so soon?

[pullstart]

I just ordered the 3x3 Appletree kit with the 930 joints and axles and all, so you're saying I might need an even longer shock to get the best use of the arms? Have you clearanced for more droop on your spring plates too?

[cbeck]

I notched the bottom of the plates 1/8" for a max cv angle of 17* at full droop and left the top of the arms alone. I ended up with 10.5"of wheel travel. I had the joints at 15* with no mods. The notch gained 2* of cv angle and 2 plus inches of droop. I would imagine 22*plus on the cvs would need quite a notch. I don't know when torsion eliminators and coil overs are required.
My stock 22mm bars are too soft, will be procuring larger torsion bars.
The way my shocks are located I am using about 8.5"of travel.
You should probably set wheel travel before determining what travel shocks are needed and how to mount them.
Hoping to have engine cage ironed out before christmas.

[pullstart]

[cbeck]

Mine has the dual spring plates, no brainer. Is your spring plate all the way into the torsion? Will the spting plate hit the bottom and top stops? I searched the off road gallery for a few pages and the only pic of a single spring plate showed it on the outside of the arm like your pic.

[pullstart]

It's definitely not seated all the way, I've got a good 3/4" or so to go but currently the spring plate is straight. I did see in another post that both heavy washers need to be on the swing arm pivot bolt head side and I have them one on each side, so I imagine moving the inside washer back to the outside might help twist the spring plate mount on the arm a bit.

[Bashr52]

[pullstart]

[dustymojave]

With single spring plates, the trailing arm tab should be bolted onto the outboard side of the spring plate.

Dual spring plates should be assembled one spring plate inboard, and one outboard of the trailing arm bracket.

cbeck, yours appears

to have a single spring plate, although the blue outboard spring pate may be lost in the blue torsion cap background. Single or dual, it looks in that pic like the tab on the trailing arm is too far outboard.
_________________
Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet.

[cbeck]

I never noticed the spring plate angle until I looked closer at that pic. Going to try to make more time after the holidays. Guess that should be the first thing I look at when I dig it back out. I plan on bigger bars and am seriously considering some adjustable spring plates. Reindexing is free but a pain.

[Bashr52]

May want to reconsider those adjustable plates, especially for an off-road car. They will not hold up very well to any real abuse.

[pullstart]

[dustymojave]

Correct that both washers are "supposed to be" outboard of the arm. In certain circumstances of alignment, 1 may be moved inboard of the arm.

Regardless of the camera angle in that picture, the angle of the torsion housing end still should be parallel to the spring plate, which the picture shows as not being the case.
_________________
Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet.

[pullstart]

cbeck, did you need to trim the spring plate mounts on your trailing arms for more up travel? It appears yours are much more slim than mine.

I do now realize my spring plate is on the wrong side of the trailing arm, that is being redone. But this is the best picture I have showing the shape of my trailing arm / spring plate mount.

Currently I have about 7.5" of travel measured at the axle shaft and I have not yet shaved any part of my spring plate, only cut the stock shock mounts off the frame.

_________________
4 seater Appletree buggy, road legal with 002 IRS, 3x3 Appletree kit, 6" over Dan's beam with 10" towers and Fox 2.0 shocks, '00 Subaru EJ25 with KEP stage 3 clutch and KEP adapter plate.

my build page: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=662104&start=0

[cbeck]

Good eye. I did trim the top of the arms. I think they wanted to rob on the diagonal bar going up and to the rear from what is left of the factory shock mount.

[pullstart]

Gotcha. More travel, here I come! Thanks for confirming.

I'm thinking the days of the bottom cast stop are over, I'll end up with limiting straps. One of my castings is cracked right at the outer edge and I think I'll trim it off rather than trying to brace it.
_________________
4 seater Appletree buggy, road legal with 002 IRS, 3x3 Appletree kit, 6" over Dan's beam with 10" towers and Fox 2.0 shocks, '00 Subaru EJ25 with KEP stage 3 clutch and KEP adapter plate.

my build page: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=662104&start=0

[pullstart]

Sorry for all the questions cbeck, just trying to plan more and mistake less... Are your rear shocks heim end or a rubber bushing? The only shock picture I see is of the fronts when you got your beam components. I tell you what, all your pictures documenting the build are helping me a ton!



Also, you mentioned the car moved under it's own power, but did you mention how the suspension rode or reacted to cornering/bumps?
_________________
4 seater Appletree buggy, road legal with 002 IRS, 3x3 Appletree kit, 6" over Dan's beam with 10" towers and Fox 2.0 shocks, '00 Subaru EJ25 with KEP stage 3 clutch and KEP adapter plate.

my build page: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=662104&start=0

[cbeck]

Heims.
The 22mm long torsions are too soft, even for the street. 30* preload and still not as high as I want. Thinking 25 or 26mm bars are needed.
I can only find a pic of the bottom mount. Hard to see the flat stock going from the end of the boss down to the square tube. I will get a pic of the top mount.

Got to work on the tune when I can drive it more. Pulls smooth and hard from 1500 to 6000 rpm. I think these help.

[cbeck]

Sorry for the crappy pics, I lost my camera. I used 1 x .250 tubing for the shock bosses. Glad my headaches are helping somebody. I am more of a beat it and fix it kind of guy. Never been this deep into fabricating before.

[pullstart]

My torsions are short 22mm. I guess I'll have to give them a shot, but I'm assuming for my 4 seater if it is loaded with riders will be pretty squishy. At compression, how much of an angle do you suppose those heims are at? I'm wondering because the initial shocks I wanted to try are off the shelf 1/2 ton Chevy truck shocks that measure 27.75 extended with just over 10" travel.

I think my power department won't be struggling much once that 2.5 subi engine jumps out of the donor and into the buggy. I'm hoping now that this won't take up my summer of driving time!
_________________
4 seater Appletree buggy, road legal with 002 IRS, 3x3 Appletree kit, 6" over Dan's beam with 10" towers and Fox 2.0 shocks, '00 Subaru EJ25 with KEP stage 3 clutch and KEP adapter plate.

my build page: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=662104&start=0

[cbeck]

With the shock mounts at the same angle as the trailing arm pivot bolt there should not be much angle on the heims. Eshocks.com has some charts on what they reccomend based on what you have.