Caps for drilled out spring plates

[gtc]

I haven't seen this posted before, so I just thought I'd share.

It's not uncommon for people to drill a hole in the cap of their spring plate in order to separate the spring plate from the torsion bar when disassembling their suspension. Like so:


The problem is, this cap is not available separately from Porsche or anyone else, as it is not called out as a unique part in any parts diagrams. Some people suggest using a plastic or vinyl cap, like either a Capplug or those provided with Sway-a-way spring plates, but this is not a great solution.
What I found is that there is something called a Welch plug that looks almost identical to this.
If you knock the plug out of the spring plate, the hole is approximately 38mm.

This 1.5" welch plug from McMaster Carr will fit almost perfectly.
https://www.mcmaster.com/9563k157

You may need to clean up the seating bore of the spring plate a bit... the spring plate I tried it on (above left) was a bit deformed and i really had to hammer on the plug to drive it in, and this dented it a bit. I have a few extra (they come in a pack of 5) so I will knock it out and try again perhaps with a rubber mallet next time. I'll post some photos later on when i'm back in the garage.

[ClickClickBoom]

Use a piece of hard wood like oak to seat the plug.

[911parts]

I used the link and bought the caps from McMaster, they worked great. Thanks for the lead

[john walker's workshop]

Flatten it a bit with a hammer and they spread out and lock in place.

[Locker537]

The other thing I like to do it take a silicon or rubber cap that fits tight and put that over the whole thing as well.