Date: Tue, 30 Jun 1998 10:41:30 -0700
Reply-To: "Steven X. Schwenk" <sxs@SCHWENK-LAW.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: "Steven X. Schwenk" <sxs@SCHWENK-LAW.COM>
Subject: Re: spacers and sproings
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Great idea, Fred. Actually, I already did this on the rears, and it bears
out. The spring length is shorter with the spacer than without with no
weight on the suspension. I am doing the fronts this weekend...Kyle at
volks cafe has been helping me get the parts quickly.... I've been hammering
at this because I thought others might be interested. Apparently not. No
one address the issues, i.e., if this is not how you pre-load, then how do
you? Not one word on that, just "you're wrong."
I have one spacer in the rears now. I won't know till I do the fronts, but
with the rears alone, one donut seems a tad stiffer than I want. ("on my
dirt bike, an adjustment of .25" in spring length is noticable, but the bike
onlw weighs 200 lbs.). I suspect that once I stiffen the front, one donut
should be about right front-to-rear, but I will need to adjust
left-to-right. When I am done, the sag on each wheel will be the same
amount...the van will be level...the left front will not dive and compress
more than the right front like it does now. The left in general will not
sag more and be softer than the right, as it is now. The springs on the
left will get more pre-load, and will be slightly stiffer than those on the
right. The front will also not dive relative to the rear as it does.
Any Bay Area syncro owners out there who want to do a comapirson when I'm
done? Should be a westy. Beyond this, I'll kill the topic.
steve
Fred Porter wrote:
> Steve,
> This discussion won't be solved by just thinking about it.....
> So, why don't you just go out to your van tonight with some spacers, a
> jack, a ruler, spring compressor and a six pack.
> Open a beer, take a swig.
> Measure the compressed length of the spring.
> Mark the rear shocks compressed as they are now, jack a wheel up so its
> off the ground and mark its extended length.
> The difference between the extended length and the compressed length is
> the sag.
> Take a swig.
> Insert a spacer.
> The extended length of the shock shouldn't change since it is topped
> out.
> Lower the van back down and again mark/measure the compressed length the
> shock with the jack removed.
> Measure the compressed length of the spring (just the spring) with the
> spacer in place.
> Take another swig.
> Subtract the new compressed length from the old compressed length.
> The difference in compressed lengths of the shock before and after
> inserting the spacer should equal the thickness of the spacer and the
> length of the weighted spring should be the same....If not then your
> premis is right--drink remaining 5 beers.
>
> i'm thirsty,
> fred
| 
