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deronmoped
Samba Member
Joined: November 18, 2006
Posts: 375
Location: San Diego
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 Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 9:41 pm Post subject: Adjusting springs for weight? |
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Anyone every adjust their front torsion springs for the usual amount of weigh the front end sees?
A Bus is designed to carry a maximum load and I'm sure they set up the springs to handle that load. Now if you never use the Bus to that capacity, would it not work better for you to remove some front leafs? I have a fiberglass Manx style buggy and I pulled a few leafs out of it to make it ride better. I'm thinking I will try the same thing with my Bus. I almost never have anyone in it besides me, so it seems to make sense.
Anyone have any idea what pulling a leaf out of each section would do to the load carrying capacity?
Thanks, Deron. |
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moxnix
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Joined: September 11, 2003
Posts: 667
Location: Mpls Minn.
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| Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 6:31 pm Post subject: |
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That flyweight buggy was running spring rates for a significantly heavier stock sedan - your bus has leaves designed to carry a bus..
I wouldnt mess with it.
Are you running gas shocks up front? Switching to conventional oil filled shocks will net you a softer ride
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deronmoped
Samba Member
Joined: November 18, 2006
Posts: 375
Location: San Diego
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| Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 11:43 pm Post subject: |
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| moxnix wrote: |
That flyweight buggy was running spring rates for a significantly heavier stock sedan - your bus has leaves designed to carry a bus..
I wouldnt mess with it.
Are you running gas shocks up front? Switching to conventional oil filled shocks will net you a softer ride |
Yes, but it was also designed to carry a load besides the Bus.
It's a seven passenger bus, with only one passenger at all times. A 2,000 lb capacity Bus with only 175 lbs in it is not going to ride as good as it could. The front end is probably designed to carry pretty close to half that load. Now if the front end only sees 175 lbs, the ride should be able to be improved by lowering the spring rate a little. It's like owning a pickup truck that never carries a load in the bed of the truck.
I have even pulled the center seat, which throws off the ride even more.
Pulling a few leafs should allow the Bus to ride better and at a better level.
Take the opposite, if I was always at or near capacity for the Bus, I would be looking into adding springs, air bags, something to deal with the conditions I most use the Bus in.
Deron. |
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babysnakes
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Joined: August 19, 2008
Posts: 7107
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| Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 7:23 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Pulling a few leafs should allow the Bus to ride better and at a better level. |
I'm not sure "better" is the correct term. It would be different. Removing leaves is the poor mans method of lowering a bus. It also makes the ride too soft and you would need stiffer shocks. I think you need to peruse the "How to lower a bus" thread as I am sure this has been covered many times. |
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deronmoped
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Joined: November 18, 2006
Posts: 375
Location: San Diego
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| Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 5:03 pm Post subject: |
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| babysnakes wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Pulling a few leafs should allow the Bus to ride better and at a better level. |
I'm not sure "better" is the correct term. It would be different. Removing leaves is the poor mans method of lowering a bus. It also makes the ride too soft and you would need stiffer shocks. I think you need to peruse the "How to lower a bus" thread as I am sure this has been covered many times. |
Hey thanks, that is a good idea, I will check the lowering thread.
I was going off my experience in pulling leafs on my Manx style buggy. The ride was overly stiff till I pulled a bunch of leafs.
The posts that I have read in the past covered lowering a Bus did not have adjusting for ride in mind, they just wanted to get the Bus as low as possible. Which ended up in a unacceptable ride.
Deron. |
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fusername
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Joined: March 15, 2006
Posts: 2897
Location: Boston MA
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| Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 3:45 am Post subject: |
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I woudl weld in a set of front beam adjusters, you can dial it in that way, and if the whole plan fails you can go back to stock nice nad easy.
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aeromech
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Joined: January 24, 2006
Posts: 16971
Location: San Diego, California
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| Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 8:50 am Post subject: |
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A few years ago I bought a 1971 bus that had been lowered this way.
They had removed a few springs from the front beam. I had to put everything back to stock in front and back to come up with this.
