Sorry I'm at work and can't really search. Looking at changing the rear suspension to full coilover. It is just a matter of taking the Torsion bars out and putting the coils in?

Is there anything that needs to go in to the tube carrier or...?? I know it's not the proper deletion kit, but is there something else I need for the time being?

 

From what I've researched (and talked with Karl at RE), deleting the torsion bars is just that, taking them out, and reassembling without them. Depending on what you're going with in the rear, you may need a lower shock bolt.

BTW, weren't you running KWv3s?

 

You're a fool to take out the torsion bars and not upgrade the spring plate bushings in some way... Cheap end of the spectrum is Weltmeister urethane bushings - high end is Elephant Racing Poly Bronze ones. Delrin is in the middle.

If you go with a shock that has 1/2" mounts, in addition to the Racer's Edge lower shock bolts, you'll need to ream out the upper mounts to 1/2".

And, when it's all done, corner balance the car!

 

Go with the poly bronze.

 

would be interested in knowing the weight of your t-bars

 

Already got Polybronze in there. We're changing the springs front and rear, but having to take out the T bars. At a later stage I'd like to remove the carrier with something like the Kokeln delete. Does anyone know the cost of those kits?

Also, what sort of time frame should it take to remove the T bars and swap the springs? Proper workshop with lift. With the stiffer springs we're looking at adjusting the shock settings too. Any guesses?

 

The two t-bars weigh a total of between 10 and 11 lbs. I weighed them once.
Those were the stock t-bars on my old 86.

 

Expensive.
In a shop with proper pro tools and Sean, I'd say a half a day, or less. Remove wheels. Remove spring plates and drop links. Remove t-bars, from each side. Reinstall. Remove rear dampers, change springs, reinstall. Replace drop links and wheels. I may have missed something, but that's basically it.

 

Regarding the lower shock bolt and the KW's which i am guessing your still using. The lower link on the KW V3 is a standard bushing with metal sleeve, like the Escort Cup is standard. I asked Karl about this and he said it is fine to use with a standard (but good grade) lower bolt.

 

I ran mine with the stock bolt, which is actually larger than the RE bolt, and had zero issues.

 

I agree, with a lift it should be about 1/2 day (4~ish hours) to change. That's not rushing. If you had to change it during a pit stop to finish a race, probably get it done in 1 hour.

Now, for adjusting the shocks - that can take months.

 

damn, i was expecting a much bigger number

 

I would say they weigh a bit more than that at a guess. I would guess that the different sizes must weigh different amounts though, no?

We, or should I say Sean finished it tonight. Ran into a bit of a problem with one of the spring perches on the rear rhs. Somehow, and we can't figure out quite how, there has been an indentation made on both shocks on the outside threaded area and when we went to raise up the perch after lowering it initially to get the top off, we couldn't get it back up to where it started from, or anywhere near it. Sean came up with a spacer of sorts just for the mean time. Need to get another perch and do over.

So the car now is running basically just under 800lb front and just over 900lb rear. Haven't been able to give it any real loading, but it feels just a bit harsher on the street, but still livable. Gotta love those KWs and feels more responsive to turning in. Gained a fair bit of rear neg for some reason? Clearly the T bars were doing something back there before, so now that they're out we seem to have double (visually) the rear neg which I'm not unhappy about. See next week what it's like on the track.

 

im assuming then that since they dont weigh an extravagant amount that the reason for coilovers is for high spring rates and adjustability...

is there any weight savings with t-bar vs coilovers? i would think not.

 

Nominal. You can look at the possibility of variances in sprung and unsprung weight but the difference would only start being felt if you remove/replace the torsion tube carrier with something lighter....perhaps...