Once your sagging is that it? Stock height van, back is a bit low. I adjusted it up a couple of years back and I am now going to have another. I'll mark the splines better this time and measure angle before I dismantle it - bit more method 2nd time around. It is a the case that once the torsion bars start sagging they gradually keeps creeping (boyle's law) or should it keep a height once I get it set right. I've a 2nd pair of rear torsion bars that I could try instead, but rather not do it twice.
All bays are slightly nose high, when your sat in the bus, they level out correctly! It may be the case that the torsion bars are loosing their residual springiness as you say, I wonder if they could be re heat treated to put the spring back in them? Whatever you do, don't swap them over as they will fracture
I don't think the side matters. Is the paint the same colour? Bars with different spring rates were painted differently.
that's a bugger. is there a part number or anything on them at all, left hand is 211511115C whilst the r/h is 211511116C
I'm sure they are handed as well - I think Bentley talks about them being that way. Something to do with the heat treatment and residual stress' to give them their spring whether it be clockwise or anticlockwise according to side
I've got 2 used torsion bars painted in what I think is the original green paint. Splines are perfect, no markings or numbers on them, so how would I know which side to fit them on.
Yep that's what I have - green with an S stamped on the flat face at the end, one end of each bar. No other numbers.
guesswork! We tested anti roll bar steels years ago; a French equivalent of EN45 from memory, 20mm diameter for HGV applications. The manufacturer heat treated those with some form of residual stress induced to give them some rebound when sprung. Allevard Rejna (may have been the company)
the pair of torsion bars I was kindly given have the spring plates attached on the splines. On the end of the inner torsion bars is a letter stamped, one is stamped with the letter E and the other has a letter I or 1 so they are different, but now I don't know if I can fit them. I plan to raise my van in the winter as the back end has sagged and I can't get the wheels off. So after what's been said. I am thinking I may be better off sticking with the ones on the van.
Watching this with interest - I have the same job for the winter. Suspension reset and new shocks. Have you purchased new bushes etc?
yes I have new bushes and end plates and talcum powder for lubricating the rubber bushes. and new rear shocks and bump stops. at the moment if I jack up the rear end on the axle beam, undo the lower shock bolts and free the shocks, the spring plates don't come down enough to get the wheels off. that will be my first challenge, I have new stock wheels with 185R14C new tyres to replace the old ones, so I won't mind if I have to cut the old tyres off to remove the wheels. I am not keen on using a jack to force the spring plates down. the fronts also give me a challenge. they are lowered on welded on adjusters, but raising the front up the adjusters will foul the gear rod, I think this issue was raised in a thread on here already, where the solution was to put a bend in the gear rod. I may have to get help with that job.
It will be a winter project for me. Meanwhile there is some useful stuff on ebay if you haven't seen the busaru chap yet do his spring plates.
You don't have to force the spring plates down. Support the van on stands, put a jack under the hub carrier to relieve pressure, then prise the spring plate out over the lower stop and lower the jack. The plate will be in it's "resting" position, which is the one you need for setting the angle.
Good advice thanks. Any thoughts about getting the wheels off first. At the moment, with the van up on stands and rear shocks free, I cant get the wheels down to pull them off and out.
