Shimming front springs on a 2wd westy

[Mike Robinson]

My front end is sagging.

Can you lift the front like the back with spacers? I am sure I saw a post with pictures a few years ago.

Would the shim go on the top or bottom of the spring?

Thanks

Mike

'82 Westy diesel AAZ

[jimf909]

Syncro.org sells shims for the front springs.

Shims and good info on shimming...
http://www.syncro.org/schwenksprings/shims.html

I’ll be interested in hearing where these are placed in the system (I’m assuming at the top, above the rubber spacer?) and how many can be used.

I need to lift my driver’s side front by 1/2” to 3/4”. Ultimately, I’d like to relocate 150 ah of batteries from that corner to the rear but for now Id like to shim.
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- Jim

[levi]

Yes the only place they could go would be as you said, above the rubber.
From what I remember, there's a maximum of about 3/8" available, and then the top of the spring would no longer be captive.
_________________
One of these days I'm gonna settle down,
but till I do I won't be hangin round.
Going down that long lonesome highway,
gonna see life my way

https://youtu.be/cSrL0BXsO40

[davevickery]

I have some 3/8" spacers in the front of mine (above the stock rubber spring isolator). Because the wheel is further out than the spring, 3/8" gives you about 1/2" of lift which is welcome. I made mine out some HD 18 wheeler mud flap material I found on the road. No downsides that I found.

[iliketowalk]

Pretty sure Burley sells plasma cut spacers, may not be on his website -- but if you call / email he might be able to hook you up.

To go more than 3/8" you'd need to have a machined spacer with a new captive lip, otherwise you definitely risk the shock working its way out. (The shock will stop it from falling out completely, but it's not ideal / safe)
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1986 Weekender "Birch"

[Zeitgeist 13]

I'm surprised Schwenk doesn't add a caveat about adding too many shims up front. After about 3/8" the rubber pad starts to poke out of the perch and could under certain circumstances theoretically leave the perch altogether. I think the preferred approach to taller front shim uses a milled chunk of metal that follows the curvature of the perch at the top and bottom so everything stays put. There's a firm in D-land making just such a shim.
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[Tbob]

I was wondering if one could shim the front springs with a contoured polyurathane spring spacer as made by bell tech for the front of a chevy s-10, They make a couple of thicknesses of them, and they are contoured on the top to fit in a s-10 spring bucket, and the bottom of it is contoured to cup the spring. Since people are having success with the s-10 springs, I wonder if this could work for those who wanted to keep their stock spring rate but add some lift. I can't link to it, but if you look on Bell Tech's website and look at the products for an Chevy s-10, you will see the spacers.
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1969 Deluxe, owned since 1973
1973 Westfalia, owned since 1983
1980 Westfalia, watercooled conversion
1985 Westfalia, stock!
1986 Westfakia, Audi I-4 conversion
A couple of trucks and a couple of Jeeps

[jimf909]

So Amazon says the Moog 5658 spring (mentioned here as a fit for the Vanagon) fits a 1995 Chevy S-10.

The Belltech website says this spacer fits ‘83-‘03 GM S Series trucks.

http://www.belltech.com/belltech-82-04-gm-s-series-83-03-blazer-jimmy-3-4-leveling-spacer-4930.html

Transitive law says that if a=b and b=c then a=c (or something like that). Inter web transitive math then suggests that an S10 spring spacer should work with a Moog 5658 spring used on Vanagons (and possibly other Vanagon springs?).

It appears to be a .75” spacer x 1.5 (from the Syncro.org website) would be 1.125” if lift on a Vanagon.

