Rebel Racing Rear Spring plate bushing install issue

[stcan]

Hi

I am installing the Rebel Racing rear spring plate bushing on the 1971 911. I'm running into problem where the spring plate is push out little further than with stock bushing and it won't line up with trailing arm without having bending spring plate.




I can grind the Torsion bar tube


Or I can machine out that the bushing housing


Anyone running into this problem?

I send the message to Rebel, but still waiting to hear back from them.

[TastyReuben]

how many mm is it off? put a washer between spring plate and trailing arm?

[75 911s]

Did you replace the trailing arm bushing? If not you should. The trailing arm is probably off if you have a new bush in there. Unhook the sway bar and the shock during this install.

Grinding or modifying anything at the spring plate is wrong imho and will only create headaches for anyone taking that stuff apart in the future.

Have you thought about aluminum trailing arms since you aren't going stock suspension anyway? Aluminum trailing arms with rebel or ER mono bushings will let the trailing arm swing laterally more than a standard rubber bush will. This is helpful during install.

[David Inc.]

You ask Rebel Racing yet?

[nickelplated5s]

Something is off in the first pic. Outer is not square to the T bar. Read the install sheet again. Perhaps the inner should have the flange between the two plates? I'll look at my old SwayAwys with delrin inners and compare to my new ER's. FWIW I went with poly for the trailing arms, rubber elsewhere. There's a good thread here with Bill & Pete going over the stiction rate for rubber vs poly.

[stcan]

Originally Posted by TastyReuben

how many mm is it off? put a washer between spring plate and trailing arm?

7.5mm.

Putting spacers would make the eccentric and camber bolt too short

[stcan]

Originally Posted by David Inc.

You ask Rebel Racing yet?

Yes, still not heard back from them yet.

[A930Rocket]

What does the inner bushing look like? Is that throwing it off, in addition to the shock installed to the current arm?

I tried looking at the rebel racing website, and it was a disaster, trying to find the above parts, to look at.

[AlBackus36]

I would recommend machining the aluminum bushing to allow the spring plate position to match the spring plate position with the OE bushing installed. The aluminum bushing is replaceable.

Clint can be hard to get a hold of.

[nickelplated5s]

Rebel has a good reputation but can be hard to get a hold of. Pic is of my delrin on SwayAways. Average of 4.474mm for the rim bushing. Plates are flat which you want for adjustment. New ER's are too but I don't feel like tearing it apart for pics. It might behoove you to just get delrin rather than machining the AL.

[Locker537]

Does the other side have the same issue?

[thetorch]

From the pics it looks like you didn't get the rebel to fully seat on the spring plate. Mine was nearly flush.

I don't think this matters though -- I thought the spring plates are designed to bend to go through the camber curve as the suspension moves. Manipulate the trailing arm (forward, up, down, etc.) and use the bolts to pull the spring plate to the trailing arm and align the holes.

Or am I missing something (always possible!).

[75 911s]

^Bushings should be flush as you said, but a lot of time it's manipulation of the trailing arm. That's why I said remove the shock and sway bar so you can line it up right to the spring plate without damaging the heavy bolts that go into the trailing arm through the spring plate. I use a jack on the trailing arm to adjust the height and sometimes you have to wrestle it outboard or twist it a bit. Again, replace the trailing arm bushing at the torsion bar tube to as now is the time.

As part of this install, I believe you should remove the T-bar, and test the spring plate. It should droop freely when the cover bolts are torqued down (At least that's the case on the similar Elephant version. The inner bushing that sits in the torsion tube should probably be glued in so it doesn't rotate unless it fits really snug. When the cover bolts are torqued down and it droops freely with no t bar in it, there should be about 1mm of lateral play at the end of the spring plate. It's not a lot but it's some.

Now reassemble with tbar and wrestle the trailing arm so that the bolts slide in freely into the arm. There should be no gap there. If there is, maybe someone with steel trailing arms and the rebel spring plates will chime in. I would think that it's just a matter of positioning, but I've only done this with the later aluminum trailing arms.

[A930Rocket]

Does anybody have a link to the parts at rebel racing?

[A930Rocket]

Here’s a post on issues installing them and answers with the gap.

Add another note, it looks like Clint is notorious for not supporting his products for over a decade.

Rebel Racing spring plate bushings and SAW

[YellowBee69]

I had this issue on one side of my car. I assumed it was install error but it was little enough that I was able to just putt them together, It does look as others have said that its not fully seated. But maybe it is!! Ive had them on for about 200 miles and have a buddy making some 935 style plates so Im actually taking these off soon if anyone can get the races or make them, id sell my kit at a good price!

[nickelplated5s]

There's another thread where PeteKZ mentions the TBar's. One side could be overinstalled causing the other to be outside. Perhaps he will chime in. I know he had problems with other Rebel bushings.

[PeteKz]

As nickel stated, make sure the t-bars are centered in the torque tubes. if one is too far in, it will push the other side out by that amount. But, I don't think that's what is going on here.