Torsion Bars - Saxperience

D4MJT · 13th May 2014, 11:02

Righty, I'm after a rough ballpark time idea here folks in the know.

I've got a new beam from IM fitted to my car currently, and Sandy Brown's guide on lowering printed off.

The beam should be easy to adjust as it's literally wrapper fresh, and hasn't been on the road since it was built.

I've never adjusted the height before, but I'm alrightish with the spanners.

What sort of timescale am I looking at it to simply adjust the ride height? Is it reasonable to think even if I took my time I could have it done within say 2 hours?

welshpug · 13th May 2014, 11:09

If its been apart recently then 2 hours is more than easily doable.

D4MJT · 13th May 2014, 11:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by welshpug

If its been apart recently then 2 hours is more than easily doable.

I received it on the 10th of April, so literally like a month since it was assembled.

Sweet tits, cheers buddy

KamRacing · 13th May 2014, 11:22

That wont matter. Its the dirt, rust and crud that makes it difficult. Its quite possible the torsion bars will pull out by hand. My reconditioned 205 beam was like that.

welshpug · 13th May 2014, 12:04

It was about 5 years from when I built my 205's beam to swapping the torsion bars for 21mm items and that took two hours inc faffing to get the height right

jokerer · 13th May 2014, 14:15

A few hours seems about right, if you need any help im just down the road kinda and can probs help tomorrow?

Just make sure you measure the distance between the dampers before you start anything otherwise you are in for a world of fun

D4MJT · 13th May 2014, 14:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by jokerer

A few hours seems about right, if you need any help im just down the road kinda and can probs help tomorrow?

Just make sure you measure the distance between the dampers before you start anything otherwise you are in for a world of fun

FML haha.

I'm pretty busy this week buddy so I think it's tonight or the weekend, cheers though! If you end up free tonight roll past and point and laugh

What's the worst that could happen.....

D4MJT · 13th May 2014, 20:59

Fair to say that so far this hasn't gone well. Ignoring the 2 hours it took to change the rear wheel to one that didn't foul the arch, push it out the garage, do an 18 point turn and stick it back in backwards, jack it up and get set to do the job, before dropping a 2 ton trolley jack on my foot, I'm basically confused as fuckery.

I've got all the discs and damper and shit off the beam aye, so it's just the beam, the trailing arms, torsionz and ARB.

Now I'm following Sandy's guide, which has pictures, just to make me feel like more of a useless cunt, but...

I know I don't need to remove the ARB just to change the height, but I've undone both 13mm end plate bolts as you do, and gone to remove the drivers side ARB end plate, as per the guide. Except my drivers side end plate doesn't have a bolt for the ARB through it, it's a blank plate and the only bolt on the drivers side is the 13mm locating bolt at the end of the end plate? I've tried levering the cunt and all kinds but it's not moving like.

On the passengers side I've got an ARB end plate again obviously, and a 13mm retaining bolt which again I've removed. It's also got the T40 job as per Sandy's pictures that obviously bolts into the ARB.

So WTF do I do?

Is there a later beam design or something that isn't covered? Do I just need to remove the torx on the passengers side and remove that end plate instead?

welshpug · 13th May 2014, 21:31

ahh, sounds like some eejit has put the ARB in the wrong way round, some of them do have a welded end plate on one side.

D4MJT · 13th May 2014, 21:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by welshpug

ahh, sounds like some eejit has put the ARB in the wrong way round, some of them do have a welded end plate on one side.

The drivers side end plate definitely has no bolt in the location shown in Sandy's guide, or in the corresponding place that the passenger side has the Torx fitted one.

So what's the protocol, unbolt the torx side of it, and remove the passenger side plate?

jokerer · 13th May 2014, 21:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by D4MJT

The drivers side end plate definitely has no bolt in the location shown in Sandy's guide, or in the corresponding place that the passenger side has the Torx fitted one.

So what's the protocol, unbolt the torx side of it, and remove the passenger side plate?

You remove the plastic torx cover on the arb, and IIRC when you put a bolt into where the cover was and tighten it it pushes the passengers side plate till it pops off the trailing arm?

Ive got mine in bits now so if you want I can take a few photos to help clear stuff up?

welshpug · 13th May 2014, 21:58

yep, remove the plastic bung and wind in an M12x1.5 bolt in there to push the end plate off, an XU iron block head bolt fits, or an XUD bolt, or a brake caliper bolt but they might not have enough thread.

D4MJT · 13th May 2014, 22:01

Did I read somewhere that the upper shock bolt or something is the right size?

Jokererererererererer, don't knock it, if you're about tomorrow night I may hijack you!

jokerer · 13th May 2014, 22:20

Yup, its the right size! No problem let me know and il see if I can get a lift down

willsy · 14th May 2014, 09:34

Top rear damper bolt fits :-)

D4MJT · 14th May 2014, 09:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by jokerer

Yup, its the right size! No problem let me know and il see if I can get a lift down

Awesome!

Cheers buddy! Don't worry about it honestly, if you're not mobile it's a huge hassle! If I utterly fail at it again tonight I'll come and grab you or something.

Then also we can work on the car. Snarf