Volkswagen Rear Torsion Adjustment-part 2

Part 2 of my 1972 Bus suspension adjustment!

[@beavis6363]

Thanks for the documentation Hambone. I have decided to re-bush my trailing arms and spring plate on my beetle while I reseal the transaxle and replace a boot. These two videos give me some insight and help me climb the learning curve. Purchased the torsion tool today!

[@ktmpasser]

I now know a whole lot more than I did about this adjustment. Your instructions and tips are spot on. Thanks.

[@timjim1975]

Great video, thanks. Just what I need! Ready to give mine a go!

[@molmeister2000]

Great video...thought my bus had an issue with the torsion bar but clearly elsewhere. Thanks for taking the time to make a great vid !

[@1968hambone]

molmeister2000 many thx for watching!

[@Ajax2341]

Thank's, hambone for the vw rear suspension class you cleared up a lot of questions. the key is to have the right tools and take your time . cool bus ....

[@edzgarage]

Nice job HB! No more dragging butt lol. Those old bugs will never die!

[@richrocketlll]

Good info on rear torsion.After watching went out and did mine today.Thanks hambone and thats on the level.

[@Cuzntime]

That vise grip to keep the safety tool from slipping is a great idea!!

[@smallweights]

looks superb HB! i've never worked on a bay window yet! i have 1/2 a clue about the torsion bar suspension now, makes alot more sence fro your explaination when doing the job on your bus!

[@mistercoffee100]

Hey man thanks for the video - great job! Made it look easy.

[@DanTheManIOM]

My 71 needs this, thanks for the great video on how to do this...when I get a free weekend, I will crank up the sagging butt of my bus.

[@1968hambone]

DanTheManIOM right on Dan....you're ole' Bus will appreciate the attention! thx for watchin'!

[@bjburgett976]

Great video! I'm going to adjust the torsion on my vw thing,and my sand rail now :).Thanks for the info!

[@tracyjamestavares3255]

Thanx 4 talkin us thru . U made it look easy . Great job . Keep us up on Bug an any Mods. please . Much luk

[@stephenisaacs2296]

So, so useful. Many thanks for this.

[@1968hambone]

Glad it helped Stephen…thx for watching!

[@Cuzntime]

I am in the middle of doing mine right now and this video helped..

[@BeingWolfy]

Great video, hambone. Thank you!

[@1968hambone]

glad it helped.....thx for watching!

[@EnsVibes]

awesome video, I´ve seen some buses that use a plate between the wheen base and the plate so you can raise it without changing the torsion on your bars and they can give you 2 almost 3 inches tall

[@adamcusick1514]

Great video! Very well done.

[@1968hambone]

many thx for watching!

[@rpeek]

Completely awesome! Thank You!

[@1968hambone]

glad it helped.....have a good one!

[@1968hambone]

@rpeek glad you enjoyed the series......thx for watchin'

[@1968hambone]

@ktmpasser glad it helped man....thx for watchin!

[@leonhiem]

good video, very detailed

[@1968hambone]

Leon H thx bud!

[@1968hambone]

@Cuzntime glad it helped.....i posted that one because there's not much info out there on the subject..... take care man!

[@1968hambone]

glad it helped! take care....

[@atomwerk]

Nice video! You might appreciate how my drop plates depend on this preload to restore a factory ride despite the drop. Without the proper torsion a good ride is lost. Anyway I appreciate the video.

[@1968hambone]

@Ajax2341 no problem dude.....glad it helped! yes the right tools for the job makes v-dubbing much easier bro! take care, hambone

[@1968hambone]

@coffeefish yeah dude....i love old V-Dubs, they're very fun to work with!

[@1968hambone]

@beavis6363 awesome dude.....i hope the project goes well my friend!

[@coffeefish]

Those are cool cars. Our great grand kids will be messing with these VW's.

[@1968hambone]

@hambone72 thx man....my bus is definitely my favorite! take care!

[@1968hambone]

@wolfywho thx buddy.....glad it was useful!

[@peterg150]

I've never used anything but powdered graphite to lube the rubbers (all mating parts must be clean from rust and debris) i then use longer bolts to bring the cover together evenly and fit correct length bolts in sequence.was originally taught to assemble with talcum powder but found graphite far superior.

