Beam adjusters are a pain in the arse

[50plm]

Hi guys hope you can help, last year I installed a balljoint narrowed beam on my westy with no problems I thought that would off been the hard bit off lowering the bus over and done with but how wrong am I :lol: so this week my dropped spindles came and I set to work installing them no problems at all so time to adust the beam up to the highest setting but cant get the adjusters to move :x so my question to you guys how the hell do you get them to move ive used a bottle jack on the top of the arm to the wheelarch to try and push them down but they just wont move. please help its making me pull my hair out cheers.

 

[jammac]

I went to local metal supplies and got a 2m long 7/8" square steel bar for about £10 this slots right into the centre boss and then you can rotate it using a big kahuna spanner with a scaffold pole over the end for extra leverage if required! I was in exactly your situation after getting d.spindles, but this method worked purfectly


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[50plm]

Cheers for the reply jammac so did you take out the grub screws and pull it down that way? what happened did adjusters just free off

 

[jonboylaw]

Slacken off the outer lock nut, remove the serrated thingy, do not take out the grub screw!. I had the bus on a ramp and some transmission stands under the beam and used ratchet straps around the grub screw and that did the trick. I think you are best working on the adjuster rather than the trailing arms as there us not enough leverage that way.


Jon


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[50plm]

I wish I could do that but the vans in the drive and its that low it sitting on the beam :lol:

 

[jammac]

I removed the nut on the grub screw so the serrated plate came off, then tool out out the spring leaves shoved the bar in and then turned the adjuster until the screw was set to its highest setting. Then put it all back together.


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[tonicman]

i would soak the adjuster/grub screw area in wd40 over night, maybe try dropping it even further to break all the rust out then it may move freely, doing it it at the arm you are fighting against the spring so makes it harder. If all else fails, beam off hit it with a hammer on a spare grub screw and remember to grease up inside beam for next time you mess with it

 

[Tofufi]

As above. It's a right ballache of a job.

Took me and an assistant 2 days of levering the torsion arms down with jacks and scaffold bar, then tapping the area around the adjuster with a hammer to get it to the desired ride height. But I got the process of removing a spindle down to about 5 minutes.

I soaked mine with penetrating fluid where I could, but it didn't seem to make much difference.

 

[kieron]

had the very same problem with mine and found the safest way (without risking life and limb) was to pop the balljoints back out of their tapers, just cracked the housing simultaniously with 2 hammers and out they popped (under tension) everything will then turn freely then, sounds extreme but better than scrambling underneath a procariousley balanced bus.

 

[50plm]

That sound a good idea ill try that now cheers

 

[50plm]

Just a little update after struggleing all day I got the Adjusters moveing thank god. but I could only go about half way on both adjusters the balljoints seem to be at the end of there travel so stopping me going anymore is this right or is something wrong im running a slamwerks 4.5 narrowed beam cheers

 

[mike.s]

take the nut thats securing it down off, then put an old nut your not bothered about damaging on the grub screw - an old wheel nut may actually fit, then hit it with a wacking great big lump hammer!

note - may be easier with beam off the bus....

 

[69rhdpanel]

I had the same problem a few years ago. I removed hubs so just trailing arms fitted. Removed adjuster and left grub screw in with nuts fitted then heated the beam were the adjusters are and used mole grips on the grub screw nuts. Heated until adjusters moved.