TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sat Jan 19, 2013 11:07 am

im trying to disassemble the torsion and i hear it is spring loaded does anyone know for a fact if it is or not

Sat Jan 19, 2013 11:22 am

Yes they are, but the rear is the only tricky one.

Sat Jan 19, 2013 11:23 am

Front and rear have torsion bars.

The rear is under tension so it has to be pried off the perch to release. Most times it only springs down a couple inches.

There is a thread in the performance section on lowering the rear correctly.

Sat Jan 19, 2013 11:35 am

is there a special tool then to use so i dont get hit in the face being that it is under pressure

Sat Jan 19, 2013 3:09 pm

Read/Study the Type 3 FAQ/Common Questions @ the top of the page.

Sat Jan 19, 2013 11:55 pm

bw very very careful prying that off, you don't want any body parts in the way when it releases!!

Sun Jan 20, 2013 8:04 am

There is a tool to remove the rear torsion spring plates. It's fairly expensive for what it does but once you have it, you'll have them off in less than ten minutes.

There are probably other ways to do it (it is easier if the sub assembly is still on the car) but this worked for me.

If you're putting it all back together, mark where the part rests when the tension is removed so you will know where to index it when you put it back together. You could also use a piece of wood or cardboard to make a template if you're painting or powder coating the assembly.

The front is very easy, just remove the bolts and it usually slides out.

Sun Jan 20, 2013 9:27 am

I used the flat blade of a pick-axe between the plate and the housing. Garden hoe or similar might work also but not sure if its strong enough. be careful and go slow. Its a pain to break them loose the first time but once you do they are easier to adjust in the future.

Sun Jan 20, 2013 9:51 am

Go to Home Depot, buy yourself a 3/8" turnbuckle. Bolt one end to the shock mount, bolt the other to the top hole of spring plate. Tighten the turn buckle to raise it off the lip, insert pry bar between housing and plate, then loosen turn buckle. It safely releases tension on plate, won't snap back, and it's inexspensive. You can do this on the car or with sub-frame removed safely. Hope this helps.

Wed Jan 23, 2013 10:34 pm

Thank you all for the help. I will look into your suggestions to see what will be the best for me.

Thu Jan 24, 2013 4:42 am

this is way easier to do with the weight of the car on the torsion bar

Fri Nov 18, 2016 10:15 am

Bringing back an oldie,,,,
Want/need to re-index my rear, as one side is noticably more cambered than the other.
Pretty much know how to do it since I've done it on T1s before.

However, I don't see how this tool will work for a T3, since the top shock bolt is inaccessible.

ataraxia wrote: There is a tool to remove the rear torsion spring plates. It's fairly expensive for what it does but once you have it, you'll have them off in less than ten minutes.

There are probably other ways to do it (it is easier if the sub assembly is still on the car) but this worked for me.

Josh, how did you make this work for you? Was your sub-assembly on/off the car?

Fri Nov 18, 2016 11:06 am

Air-Cooled Head wrote: Bringing back an oldie,,,,
Want/need to re-index my rear, as one side is noticably more cambered than the other.
Pretty much know how to do it since I've done it on T1s before.

However, I don't see how this tool will work for a T3, since the top shock bolt is inaccessible.

ataraxia wrote: There is a tool to remove the rear torsion spring plates. It's fairly expensive for what it does but once you have it, you'll have them off in less than ten minutes.

There are probably other ways to do it (it is easier if the sub assembly is still on the car) but this worked for me.

Josh, how did you make this work for you? Was your sub-assembly on/off the car?

Is your sub-assembly on the car? If so, I always used a floor jack to raise the spring plate with the weight of the car and IIRC a strap to prevent the spring plate from flying loose (not sure where I strapped it tho..been so long)

This sounds like a winner as well...
vdubspeedshack wrote: Go to Home Depot, buy yourself a 3/8" turnbuckle. Bolt one end to the shock mount, bolt the other to the top hole of spring plate. Tighten the turn buckle to raise it off the lip, insert pry bar between housing and plate, then loosen turn buckle. It safely releases tension on plate, won't snap back, and it's inexspensive. You can do this on the car or with sub-frame removed safely. Hope this helps.

Fri Nov 18, 2016 12:49 pm

I've done it both ways - on the car and off the car.

You don't necessarily need this tool if the subframe is still on the car - you can use the car's weight to help.

Fri Nov 18, 2016 7:13 pm

That tool is made for Type 1 use. It hooks on the body mount bolt, which Type 3`s do not have.