Suspension lowering in process/stalled - have ? on rear

[CrossT]

HELP!! [please]

I got 'brave' this morning and crawled under the car and started the lowering my 86Carrera. I've wated to do thin since I got thie thing 2 years ago.

Fronts: Started at 26 1/2 in front. Now at 24 3/4 front. Brainlessly simple procedure. It looks rather better - but we'll see how the underbelly condensor feels about that later. On second thought I probably will go up to an even 25 or 25 1/2.

Now for the rears. I am shooting for 24 1/2 or maybe 25, and it's currently at 26. I'm not clear from my BBS searches or from the 101 book on exactly what the lowering procedure is for this model year. I just don't want to do any more wrenching until I'm sure what I an doing. And I really don't want to take the suspension apart. So, I hope it is possible to get to my desired height simply.

101 referrs to 'late model' 911s having an adjustment screw. Don't know the definition of 'late'. The pict is showing an SC and looks the same as my 86, so I assume SC's and on are 'late model' ?.

There are two nuts [24 mm] next to the suspension pivot point. It seems clear these are the ones to mess with to lower the rear. I've slightly loosened the one closest to the pivot. I suppose I will need to get another 24mm wrench now that I see it is not secured from the rear. I assume the inside is also 24mm ? The next nut is just that - a nut. I can't imagine turning that nut resulting in the car being lowered [or vice versa]. So, I'm confused . . . Is that where the adjustment is made ? If so, how ? What way to turn ? etc.

Do I do the adjustments with the car on its wheels or can it be done with the wheels off ?

That's as far as I have gotten and I don't want to go further until I have a clue what I'm doing.

Kinda looks like a hotrod with the front down and the rear up. Ugh!

Thanks for any further guidance to get me through this.

todd
86 coupe

[1973911s]

Any chance you can take a picture of the bolt you moved to lower your car, I would like my front down just a little more.

Thanks

Michael

[Shuie]

Someone here will have more experience than me at this and probably a better set of instructions, but I'll give it a shot anyway.

If you are at 26" on the rear already you may not be able to get any lower than 25" without re-inedxing your torsion bars. Try to get it as low as you can and see if you can live with it. Re-indexing your torsion bars and springplates is a bigger job and will require an alignment afterwards

You are going to need a thin 36mm spanner wrench to make the height adjustment on the adjustable springplates for your car. It's cheaper to get the wrench from a bicycle shop, but Pelican will have the factory tool if you want to invest in it.

Brake your lug nuts loose, lift the car, remove tire, and scribe a mark on the spring plates for the current alignment of the two plates that make up the spring plate assembly. Loosen the bolt that holds the height adjustment in place (the lower or furthest away from the torsion bar cover on the adjuster plate), use the thin spanner to reach between the tub and the springplate and get to the height eccentric bolt. To turn the eccentric height adjustment bolt until the plate moves the desired distance up or down from the mark you scribed. Tighten everything back up (i dont know the torque specs) and put your wheel back on. Repeat on the other side.

If the car seems a little high when comes off the jackstands dont get too worried. Drive the car around the block to let everything settle in before taking a measurement.

If you have to re-index the t-bars, make sure you have budgeted for an alignment afterwards. Do a search for widebody Thom's angle-dangle calculator. You will also need a magnetic protractor and a good weight approximation for the car. The calculator is spot on and will get you really close. You can then fine tune with the adjustable height eccentrics on your spring plates.



Hope that helps. Its a lot easier to see what I was trying to explain with pictures. I'll try to get some pics of the area I was talking about. Im sure someone else will be able to explain it a little better also.

Good luck!

[CrossT]

Shuie

Ahh! The bolts hold together two plates? If I understand, this is making more sense now. The bolts are loosened and the second [eccentric] one is turned from the rear via a 36mm thin spanner?

thanks

73;
picts

before

after

front adj bolt (with blue glue)


rear adj bolts


thanks
todd
86 coupe

[JRISER]

Height adjustment is not measured from the floor to the bottom of the fender lip. For this to be accurate, you need to measure from the center of the wheel to the center of the torsion bar. If you use the first method, you will have way too many variables affecting the end result.

[Chuck Moreland]

Shuie is pretty much right on.

But there is no way you will lower it 1 inch without re-indexing torsion bars. You need to pull off the spring plates to do this.

From your original post, I think you have bitten off a bigger job than you realize. It's not that hard to do, but you must have the special thin wrench and you must get it corner balanced and aligned when you are done.

Do search on "bushing replacement" and "torsion bar replacement". Both of these jobs entail pulling and re-indexing the torsion bars. You'll find a lot of usefull info.

[Gunter]

crossT: Do a search on this board! You may be in for a little more than you think! Is there someone nearby who could help you? When you lower the front, the camber becomes more negative! Did you put shims under the rack to reduce bump steer? In the rear, do you understand the 40/44 spline issue to index the torsion bars? I found it best to remove the sway bar and disconnect the rear shock so that things move easier when you try the eccentric bolt adjustment. Search and read and ask a buddy, it takes more time than you think. Cheers.

[Shuie]

Originally posted by CrossT
The bolts are loosened and the second [eccentric] one is turned from the rear via a 36mm thin spanner?

here ya go.




Chuck and Gunter are 100% right. This is a pretty big job.

The eccentrics are for very fine adjustments. I forget what the range is for the spring plate hieght, but its not much at all. Maybe ~.75" up or down?

[brcorp]

Todd,

I can help you if you're interested. Either way I'd like to take a look at your underbelley condenser.

[toolman]

On my 87, the front bolt is the lock nut and the rear is the height eccentric with the thin 36 mm on back side.

[CrossT]

Thanks guys. It was an interesting try and I know more at the end of the day than when I started.

As luck would have it, and as you guys probably knew, I could not get the adjustment down in the rear without going to the re-indexing which I'm not quite up to yet [knowledge-wise]. The rears were already at the stops of adjustment via the eccentric bolt [surprisingly, I already had the spanner in my bicycle toolkit].

So, the rears are still at 26" from the floor and the fronts are back to 26 1/2 [well, maybe 26 even].

I'll read up on the re-indexing and give it another try down the road. And, after being satisfied with the height, I'll get an alignment.

I've already got some good work in place on the suspension [turbo tie rods, koni yellows, strut brace, rolled fronts fenders].

That's one of the coolest things about these cars; there is so much you can do with them!

brcorp, give me a pm and I'll give you my coordinates if you want to check out the underbelly condensor/swap stories/have a beer

thx
todd
86 coupe

[Silveresrty911S]

"while your in there" you might want to replace your spring plate bushings. It's real fun to get the bushings off Search away man and don't be afraid to ask questions. This board is Great!