Lowering not working

PDACPA · PDACPA's Garage

I followed the directions in Wayne's book and the posts on here, but my front end does not want to go lower. Is this an indication that the torsion bars are worn and need to be replaced?

930Chas · 930Chas's Garage

When I lowered my car, I pushed down and pulled up on the front end of the car to help set it. I also drove it around the block a few times to help set it too. Hopefully that helps you.

Chuck Moreland · 08:19 AM

It is likely that your torsion bar adjuster caps have bottomed out. They've exceeded the range of adjustment.

Take a look and see if the lever arm of the caps are contacting the side of the housing. If they are you just need to re-index them.

Pop the caps off and reinstall after rotating a bit, you are simply moving the splines to a new location.

PDACPA · PDACPA's Garage

Pop off the cap? I am looking at 6the picture in Waynes book and see the screw for adjustment but no cap.

Chuck Moreland · 07-11-2002, 08:38 AM

The adjustment screw is threaded into the cap. Remove the screw and pull the cap off, it just slips over the end of the tbar.

911pcars · 07-11-2002, 09:53 AM

To interject:
In order to reindex the cap and adjuster, you have to relieve spring tension (i.e. lift the front end).

Sherwood Lee
http://members.rennlist.org/911pcars

PDACPA · PDACPA's Garage

I think one thing is i need to throw the car up on the jacks.

Pardon my re-re clarrifications:

When I back out the screw that adjusts the height (this screw goes up and down (sort of on an angle) the cap is on the part that is horizontal to that adjustment screw?

A picture might help. Waynes book shows the adjustment screw and that is what I was looking at while reading your post. Car is at home :-)

pbs911 · pbs911's Garage

The fronts are not indexed like the rears so moving the torsion bar will have no effect in ride height.

When I lowered the front of my 78SC, I had to preload the torsion bar since I could not get the car to go low enough if I replaced the retaining collar on the torsion bar when the wheels were up off the ground and the suspension fully extended.

To preload the torsion bar I removed the "retaining collar" and lowered the front end so the front wheel was just on the ground but not lowered to the extent the suspension will settle. This allowed me to index the retaining collar in a position that was not possible with the car in the air.

Number 18 and 19 on the diagram below are the adjutment bolt and "retaining collar" (don't know the formal name.)

Hope this helps. Front Axle

PDACPA · PDACPA's Garage

PBS I think I can now picture what you guys are all talking about. Where did you put the Jack so that you could raise and lower the car incrementally? I was going to set the car on jack stands but sounds like its better to use the Jack and lift the entire front (or did u just do one side then the other).

pbs911 · pbs911's Garage

Quote:

PBS I think I can now picture what you guys are all talking about. Where did you put the Jack so that you could raise and lower the car incrementally?

I did one side at a time noting how much I compressed the suspension before placing the retaining collar. Came out perfect, which was verified by a later corner balance.