TheSamba.com :: View topic - Building an adjustable beam with Avis adjusters (Tutorial)

Thu Sep 11, 2008 9:03 am

tofftons wrote: my beam does not have dimpplies it has long crimps ...so now what

Are you talking about a bug beam? :wink:

Thu Sep 11, 2008 5:39 pm

yeah bug beam ...i can cut to long crimp and have same result with the adjuster ..huh...

Thu Nov 27, 2008 7:48 pm

Hey, I was wondering if anyone has any tips on installing the springs back into the front beam. I currently narrowed my beam and now I'm trying to put everything back together but can't seam to line up the spring right...

Thu Nov 27, 2008 8:33 pm

Ok guys, this is my last attempt at finding a new home for the beam I pulled out of my 59 panel.
I have an empty beam with like 4 torsion bars in each tube (former pulled torsion job).
If anyone wants it and can pick it up in antioch ca they are welcome to it for a narrowed/dropped beam project etc.
If not I will be forced to scrap it :cry:
Mike

Thu Nov 27, 2008 11:17 pm

63VWDC wrote: Hey, I was wondering if anyone has any tips on installing the springs back into the front beam.

If you haven't narrowed the torsions yet you can weld the ends of the leaves and round off the ends.

Heard of people having good luck with wrapping electrical tape around the leaves to keep them lined up.

Thu Nov 27, 2008 11:46 pm

63VWDC wrote: Hey, I was wondering if anyone has any tips on installing the springs back into the front beam. I currently narrowed my beam and now I'm trying to put everything back together but can't seam to line up the spring right...

i use zipties at the end and as the springs go thru the adjuster it pushes the zip tie out of the way

Fri Nov 28, 2008 3:56 am

Thanks guys. I'll give it a try...

Fri Nov 28, 2008 8:39 am

when i installed mine i started with the two outside ones and got then through. then i slid the next 2 in, and finally slid the middle 2 inbetween it all. took a little wiggeling to get it started but once started, i was able to tap them through. I only sld the ends of them through to so that they were as moveable as they could be. then once they were all through the retaining ring, i tapped the whole pack through to the final position.

Fri Nov 28, 2008 9:00 am

Runboy wrote: Ok guys, this is my last attempt at finding a new home for the beam I pulled out of my 59 panel.
I have an empty beam with like 4 torsion bars in each tube (former pulled torsion job).
If anyone wants it and can pick it up in antioch ca they are welcome to it for a narrowed/dropped beam project etc.
If not I will be forced to scrap it :cry:
Mike

Don't scrape it, stand it up in the corner of the garage until you find some one who needs it. I have a pile of beams from friends that bought their narrowed beams and gave me there old ones. I'd take it off your hands, but I'm too far away.

Sun Oct 11, 2009 8:38 am

Can the long dimples be heated and pushed out with a pipe through the beam?

Sun Oct 11, 2009 12:40 pm

63VWDC wrote: Hey, I was wondering if anyone has any tips on installing the springs back into the front beam. I currently narrowed my beam and now I'm trying to put everything back together but can't seam to line up the spring right...

It usually just takes a little time & patience to fit them back through the adjuster. If I have to fight with them for more than a few minutes, I use a hand-held grinder to taper the corners off the very end of the bar pack.

A slight taper makes a huge difference.

Sun Oct 11, 2009 1:49 pm

Cool tutorial. I'm not one to lower a bus, but I did just raise one from it's pulled leaf status. Was a Mother getting the proper new leaf packs trough the center retainer... very interesting to learn that I can just blast those things out if need be.

Question: how much could the ride height be raised adjusting in the opposite direction? Also, are bay window arms longer and if used with this method could they yield even more ground clearance A)True B)False

Tue Apr 20, 2010 9:33 pm

Quote: MASE..My kit from Moore came with the center collar. Do I use the one with the kit or just leave the original one installed after freeing it from the football shaped depressions by drilling them out as stated earlier? If I do pull the original collar out of the type 1 beam, I'm guessing that the bearing should be removed first. Any other tips?

One more question... I noticed that the new collar has two sets of threaded holes. It also came with one short very pointed screw and one long more blunt screw. I'm a little confused about this. Any help is much appreciated.
I had this very same question.....

Wed Apr 21, 2010 7:52 am

dbelkhart wrote: Quote: MASE..My kit from Moore came with the center collar. Do I use the one with the kit or just leave the original one installed after freeing it from the football shaped depressions by drilling them out as stated earlier? If I do pull the original collar out of the type 1 beam, I'm guessing that the bearing should be removed first. Any other tips?

One more question... I noticed that the new collar has two sets of threaded holes. It also came with one short very pointed screw and one long more blunt screw. I'm a little confused about this. Any help is much appreciated.
I had this very same question.....
ball joint beetle beam. the short set screw holds stack in position/tension and long one locates them. king and link beetle has 1 set screw that does both.

Wed Apr 21, 2010 8:35 am

Those pieces are paper weights. You don't need them on a bus. All you use is the long set screw and the mesh plates.

Wed Apr 21, 2010 2:15 pm

thank you much...getting started on this as soon as I know if I need to go lower when I put the 18'' on the lowered spindles.

Mon Nov 29, 2010 9:57 pm

Ok maybe im thinking to much but I have a 67 bus wanna slam it and fit 17 radar's
so I get how put in adjusters but when you narrow a beam im lost?
so stock beam bolts to the outside frame rail If I narrow it do you bolt it in on the inside of the frame rail but If I do that then the upper arms will be hitting the frame do I cut it out ?
If theres some pics of one already done in the bus can you please post them so I can see thanks Dan

Tue Nov 30, 2010 10:47 am

Dan10 wrote: Ok maybe im thinking to much but I have a 67 bus wanna slam it and fit 17 radar's
so I get how put in adjusters but when you narrow a beam im lost?
so stock beam bolts to the outside frame rail If I narrow it do you bolt it in on the inside of the frame rail but If I do that then the upper arms will be hitting the frame do I cut it out ?
If theres some pics of one already done in the bus can you please post them so I can see thanks Dan

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=156322

Look through this thread for some pics. Do some searching around to answer your questions. It's all here, somewhere.

Tue Nov 30, 2010 12:36 pm

I looked threw twenty two pages and only seen bus laid out or bug seen couple beams on benches but Im looking for some pics of a bus on the rack and showing pics on how it bolts in ? any frame mods? sorry for the detailed pics that im looking for I just dont know what im looking at under a bus

Tue Nov 30, 2010 12:55 pm

Dan10 wrote: I looked threw twenty two pages and only seen bus laid out or bug seen couple beams on benches...

Well, 27 pages left..... :lol:

You can go 6.5" maybe as much as 7" without major frame mods.

Find someone running the setup you're after and see what they did :wink: