IRS or swing axle.
Swing axle is real easy.
Lift rear of car and put on jack stands (torsion tube or jack point).
Remove wheel.
Put a hydraulic jack under the brake drum to support it (axle all the way down).
Remove 4 bolts on torsion cover.
Use a hammer to pound spring plate outward, off of the splines for the torsion.
Reposition the spring plate up and slide back onto torsion splines.
Remember how much you moved it to match the other side.
Bolt cover back on.
Do the same to the other side.
I suggest going only one or two notches at a time (splines on the torsion) until you get your desired height. Remember to settle the suspension before presuming that the car is too high still.
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'59 bug-unstockStella
'88 Bronco II-unstock Sonja
"Yes, I am a smart ass."
"I'm a DUMBASS too"
But are you gutless?
How do you lower the rear of a bug?
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RadsBug
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2002 12:01 am
How do you lower the rear of a bug?
Hey guys,
How do you lower the rear of a bug? Are there any sites that have instructions?
Thanks
How do you lower the rear of a bug? Are there any sites that have instructions?
Thanks
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Danny
- Posts: 167
- Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2002 12:01 am
How do you lower the rear of a bug?
maybe this will help. http://oldeskool.org/tech/tech.html#rear
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aussiebug
- Posts: 1520
- Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2001 12:01 am
How do you lower the rear of a bug?
"Sidewalk" missed a lot out in his description.
The inner end of each torsion bar has 40 splines and the outer end 44 splines.
So moving one spline on the inner end results in a 9 degree angle change - that will sit the car on the ground!
The actual process involves moving it one spline on the inner end, then one spline in the opposite direction at the outer end - that makes an angle change of 0.81 degrees, which equates to about 1/2 - 3/4 inch change in ride height.
To change the height more, do the double rotation again.
The spring plate will only allow a one-up-one-down rotation at a time - it can't move far enough to do two splines at once (18 degrees).
And you DON'T pound the spring plate off the stop lip! Just jack the spring plate upwards until it's off the stop-lip, and then use two tyre levers or large screw drivers to ease it outwards 1/2 inch then lower the jack till the spring plates are free of tension. No dramatics, not chance of breaking a leg or something when they "pop" and spring down with a gigantic bang.
There's a complete procedure for this and lots of other stuff on my web site (below).
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Rob
Rob and Dave's aircooled VW pages
Repair and Maintenance for the home mechanic
http://www.geocities.com/aussiebug1970/index.html
The inner end of each torsion bar has 40 splines and the outer end 44 splines.
So moving one spline on the inner end results in a 9 degree angle change - that will sit the car on the ground!
The actual process involves moving it one spline on the inner end, then one spline in the opposite direction at the outer end - that makes an angle change of 0.81 degrees, which equates to about 1/2 - 3/4 inch change in ride height.
To change the height more, do the double rotation again.
The spring plate will only allow a one-up-one-down rotation at a time - it can't move far enough to do two splines at once (18 degrees).
And you DON'T pound the spring plate off the stop lip! Just jack the spring plate upwards until it's off the stop-lip, and then use two tyre levers or large screw drivers to ease it outwards 1/2 inch then lower the jack till the spring plates are free of tension. No dramatics, not chance of breaking a leg or something when they "pop" and spring down with a gigantic bang.
There's a complete procedure for this and lots of other stuff on my web site (below).
------------------
Rob
Rob and Dave's aircooled VW pages
Repair and Maintenance for the home mechanic
http://www.geocities.com/aussiebug1970/index.html
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63ragtop
- Posts: 530
- Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2001 12:01 am
How do you lower the rear of a bug?
If it is swing axle, there is a better solution.......Adjustable spring plates. I dont have a pair yet, but Im sure gonna get some. They have them at Partsvw.com for aroung 100 bucks a set. Now you can adjust the ride height of the rear in only a few minutes. I have changed the height of the rear before and It is a pain in the butt. Good luck
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Sidewalk
- Posts: 1307
- Joined: Wed Nov 14, 2001 12:01 am
How do you lower the rear of a bug?
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by aussiebug:
<B>And you DON'T pound the spring plate off the stop lip! Just jack the spring plate upwards until it's off the stop-lip, and then use two tyre levers or large screw drivers to ease it outwards 1/2 inch then lower the jack till the spring plates are free of tension. No dramatics, not chance of breaking a leg or something when they "pop" and spring down with a gigantic bang.
</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
That is why I said to support it with a jack. You got a lot more details that may or not be needed. Thsi method has worked on all the bugs I have lowered.
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'59 bug-unstockStella
'88 Bronco II-unstock Sonja
"Yes, I am a smart ass."
"I'm a DUMBASS too"
But are you gutless?
<B>And you DON'T pound the spring plate off the stop lip! Just jack the spring plate upwards until it's off the stop-lip, and then use two tyre levers or large screw drivers to ease it outwards 1/2 inch then lower the jack till the spring plates are free of tension. No dramatics, not chance of breaking a leg or something when they "pop" and spring down with a gigantic bang.
</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
That is why I said to support it with a jack. You got a lot more details that may or not be needed. Thsi method has worked on all the bugs I have lowered.
------------------
'59 bug-unstockStella
'88 Bronco II-unstock Sonja
"Yes, I am a smart ass."
"I'm a DUMBASS too"
But are you gutless?