Joined: October 20, 2007 Posts: 167 Location: New Mexico
Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 6:26 pm Post subject: spring plate adjustment
The PO of my thing that I have been trying to get right must have jacked up the rear ride height. It is all out of wack. The height of the rear part of the pan to the ground is 12". The left side rear is 18" from the center of the axle to the bottom of the fender the right side is 19" from the center of the axle to the bottom of the fender I am on level ground. Is there a DVD on how to adjust the ride height or a good book. I have never atempted to take apart the plates or any suspension parts. I have looked at the stuff on samba but to me it isnt real clear looking for a step by step guide.
Joined: June 19, 2005 Posts: 809 Location: The Woodlands, Texas
Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 6:40 pm Post subject:
i have not learned the trick of posting You tube links. There is one there that is a 2-3 part on a fastback i believe. basic idea there on how to do it.
Make yourself a gauge board like this. Way easier to use than the factory method using fancy angle gauges and having to either have the body perfectly level or take into account any fore/aft tilt. I think I cut the board for a 22 ° angle of dangle, but am no longer sure.
Joined: August 08, 2006 Posts: 6351 Location: West By God Virginia
Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 5:36 am Post subject:
When I first bought my '73, it sagged in the rear and also to the driver side about 3/4 inch. So not only did I raise the rear to match the front, I also corrected the drivers side lean.
I used the attached chart to dial it in and it now sits perfectly level at almost 1 year later.
This is not as scary or as dangerous of a job as many sites make it out to be. It would take the utmost stupidity to have your head under the end of the spring plate while prying it off the stop. Make sure the car is well supported when you are doing this, in addition to other supports I like to take the tire and stick it under the side of the frame rail and block it tight, that way if the car comes off the jack stand or what ever other wobble support you are using the tire will catch it.
I find a tire iron, like used to change split rim tires to be a great tool for this job. They can be had from many FLAPS and tire shops. Cheap, tough, and ofter just the right shape.
When I first bought my '73, it sagged in the rear and also to the driver side about 3/4 inch. So not only did I raise the rear to match the front, I also corrected the drivers side lean.
I used the attached chart to dial it in and it now sits perfectly level at almost 1 year later.
On that chart, is the amount of drop or lift achieved by either inner or outer or is it for both? For example, I want to raise my rear 2 inches. The chart says +9 inner and -9 outer. Do I do both, or just pick one? _________________ “You Can’t Believe Most of the Quotes You Read On the Internet” - Abraham Lincoln
When I first bought my '73, it sagged in the rear and also to the driver side about 3/4 inch. So not only did I raise the rear to match the front, I also corrected the drivers side lean.
I used the attached chart to dial it in and it now sits perfectly level at almost 1 year later.
On that chart, is the amount of drop or lift achieved by either inner or outer or is it for both? For example, I want to raise my rear 2 inches. The chart says +9 inner and -9 outer. Do I do both, or just pick one?
You would have to do them both to get this amount of change. You also want to make sure both sides are the same when you get done. It is very easy to loose track of where you started, especially on the inner splines.
Joined: July 07, 2010 Posts: 70 Location: Colorado
Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 8:39 am Post subject:
On a similar note, I'm getting ready to reinstall the torsion bars and spring plates in the rear after pulling them all apart. Does anyone have any tips or tricks on how to start from scratch to get it setup? My current plan is:
1) Make sure the car is level on the jack stands
2) Insert torsion bar on each side
3) Add spring plate to each end
4) Keep shifting things around until I get to 21 degrees on each side (original measurement before taking apart)
Is there a trick to start at 0 or a known good starting point rather than going through trial and error?
Joined: August 08, 2006 Posts: 6351 Location: West By God Virginia
Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 9:38 am Post subject:
Quote:
Is there a trick to start at 0 or a known good starting point rather than going through trial and error?
None that I know of. I just did the same thing for a buddy who completed his pan for a FG Buggy build. I just stuck them in, measured them with a angle finder, and then referrenced the chart on the link I provided above. It will get you super close with little work. I usually mark the torsion/spring plate with a sharpie (tiny end cap removed to expose the torsion bar outter end in the spring plate) so I have a starting point to know when I went up or down.
If you clean the splines and use some anti-seize, it makes it real easy to slightly slide the spline in and walk up/down and count the splines. _________________ The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone
Starting from scratch is easier than you might think. It really takes very few tries to get close. As the link above noted, if once you are close either or both sides are still off a bit too much you can rotate a bar (or both bars) 45° and try again.
Joined: January 12, 2005 Posts: 2252 Location: Alameda, CA
Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 7:39 pm Post subject:
Wildthings wrote:
This is not as scary or as dangerous of a job as many sites make it out to be. It would take the utmost stupidity to have your head under the end of the spring plate while prying it off the stop.
Years ago, I was jacking the spring plates back into position with a cheap floor jack and had my son (who wanted to help) stand way back. The jack slipped and the spring plate flung the jack across the room along the floor - missing my son by just a couple of feet.
Joined: August 08, 2006 Posts: 6351 Location: West By God Virginia
Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 7:56 pm Post subject:
I took a standard VW jack and welded a large bolt to the top of the jack, slip it through on of the holes on the shock support, nut the back side to keep it from slipping off and jck them into place.
I have used it numerous times. Super safe and easy to use on just a pan or on a full body car, bus or buggy.
Once you are done, spin the main rod 90* and use it to jack up the car like you normally do. Just make sure you can weld well so it is safe. _________________ The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone
The cut 2x4 gives you the angle between the body/frame and the spring plate, the same as the fancy angle gauge does but without having to do any calculations. You just put the board up against the bottom of the rockers and then slide it back and forth until the angle cut is just inboard of the spring plate. You can now eyeball to see if the spring plate angle is the same as the one cut into the board. It is easy to draw other angles onto the board as well. Say the board is cut to a 22° angle, you can easily draw a 21° angle on the board as well.
The notch was just to clear an obstacle, probably the jack point.
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