I have no idea if that means this spacer would work but it’s an interesting possibility. A 1/2” S-10 spacer would be perfect for my van.
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- Jim

[Zeitgeist 13]

I have no doubt that the spacer fits Vanagon springs, but we don't know whether it fits the perch. The Vanagon perch has a beveled shoulder at the top, but those spacers appear to be flat. Perhaps they can be sanded to have a beveled shoulder fairly easily.

https://shufti.blog/2012/07/17/vanagon-syncro-front-spring-pad/
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[Tbob]

I think I will order a set of Bel tech spacers for investigative purposes. Polyurathane is shapable with a belt sander, so it could be beveled. I would think that one would want it to fit the contour of the spring bucket as much as possible. I will report back when I get them, but as I am in the middle of a 600 mile house move, it may be a while before I have the time and the shop facilities to pull the front end of the 86 apart.
_________________
1969 Deluxe, owned since 1973
1973 Westfalia, owned since 1983
1980 Westfalia, watercooled conversion
1985 Westfalia, stock!
1986 Westfakia, Audi I-4 conversion
A couple of trucks and a couple of Jeeps

[K58]

I recently had Schwenk springs fitted to my Westy and I asked my installer to add the 3/8" metal spacer (actually a washer) I purchased from Syncro.org. The installer gave me back the washer and showed me a ~3/8"" puck he had in his shop that fit nicely above the spring. I got roughly 1.5" (18" from hub center to rim) of lift in the front from this.
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Westy HID Projector Retrofit

[Jagermeister]

I've been wanting to lift the nose of my '85 at least an inch. I'd be happy with 2"
I assumed when I bought it that the front springs were badly sagging because it sits very raked. We put brand new springs in and it sits exactly the same. I'm about to do new tierod assemblies and an alignment so I thought it would be a good time to also lift the front. I followed what was being written here and a few other places. I wanted to get everyone's opinion on this product being sold on eee bay

https://www.ebay.com/i/302882399945?chn=ps&nor...gKKRvD_BwE
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1985 Subaru-powered Westfalia

[levi]

I guess I'm curious where you're going to put these.

Above the spring perch, below the spring?. And what is going to keep it in place?

I suppose I thought those were for using in cases of coil bind, in between the coils, do you have coils that are touching, like the 1-1/2" lift springs from gowesty?
_________________
One of these days I'm gonna settle down,
but till I do I won't be hangin round.
Going down that long lonesome highway,
gonna see life my way

https://youtu.be/cSrL0BXsO40

[Jagermeister]

I was going to put it on top of the spring
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1985 Subaru-powered Westfalia

[levi]

From what I remember, there's only about 3/8" available under that front cap before the spring is no longer contained within it.

Btw 3/8" gives a little more than 1/2" of actual lift due to geometry.

Some have had metal caps made to sit under the front cap to act as spacers, but they're expensive.

I have occasionally thought of adding a metal strap across the top to contain the spring with an added spacer, something like what's indicated in my pic, but that would be strictly a hack job, low-rent solution, and if anyone dies a fiery death because of it, well... I'm not involved.

_________________
One of these days I'm gonna settle down,
but till I do I won't be hangin round.
Going down that long lonesome highway,
gonna see life my way

https://youtu.be/cSrL0BXsO40

[Jagermeister]

This looks interesting https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedway-Adjustable-Hidden-Coil-Spring-Shim-Spacer,3389.html
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1985 Subaru-powered Westfalia

[Jagermeister]

Or these https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedway-Non-Adjustable-Coil-Spring-Spacer,3388.html
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1985 Subaru-powered Westfalia

[MarkWard]

I think those spacers at summit are for converting to coil over racing springs. Nothing wrong with coil over type shocks, but I'm not sure the vanagon stock shock mounting was designed to carry the weight of the vanagon. I know some have successfully converted the rears to coil over shocks, but in a vanagon, the lower front and rear arms carry the load as well as the unibody directly above. I could also be wrong.
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☮️

[dolamike]

Pretty good overview here...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6iS8ktEHOg
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71 Bay Window Bus
85 Westfalia

[IdahoDoug]

Not sure what drives the desire for front lifts, but be ready for a change in handling. A 1” front lift will definitely give any vehicle a notable tippy feeling at turn initiation and in crosswinds or uneven pavement such as crowned rural roads. Its a big change moving the CG upward so dont expect it to be a freebie.
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader