need help with beam cutting and adjuster

[tlkolrod]

Old guy new to the form Hello everyone, I am looking for someone who has cut their own beam and put in SAW style adjusters. I have searched and read and searched and watched. I am not new to fab work but I just have some questions BEFORE I do it . If you are willing to share your knowledge rather than insult me please drop a line so I can learn. I am working with a BJ beam and will be narrowing 4 inches and adding sway away style adjusters.
I had this site recommended to me by some other sites that I have tried. They said the old skool dudes hang out here. I just need someone who has "been there done that" to walk me through some questions so I do the job once and do it correctly. [email protected]
Thx Toby Gettysburg area of PA

[gtmdriver]

I fitted my own Sway-aways into a ball joint beam.

What do you want to know?

[tlkolrod]

Hello Gtndriver thx for the help. I have a BJ beam and I am narrowing it 4 inches and putting in sway away adjusters. To begin with when my adjusters arrived they were not assembled. So I had to search the web to try and fid pix. (no instructions provided) They had the round inner sleeve with 2 threaded holes and a slit. then there was the outer tube. then there were 3 allen head bolts. one very short one a medium length one and a long one. The shortest one (grub) and the longest one I have threaded into the round inner sleeve. The medium length one and its lock nut are threded into the bracket and will do the moving of the inner sleeve by putting force on the small aluminum block. How do I know I have the allens in the correct holes of the inner sleeve? Toby

[Ol'fogasaurus]

I did a beam rebuild a couple of years ago and it still can be found (http://www.shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic ... joint+beam). This build covers several things besides the adding the adjusters so have patience in finding that part (starts at about page . There was a lot of help from fellow STF'er as I waded through the build. I made several mistakes and documented the mistakes.

I also did not narrow the beam so I can't help you there.

Go on line and you can find the instructions from Sway-a-way (http://www.swayaway.net/joomla/images/I ... USTERS.pdf) they are a PDF file so you can down load them and print them. Read them several times before you start (the best advice I can give as everything is there but covers both style of beams): the first thing the writer says is to have someone who has already done the swap do it. You can do it as long as:

1) You read the instructions several times.

2) The instructions cover both King and Link and Ball-joint beams; the adjusters for each style are different which got me into big trouble on the beam build. Advice: go through the instructions and line out the portions of the instructions that do not apply to the style of beam you are rebuilding. This is where I made my biggest mistake of getting confused.

3) Get a proper sized radiator hose clamp to use in making a straight cut around the beam. It helps a lot!

I hope this helps.

Lee

[tlkolrod]

THx Lee I have read the sway away instructions many times and they could be a lot better. Not real crystal clear. I have it pretty well figured out but still have some question I want to double check on before I weld it up
Toby

[Ol'fogasaurus]

I added the URL for the site as you said that yours did not come with them. I think the on line site instructions, which are almost the same as what you get in the box, are a bit better but still a bit confusing. When I was writing kit instructions I would not have been allowed to conjoin two sets of instructions like this. Writing instructions is, at best, very hard to do as you are dealing with those who's skills range from "have an idea"/or are mechanical to "don't have a clue"/not mechanical.

Good luck on the build. Its not hard once your done but it is the in-between process that is hard. I did make one jig to help with/hold alignment, needed at that time or not.

Lee

"You don't make mistakes if you don't do anything" but I am not sure that is true either.

[gtmdriver]

The instructions are poor and actually have errors. I have a corrected set which I can send you but unfortunately not straight away. I am on holiday in Greece and not back till the 21st. If you still need them I can send them to you.

The main thing you need to consider is how to align the two halves of the beam for welding once you have cut and shortened them.

It is worth making up a simple jig to clamp them in position. I made mine from angle iron and some large exhaust U bolts but yo may be able to use the original beam mounting points too.

You also need to mark the position of the large Allen screws and locknuts which clamp the torsion leaves. Mark these by scribing long lines on both beams so that you do not lose them when you cut the beam. You will need these marks to align the adjusters when rewelding the beam.

[tlkolrod]

No worries gtmdriver I had a fella from GA dubs get me squared away. I have made a jig from round tubing and using hose clamps. All lines are scribed. Ready to cut and weld this weekend. Have yourself a great vacation in Greece just don't tell my wife how nice it was !! Thx for the help
Toby In PA Gettysburg area

[tlkolrod]

Thanks to all of you My beam is cut and adjusters are in correctly. THANK YOU Now moving on to modify shock towers and Tie rods

Toby in PA

[andy198712]

can you explain your rig a bit to us?

[tlkolrod]

Just a 69 standard beetle that I want lowered with front disc brakes, So I narrowed the beam and added adjusters with 2.5 dropped spindles
Toby

[fall-apart-dave]

I did my own... I really didn't struggle. Used a plumbers pipe cutter to mark the beam for the cuts, used a slitting disc, "eyeballed" the height at fully-up by using the stock grub screws as a marker, so my beam will go from jsut a hair over stock height to nose-on-the-ground now (I also tun dropped spindles). Found it surprisingly easy, actually! Didn't narrow my beam though...

[fall-apart-dave]

(note - scored a long level line with a spirit level to mark the centre of the stock grub screw positions, and scored the adjusters the same place at full height, to get them aligned properly).