RE: [T3] IRS suspension bushings

["Keith Park" <topnotch@nycap.rr.com>]

I got the other side done, a bit faster now that IVe done one already.
Its even HARDER to do when your Squareback is being raised and is missing a
lot of its weight with all the body stuff off of it!

The rear is sitting on the stops now... but with the car so light may be OK,

I sure hope 1 outer spline wasn't too much... Id sure hate to have to do all
that again!

Keith
> I found that when there was tension on it the bushing squished and I
> couldn't get the holes lined up at all, I had to start long bolts in it
and
> then wind up the bar.  And I cant find long threaded bolts without the
> shank!

I had the same problem the one and only time I tried this. It's clear 
that VW must have had a different way of torquing the bars that 
didn't lift the bar so much. I'm sure they did this operation as part 
of a subframe assembly job, so they did not have any bodywork in the 
way and they surely had special jigs to make it all easy. I can 
imagine a jig which could grab the spring plate and provide TWO 
pressure points, one on each side of the torsion bar. This would 
allow a pure torque to be applied without ANY net side force on the 
torsion bar.

There were probably hydraulics involved, including one to push 
everything into place once the torque was applied.

Extending the spring plate would help, because you would get the same 
torque out of less force, or you might be able to pull down on the 
pivot end of the spring plate to offset the upward force.

The bushings need to be lubricated to get them to slide into place 
without tearing or deforming, but it needs to be a lubricant that 
won't let it slip after installation. If the installed bushing slips 
in use, it will wear out quickly wherever it's slipping. My manuals 
recommend talc. I have some cans of baby powder here if anyone wants 
some.

I was never satisfied that the job I did resulted in the bushings 
being installed properly centered.

OTOH, the torsion bar upward offset will be less once the car is on 
the ground, because the upward force on the torsion bar is MUCH 
greater when the spring plate is pressing on its stop than when the 
wheels are supporting the weight of the car.

-- 
*******************************
Jim Adney, jadney@vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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