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bug1200
Samba Member
Joined: July 07, 2015
Posts: 222
Location: Philippines
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 Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2015 11:09 pm Post subject: would it be weird if... |
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when the mechanic lowered the suspension of my bug, he removed 6 torsion leaves in the front, then did something at the rear.
now i want to put back the springs at the front and buy some weld in adjusters. guy at the shop said he ran out of stock and might take a few weeks to get. so would it be weird if the front is at stock height and the rear is lowered? i dont know how lowered it is, but at front you could fit a finger, and at rear you can barely fit a finger. |
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bug1200
Samba Member
Joined: July 07, 2015
Posts: 222
Location: Philippines
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| Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 12:01 am Post subject: |
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| and is the car gonna ride better? is the suspension softer with or without the small torsion leafs? |
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DeathTrap
Samba Member
Joined: February 26, 2004
Posts: 1757
Location: Sacramento/Vermont
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| Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 2:24 am Post subject: |
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Totally acceptable. It makes the car you.
sort of like a mexican lowrider
and then the next time make it the other way with the rear raised and the front lower and visa versa. Like all the time. |
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garyt
Samba Member
Joined: June 14, 2015
Posts: 763
Location: Burgundy
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| Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 9:12 am Post subject: |
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| I read a piece a while back (by a racer) that explained in detail why a beetle handles best with the rear end lower than the front, I agree with this, so if lowering would always have them slightly different. |
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Multi69s
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Joined: January 24, 2006
Posts: 5363
Location: Lefty, CA
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| Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 2:54 pm Post subject: |
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First, get a new mechanic. NEVER remove leaves from the front end, they are all that hold the trailing arms on. Yes, people do it and some get away with it. However, just like brakes, I prefer safety over looks. Am I spreading myths, nope. I have seen the results of this exact situation and it happened to me.
When I bought the car that was to become my Baja, it was lowered in the front. I bought it in San Diego, but I live about 400 miles north. It didn't have an engine so I was going to flat tow it home. So I grabbed my tow bar, tow lights and a couple of spare wheels and tires and jumped in my F250 to get it.
At around midnight while heading north on 5, I hit a pot hole. The truck lurched and there were sparks flying in my mirror. I pulled over and the front wheel was at an impossible angle. The PO had removed some leaves from the front end and the grub screw did not have a good grip on the rest of the leaves, so the bottom trailing arm came off and the wheel flopped over.
If I was actually driving the car when this occurred, I could have ended up in the weeds, or far worse. So forget looks, and get the leaves back in, and lower the front in a safer fashion.
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bug1200
Samba Member
Joined: July 07, 2015
Posts: 222
Location: Philippines
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| Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 8:53 pm Post subject: |
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| would the car ride better with the torsion leaves back? i heard if you remove the leaves the suspension gets softer. isnt a softer ride a more comfortable ride? just wondering... |
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bug1200
Samba Member
Joined: July 07, 2015
Posts: 222
Location: Philippines
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| Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 8:56 pm Post subject: Re: would it be weird if... |
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| bug1200 wrote: |
| when the mechanic lowered the suspension of my bug, he removed 6 torsion leaves in the front |
i was looking at the springs he took off, and it was 12 half leaves not 6 BTW. |
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didget69
Samba Member
Joined: July 22, 2004
Posts: 4927
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
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| Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 9:37 am Post subject: |
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Put all of the leaves back in the front beam.
bnc
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I never found the need to impress people with any mechanic certifications, trophies or track wins... unless it was for Mom to post on the refrigerator door. |
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kamesama980
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Joined: June 22, 2014
Posts: 323
Location: Columbus, IN
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| Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 10:14 am Post subject: |
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| Multi69s wrote: |
First, get a new mechanic. NEVER remove leaves from the front end, they are all that hold the trailing arms on. Yes, people do it and some get away with it. However, just like brakes, I prefer safety over looks. Am I spreading myths, nope. I have seen the results of this exact situation and it happened to me.
...
If I was actually driving the car when this occurred, I could have ended up in the weeds, or far worse. So forget looks, and get the leaves back in, and lower the front in a safer fashion. |
| didget69 wrote: |
Put all of the leaves back in the front beam.
bnc |
This! now! before you end up as someone else's story! Because the leaves hold the wheels on, that's even worse than cutting coil springs or removing leaves from conventional (like a truck) leaves.
| bug1200 wrote: |
| would the car ride better with the torsion leaves back? i heard if you remove the leaves the suspension gets softer. isnt a softer ride a more comfortable ride? just wondering... |
Yes it will be softer, soft springs correlate to but don't equal a comfortable ride. I'd say matching the shocks to the springs and suspension will have as much or more of an effect without hazardous side effects. The problem with too soft of a ride is crap handling, frequent bottoming out, and premature failure of parts (due to frequency and amplitude of suspension articulation) the beetle's springs are already plenty soft for a comfortable ride.
As for your question abotu the weirdness of stock height front and flush in back, not a good idea but not catastrophic like your current situation. I would definitely avoid the highway because the beetle is kind of shaped like a wing. it isn't a problem when it's level but when you point it up, the air catches the flat floorpan and next thing you know all you can see is sky out the windshield.
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"You don't get to blame me for how I fix what you break"
1970 VW Beetle
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bug1200
Samba Member
Joined: July 07, 2015
Posts: 222
Location: Philippines
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| Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 7:13 pm Post subject: |
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| kamesama980 wrote: |
| Multi69s wrote: |
First, get a new mechanic. NEVER remove leaves from the front end, they are all that hold the trailing arms on. Yes, people do it and some get away with it. However, just like brakes, I prefer safety over looks. Am I spreading myths, nope. I have seen the results of this exact situation and it happened to me.
...
If I was actually driving the car when this occurred, I could have ended up in the weeds, or far worse. So forget looks, and get the leaves back in, and lower the front in a safer fashion. |
| didget69 wrote: |
Put all of the leaves back in the front beam.
bnc |
This! now! before you end up as someone else's story! Because the leaves hold the wheels on, that's even worse than cutting coil springs or removing leaves from conventional (like a truck) leaves.
| bug1200 wrote: |
| would the car ride better with the torsion leaves back? i heard if you remove the leaves the suspension gets softer. isnt a softer ride a more comfortable ride? just wondering... |
Yes it will be softer, soft springs correlate to but don't equal a comfortable ride. I'd say matching the shocks to the springs and suspension will have as much or more of an effect without hazardous side effects. The problem with too soft of a ride is crap handling, frequent bottoming out, and premature failure of parts (due to frequency and amplitude of suspension articulation) the beetle's springs are already plenty soft for a comfortable ride.
As for your question abotu the weirdness of stock height front and flush in back, not a good idea but not catastrophic like your current situation. I would definitely avoid the highway because the beetle is kind of shaped like a wing. it isn't a problem when it's level but when you point it up, the air catches the flat floorpan and next thing you know all you can see is sky out the windshield. |
alright thanks.
my next problem now: i was trying to reinstall the small leaves one by one, i started with the top torsion bar, it took me hours to install 5 leafs! and, when i was about to install the 6th one (the last for the top) i was already tired and impatient, so i kept forcing that last leaf in. until, finally! it went in!!!, but all the other leaves were pushed out! so i gave up and called it a day
is there a trick for installing those leaves?? |
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