstein only sends the upper nut for the externally threaded models with there cartridges anymore instead of both, and it's another headache I want to avoid.

[Worldwide73]

I completely understand.  Both are in good condition, not beat up or rusted out.  So if you can find one good one external I have one good one.

B

[CRSMP5]

go looking for the my next delem thread in gen section.. i talked about how boge got ruined when sachs took them over.. how i hate mcparts/monroe, discuss how bilstine pissed me off... and my thoughts on a set of koni adjustables i got.. koni you gotta reuse your old nuts.. and fits both internal/external housings...

ill be honest.. about 2k on konis now.. very happy with adjustment in 180* turn, and price i paid for them.. $150 for the pair.. they were lightly used.. if i had to pay the ~200 each.. id be a little pissed.. my old 1998 boge pro gas set i have feel much better.. and i have less then 4 bills in all 4 of them...  

sorry i cannot help.. BUT maybe theman53 may have saved a pair.. we dicussed me getting them.. kubvan has internal.. he had external.. but he also in ohio...

[wolf_walker]

It's such a freakin pain, I sell Euro car parts for a living and have watched them become crap a piece at a time over the years. 
It's hard to keep these damn cars going when the parts don't last.  I pulled an original 400K miles ball joint off my 82 last week that was pretty
worn out but was likely just fine 50K ago, and the boot was still fine.  My inner tie-rods are original at 400K and not loose a bit.
My 81 truck we had since it was very young and saw similier lifespan on the original front end parts and axles.  I haven't found much I can't wear the hell
out in 40K miles of driving, which didn't take long for me before I moved out west.

[R.O.R-2.0]

It's such a freakin pain, I sell Euro car parts for a living and have watched them become crap a piece at a time over the years. 
It's hard to keep these damn cars going when the parts don't last.  I pulled an original 400K miles ball joint off my 82 last week that was pretty
worn out but was likely just fine 50K ago, and the boot was still fine.  My inner tie-rods are original at 400K and not loose a bit.
My 81 truck we had since it was very young and saw similier lifespan on the original front end parts and axles.  I haven't found much I can't wear the hell
out in 40K miles of driving, which didn't take long for me before I moved out west.

thats what pushed me away from mk1 cars..

having suspension components be yearly service items is a pain in the @ss...

i got tired of replacing struts and wheel bearings all the time, so i got rid of my mk1s.

[wolf_walker]

I see the same problems with A1 VW's as I do with 80's Volvos, and to a lesser extent Mercedes and Saab.  What did you move to?

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[R.O.R-2.0]

I see the same problems with A1 VW's as I do with 80's Volvos, and to a lesser extent Mercedes and Saab.  What did you move to?

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i moved from mk1s to mk2s..

the suspension is much tougher, and lasts much longer..

ive been driving my 86 Golf for over 2 years now.. the suspension feels as good today, as the day i put it in there..

if it were a mk1, instead of a mk2, it would be time to replace the suspension i put in it 2 years ago..

i used to bottom out the front suspension on my rabbit almost daily..

ive only bottomed the front suspension out on a mk2 once, maybe twice in my life.. the second time is questionable, because i was entirely too drunk to be sure..

[wolf_walker]

I think quality of parts is more the issue than design. I've owned a couple A2 jettas in the past, same crap wore out on mine.  Reference my 81 Caddys 250k on factory axles with a boot change at 150k, rest of the wear items up front went shortly after the CV's finally got loose.  I've got 398k factory inner tierods sitting on the 82 now still. I sourced some TRW outers and ball joints hoping they last longer than the Febi crap I've used the last few times.  I will say I miss A2 motor mounts...

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[CRSMP5]

asking poortex questions... bad...

id say caddy only due too... rear shocks... different gas pressures??

my 85kubvan was internal nut... sadly as yo found.. housings could have been switched in its life time.. but the koni yellow adjustables made for both styles... id assume the "cheappy" ones would too...

[wolf_walker]

Yeah, I've been there ten years off and on or more, it's getting so you can't get an answer about actually fixing anything out of them.  There are still a few really bright people there though, I do a lot of searching.

Koni used to make a really neat coilover-looking rear shock for the Caddy, was a helper spring on the shock, long since NLA.  Just like the complete Bilstein HD strut.
Sigh.

I offered a guy $65 shipped for a pair of used ext housings, haven't heard back from him yet.  Parts Place Inc. offered me a pair of sandblasted and painted one's for $45 per plus shipping, if the paint isn't flaking off inside a week it's probly a good deal.