Problem with spring plate bushing cover

Thats normal Ant wait till you put the bushing in thats when it gets fun.

I just raised the rear of a 67 beetle and had to use a body alignment a 2' spear shaped tool to get the bushing cover in place to start the bolts. It looks like you are useing longer bolts then stock, that should help alittle the bushin will hold cover out and off center. When you get one bolt started use channel locks to squeez the cover to the spring plate and a large pick or screwdriver in one of the bolt holes to help align but be careful not to messup the treads.

Hope this helps

Mario

Gee I forgot and I just did one a couple of years ago on a 74 Super. I don't remember having a problem except when I had to raise the arm to clear the ledge. Oh and the bondo securing the fender to the rear 1/4 panel! lol I do think I did not put tension on the arm until I had started 3 bolts. Then after I snugged them down some I pulled/pushed the arm up and installed the last bolt. I think, according to the picture, that you are trying to put tension on the arm BEFORE trying to start the bolts. I think that is most difficult. :-) Did you paint the torsion bar as needed, grease it up well and maybe use a little spray lube on the cover and bushing? I am assuming that you are replacing the torsion bar?????

I even bought the excellent torsion bar from Mario ( snipped-for-privacy@aol.com). ;-) I should have taken pictures on the rusted pieces that came out with difficulty. YUCK!!

later, dave Reminder........ Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them, and you have their shoes. Frieda Norris

dave wrote in this friggin' newsgroup: . . snip snip.. .

No, I am just replacing the bushings. Indeed there is tension on the arm, is that the reason why it is so difficult? Then I should release the tension on the arm, put the cover and then bolt the arm to the wheel again, right?

thanks Ant

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Is the plate attached to the trailing arm still?

Take it ALL loose again. put your busings in and set the splines where you want them to be. WIth the plate still relaxed slip the cover on and try and line up at least 2 (diagonally) of your longer bolts through even just a couple of threads. Now start to raise the plate back into position with a torsion tool, a jack and chain, or if you dropped/lowered you may get away with just jacking it up and maybe your fat neibor suppling some weight to the rear. The more you go up try to keep the springplate as tight to the torsion houseing as you can, a large C clamp might be of assistance put it against the plate and housing and keep tightening it up as you go. Every little bit you raise it, try and thread those bolts in a little farther and try to get all the bolts back in too. Once you get over the stop, work those bolts in the torsion cap till its all tightened down. A tap here and there with a hammer and constant pressure on the C clamp and you should be able to set the plate without too much of a problem. Mark Detro Englewood, FL

Mark is right you have relief the tension on the arm, but mark the torsion bar arm position before unbolting it from the trailing arm. Oh and the fat friend/neighbor could help if he sits on the rear bumper with the trailing arm connected and the wheel on the ground! lol

later, dave Reminder........ Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them, and you have their shoes. Frieda Norris

Ant,

Looks like you jacked the spring plate back up on the little 'perch' before getting all 4 bolts started. That will cause the torsion arm to drift off-center relative to the cover and make installation difficult. When I did this job I slid the outer bushing onto the torsion arm(it was still unloaded at this point), installed the cover, then I got all 4 bolts started a bit and ran them up enough to take the play out of the cover plate, and then I jacked up the spring plate and pushed it on the perch and tightened the bolts the rest of the way down.

Chris

when the jack is sitting on the plate (fat freind replaces chain wrapped around shock tower and under jack-this works out well on a bus, a type 1 >shrugs shoulders< its worth a shot!) Mark Detro Englewood, FL

Don't use any lubricant on the bushing. Use only talcum powder.

thanks for the correction Peter! :-) later, dave Reminder........ Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them, and you have their shoes. Frieda Norris

When I had problems with cover lining up, I went down to the hardware store and bought longer bolts. They will line up with the cover away from the housing. Then alternate tightening down the bolts a little at a time. Once it's snug, replace the long bolts with the stock ones, one at a time. Then torque it down.