mainline 2 1 Cars Posted March 24, 2008 Hey there, I am about to embark upon replacing the beam on my 1.6 GTi - I have seen the guide, which refers to a 1.9 beam with a disc brake setup etc but I am a bit apprehensive as to how the process will differ on my car regarding handbrake, drum brakes and any other issues. Is there a guide to the differences between replacing the beam on a 1.6 vs the 1.9? Any help much appreciated - especially photos or words of wisdom (all unchartered territory for me!) - Tried a search but didn't seem to throw up anything specific. Thanks Ian Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tom Fenton 1,542 Posted March 25, 2008 The only difference is the brakes. The rest is the same. If its a straight swap you should have no problems. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
timmsy19 3 Posted March 25, 2008 ive done this upgrade on my brothers old 1.6. very easy straight forward swap. would advise 2 people to do this as its quite heavy and awkward to bolt back up. the rear brake lines are easy enough to do just make sure the bleed nipples on the new calipers are freely moving otherwise your going to have trouble Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1 FAT PUG 39 Posted March 26, 2008 easy done, knock the stub axles out and then just swap all the brakes over, get new brake pipes made up handbrake cables n thats it really Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M@tt 77 Posted March 26, 2008 are you swapping it with another known 1.6 beam because there apparently are slight differences between the front tube mounts for a 1.6 and 1.9 beam. It was mentioned that they have a slightly different offset (although i've not seen anything 100% confirming this) and therefore might have been the cause of some peoples wheels catching the front of rear quarter panel aftera beam swap service box does lists different part numbers for them 5142 27 - EXCEPT XU9JA 5142 20 - LEFT - XU9JA 5142 21 - RIGHT - XU9JA so the best thing is to use the mount that came off your existing beam if your in any doubt, its only a 5 mins jub to undo the 2 bolts. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mainline 2 1 Cars Posted March 28, 2008 Thanks for all your help. Sure i'll be back on with some more questions when I get stuck. Cheers Ian Share this post Link to post Share on other sites