Going under the knife

[Max Welton]

This is frustrating.

Today my plan was to assemble the front suspension. Turns out I am missing the front torsion bars. I see a few for sale on thesamba but for earlier cars. My beam is late 68. I do have the sway bar and the little securing plates.

Are all the torsion bars the same? Joel Mitchel has some from a 65.

Max

[Piledriver]

If push comes to shove Im using early bars in my 73, as the late bars were too stiff for my use... as I use the torsions as sway and anti dive (ala 4-way shocks) with bilstein coil overs doing the hold it up duty. (used the small body sg series, converted to external res/revalved (old kybs became the reservoirs, with the bilstien floating pistons)

I welded std loops on for decent kevlar heim ends on the sgs, as the ones tat come on them are junk grade steel on steel..
The torsion bars got slid in after the ride height was set, with the car at rest. Same out back.

[Max Welton]

Interesting. The rear torsion bars were larger for squarebacks than for fastback/notch (makes sence) but Jim Adney tells me the fronts stayed the same throughout. ISP only shows one part for all years.

Of course mine is stock (for 68).

Max

[Piledriver]

my 73 fronts were iirc almost 40% larger diameter, laid side by side it was an obvious difference.
I bet it was a suffix change or something.
I will dig them up I just finished moving everything and think those are still in "Shed". (the 86 Vanagon, soon to have a ms3 controlled 3.6L)

The pignose cars had ~all the extra weight upfront, between with metal inner fender reinforcements and about another foot of overhang...

If you cut off the frame horns and moved the gas tank, you could likely stick a 1.8T and trans without too much cutting.

[Max Welton]

Maybe if I wasn't trying to be done by April

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[Piledriver]

Since you are in there....
I have considered adding convertible reinforcement bits in the rockers when I do mine to stiffen up the chassis a bit...
Not exactly the right shape for a t3 up front but thats easy to fix.
I also hope your roof is resting on foam at the side rails, wrinkles can be hard to get out.

[Max Welton]

Hard to see in this picture, but the body is on a rotisserie. It's not actually resting on the roof.

Max

[Max Welton]

NOS thrust rings from Germany

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Max

[Max Welton]

Making progress. Steering box, knuckles and tie-rods on. But I need some fresh lock-tabs (if that's what they're called). I don't want to put these back on. Where should I look for new ones?

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Max

[Ol'fogasaurus]

For those who don't know that the two objects in the bottom pix are a type of lock to keep either the head of the bolt or the nut from backing off when the two side tabs are bent in the opposite direction and flush to the main object.

The two locking devices look stretched and probably worn/aged enough that the metal is stretched/seamed enough to cause the center tab to break off.

We weren't allowed to use them in what I did but I have played with them on cars before. We have had some "old age hardened" failures with them; e.g., the metal was opened then re-bent too many times.
-
Max, you build is looking pretty darn good. You should be proud of what you have done.

Lee

Do a search on fastener locking tabs and you will see several designs for this.

[Max Welton]

Wow. There are a lot of different styles.

Rather than finding an exact match I can buy, I think I'll see if there's something in my scrap pile I can make some from.

My wife isn't convinced she'll see this car together again.

Ha!

Max

[Ol'fogasaurus]

https://www.protocase.com/resources/bend-radius.php

This is a chart for the minimum inside bend radius for different thicknesses of steel. Any tighter then you can easily compromise the bend itself. If the outside surface of the bent metal gets a gray look to the bare metal then the radius is too tight.

A length of rectangular stock could be used for bending the metal. Cut the stock to be used for bending making sure that there is a proper radius at the corners of the bending form. Also, make sure that at the corners of each tab there is a relief hole (usually it is something like 2 times the internal radius) so you you don't weaken or tear the stock then radius the sides and ends. Your parts there did not have them but that is the old way of doing it; you take the chance of stretching or tearing the material with out the relief radius.

You could drill the hole first then clamp the stock to the mold with the hole being in the clamped area so it won't stretch/oval. Bend the single bend first then turn it over and bend the two other sides in the opposite direction. This should be the easiest and cheapest way to do it. I've drawn up many blueprints for things like this.

Lee

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Max, I made a mistake in the bending order : the first tab I said to bend is the last tab to bend and it is done when the fastener head is to be locked in place (it is bent up to one of the "flats" of the bolt head. The two other tabs can be hand done also but it is usually/often easier to have the bends pre-bent so you can tap them into a full locking position when the fastener is installed.

I worked mostly in the passenger cabin of an airplane so you had to cover passenger boredom possibilities which is one of several reasons why we didn't use this locking device design. People often have to be saved from themselves but they will find a way to find stupidity... even if it takes a while .

Lee

[Piledriver]

Go safety wire...
You can buy predrilled bolts, but a bag of little cobalt drill bits isn't that bad $.

[Max Welton]

Go safety wire...

This was quick and easy. And I have an entire car to build.

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Max