Spring Plate

[steve]

Last night I assembled the torsion bars, spring plates, and rear axle
assemblies on my F/G buggy restoration. As recommended in various
sources, I set the spring plates up initially so that the bottom edge of
the plate covered 1/2 of the lower-rear bolt hole for the torsion bar
end cap (with plates detached from axles). Now with the powertrain
installed (Corvair), but no body/interior/fuel tank/driver installed,
the spring plates are barely off the rebound pad on the shock support
when resting on the ground. Of coarse, with lots of positive camber.
With the assembled buggy plus driver, it seems that it will still not
have enough weight to decamber the rear wheels. Is this initial torsion
bar/spring plate setup to aggressive for a mostly street driven buggy?

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

[pati...@aol.com]

Yes! that's for a Beetle, 2200 lbs. Just put them in so the clear the
lower STOP...much easier too!

[steve]

In article <8qqh15$22o$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>,

Thanks. These instructions are repeated on many sites, including the
Manx Club site where I found them. Maybe they should have a disclaimer
there saying don't follow them on a Manx!

[ManxManiac]

> Thanks. These instructions are repeated on many sites, including the
> Manx Club site where I found them. Maybe they should have a
disclaimer
> there saying don't follow them on a Manx!

Hey Steve, many Manxes are setup that much so when you get a driver &
passenger & all of their gear for a weekend or so of camping, the
suspension isn't bottomed out. If you have a back seat & you get 3
passengers plus yourself in a F/G buggy, that's quite a load even if
everyone only weighs 125 lbs. each. On my Manx I went a slightly
different route. I asked the previous owner if he knew whether the bars
had been "setup" or not & he said he didn't think so. After checking
angles & such with & without a body & drivetrain, I don't think my
torsion bar plates have been "setup". So with the wife & I in the
buggy, the torsion arms were pretty much parallel to the ground with a
slight up angle. I bought a pair of the black Empi shocks, that have
the adjustable, chrome outer helper spring. I make mention of the black
color because from the several dozen people I've talked to that run
these shocks, the black ones seem to work better than the yellow. I
have them set at the lowest setting, which is the least amount of
tension. Without anyone or any extra weight in the buggy, it raises the
rear up & almost bottoms the spring plate against the stop on the
bottom edge. With just my 240lbs in it, it drops it down just a little,
but when my wife joins me, it levels out quite nice & handles real
well! With myself & my 3 daughters, ages 20 & twins 18 in the buggy, it
levels out perfectly & it rides so smooth that a cup of coffee doesn't
even slosh when you hit bumps & such! I've got 3 levels of adjustment
with my rear shocks & I don't foresee having to adjust them up when
we're fully loaded for BAJA, if I do, it will probably only be to the
middle notch! Between the suspension working so well & my extremely
comfortable, 1965 Ford Mustang bucket seats, our Manx is definately a
pleasure to drive & ride in! I'm considering undoing one set of torsion
leaves in the front beam & installing a set of the same shocks in the
front. I've talked to several guys who have gone that route & they are
quite pleased with the results! Good Luck & Have Fun...ManxManiac

[steve]

In article <8qu3vm$u7n$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>,

ManxManiac <manxm...@my-deja.com> wrote:
>
>
> > Thanks. These instructions are repeated on many sites, including
the
> > Manx Club site where I found them. Maybe they should have a
> disclaimer
> > there saying don't follow them on a Manx!
>
> Hey Steve, many Manxes are setup that much so when you get a driver
&
> passenger & all of their gear for a weekend or so of camping, the

> suspension isn't bottomed out. ...... Good Luck & Have
Fun...ManxManiac
>

Thanks for the note. Like a dummy, I didn't realize to mark the
relative positions of the t-bars/spring plates/torsion housing before I
removed them. But, the previous owner(s) had airshocks on it for ride
height adjustments any ways. My rear shock set-up is not VW style,
so the coilovers you mentioned may not work. The upper shock mount is
on the cage that surrounds and supports the engine package, and the
lower is off a fabricated wheel end support arm (Transvair package).

I think that initially I'll reduce the t-bar preload and do the fine
adjustments via the air shocks. Adjustable coilovers may come later.

[monocoque]

Steve,
Make sure that if you use the air shocks that they are individually
pumped up, not equalized. IF they are equalized, cornering will have a
new definition for you. As the body slightly rolls on turns, the one
shock will compress(Outside) and the other(inside) will expand raising
the car up.Bad news.

THis will cause a more forceful roll to the outside.

Good luck
Chris--
Member:Meyers Manx Dune buggy Club #66
Member: Central Ohio Vintage Volkswagen Club
Tri state buggies...give em a call

[the DBA Webmaster]