Weltmeister adj. springplate help!

coloradoporsche · 04-26-2006, 01:58 PM

So I installed the adjustable spring plates I bought from Pelican a while back, and noticed a disturbing thing. The T-bar doesn't go all the way through the splines. In fact, on the right side, it looks like they barely got into the splines.

Did I screw something up here?

Does this look right to you?

Chuck Moreland · 04-26-2006, 03:02 PM

The welt/sway-a-way spring plates are like that. It's not the tbars, it's the splines on the plates. They are in the wrong position, too far out.

You can put a spacer between the tbars to try and even out the spline engagement (actually that would be spline dis-engagement), inner and outer.

This is one of the reasons why I recommend the factory adjustable spring plates instead.

coloradoporsche · 04:14 PM

Quote:

They are in the wrong position, too far out.

Yikes. Let the buyer beware.

The more I think about this, even with a spacer in the middle, the bars could still shift left to right since there is no solid cap on these.

Grrrr.

I could put a spacer in the middle (what size?) and weld a cap on the end, but what a PITA.

Definitely not happy.

EDIT: Wait...if I put a spacer in the middle, then I'm getting less spline engaement there. Even less happy now.

cegerer · cegerer's Garage

As an engineer, I'm always amazed at the thought process that must go on when designing aftermarket parts such as these. What was the conversation when they finished these up and did a test-install? Did the WeltMeister engineers say, 'well, that's close enough!'? Did they not even do a test install?

For spring plates, all they needed to do was make an exact replica of the factory plates and make a few tweeks to improve them .... how could they be so far off???

jevvy · 04-27-2006, 03:33 AM

I dont know anything about this but could it be that you have the "G50" version as the t-bars stick out further on these cars?

EDIT - please dont slap me for a silly suggestion

coloradoporsche · 07:04 AM

Quote:

but could it be that you have the "G50" version as the t-bars stick out further on these cars?

Hmmmm. My invoice says PEL-AS-900: Rear Adjustable Spring Plate, 911 (1974-86), 911 Turbo (1976-88), pair

But there is another version:

PEL-AS-910 Rear Adjustable Spring Plate, 911 (1987-89), 911 Turbo (1989), pair

Does anyone know the difference?

Maybe I have the wrong ones. I did a search and I see that some folks have had good luck with these saying that they were "plug and play". Has anyone with a '69-'86 car had better fitment than this?

There is a 4-digit number stamped on the spring plate. I called Weltmeister, and they have no clue.

jevvy · 04-27-2006, 07:43 AM

very odd, the gap you seem to have is about how much longer the torsion bar covers are on a g50 car compared to a pre-G50

Maybe you got shipped the wrong ones?

Chuck Moreland · 09:46 AM

G50 splines are different, you couldn't put them in an earlier car. G50 spring plates are MUCH wider, you would have zero spline engagement if you had these.

You have the right parts, they just aren't made very well.

911pcars · 09:49 AM

I must not have been too observant when I installed the SAW spring plates on my car years ago - it seemed there was sufficient spline engagement. However, I haven't heard (database limited due to limited hearing) of any corners falling due to the splines disengaging or of spline damage. Anyone else?

Did you trial-fit the torsion bar to the spring plate before assembling? I had to reduce the OD of the factory torsion bar splines slightly so they could engage more freely. The spline fit is fine with SAW/WM torsion bars.

Sherwood

Steve@Rennsport · 04-27-2006, 11:14 AM

I just looked at a set of Weltmeister spring plates that we just removed from a car (replaced for ERP stuff) and those have about 31mm of spline depth.

These items were made back in 1978 and had plenty of T-bar engagement.

These are for sale if anyone needs a used set.

coloradoporsche · 04-27-2006, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Did you trial-fit the torsion bar to the spring plate before assembling?

Yep, the bars fit in the splines...they just don’t fit far enough into enough of the splines for me to feel comfortable.

Quote:

I just looked at a set of Weltmeister spring plates that we just removed from a car (replaced for ERP stuff) and those have about 31mm of spline depth.

Interesting. I guess I'll pull mine off and measure the depth. Assuming they are similar, I would have 31mm -18mm = 13mm of spline contact. I wonder how much spline contact is necessary, and how much I get with the OEM plates vs. the ones I have vs. the older Weltmeister set?

Looks like I can either fight these issues, send the plates back to Pelican, or perhaps take the parts I have to a welder and have them shorten the tube so that I get more spline contact.

911pcars · 04-27-2006, 12:46 PM

Looking at your photos, it seems to me you measured 18mm of space between the end of the torsion bar and the end of the splined tube. That correct? If so, that's not to say there is insufficient spline engagement on the other end of the tube.

IOW, measure total length of splined tube minus 18mm = spline engagement (assuming the splines are cut all the way through).

Correct me if I'm off-base.

Sherwood