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Tue Mar 15, 2005 1:16 pm

I am restoring a 68 Beetle and I need some help. I spent 2 hours last night trying to get the 10 tortions bars back into the frame and I finally gave up, I was wondering if anyone had an idea of how this project may be accomplished? :lol:

Tue Mar 15, 2005 6:03 pm

slide them in one at a time and lube the dog snot out of them...its takes a little time and some fanise....not a bfh :wink:

Thu Mar 17, 2005 8:25 am

Any other ideas, they make it look so easy in the book and they came out really easy that is why I dont understand what the trick is ........? :cry:

Thu Mar 17, 2005 9:09 am

I'm not trying to insult you here but, are you sure you are putting the right end in? That may be a reason you are having such a hard time

Thu Mar 17, 2005 4:10 pm

didn't know there was a rite end or a wrong end as long as you have the detent hole in the bars lined up....it just takes a little time :roll:
make sure there clean and lubed up ....

Thu Mar 17, 2005 4:50 pm

I read it wrong, I thought it was the back he was talking about.

Thu Mar 17, 2005 10:39 pm

If you understand and noticed how they were removed, as the top goes slightly different from the bottom and the left and right sides of the bars and how the notches on the end point in what direction, like up or down, if you have all that under control. Here is the trick, I use. Everyone send me lots of donations on this one. As you slide in the bars, yes, all together, as you cannot do it one at a time, the problem is the get in a bind, when they try to past through the square hole, in the center of the upper and lower beams. To solve the spreading of the bars, lubed up with some chassis grease, I use nylon ty wrops, the good ones, and tie wrap the plastic or the better nylon ones around all the bars, once I know they are in the correct position. Cut off the excess of the ty-wrap. If you do not know what a ty-wrap is, ask any auto parts person. Most know what they look like, as most places sell them. Anyway, then slide the assembled bars, tied together into the beam. Oh, leave the ty-wrap about two inches from the end, that you put into the beam first. So, you line up the bars, then you have them ty-wraped about two inches back, cut off the excess ty-wrap and carefully push the bar assembly thru the upper or lower beam. Once you FEEL the bar slide or line up with the center, and that may still take a time or two to get it in the square hole, just push it all the way through. The ty-wrap will keep the bars together, so they fit into the square hole, but slide down the bars, staying out of the way and will have no negative effects on the bars or their lubrication later. The ty-wray stays inside the beam, out of the way. Simple solution. I tried other methods, like rubber bands, masking tape ( have you been there- tried that too??) but they would not slide on the bars, as I tried to slide the assembly into the square hole. Now, the other trick, is you need a good wife, dumb girlriend, or not so drunk helper to look , with a flashlight from the other side of the beam and let you know if you are anywhere close to the square hole. Once it slides thru the square holes in the center of the beam , then you finish off the beer to celebrate, have sex, or whatever. If I think of a faster way, you all will know, but this works every time. I even got rid of the wife, cannot afford the girlriend, smart or dumb, and do not drink beer, so I have few friends to help me. You can do the job all by yourself, with this easy( you read it first here) method. Have fun. Send money to -----George4888

Fri Mar 18, 2005 7:08 pm

I managed to get them in using sort of a one at a time method. I put in the bottom skinny pair stuck with grease to a full width one. Then at one point i put in the uppermost and slid in the center leaves one at a time. The later leaves were guided by the already installed and when i got bound up in the center i could wiggle them back and forth until the alignment was correct. When the last leaf bound up i was able to gently tap it in. Probably i just got lucky. good luck

Sat Mar 19, 2005 12:24 am

Way to go. You did it. If you have a chance to do it again or help out a fellow VW person, who is changing their front beam, try my method. I think it will save you time, as I started out doing what you did, but my patience was too short. It is a "fun" job, isn't it? Once, I got the torsion bars in, after many tries, only to see that I had them reversed, where the dents or grooves for the set screws would not work. Sometimes, you have to step back and take a break and start all over. Be sure to regrease all the grease fittings in the front beam and do that more than once a year. That will make the bearings last longer. ---george4888

Tue Mar 22, 2005 10:46 am

Thank you everyone for all of the help. I am going to work on it again tonight because I finally have patients again to try it. Thanks again to all of my fellow vdubers. :D

Tue Mar 22, 2005 10:59 am

It's a real b1tch...that I will agree with you on, but there are some hints that will help.

I used masking tape about 1" from the end to hold the torsion pack tightly together. This worked very well.