[@tnks2me]

Fantstic Help Thanks for Sharing

[@1968hambone]

@atomwerk thx for watchin'......have a great day!

[@1968hambone]

@Cuzntime thx buddy.....I try to work carefully around loaded pieces like that one.....

[@patrickmclaughlin6013]

Thanks!

[@1968hambone]

sounds like you've got a handle on how it works bro, just remember that the number of teeth on the splines are different on each end of the torsion bar, so whatever you do to the drivers side do the same thing to the passenger side.....hope the project goes well for ya! thx for watchin'!

[@1968hambone]

@smallweights i hope it helps bro....a very aggravating job but well worth it dude.... take care my friend!

[@handyishrandyish334]

if my drivers side of the beetle sits 1in lower than the passenger side could i move it one tooth and be sitting level again?

[@1968hambone]

never done a 65 but it should be a similar process.... thx for watching!

[@ejc34710]

Hey man this helped me out sooo much. Thanks for taking the time to post it. I have a fiberglass buggy on a 62 frame. My torsion is set too high, its like the rear has no suspension-like it is mounted solid on the car. As you might have guessed, rough ride. Also, one side is much higer than the other. Would i be correct in thinking i need to lower one side 1 notch and the other, tighter side, 2 notches. I figure by doing this it would straighten out the car and give me a nicer ride. TYVM

[@shaunsmith3660]

Hi, do you know the spring plate angle of a stock bus, mine was lowered when I bought it but I'm not sure by how many splines, and want it back to stock height

[@gregpittman4215]

I own a 72 VW Bus. I had a hitch system welded to the back end so I could connect a cargo carrier rack for my generator. However, it is now super "back end heavy". I want to try and balance it out but am not sure whether I need to install stronger shocks on the rear to compensate for the extra weight or adjust the torsion bar... any thoughts? Also, can a torsion bar adjustment be made without the tools you used in this video?

[@GT.Bugger]

With the spring plate removed and off the torsion bar. But with the torsion bar in place. Should it move in anyway?

[@EricFB]

You didn't show it in the video but i'm assuming you just used a pry bar to get the swing arm off to move it a tooth?

[@1968hambone]

@ejc34710 not sure 1 notch would work or not.....i would use the angle finder and set both torsion plates the same... hope this helps buddy!

[@1968hambone]

@thomson486 sounds like a plan.....thx for watchin'

[@1968hambone]

@farmall1938 thx bud.....i'm glad i got the job finished! I didn't forget your jerky bro....i've got some cash on the way to cover the shipping, just a lil broke right now.....lol

[@ChuddleBuggy]

First off thanks for this informative video. I got a question about the antiseize, i notice they have some kind of gritty material suspended in that grease, don't you think that would abrade on the bushings? I was thinking maybe synthetic grease, or lithium or silicone would be better?

[@amani576]

Silicone grease would be the best lubricant to use. It's what you should always use on rubber or polyurethane bushings. Anti-Seize typically contains silver, copper, aluminum, or graphite - and often combinations of those. It's a metal on metal "lubricant" in that it's designed not to seize. There are other actual metal lubricants, but those would still have been bad to use on this application. Thick silicone dielectric/brake caliper grease would have been ideal.

[@1968hambone]

@garagebandking41 sorry for the delayed response, i've had no access to the net since Saturday (bad cable modem). I'm no sure about bleeding the brakes, you have a swing axle in a '67 correct??? I don't believe you will have to disconnect the brake line but don't want to give you any mis-information.

[@4gunner]

Great video! I have a 65 bug and was wondering if I could use what you showed for my bug?

[@jprs22]

When mine was sagging, I came off a curb after a concert and the engine mount crossbar hit the curb, ripping the bolts out of the block. keep that in mind if yours needs to be raised..

[@backyardgarage912]

Do you have to remove the rear brake? I'm getting my tools ready for a 67. Any issues with bleeding the breaks or anything?

