Is this the best way?

While doing my little project I ran across what appears to be some sort of rigged mount. You can see it in the pic below. There were two of them on either side. They are bolted to part of the frame and part of the suspension. Are these supposed to mount the body to the suspension? If so, is this the best way? I'm no engineer but this seems like a pretty half-ass way to do it. On the driver side one of the bolts is snapped and the piece of metal is now only connected to the frame.
Can someone explain this set up to me and if there is a better way to do it? It seems like a lot of stress for and a couple bolts and a strip of metal to handle.

I agree with your oppinion Mickey.....

It's hard to tell but, it looks like someone used those metal pieces to "locate" the rear torsion bar assembly before welding to the chassis??

the bolt on the right hand side is the one that keeps your car body from flying off on the highway - the one on the left hand side i do not believe does anything. it looks like it's bolted to the rear frame - which is what the bracket is welded to anyway)

For the life of me I can't figure out what the purpose for those tabs are? Don't the two pieces they're bolted to work separately of another. Or I guess the frame (2x2 sq steel tube) doesn't move and the torsion bar housing rotates a little is a better way of putting it. There is obviously torque there because the bolt on the torsion side of one tab is snapped off (on drivers side) and the tab closer to the wheel is missing the bolt that connects it to the frame. It seems the both tabs on the passenger side are in tact.
What do they do? Paul mentioned they keep the body on but on my car the body is riveted to the frame closer to the back of the car (actually the bottom of the engine compartment wall is connected to the 2x2 frame). Do I need to refasten these tabs? Should I put in bushings or rubber spacers? Is there another way that would provide more strucural integrity? I have no idea how long they have been disconnected? Or if I even need to be concered?
Now that I've done the rear I seem to have a little more suspension travel back there but nowhere near as smooth as I'd like it.
I have the front dropped pretty low and I replaced the front shocks with some that are specifically made for lower front ends. Between those and the front support bar connecting the pan to the front beam there is a noticable difference in the softness in front. However, in the rear with the increased suspension travel the car still seems to be way too stiff. When I go over "normal" road bumps I can still here the body rattle and it feels too harsh.

Mickey, are there shiny parts under there which would indicate rubbing of metal on metal? Are the edges on the broken tab shiny and sharp, or is there rust there?
In addition to maybe telling you if it was a recent break, it'll help you figure out if that's the part making the noises you hear.
Chances are, looking at the pictures, that piece was intended to limit some form of lateral movement. It's thick, but it's attached with vertical bolts. If it broke, it was probably in a corner, so you'd be able to test the theory by glopping some white-out or tamper-seal paint across the break and cornering hard a couple times after it dries. If the paint line is broken, you probably need the part.

Thanks Cory. The tab isn't broken, the bolt is sheared on one. Both of the ones on the passenger side are intact. On the driver side one bolt is broken (the one on the torsion side) and on the other tab the bolt for the frame side is missing. I can easily replace that one but I'll have to drill out the old bolt to attach the other.
Does anyone else have these? Is this specific to old IM's? What the is it?!

Hey Mickey, Cory tells me that you're thinking of joining us on the Tail of the Dragon in October. WOOHOO!!! It'll be worth the trip, I assure you.

If all goes well Lane I'll be there.

Has anyone been able to check their cars to see if they have these little tabs back there?

This is the connecting metal on mine. It comes off of the box tubing around the cockpit, downward to the torsion tube on each side. It is intended to limit the flex of the chassis.
I decided to put them there, but it looks to me like IM might have had the same general idea.
Does that help at all?

Mickey, I just went back to Ron O'Black's post about the dismantling of his 84 IM after the fire. I blew up one of his pictures, and I think I can see the same piece of metal. Your car's about the same age, so it might well have been a standard thing for those guys.

Here's the image:

Thanks Cory. I can see what you did to the hoopty and it's starting to make sense now. I can't really see much in the pic you posted (too pix'd) but I'm getting the idea now. Where is that pic on the site? Maybe I can see it in it's original form and get a better idea. I have to put my car up on the lift tomorrow to do a little work and I'll take a closer look at those tabs. I'll try to get that old snapped bolt out and bolt the tab back in if I can, what could it hurt?
I just wish there was a technical explanation for these that I could understand. As I've said before, I ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer......

I just bumped it in the General section. Here it is, anyway:
https://www.speedsterowners.com/forum/readmsg.asp?t=13118
I think I get it now. Your car is IRS. Mine used to be. I don't have any pictures of the IRS setup before the hackjob, but the spine of the donor car was the frame horns and tunnel.
The pans on a replica would then be completely disconnected from the rear suspension on both IRS and swing types; corner hard, and you're flexing the car at the vertibrae at the lowest point on the lumbar spine, right above the "hip bones."
Without the Bug body and its metal-to-metal reinforcement down both sides of the pans and the front and rear of the chassis, the pans would flex like a teeter-totter just from the weight of the driver.
In order to keep the midsection of the car from coming away from the fiberglass, since the pans were grafted at the edges and not full-thickness attached to the pans' horizontal surfaces, that brace was probably a non-VW modification to stiffen the whole works just a little bit.
Look at an aerial view of prepped pans. That part of the car looks like Cher's waistline! There ain't nothin' else there!

It is the driver's side tab that's broken. That kind of supports the reinforcement theory.

Well then, I guess I should take a REAL close look at this. I may have to figure out a more substantial set up for this. Sounds to me like if I can get this section tightened up the car will corner better, and that's good right?

I had to read that 20 times before it made sense. Where's that knife sharpener?

Uh ... sorry.

After closer inspection today it appears both disconnected tabs are a result of snapped bolts. The best part is that the bolt heads have been tack welded so it'll be some work to get them out. It's on 'the list'.