TheSamba.com :: View topic - Spring Plate Angle/Torsion Bar Adjustment (Pics Added)

Mon Dec 13, 2010 11:24 pm

It's also good to have a tap and die set to chase any (and all) threads before you put it back together. Also to coat the fasteners when you put them back in to help protect them. Sometimes anti-seize but be careful with the application. Sometimes grease or oil. For something like that I use silicone spray. There's probably a better product but silicone spray seems to do the job.
You might be stuck with only finding those particular bolts used.

Thu Dec 23, 2010 9:18 pm

Found a supplier in Canada that will sell me a box (25) of M14X1.5 by 30 mm 10.9 bolts. $100 shipped to my door. Also found a seller on UK EBay with a kit of the eight 10.9 M14 bolts/nuts/washers required for the spring plates . It would cost $60 shipped (plus duty/tax if Canada Post is paying attention).

Probably going to order the kit. Also had to ordered a M14 tap since it's an oddball size not found in my 100 piece metric tap and die set.

Overall its going to be a lot of cash to replace 4 bolts !

German Supply Scott, if you are reading this maybe its an idea for a kit, bushings, bolts, heck you could even add the talcum powder since all I can find is baby powder that contains corn starch.

The only other possibility is to use a front caliper lower mounting bolt. It has the correct thread and strength but has a smaller hex head with a flange washer. Bus Depot has these for a few bucks. Any opinions on this option?

Thu Dec 23, 2010 9:24 pm

why not put an ad in classifieds? There are probably thousands in the community. The do like to cross thread. We found Johnsons and Johnsons to be without corn starch - just Talc and fragrance.

Thu Dec 23, 2010 10:38 pm

Before I spent $60 - $100 I might check around. Many of these folks probably only need to pick them up off the ground near their scrap. The last link is buses being parted out. Maybe someone might not want to pull all 4 on each side but two people could pull two each from a side if they worry about the spring plate popping off on a bus they are parting. You might even find a bus near you in this list. I'll bet Scott near you in Toronto can tell you where some are. Glass bead them, heat them in a cast iron skillet a couple times to 300F and pour oil on them, they will blacken or you can give them to your local gunsmith to blacken. If you use the instant bluing chemicals from a gun store be careful as the agent that is used goes through skin enough to kill. It is like an 8 on a scale of 1 to 10 deadly.

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http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1019869

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Sun Mar 27, 2011 4:10 pm

i'm almost through putting in new spring plate bushings - just wondering if its a good idea to spray more rust proofer goop in the tube while its apart? looks pretty good in my tubes, but the old stuff looks to have flaked up...

Sun Mar 27, 2011 4:26 pm

Wouldn't hurt, but not too much as it may eat the bushings if it gets near them.

Thu May 19, 2011 10:10 pm

I'll post this in here to keep it all in the one place...I took my bus to a local specialist last year to do this job, I've got to admit to being intimidated by it.

All apparently well and good except it now sits about 35mm higher one side than the other. I read in another thread a posting by SGKent giving the height of the wheelwell from the centre cap - that's the distance I've measured to figure this.

Rather than measure spring plate angle, I'd rather adjust the side that's high downwards byy the drop in height I think I need (it's too high one side rather than too low the other - I ended up repacking the CV's on that side to shut them up before I figured out just how far out it is).

The Bentley obviously expresses how far movements of the torsion bars raise in degrees - does anyone have any idea how I'd have to move the torsion bar to get a drop of say, 30mm? (I know it's not the bentley method, but I think it should be close enough.)

Thanks in advance,

Simon

Fri May 20, 2011 6:04 am

I don't think you'll find another with the correct answer to your question. Going over this again... the inside splines are either bigger or smaller than the outside, I think bigger. So you can pull out the torsion bar and rotate it one spline down. That would be too much so then you pull th spring plate off the outside spline and rotate that one spline up. That gives you a small increase in height. I think you're just going to have to play with it at this point to get them the same.

Fri May 20, 2011 6:19 am

Gary (Aeromech) is correct I think with his answer.

You might consider getting yourself a level and an angle/protractor level. They are not expensive unless you try to find a factory tool. If I remember, we put the back of the bus level side to side on jack stands, pulled the spring plates loose per Bentley then used a floor jack on the center of the front beam to level the bus front to back. Once it is level in all directions you can set the spring plates very quickly because there is no math involved like there is when the bus is not level. Bentley has a photo of the process. I think it would be harder to do it the way you are describing. Consider replacing all four bushings at that time even if you did it before.

A word to the wise - make sure you have nothing in your bus that is heavy which might cause it to lean. Also make sure the surface you are measuring on is level. Look underneath first also to be sure rust hasn't affected where the beam is welded to the bus.

Fri May 20, 2011 2:34 pm

Thank you, much appreciated. I'll order some new bushings then have a play - if that doesn't work out I guess it's onto the full method!

Tue Jan 31, 2012 8:38 pm

Just thought I would post a pick of the gauge I made to set my spring plate angle. Real simple to use, no reason to level the bus and no math needed to figure the angle.

I marked the angle for the cut with a speed square and the finished cut is easily within 10' accuracy. The angle is what is given in the Bentley. The gauge just fits up against the underside of the rocker right where the Bentley says to check the vehicle for level and I can easily eyeball the angled cut against the angle of the spring plate.

Before ripping anything apart and with the bus reasonably level, I did check both rockers with a spirit level to make sure the body wasn't tweaked, which it wasn't. If the body is tweaked it is going to affect your adjustment procedures no matter what type of gauge you use.

Tue Jan 31, 2012 8:43 pm

Wildthings wrote: Just thought I would post a pick of the gauge I made to set my spring plate angle. Real simple to use, no reason to level the bus and no math needed to figure the angle.

I marked the angle for the cut with a speed square and the finished cut is easily within 10' accuracy. The angle is what is given in the Bentley. The gauge just fits up against the underside of the rocker right where the Bentley says to check the vehicle for level and I can easily eyeball the angled cut against the angle of the spring plate.

Before ripping anything apart and with the bus reasonably level, I did check both rockers with a spirit level to make sure the body wasn't tweaked, which it wasn't. If the body is tweaked it is going to affect your adjustment procedures no matter what type of gauge you use.

brilliant. Have some cut in aluminum, annodized and sell them.

Sun Mar 18, 2012 1:21 pm

I am in the middle of this and I can't get my spring plate to sit back on the bottom ledge. I went down one outer spline and I have tried to jack it back up then beat it back into place and also tightened the cover, lifted the spring then tightened it more to bring it back into the original spot. It dosent seem like it is going far enough in and when I let the tension off the jack it slips off the ledge. Also I can't get the 4 bolts to line up worth a crap. I just don't know what I am doing wrong.

Sun Mar 18, 2012 1:28 pm

One outer spline with no inner spline movement is an awful lot, longer bolts and chain the bus to the jack if you must but it sounds like you're trying for too much lift.

Sun Mar 18, 2012 2:47 pm

muffler bearing wrote: I am in the middle of this and I can't get my spring plate to sit back on the bottom ledge. I went down one outer spline and I have tried to jack it back up then beat it back into place and also tightened the cover, lifted the spring then tightened it more to bring it back into the original spot. It dosent seem like it is going far enough in and when I let the tension off the jack it slips off the ledge. Also I can't get the 4 bolts to line up worth a crap. I just don't know what I am doing wrong.

Bigger hammer. It is a known fact that you will be preloading the torsion bar to get the spring plate edge to clear the lower stop. You have to whack that sucker to get it to slide down the splines of the torsion bar under load. Please do not hit anything that may be damaged, like the edge of the spring plate where it meets the bar.
Colin