Torsion bar length

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bugingreasemonkey
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Oct 18, 2015 6:43 pm

Torsion bar length

Post by bugingreasemonkey »

This question may have been asked before but has anyone ever heard or known someone who has shortened a torque bar and tube on their bug?
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Chip Birks
Posts: 4006
Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2008 5:59 pm

Re: Torsion bar length

Post by Chip Birks »

Lots of narrowed torsion cars out there. Nobody shortens the torsion bars, instead they mix and match spring plates and torsion bars to get things either 3" or 5" narrower than stock, per side. The tube must be shortened to accomodate the narrowing though.
Ol'fogasaurus
Posts: 17756
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:17 pm

Re: Torsion bar length

Post by Ol'fogasaurus »

You can buy different stock per year lengths but shortening them is going to be a long, tedious machining (the inside and outside are different spline counts) problems as well as the right material the tempering.
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What I have seen done is to get rid of the torsion housing and add pivots or radius rods to replace the spring plates then go to coil-over shocks.

Lee
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H2OSB

Re: Torsion bar length

Post by H2OSB »

Steve Carter from Australia, who has a Subaru STI (jdm version) powered Super Beetle shortened his torsion tubes to fit some giant Porsche gearbox (like a G50). He uses the shortest length torsion bars, IIRC. I believe they 30mm bars. He gets on here from time to time. Perhaps he'll chime in.

H2OSB
bugingreasemonkey
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Oct 18, 2015 6:43 pm

Re: Torsion bar length

Post by bugingreasemonkey »

Ok thanks y'all I'll play around with it and c what i come up with.
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