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Fri Feb 23, 2007 4:40 pm

has anyone done a single adjuster bus beam? i know people do it on type 1s a good bit but did a search and couldn't find if it's been tried on a bus beam.

i guess there's really 2 versions of the single adjuster theory.

the first is running an adjuster in the lower beam tube and using it to lower ir some and "pre-load" the suspension so that it works against itself a bit for a tighter feeling suspension. i believe porsche did this on some of their race cars back in the day. i don't know but would assume you would probably only get somewhere between 2-4" of drop through tis method. one gain i could see is that in preloading it against itself would make it respond almost like using a sway bar. i guess this theory could well be tested by someone with adjusters in both tubes but only adjusting the bottom one and leaving the top in the stock position. the biggest pain about doing it i've heard from the type one folks is you pretty much have to block it up under the wheels so you can get under it and then load the front with people to to weigh it down and use the pressure of the weight to adjust it to where you want it. don't know if it's been done or not but sounds interesting.

the second is for the super dropped crowd and the theory of running an adjuster in the top tube only and replacing the lower springpack with squarestock. again the square stock in the lower tube kind of acts like a sway bar of sorts. i guess adjuster placement would be the big thing here. i guess in theory you could drop the initial placement of the adjuster down a bit so the you can adjust up and down instead of just down as most do for a drop job.

i spent a while under the kombi today and i guess i spent half my time sitting there trying to decide if either were really a viable option. as it sits right now i think i could knock out the lower center retainer and do an adjuster in the lower tube without pulling the beam without much trouble at all. of course i come in and call my local vw parts house to see if he has any avis adjusters(or puma) and he doesn't answer the phone. he closes around 5 and i called about 10 til. so i guess i won't be trying that this weekend.

so since i've got this in my head and will now be thinking about it has anyone done EITHER of these methods and if so what were your results...ken....

Fri Feb 23, 2007 4:47 pm

I have no experience with either but I would not run one set of torsion bars. That would be dangerous in my opinion. You have to consider the shock factor. It would hold while sitting but what about driving. A little like having a parachute with half the cords. It might hold and it might not.

Fri Feb 23, 2007 5:22 pm

yeah the second theory is really just to put both sides of the coin out there. the first has more of the question marks fogging my head. i'd really like to see how it would come out. all i'd be able to see by doing it on the kombi right now would be how much it would drop it. wouldn't be able to get and result on handling since the bus is months away from hitting the road.

i've just heard several people say if your using the knock the retianers out using a piece of pipe method it's easy with the beam still in the bus. so that got me to thinkin' what if you just knocked the lower out and only did a bottom adjuster. i know there's alot of folks who may only be looking for that other coupla inches a bottom adjuster may get you. say someone was looking for a 5-6 suspension drop a lower adjuster and a set of flipped spindles could get you there and you can pull it off without pulling the beam off. i know a coupla people who have done BOTH adjuster with the beam in but said the top was a real pain in the ass.

like i said i'm new to buses and i know rules between them and type 1s are very different at times. just throwing it out there....

Fri Feb 23, 2007 5:58 pm

Pulling the beam isn't that hard... Just pull it out and do it right.

Fri Feb 23, 2007 7:46 pm

i know pulling it isn't hard. thats not the point. i was just under and the cold meds had me doing more thinking and day dreaming than working hahahaha.

you get funny ideas when you try and work on shit all doped up on cold pills.

i usually keep those to myself but this one really had me thinking...ken....

Sat Feb 24, 2007 5:06 am

My Bay has only the lower adjuster installed and it was done with the beam in the Bus. The PO did it and claimed that it dropped the Bus 3 inches. Hard to find another Bus here in Oklahoma to compare it too but it is noticeably lower than what I remember stock to be. The ride is not bad, I am using KYB GR-2 shocks. I have noticed also that the Bus does not seem to wander all over the place when the wind blows.

Sat Feb 24, 2007 6:53 am

My panel is droped by just one adjuster on the top, it is made by a UK company called bluebird and i am useing all the stock tortionbars.
It gives a decent drop of 5" - 6", depending on where on the tube you weld it.And you can use 14" wheels for that extre "free" drop :lol: .
I would not recomend you remove any tortionbars in any way as it wouldnt be drivable...................but then again thats what the springs in your seats are for no?:wink:
My 60 panel (with just one adjuster)

Sat Feb 24, 2007 2:30 pm

On my panel I set the top adjuster about 2" higher than ride height and then do as you said, load the front up with people and set the drop.

The other ghetto-ass move I've had to use when nobody was around is to back the nuts off almost all the way off then slide the lip of a jack under one of the nuts and jack it up. It'll push the adjuster up but won't raise the entire vehicle. Like I said, ghetto as hell but useful when necessary.

NAES

Sat Feb 24, 2007 2:32 pm

so i guess another question with a single adjuster beam would be if there is a difference on whether you do it in the top or bottom tube.

i know some folks have problems with a top adjuster fouling out on the shift rod. if you didn't have one in the top then it couldn't foul out could it hahahaha. it just seems sooooo simple for and would be about right for alot of people. i've got 3.5" flipped spindles and 195/45/14s. another 4 inches or so would probably put my bus right where i want it height wise.

i was thinking running it in the bottom tube would be better asyou also have the sway bar pressure(in my case anyhow) on the lower control arm to ad to the push.

like i said it's all just theory and i'm new to buses so maybe it's worthless theory...ken....

Mon Jan 09, 2012 5:48 pm

Apologies for dragging up this post. I enquired about the same info. Did u ever install a single adjuster? If so, what was the outcome?