Swing Axle Torsion Bar Question?
Swing Axle Torsion Bar Question?
Hey Ya'll I recently raised the rear end of the buggy, and I'm not digging the camber issues. So I'm ordering some adjustable spring plates. I need to know what size torsion bar I have...21 3/4, 24 11/16, or 26 9/16...to make the order, according to Pacific Customs. The buggy is a 59 swing axle, and I assume the torsion bars are the original ones. Anyone know what size I have or know where to look. Yes I can pull them out and measure but I'd rather not take the car apart until I have the parts to put it back together. While I'm doing this should I go ahead and get aftermarket torsion bars, or a different size torsion bar, will it do anything for the buggy! Thanks, Marcus
I'm not sure what you would accomplish by adding adjustable springplates if you don't like the camber issues. I would think that either rotating the torsion bars or cranking up the adjustable plates will give you the same result.....other than a lighter wallet. IRS is the only camber cure I know of.
Twist!
Thanks for the info...as for the difference in putting the swing arms up a notch and getting adjustable swing arms. As far as I have been told, but I could be wrong is...part of the camber problem from putting up the swing arms a notch is that this puts the swing arms under so much tension that they actually twist a little bit and this causes even more camber. Plus this I assume stiffens the ride in the rear. I believe putting on adjustable swing arms will lessen the camber some, lossen up the ride again, and of course let me raise and lower it as I wish. Anyone with experience with this please chime in!
putting adjustable spring plates will not solve your camber issues at all. The only way I can see this helping is if you run it a stock height on the street and then turn them up when you go off road. Yes it will give you a stock ride where as turning the torsion bar will give you a stiffer ride but I personally thing this is better. You can hit much larger bumps and not bottom out. Like stated before the only way to solve the camber issues is with IRS. So personally I would save the money you would spend on adjustable spring plates and put it towards an irs swap. Just my :2cents:
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5150bossman
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I was also thinking of going to adjustable spring plates. I have an extra oil sump on the bottom of my motor. For off-road use, I cranked down the torsion arms for extra ground clearance. Now I have the classic --/ look to the back of the buggy. I was figuring that the adjustable torsion arms would allow me to lower the back end for the street (I--I) which would give me better on-road control, then I could crank the back end up (--/) for that extra ground clearance whenever we went off-road. My only concern is how strong are the adjustable spring plates? I wouldn't want to brake one while out in the middle of no where.
A lot of the after market stuff seams to be of low quality. I would think for reliabilty the stock spring plate and turn the torsions. The IRS swap may also prevent a fatal rollover accident as well. I watched two baja bugs rollover quite easily with swing axles. Fortunately bugs have that round roof and usually end up back on the wheels. And in both cases the drivers were stoned. So stay away from weed and swing axels.
On my buggy, I was having clearance problems when I ran Dessert Trak tires for the sand, they kept rubbing on the fender lip. I cranked up the torsions, and while that helped by increasing the stiffness, I didnt like the "V". I increased the diameter of the torsion bars so as to stiffen the spring rate, and I installed adjustable spring plates. The stiffer torsion bars allowed me to run a normal camber, and not bottom out. The adjustable spring plates have always been left at "0" adjustment, and if I had to do it again, I would not have installed them, the quality is bad, and I dont trust the asjustment screws. One good thing to do, check the spring plate stops, they control the amount of droop of the spring plates, and most of them are well worn out from 40 years of servicce, you can weld a new stop over the old one to correct for wear, and set the stop to control how much "V" you get. By doing this you are limiting the amount of down travel, but you can stiffen your suspension without increasing the "V".
Jo Mama?
Jo Mama? Stupid question, the stop I guess you are taking about where the bottom of the spring plate rests...I already welded a little lip on that area so the spring plate rest in more of a U shape instead of on an L shape. I didn't want with the extra torsion to have the spring plate come of the edge of the L. Is that the area you are taking about...it seems like the majority says stay away from the adjustable spring plates, so that's the plan, guess I'll just deal with the camber issue or lower it back down, well have to see. It just looks so cool with the ass end up in the air like that!!!
These are used quite often for maintaining the springplate in its proper home. Available here. Or fab up a set yourself. 
There is also a lot of information about VW torsions on Sway-A-Way's site.
There is also a lot of information about VW torsions on Sway-A-Way's site.Sounds like what you welded on is to keep the spring plates from sliding off the stop, I used the straps that MKParker mentions, to do the same thing. On my buggy, the place where the spring plate rests, was worn out, so it was no longer a flat area, but sloped down, creating the possibility of the spring plate sliding off, as well as allowing the spring plate to drop a little lower than normal. I welded a small piece of flat stock over it to create a new flat rest. No matter how much you crank up the suspension, it can only tuck in as far as the stop lets it.