[@justarigger]

Great video hambone . Thax for clearing up how the torsion bar works . Now in my case my super beetle looks like a 4x4 her butt is way in the air I guess last owner had big tires. I would like to see her a lot lower . Do I just go down on the teeth and is it the same math 1 inch/tooth? Thanks for the help

[@rudyhunter8493]

use dielectric grease, anti seize is a petroleum base. Otherwise, nice job!

[@gerardosanabrialoaiza9295]

Well almost 10 years saw this video anyway, did you know torsion bars have 44 teeth outside an 40 inside? Some times you pull off the "pluma" (in spanish) and comes with the torsion bar an lost the adjustment... ( In that case you see your car a couple centimeters lower in one side) each tooth outside is around 8° and inside tooth around 9° degrees... So you can play with that 1° up and down... Just a couple information for future ! Regards from Costa Rica 🇨🇷

[@SeanThompsonDC]

How long did this take you to complete? I have a baja that I am trying to reduce camber on and am planning...

[@1968hambone]

it would depend on a few things Sean, but i would say if you are mechanically inclined and it's your first attempt at the project 2-3 hrs.

[@jaimepuente]

como cambia la barra de torsión esq seme quebró una y no puedo sacar el pedazo

[@lennyauditt]

so? do you remove the plate and put the plate one tooth ? or what do you turn to move the teeth ???

[@1968hambone]

one tooth usually does the trick. i always establish a reference point before i pull the plate off so i'll know where i started. thx for watching

[@MrGarcon98]

have you noticed if it changed your camber any ? i read some place where they say it does not ? i think thats wrong . What have you found ? thanks nice job

[@1968hambone]

bug Den never noticed any issues...thx for watching and commenting!

[@EnsVibes]

It doesnt change, in olg bugs change because of the transaxle. the T1 buses have the same transaxle as the bugs thats why those have a change in the camber

[@VintageVaughnVehiclces]

somebody lowered my 2001 mexibug,is this what they fucked with? it eats the inner sidewalls of the tires.and they angle out sitting on their inner sidewalls....in tired of having to flip the tires over on the back wheels to start chewing on the other sidewall

[@1968hambone]

more than likely....it's fixable though!

[@levigangler470]

How many teeth did you end up adjusting it with? Just the one? Where did you buy the torsion tool?

[@1968hambone]

I would say one tooth would do the trick, unless the torsion bars are really weak. thx for watching!

[@Doodoopodamus]

where did you get the torsion tool, thats pretty darn slick!

[@1968hambone]

Doodoopodamus not sure brotha...I believe I got it from SoCal in Long Beach???? Many thx for tuning in!

[@RodderFiles]

I need to do this to my super

[@1968hambone]

Rodder Files it works like a champ brother...best wishes with your project!

[@1968hambone]

hope it was useful.....it's a bit of an aggravation but worth the effort. later

[@1968hambone]

Worked out well.....I wouldn't recommend petroleum based lubricant.....

[@MrGarcon98]

are you aware that the inside splines have 44 splines and out 40 , its so it can be moved like very very small amount at a time , like even less then a degree . just saying the dealer manual explains it , its a must to have i think

[@billandbeaufort]

Anti-sieze is petroleum based! Get silicone grease from a pool supply store

[@1968hambone]

@tuffnutt34 lol....yeah, kinda like Botox for VW's....lol thx bud!

[@1968hambone]

@edzgarage lol.....yeah that ole butt draggin' around behind me was very uncool....lol "will never die"....i sure hope not, it's a great hobby for an ole worn out dude like me....

[@1968hambone]

@farmall1938 thx for understanding dude......i do have a package vac-sealed w/your name on it......money's tight for the disabled...lol

[@MrGarcon98]

even the dealer book does not show how to correctly do this ?

[@1968hambone]

It's not something many owner adjust, lots of folks are a bit intimidated by it. It's really not that big of a deal. thx for watching!

[@MrGarcon98]

well thanks for answering , its not something you would do like that to an american car but if we play with vw well it needs to be learned , and by the way SILICONE PASTE on those bushings is the way to go ! its for bushings and rubber products , thanks again

[@timavery7984]

I’m Confused

[@josespcuenca9426]

En español...

[@hambone72]

love the bus