Date:         Fri, 1 Dec 95 10:22:22 EST
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         John Anderson <ja@coe.wvu.edu>
Subject:      Re: Vanagon lifting,

Derek, the other thing that concerns me about raising the lower mount by
attaching something to only the current mount point is this.  I too
thought well why not just even do something like this, weld another
circular tub the same size as the gurrent tube to the bottom of the
current tube (tube that holds the mounting bushing).  Since current one
is welded onto the shock, a good quality weld would be more than
sufficiently strong.  Then further as the stress is now transfered to
that current tube which is hollow, press in a solid steel bushing to
support load, and maybe gusset on each side by welding some 1/8" or so
strap up over both on the sides.  problem is this, whatever you do as
long as it only attaches to the current mounting poin, NOT the shock
tube, relies on the strength of the current welds between the bushing
tube and shock tube.  Now as most loading is tension or compression and
mostly compression at that not an immediate problem, bu  whatever side
loading exists (which admittedly should be nearly none as side
positioning is handled by the suspension geometry) is trying to bend or
shear those current welds.  This worries me as by adding something to
the bottom you increse the torque arem to those welds increasing the
stress on them, and frankly they are not that impressive to begin with.

anyway to detail I imagined this

     |          |
     |          |
     |          |
     ____________
       /      \  <- this the critical area of current welds
      /        \
      |        | <- the old bushing mount filled by solid steel or
      \        /    boxed in by welding plates over sides
       \______/ <- welds here need be no stronger than origional
       /      \
      /        \
      |        |
      \        /
       \______/

John
____________________________________
Derek Drew                              New York, NY
drew@interport.net
DerekDrew@aol.com (backup; rarely checked)
'90 Syncro Westfalia... 
...seen off-road at http://www.teleport.com/~des/vw/drew/index.html