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Alter rear ride height

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paslow22 Seriously Crusin Dubber

109 posts · joined Oct 2015 ·

#1034078
Hi,
My 71 superbug muffler is about 90 mm off the ground so I need to raise the rear up , about 50 mm or so to give me decent clearance so I don't scrape on everything higher than an ant.
I have to remove the guards , but what I would like to know is how much suspension travel is altered by 1 notch on the torsion bar so that it's not raised to far.

Thanks
Darryl

vw54 Administrator Always Waiting 4 Friday

16,723 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#1034080
its a bit of trial and error

make sure you replace the rubber bushes as well have you got a protractor to measure before and after

when you loosen the spring plates scribe a line to act as a guide when re installing
I read it on FACEBOOK so it must be true


http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=91278&page=1#pid848630


http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=63561&page=1#pid624099


http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=4832&page=1#pid452603


http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=60650&page=1#pid574409

modnrod Fahrvergnugen

978 posts · joined Mar 2011 ·

#1034083
Try it at 1 whole notch down first, easy to do and will yank the thing up about 2", that's usually about right to make the car level again front-to-rear.

When you slide the arm out a bit and carefully let it drop, you can line it up with the lower bolt hole at the rear of the housing on the side. if you are starting from scratch, covering 1/2 the hole is good for slightly higher than stock, lining up with the top of the hole is good for street, and higher than the hole for however slammed you want it. Just an easy cheats guide to start, then play around with it.

vwo60 Veteran Volks Folk

2,036 posts · joined Feb 2007 ·

#1034084
Do not use a protector as it does not take into account the sag of the torsion bars, set you car on a level concrete pad and measure the current height of the car at a fixed point on both sides, Determine the height that you want to raise the car, the method I will describe will take any difference in side to side ride height into account,

1/Jack the car up at the back and remove the wheels.

2/ Measure from the centre of the torsion bar housing to the centre of the bearing housing on the trailing arm, note length.

3/ Dismantle the suspension leaving the spring plate in position.

4/ Remove torsion bar cap and push the spring plate off the down stop making sure it does not disengage from the inner or out splines.

5/ With a piece of wood or metal extend the spring plate so it is the same length as the dimension you saved from before. This represents the centre line of the bearing housing.

6/ Hold up the spring plate with one hand and measure the dimension from the top datum point to the end of the extension on the spring plate, I use the top shock bolt for the upper point.

7/ Now add the extra amount you want to increase the ride height to that dimension and keep note.

8/ Note that the out torsion bar has 44 splines and the inner has 40, mark the starting point of the spring plate on the chassis and pull the spring plate and bar, clean and grease each spline, refit to original position with the extension piece fitted.

9/ You now can move the bar and spring plate to achieve the new dimension measured at the end of the extension, The increase in this dimension will be the actual increase ride height measured at the axel centre, just allow for any difference in ride height side to side at this time by adding or subtracting it.

10/ make sure any worn component's are replaced at this time during assembly and a four wheel alignment is recommended.

11/ This method will allow you to raise your car to the desired height you want without trial and error method while levelling the car at the rear, I have done it this way for years and never had to revisit the adjustment because it was wrong.

paslow22 Seriously Crusin Dubber

109 posts · joined Oct 2015 ·

#1034089
Thankyou fellow veedubbers.

The information has been extremely helpful.

All the rubbers and everything on the car has been replaced and I mean everything, purchased it all done, car is lowered, to much at the rear.
I can't get a 100mm block under the muffler and it scrapes on everything, raise that and go from there.
Running 16's with 50 series tyres.
All I have to do now is do the job.
Thanks again.
Darryl

vwo60 Veteran Volks Folk

2,036 posts · joined Feb 2007 ·

#1034092
Do not use the factory angles with old torsion bars as it will not give you the lift you expect.

psimitar Son of Jim - Creator of Good

2,506 posts · joined Jan 2009 ·

#1034113
Here's a web link to describe the amount of change in ride height for a set number of splaine adjustments to the inner and outer.
Beetle change in ride height chart

To level the rear to allow for the drivers side sagging you measure both sides centre of the torsion bar.

Then you look up on the chart what you need to raise lower by and do this for each side.

VW60's method is good but I'm lazy and don't use the spring plate extension piece.

Oh, and use white out to mark the springplate/torsion bar position and the framehorn where the spring plate sits once off it's stop. Do this and if you get lost you can easily put it back to how it was and start again 🙂
madness is in the eye of the beholder 👍

vw54 Administrator Always Waiting 4 Friday

16,723 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#1034114
Beetle change in ride height chart

that's a good reference chart I still like to use the protractor much easier and if the torsion spring have SAG get some that dont
I read it on FACEBOOK so it must be true


http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=91278&page=1#pid848630


http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=63561&page=1#pid624099


http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=4832&page=1#pid452603


http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=60650&page=1#pid574409

psimitar Son of Jim - Creator of Good

2,506 posts · joined Jan 2009 ·

#1034117
vw54 wrote:Beetle change in ride height chart

that's a good reference chart I still like to use the protractor much easier and if the torsion spring have SAG get some that dont
Unless you buy new bars then allowing for sag is the only other option. Swapping the passenger for drivers is ill advised as can cause the bar to fracture due to rotating the opposite direction after years of rotating in just the one direction 🙂
madness is in the eye of the beholder 👍

vwo60 Veteran Volks Folk

2,036 posts · joined Feb 2007 ·

#1034118
If you do not have a protector or you are in possession of these mystical torsion bars that have no sag, I would also suggest they will also have varying amounts of sag between bars, so the chart is meaningless if you want to raise and lower your car the first time with out trail and error as you are actually using the car to determine the adjustments.

psimitar Son of Jim - Creator of Good

2,506 posts · joined Jan 2009 ·

#1034121
vwo60 wrote:If you do not have a protector or you are in possession of these mystical torsion bars that have no sag, I would also suggest they will also have varying amounts of sag between bars, so the chart is meaningless if you want to raise and lower your car the first time with out trail and error as you are actually using the car to determine the adjustments.
If you measure the car both sides then the chart works perfectly well to ascertain how much each side needs adjusting. Even your method won't account for any weakness in the torsion bar that may cause it to drop more than one would expect.

There's more than one way to skin a cat 🙂
madness is in the eye of the beholder 👍

vwo60 Veteran Volks Folk

2,036 posts · joined Feb 2007 ·

#1034175
It certainly does, as the bars in the car are a know factor and if you measure the height all you are doing then is adding the required increase to the length of the spring plate, taken into account in one move with no trial and error.

psimitar Son of Jim - Creator of Good

2,506 posts · joined Jan 2009 ·

#1034184
vwo60 wrote:It certainly does, as the bars in the car are a know factor and if you measure the height all you are doing then is adding the required increase to the length of the spring plate, taken into account in one move with no trial and error.
If it works for you then all good. Each to their own and all that 🙂
madness is in the eye of the beholder 👍

paslow22 Seriously Crusin Dubber

109 posts · joined Oct 2015 ·

#1034205
psimitar wrote:
vwo60 wrote:It certainly does, as the bars in the car are a know factor and if you measure the height all you are doing then is adding the required increase to the length of the spring plate, taken into account in one move with no trial and error.
If it works for you then all good. Each to their own and all
that 🙂
Thanks everyone for your information I'll take it all onboard and I might do it next week with the help of my son ,

Thanks again