Squeaky Rear End

[hazmatty3614]

So now that I’ve been driving the Ghia around, which has been such a victory for me, the rear end is driving me nuts. I’ve ordered shocks and torsion bushings. Question is, the holes in the body have been filled and painted over.

If I’m just looking to take the spring plates off and change the bushings I should be ok, no? I know I won’t be able to get the torsion bar out all the way and I don’t believe I need to.

Ps I ordered the black rubber bushings. What grease should I cover them with?

69 Ghia Coupe Autostick

[TDCTDI]

You can replace the outer ones but not the inners.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[fes]

Talcum powder is what's recommended for the black bushings,,,but before you do anything,log some miles, when I got my car,the PO had installed the red urethane ones,the squeak was so bad from my passenger side I'd swear my buddies could hear me coming before the car turned the corner..a whole season and into the next..but eventually it subsided and now non existent..I'll chalk it up to being dry after a few years before I got the Ghia and the every day natural motions broke them in
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'68 Campmobile-Pedro
'15 Golf-Stella Blau
'56 Oval-The Turd (for now)

[hazmatty3614]

I thought I could pull the plate off the torsion bar end, replace the inner bushing, put the plate back on, replace the outer bushing, and button it all up.

I would have to pull the whole torsion bar out of the car do both the inner and outer bushings?

Maybe I'll try the shocks first and see how much difference it makes. It squeaks like hell pushing the car up and down as well as side to side.

[TDCTDI]

Unless your car has the short torsion bars, there is not enough room between the quarter panel & the torsion housing to sneak the spring plate off the end of the torsion bar.

The spring plate protrudes through the hole, is then twisted 45* upwards to clear the end of the torsion bar & then slid back into the wheel well to remove it.

This torsion bar is still fully seated in the inner splines.

_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[hazmatty3614]

I just looked under the car and see what you're saying. I also didn't realize they are double plates. Is it possible slide it out until it hits the inside of the fender, apply some grease to the existing inner bushing, and replace the outer bushing? The noise is awful.... I prefer to replace it all but I'm not cutting the access holes out.

Can someone suggest a size hole to cut and where to find the "plugs" for when I'm done?

With the wife bouncing the car up and down, and me underneath it, the noise is clearly from the bushings and not the shocks.

[TDCTDI]

[hazmatty3614]

Alright. So I'm better off cutting a slit in the new one to get it inside, than I am cleaning/greasing the old one? I guess I'll orient the slit upwards? Or does it not even matter where the slit is?

[TDCTDI]

If the ones in your car are urethane, no amount of grease, snail snot, or horse sperm will ever make those things shut the hell up.

Cut the new bushing at one of the LOWER nubs. The upper portion of the bushing will be the one bearing the load so you don't want a weak point there.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[kurt912]

I had a 924S set up for autocross with urethane bushings in the rear. Only made noise when the weather was really warm...
_________________
1964 MG Midget MK1 Monte Carlo Replica
1969 Karmann Ghia Coupe
1972 Mercedes 250 Coupe

[hazmatty3614]

My bushings and shocks arrived today. Jacked the car up put it on stands and took off the wheels. This looks like a daunting task but I’m going to try it.

Is there a reason I can’t use a rubber safe grease on the black bushings? For some reason I feel better with grease on them.

Will the inner spline stay in place while I’m pulling the housing off of the outer spline? I’d hate to pull it out and have to index it again.

[hazmatty3614]

My bushings and shocks arrived today. Jacked the car up put it on stands and took off the wheels. This looks like a daunting task but I’m going to try it.

Is there a reason I can’t use a rubber safe grease on the black bushings? For some reason I feel better with grease on them.

Will the inner spline stay in place while I’m pulling the housing off of the outer spline? I’d hate to pull it out and have to index it again.

[TDCTDI]

Once the spring plate is off the stop, I use a screw driver to scribe a reference mark on the stop to have an idea of where the plate was positioned. Lots of times the torsion bar seems to have more friction on the spring plate than the inner splines & it will come out with the spring plate instead of staying in the inner splines.

This is where that reference point is nice to have as you have to get the torsion bar seated in the inner splines again, BEFORE trying to wiggle the spring plate off the outer splines. Once you get the bar back into the inner splines, be sure to seat the torsion bar ALLthe way into the splines. Failure to do this will result in the spring slipping & the car dropping to the ground on that side.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[hazmatty3614]

I understand what I need to do and began taking it all apart. I'm at a point where I'm ready to support the double spring plate and pry it off the stop lip. I cannot get the axle assembly high or low enough to not be overlapping the spring plate. What is the trick here?

[TDCTDI]

It’s a “spring” plate, they do flex. it’s under lots of tension! But, get a 8”-12” long screw driver or pry bar, insert tip between the spring plate & lower stop just behind the lower rear retaining bolt hole & pry down. MAKE SURE THAT NO PART OF YOUR BODY(HANDS/Arms/fingers/legs) is within 6” of the downward arc of the spring plate! It WILL drop instantly & violently.

In fact, move the jack as the arm might strike that & send it your way.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[hazmatty3614]

I get that part, but the inner spring plate is still behind the trailing arm portion.
The trailing arm portion is in the way of the inner spring plate coming off the stop.

If I just pry it out, wll I be able to get it back up later without moving the trailing arm portion further out of the way?

[TDCTDI]

They’re spring steel, very flexible. To reinstall, you just have to pry the plate back behind the trailing arm as you’re raising the arm back up.

You do have a tool for raising the arm back up right? The jack ain’t gonna do it unless you chain the car to the ground.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[hazmatty3614]

I didn't realize the jack wouldn't do it. Some you tube vids seem to indicate that jacking the plate up would get it above the stop.

I'll see how it goes. I'm going to attempt getting both sides apart and the new bushings in.

If I need to order the tool, I will, and put it back together next weekend.

I really appreciate the help!

[TDCTDI]

The problem with the jack is that, unless you have lowered the car, the force needed to jack it up is greater than the weight of the car. You will need to anchor the car to the ground or chain the bottom of the jack to the shock tower (or find a couple of heavier friends to sit on the fender.)
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[olspeed]