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Can someone please recommend a tip or two to assist removal of the TB with the use of a slide hammer through the body hole?
Grind off the crimp holding the end caps on the torsion bar tubes. Raise control arms from full droop a little bit to take the twisting pre-load off of the torsion bars. Using a rod or bar (metal round stock, broom handle, long punch, etc.), hammer one torsion bar inward, which will push the other one outward. After to have one removed, move to the other side of the vehicle and with your long punch, hammer the other torsion bar outward. Once they're out, you can weld on little tabs for a slide hammer, or drill and tap them, or weld on a nut. They key is removing the twisting preload - on my race cars, which doesn't have any corrosion and where I pull them in and out a lot to change ride height, when I support the control arm properly, I can slide them in and out by hand.
Good suggestions Team! Van I will try today. Thomas & Spencer, these T-bones were brand new 2.5 years ago. It must be tension.
I thought I read something about loosening some bolts, but I wanted to check before I start getting stupid.
REAR SUSP.
3 photos of typical 944, in this case my car Wilson. Top: rear center, 2nd: rhs rear, 3rd: lhs rear.
Brainstorming thoughts here:
I spent time thinking of converting the shocks to coilover, but noticed the bottoms aren't fully welded. Then because 944 cars don't have HD rally suspension avail, I started looking back in time at a car with much more history (therefore parts availability), the VW Golf MK1. There are some high travel kits avail for MK1. That got me looking at compatibility (merge VW into the 944). 95% of off-the-shelf coilovers for Suburu, VW etc are designed to lower the car, not raise it. I can get real rally "gravel" suspension for the VW from K sport: https://ksportusa.com/product/volksw...ers-cvw300-gr/
but that would require fabrication. My dream struts (based on online research) would be a custom order from "JVAB", he knows his **** & his product would be better than Bilstein or KSPORT Gravel. Look up his threads (always good reads)... anyway he is outta Seattle area methinks & his real name is john vanlandingham, and his stuff is take a number, place your order and wait (but what am I going to say "944"? He might know the car but hows he going to make suspension for me long distance?)
Anyway, no matter how I slice it, if I want a rally suspension it's on me; I need to build things. Look at the rear control arms of a Golf with the coil spring mounts on the arms.
I would be wary of anything from Vanlandingham. He does know a lot, and has plenty of history. Some of it not so great...
Let's just say, you need a real good BS-meter.
Best of luck regardless of what you end up with. How much weight have you taken out of the car? That is always a good place to start.
Noah - the 944's IRS being derived from 68+ Beetle means that with some tweaking, Baja Bug long travel stuff can be made to work.
Also I saw on a FB group recently a guy with a lifted 944 on big chunky tires; he cut the bottom (including spindle tabs) off a junk set of struts and welded that to the bottom of another set of struts (making the spindle-to-strut bearing distance 4-5" longer)
I would be wary of anything from Vanlandingham. He does know a lot, and has plenty of history. Some of it not so great...
Let's just say, you need a real good BS-meter.
Scott, thanks brother for always good advice.
Best of luck regardless of what you end up with. How much weight have you taken out of the car? That is always a good place to start.
Cars heavy: 3000lbs after turboing and cage was added (before this last batch of mods).
Rather than building a jeep spring cup suspension...Look at how the rear end bolts up.
The two giant bushings behind the doors, and 4-6 bolts/nuts running on the leading edge of the wheel well.
Could you build what are essentially spacers to hang the entire rear end lower? Like lift blocks on a truck.
Spencer, we discussed that... it's not a bad idea, but it doesn't actually give you more ground clearance from the torsion bar carrier. Also, you'll want to space down your transmission mount so you don't over extend the CV joints on the axles.
Missed that if discussed previously.
IIRC the 944 CV joints have something like 22 total degrees of travel, or 11 off horizontal up/down.
the late axle is 21" end to end so 11 degrees down would be 4" down (for 8" total travel) if my trig numbers are right.
this is leaving the suspension in place but lifting the body up so the soft bits (floor pan and fuel/brake lines) are gaining clearance and you can then fit larger OD tires to lift everything further.
data point, my car sits at 25.5" from ground to rear wheel arch and the lowest point of my rear suspension carrier/spring plate is ~7.5" off the ground.
the absolute lowest-hanging fruit is the bottom of the rear shock mount (early car with steel trailing arms), at 6". i don't know if aluminum-arms have their shock bolt at a different height.
IIRC the 944 CV joints have something like 22 total degrees of travel, or 11 off horizontal up/down.
the late axle is 21" end to end so 11 degrees down would be 4" down (for 8" total travel) if my trig numbers are right.
That sounds about right, I was thinking about the CV joint extension - not the off-axis angle, but it might not be a problem for 4" up and down.
Okay, the T-Bars are out! Not too bad a job now that I can say I have successfully removed them without completely dropping the torsion housing. Thank you guys for your help.
I'm honestly thinking of trying out this torsion by reclocking similar to what Van did with the red car. And adjusting the new springs to fit the front application.
I guess I'm feeling emotional about the t-bar (28mm) and the Bilstein shocks that I have on Wilson. I assembled those parts and they are near new and give the car a great ride.
The Jeep kit I bought is $500 new and the springs are great but the shocks suck ***. The long-term plan is/was to fit the suspension and after everything is up to snuff then upgrade to Fox shocks with extra res (they make it for the size of lift kit I bought.
Hmmm,
I can only get the inner splines of the TB to align at 2" higher ride height than my lowered height.... this is around .5" higher than stock. Is it better to loosen the rear alignment fasteners when trying to accomplish extreme ride height changes? I can't help but think the rubber bushings & alignment features are affecting my ability to obtain bigger lift.
I dunno, but the car sits lower than I want.
04-27-2020, 10:27 AM
