Lowering height

Actually a 2.5" drop is close to rotating up 1 inner spline only. (Or going up 2 inner splines and down 1 outer spline.) Going up 2 inner or 2 outer splines would be a 4.3-4.7" drop. Height adjustments may also need to be made to account for any age sag in the torsion bars.

Justin thanks - I will run some checks on the front and back heights again.

looking at it side on it appears a little higher in the back, so may go the two splines..

thanks for that Post. I have checked galleries and a lot of the Speedster are low in the front so the front drop should not fowl the lip of the guard and tire...

If you can install adjustable spring plates on the back; you'll love them.

Looks like I will run the 2 1/2 drop spindles then drop two splines 4 inches.  The current difference between the front and the back is just on 1 1/2. 

Based on the chart that should level it out...

So hopefully the dropped spindles will not have the tires hitting the guard edge on full lock..

i have trawled dozens of photos and a lot of Speedsters are in the weeds so to speak so I am feeling confident.

The speedsters are not common here, so I don't have a similiar kit to compare too. In fact I have not seen any other one anywhere here on the Forum.

i will go through the Forum to see if anyone else here is on the forum from Australia.

If the car is not crazy high right now a 4-inch drop in the back will probably be too much. Two outer splines is a lot of travel--about 4 and 3/8 if everything is squared up and bushy-tailed. Then you sit in the driver seat and drop it another half inch.  . . .

I'd measure a bunch of times and in a bunch of ways before considering a two-spline sit-down on a Speedster or any VW.

Mango?

Mango,

thanks will do just one then.

guess its not a big deal to do an extra later if it is not level.

Thanks for the feedback as i said it is all new to me so i really appreciate the chart and the feedback

cheers

Mango

i just measured my sill at the very front and the sill at the very rear.

front is 9" and the rear is 10 1/2".

I am using the 2 1/2" spindles which will bring the front down to 6 1/2"

so that is why I thought the two splines 4 1/2" was needed at the rear to bring it down to 6" - then the rear is 1/2" lower...

think I will go one spline and look at it.

to tweak the rear height - i'd recommend adjustable rear spring plates.  CIP had swing axles ones on sale for $99.  you can fine tune the height very easily.

even if you don't have spring plates - it's very straight forward to re-adjust the back torsions. 

and i would be surprised if you nailed it first time around.  I've had mine off several times.  it's tricky to tell when the inner spline catches and the outer one catches.  if you don't know what i mean - you will.

Thanks for the advice here.

yes looks like a little trial and error.

A trick I used when setting up the rear spring plates on my Spyder ( given to me by others ) was to measure the distance from the top of the spring plate where it starts to "round off" over the axle slot and the center of the shocks upper mount... Axle / tube must be out of the plate and the shock disconnected....   The Spyder's layout made this fairly easy, but could be adapted to use on a Speedster....   It is very important that these measurements are extremely close as they control spring tension as well as ride height....    Hope this helps someone...

oh - i just remembered something too (thanks Leon)

get a magnetic angle finder. 

confirm your car is completely level (if not - make sure you get a solid reading before you undo anything to factor it into your adjustments)

do one side - measure, then match the other.

or do both sides and confirm with teh angle finder on the spring plates.

I just noticed my fiberfab dosent have the torsion bar body plug,now why would that do that?dem layz body makers. I havent decided on witch torsion bar I want the short or the long,(or if I even stay with torsion bars). the adjustable spring plates are nice Ive had them on my bug since & built it 12 years ago, and they come in handy when you change tires as much as socks.I had to go to the short bars on the bug due to the 19.5"x33" mickey thomposn street tires hiting the old long bar.,but I dont think that will be an issue with the 356. Ive never messed with the spline counting, just put them in and put the adjustable spring plates on at the same angle and used the adjuster to level things out.Ill probably scale the 356 to get left&right weights even with some weight in the dr seat to account for my butt.

     good luck with your torsion bar endever, and if you order any parts ,get the tool to compress the bar&remove the plates saftly, or make one, its a nice thing to have and not expensive,it also makes things easyer&safer on you and the car.

 if the bushings need replacing then this is the time to do it, there are 4 bushings on the torsion bar, 2 outer &2 inner(both are on the outer end of the torsion bar tube,1 on each side of the spring plate,they make about 6 sizes depending on what year your car/chassie is. I use the poly urathane, but dont like the stickey greese,I will use synthetic greezee next time around,do not use any petrolium products neer the polyurathane,it can&will distroy it.even wd 40 will kill poly. if you dont know if you need bushings? just look at the end cap that the bar gos through(depending on the year some dont go through)if the gap around it isant even and the bar is closer to the top you need bushings,Iv seen very few that did not need bushings. there is also a bushing on the end of the dogleg (if you have irs) they die also and are avaliable in polly too.there are a few companys that make the poly bushings(prothane aka dee engerneering aka bug pack)(empi aka china) and a few others,I saw a new company addvertized on thesamba last month and there pricey.but if it's a better mix they would be worth it, but my old bugpack ones are doing just fine,I would stay away from the empi ones. it would be nice if they were graphite impregnated. and check for nick or burrs where hte bushings ride, you dont need them eating up any parts. good luck,do it right ,do it once and be done and have fun.

I dont think most body makers have a usable plug. Maybe IM?

Thanks all for keeping this discussion going..

Bernie

no usable plug?how do you get the bars&stuff out?them sneekey lazy moldy glass guys, And I thought the boat builders were bad,  I have a hole saw that will work just fine.

  Thanks again guys. Doing it tomorrow.....

lift the body up or drill a hole.

You will of course have to figure out a way to re-mount the chunk you cut out of the body. Original-style torsion bar access covers sat in a recessed lip in the body. You'll have to add some mounting tabs or bolts to the body to affix yours.

of modify the ghia ones.

there is a front and back plate that bolt together like a sandwich

fiber glass is extreamly easy to make do what you want to do, even use the peice you have cut out to go back in and sit on a ledge, very simple.