I already feel sorry for the automatic trans of Charles haha.

You not backwards, just often too modest IMO. Anyway, your right about the rear torsion bars of squarebacks: they are bigger also. The front sway bar of a (later?) squareback apparently is also slightly thicker. I believe 19 mm instead of 17 mm. They are very clever cars for their time and more so compared to bugs.

See you,
Walter

Porterfield pads....
 

Shad, your choice of pads is excellent. I ran them for 2 years on my wifes mini van, super grip (even on the little 9.5" rotors) and pedal feel, they work just as well cold, and almost no dust even under heavy braking. I was living in Puerto Rico where driving is a full contact sport! We never got hit, mostly due to the pads and stainless flex lines alowing us to avoid a certain crash. When I returned to the states I installed stock pads as the Porterfields were 75% gone and the first thing my wife said when she drove it-"There is something wrong with the brakes, they hardly stop!" No-those are just stock brakes! Those pads are very "rotor friendly" also.
ken