Rear Spring Plate and Torsion Bar

I've been trying to lower the rear by 1 spline - read it all upand attacked the job with confidence.

Got it all stripped out and did the bit where you mark the position of the plate on the torsion bar (with a dremel) and then took the tension off and pullled the bar out slightly with the plate atttached.

Then it all went a bit wonky - the bar and the spring plate have become 1 over the years and I had to completely remove the lot from the tube.

Despite banging 9 bells out of the plate with the bar still in it nothing has moved. Any ideas how to separate bar and spring plate?

Also - the torsion bar is Green and mine is a converted panel van. I read somewhere that panel van bars are Red? Any thoughts???

 

Maybe they're port and starboard?
Why not save the grief and lower it by one inner, there's not much difference - if you shove it back in, 1 spline will be the lowest position where the springplate will slide into the carrier. One further down where it needs lifting, is standard height.

 

Zed - brilliant idea, no doubt the other side will be the same when I get around to doing it - 37 years in-situ has taken its toll. Will it be lower or less low than a 1 spline outer drop?

Still vexed by the colour of the torsion bar tho' - I'm sure someone told me panel vans were Red to take the extra commercial van loads.

 

Inner is a little lower. About 5-6mm

 

Recon I can live with that - just having round rubber bushings will no doubt be an improvement - the ones I have just taken out are oval and perished

 

Sorry to hijack your thread but a quick question, so standard height is when the spring plate needs lifting slightly to get it into the carrier? Asking because after a mad clean up of parts and a long time off the bus I have no idea where my marks are lol! Will be going on adjustable plate before she is back on the road just need a starting point.

 

mine is green on the pickup ,I think they are all the same...

 

If you've lost track of inner and outer you'll have get your spirit level and protractor out...

 

:/ is it a case of trail and error till both side line up the same?

 

It's in Haynes and Bentley.

 

It is indeed, beautifully described...

 

Done some research - Green bars are on Pick-ups, Panels and any Commercial variant - Red on station wagons and microbusses. The difference is in the diameter (and hence strength) of the bar.

Defo going with Zeds idea - lower by 1 inner spline.

 

I've got green torsion bars on my van, which was converted from a Kombi. I think yours are fine.

 

I'll get a piccy of the rubber donuts that came out and post it - oh my goodness they are goosed. Looking forward to driving das auto with a lower rear and solid rubber bushes!

 

Expect you're aware, but when you're putting your new donuts in, don't lubricate them in any way (apart from a light dusting of talc). They need to grip the spring plates and covers firmly.

If you lube them, they'll squeak like mad and wear out in no time.

 

Time for an overhaul - novo on the right ....

 

Thanks snotty - the talc thing in a bag looks the way to go. I was also advised to stay clear of anything other than the original rubber spec - no urethane bushes as they are apparently too stiff.

 

That bush looks well and truely knackered .

I gave mine a dusting from an old tin of Hai Karate talc I found in the wardrobe, just to keep that authentic 70s feel ...