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volksterii
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Joined: December 01, 2006
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Location: San Diego CA
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| Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 11:58 am Post subject: |
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If you pull out leafs from the front end, you will lower the front. I don't think that is what you are trying to do. I would do as someone stated above is to add softer shocks to the front. I have the konis on mine and you can soften the ride with adjustment of the shocks.
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deronmoped
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Joined: November 18, 2006
Posts: 375
Location: San Diego
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| Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 9:21 pm Post subject: |
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| aeromech wrote: |
A few years ago I bought a 1971 bus that had been lowered this way.
They had removed a few springs from the front beam. I had to put everything back to stock in front and back to come up with this.
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Is your Bus level, it looks it from the picture. My Buses front end is higher then the rear by a inch or two. I figure they do this from the factory, because as soon as you get in the front drops down closer to level. Add a passenger and it would probably be level. If it starts off level, the Bus would be way too low with a driver and passenger in there.
Nice looking Bus.
Deron. |
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deronmoped
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Joined: November 18, 2006
Posts: 375
Location: San Diego
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| Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 9:31 pm Post subject: |
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| volksterii wrote: |
| If you pull out leafs from the front end, you will lower the front. I don't think that is what you are trying to do. I would do as someone stated above is to add softer shocks to the front. I have the konis on mine and you can soften the ride with adjustment of the shocks. |
Well, I'm trying to lower it a inch or so. The Bus rides too high with me in it. These Buses were designed to carry two passengers in the front, I usually only carry myself. They should sit too high till you get weight in them, because if they were at the correct ride height with no weight in them, then they would be too low depending on how much weight you put in the front seats.
Deron. |
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aeromech
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Joined: January 24, 2006
Posts: 16971
Location: San Diego, California
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| Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 6:26 am Post subject: |
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In my opinion it's always the rear that needs adjusting up because of torsion bar sag over the years. The fronts are fine like they are. Bring the back up and you'll have a level ride. Lowered buses suck.
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Wildthings
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Joined: March 13, 2005
Posts: 50352
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| Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 10:31 am Post subject: |
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| deronmoped wrote: |
| volksterii wrote: |
| If you pull out leafs from the front end, you will lower the front. I don't think that is what you are trying to do. I would do as someone stated above is to add softer shocks to the front. I have the konis on mine and you can soften the ride with adjustment of the shocks. |
Well, I'm trying to lower it a inch or so. The Bus rides too high with me in it. These Buses were designed to carry two passengers in the front, I usually only carry myself. They should sit too high till you get weight in them, because if they were at the correct ride height with no weight in them, then they would be too low depending on how much weight you put in the front seats.
Deron. |
Get 300# of tire weights from your local tire shop, put them in a feed sack and set it on the passenger floor. That will get the front down an inch or two. You could get more fancy and pour a lead strip that would go between the front bumper and the body as well. |
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deronmoped
Samba Member
Joined: November 18, 2006
Posts: 375
Location: San Diego
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| Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 8:52 pm Post subject: |
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| Wildthings wrote: |
| deronmoped wrote: |
| volksterii wrote: |
| If you pull out leafs from the front end, you will lower the front. I don't think that is what you are trying to do. I would do as someone stated above is to add softer shocks to the front. I have the konis on mine and you can soften the ride with adjustment of the shocks. |
Well, I'm trying to lower it a inch or so. The Bus rides too high with me in it. These Buses were designed to carry two passengers in the front, I usually only carry myself. They should sit too high till you get weight in them, because if they were at the correct ride height with no weight in them, then they would be too low depending on how much weight you put in the front seats.
Deron. |
Get 300# of tire weights from your local tire shop, put them in a feed sack and set it on the passenger floor. That will get the front down an inch or two. You could get more fancy and pour a lead strip that would go between the front bumper and the body as well. |
I was thinking of moving the battery to the front to even out the weight distribution. Not enough height though.
300 Lbs seems excessive, I was thinking of compensating for never having a passenger in the front with me. Maybe 175 Lbs would do it on the passenger side. 
Deron. |
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aeromech
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Joined: January 24, 2006
Posts: 16971
Location: San Diego, California
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| Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 6:03 am Post subject: |
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Why don't you just hook up with a fat chick to ride around with you?
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BAe146
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