GR2s should be plenty stiff enough for a VW-based TDr front. In fact, many people caution against using gas-charged shocks of any type on the front, because of stiffness.
Your air pressure in the front should be around 14-16 PSI for the best ride. 24-26 PSI in the rear.
The front steering gear backlash is adjustable to remove some sloppiness in the steering. But to adjust requires you remove the front splashpan or cut an access hole. If the steering gear is really worn, you likely cannot adjust all the slop out, without it starting to bind up — which you don’t want. But if not, you should be able to adjust it to where there is 1/2″ or so of play at the steering wheel — assuming the rest of the front suspension components are in good condition.
The next recourse is start looking for play in tie rods, ball joints, and front wheel bearings… You can adjust play out of the wheel bearings, but any play in the tie rods or ball joints calls for replacing them.
You need about 3″ of travel (body going down, hubs moving up) to have the suspension in the middle of its range of motion… Is it bottoming out on the shocks? If so, that means your shocks are too long. You can buy front shocks for VW suspensions lowered 2″ or more.
Once you get the sloppiness out of the front suspension, I suggest you completely unbolt the bottom of the shocks, and carefully take the car on a very short test drive, to see how much the suspension travels with no shocks on it.
KentT2014-02-22 15:45:12
Early FF TDr on 69 VW pan
Slowly coming back from the ashes...