I have a Vw(logo) 1208 cast into the spindle right behind the wheel bearing.
I assume that means a BOGE (Yes/No)

So where do I get racing inserts for these?
I have Koni kits for the rear coming from Ground Control, and havent taken the fronts apart yet.
I have 23mm hollow torsion bars and 22mm Welt sway bar.

Some of the hardware looks new(ER), so I assume the PO replaced the front inserts.

The ONLY # I can find on my strut is 1208 which does not look like any part #s from the official parts data.

Someone has upgraded the strut inserts on this forum, I just need to know what to tell ground control for new inserts.

Maybe they are all the same if you have a 914-4 or have NOT upgraded to 911 front susp.?

Problem is that the PO DID do some upgrades, and I cannot tell how far he went.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Stu

It is a bit of a leap to go from VW stamping to Boge struts. Boge struts should have Boge stamped on the outside ot the strut tube a little above the spindle. There should also be the VW/Porsche part numbers stamped there. Maybe someone has painted the struts and the paint has filled in the markings.


If you are working with Ground Control for the rears you should get them to supply fronts that match and will work in balance with the rears.


No part number for a strut I have ever seen (or remember seeing).


If you don't have 5 lug Porsche wheels you can pretty much rule out any 911 strut, I have never heard of anyone upgrading to 911 strut and then adapting back to 4 lug 914 wheels.
You are probably going to have to partially disassemble the front to determine what you have. The inserts that were previously install don't matter unless you want to reused them.
If you rule out 911 struts you really only have 2 other choices Boge or Bilstein.
Pull the dust covers off the top of the front struts and look at (or post pictures of) the top of the strut, the shape of the strut tube, the shock shaft and the gland nut that hold the insert.
Factory Bilstein struts have a roll pin at the base that holds the insert in place and there is no gland nut just a seal and dust wiper. Also the shafts on the Bilstein inserts are almost the diameter of the strut tube.
Boge struts have a gland nut on top to hold the strut insert and I believe all were enterally threaded. The insert shaft is about 7/8 in diameter. There are Bilstein inserts made to fit boge struts and they have a gland nut to hold them in but they still have the large shaft diameter.



PS Picture go a long way in getting help here.
Some folks here can tell a lot from a picture, more than they can pull from memory without the picture.

Good Luck.

Jim

Stu,

What calipers are on it? 914-4? M7 fasteners (11mm nuts or heads)? Solid rotors? Still 4-bolt? If so, do the calipers have one bleeder or two?

99.8% chance it's a 914 Boge if it is still 4-bolt.

Ok, I got around to taking some pictures.
This is the Passenger side, so now the part number appears to be 3A72 or 3A12.

Hope this helps:
















And Eric, I believe (but am not positive) that the redish looking brakes in the lower left are the ones that came off this car:



Thanks again, I have never had to take a front apart before. They always just "worked".

Only reason I want to do this one is to make sure it is correct for the new rears coming and verify it is new.

Stu

Those are Boge struts fro a 914/4. The gland nut at the strut top is stamped steel and looks like it could a KYB.

The strut pictured is a late style (73-on) that should have a wedge pin securing it to the ball joint but it has a bolt instead. You may have an early style ball joint as well. The bolt instead of a wedge pin will allow the ball joint shank to work around in the base of the strut and will damage the strut over time. Pull the bolt out and look to see if the notch in the ball joint is curved for a bolt and a 'v' notch for a wedge pin.

Jim