Front suspension lowering issues
 

Ok I figured I'd post it here being more people would see it. I have a 1968 912. I've been working on as an outlaw project. I've done a coilover conversion on the rear and all seems to be well there. I went to lower the front and ran into some difficulty. The passengers side lowered fine using the torsion bar adjustment screw. When I attempted the same with the drivers side I'm a full inch off. I've tried to settle the suspension, push it down and rocking the car but it's still a full inch difference. Both sides are as low as you can go with the adjustment screw. What am I missing here? Could the front torsion bars be indexed wrong or differently from side to side causing and issue? Is indexing even a thing on the front that would cause this? I'm not completely up to speed on the front torsion bar setup so you may need to hold my hand and walk me through this :D
any help or suggestions are welcome....

Have you replaced the rubber bushings? They are originally installed at a set angle, and the rubber bonds to the arm, they may have shifted from wear over the years, causing uneven lift from side to side. They give some preload along with the torsion bars. There is an Elephant racing video. on the A Arm bushings. 7:40 https://youtu.be/85-Enx4bKUE

You can remove part number 19, change lever, and re install on a different spline on the torsion bar.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1589234202.gif

Yes, the front bars can be indexed. Specifically, the rear cap with the adjuster bolt.

If you have rubber bushings they will have a lot of "stiction" and can prevent full a-arm droop when the torsion bar cap is disconnected.

What you have to do is remove the cap, set the same a-arm droop angles the same using a jack under the ball joint. Actual angles vary depending on car weight and size of torsion bars. Then set the torsion bar cap angle and length of adjuster screw (number of turns). Take measurements and make both sides match.

Thanks guys. I’ll see if any of these suggestions help.

Has anyone else experienced difficulty removing the front adjustment cap? (#19) My passenger side was easy to remove but the drivers side won't budge.

yes they can get rusted in place

Are there any recommendations for how to remove? I've already attempted to spray w/ penetrating oil, remove the adjustment screw, and hammer it out from the backside of the cap where the adjustment screw threads into. Has anyone had success heating the cap with a torch?

You should be able just tap it out. But don’t damage the splines. Maybe work it from both ends. You might have tension on the bars from a binding bushing? I don’t know. Sounds like you should just drop the suspension and rebuild it all. Sounds rusty and old. Do you still have the original 68 parts? Good time to upgrade to SC if your up for it.

If you can remove the cap which is part 13 in the diagram, you should be able to pound on the end of the torsion bar, and move the entire bar with the adjusting lever attached back to where you can more confidently get penetrating oil into the adjustment lever's splines. Going further, I think you can remove the two bolts holding the whole cross bar in place, lower the cross bar some, and extract the torsion bar with lever attached. That way heat, penetrants, and force can more easily be applied.

Also. ( what I’m dealing with at the moment) if your going lower watch your shock travel. I went lower and now have about 1inch of travel. Now the spindles have to come up 17mm as well as the car. But I have the sc front suspension so you might not have that issue.

Randy
Do you have the original '68 front struts? If you do, I have some suggestions and cautions.

Super helpful recommendations. Thank you all. I was already considering dropping the whole front end and upgrading. This info pushed me over the edge. I've got my first winter project.

I would suggest your first project is read a lot of the suspension threads on the site.

Lowering the front end can cause lots of problems if not done properly. Shock travel is one issue. Bump steer is another. You may well need a bump steer spacer. And "while you are in there" look at upgrading to the Turbo Tie rods, and check the ball joints. Often if the shock are old a new set of shocks are just necessary. Soon you have a large parts bill, and lots of work.

The most important thing it to decide just what you want from your 911. Then build it to do that task, and make it your own car to fit your needs.

The one free part is the knowledge on this site. Read a lot, and then read some more. You will see every type of suspension to crazy expensive track ready to budget all they way and soft enough to keep your wife happy when she rides in the car.

Most important, enjoy you 911 and have fun.

a few notes from waaayy down the slope :-)
 

Glen has some good points. With a goal in mind, you can avoid sliding waaaaaayyyy down the slippery slope.

One suggestion is to limit the suspension renovation/upgrade work to those things that would require cornerweighting/alignment, so you don't have to do that expensive work twice or three times. It also provides a stopping point for" as long as i'm in there" work like brakes, wheel bearing, shocks, wheels and tires, oil coolers, aerodynamic changes etc, etc, etc; $ $ $ and more $$$ + TIME
If you just focus on the suspension work, get it cornerweighted and aligned, YOU CAM DRIVE THE CAR much sooner.
You will invariably find relevant, necessary upgrades along the way, plating, new bolts, parts worn beyond safe re-use.

Another spot of advice, talk to some experts about your project, how you currently and in the near future plan to use your car. The good guys, like Chuck at Elephant can provide a lot of guidance and help you make the "right" decisions, not just sell you a bunch of parts.

And to repeat Glenn's advice read a lot of threads, like Craigs detailed upgrade work. Suspension work is a big favorite and gets a lot of air time.

Goodluck,
chris