Torsion Bar Setting Gauge

[cdaubs]

I was going through some back issues of EJAG Magazine and found this. Has anybody used one of these, or similar, for setting the torsion bars? Do the measurements look correct? I have no reason to doubt them, but just checking.



Refer to issues January and February 1987. A two part article.
Thanks,

[64etype]

I believe the drawing is from the service manual. I made an adjustable version.

[christopher storey]

I make mine from wood. It takes about 2 minutes provided you have an accurate rule and a pillar drill . The dimensions in the drawing are correct for early SWB cars , although in fact the only one of any importance is the distance between centres . For later SWB cars the dimension is 17.75 inches and for 2+2 cars it is 18.25 inches or 18.175 if with aircon

[JimH]

Hi just made a set of these for my car , dimensions taken from a haynes manual mines a 2+2 where did you get the dimensions from?

Regards Jim

[Durango2k]

I made mine with dimensions from Haynes.

I used electrician's material : pre- formed C-bars:

https://www.elektroradar.de/profilschie ... Av7I8P8HAQ

https://eshop.wuerth.de/VARIFIX-C-Monta ... de/DE/EUR/

Carsten

[christopher storey]

Jim : the dimensions I have given come from page JX16 of the Factory Workshop manual ( unfortunately not in the knowledge base - it is the S1 4.2 supplement ) . For S 2 cars there is a list of dimensions on page JY1 or 2 - this is in the knowledge base technical documentation at http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8496016/S2%20Se ... ension.pdf

[chrisfell]

Beware! Some of our cars may have a history that makes setting bars per the manual an issue. When mine was set per the manual, I ended up with a nose that was several inches too high. The setting bar was accurate for the chassis number, but the car wasn't. At some time in its past my car has acquired S2 front uprights, brakes, and importantly, torsion bars. I recalibrated the setting bar to S2, and now have a car that sits perhaps a little on the low side, but much better than before.

One other problem, which I imagine might be common, is that there is some variation between left and right. Despite setting the TBs to the same setting bar, the car sits just over 1/4" lower on the LHS. I'll live with that as the car is a driver, not a show queen.

[JagWaugh]

Rather than make a gauge with fixed dimensions I used a turnbuckle and some threaded rod to make an adjustable one.. The turnbuckle was a metric one, 10mm thread, so I welded a suitably sized washer onto the end of the threaded rod and replaced the eye with the right hand thread with that. I did a bit of math and made the threaded rod a length that would allow me to make the unit suitable for the smallest distance mentioned in the manuals, less one inch, up to the largest distance, plus one inch (at least).

The advantage here is that you can use it on all the cars, and if (like Chris) you find that you need a "tweenies" distance, it is a doddle.

It takes a bit of fiddling and measurement to set the distance, and you have to concentrate to not change the length when changing sides, but that is simple if you put a sharpie mark at either end of the turnbuckle once it is set.

I also used (smaller) turnbuckles for the rear setting links - here I found ones with "C" ends so didn't need to modify them.

Andrew

[JimH]

Cheers Chris for the dimension. Fortunately I have a cnc profiler I will just rattle some more off.
Regards Jim