mcvw
Well-known member
Hi everyone,
I'm somewhat frustrated, and feel the need to have a bit of vent/rant so bear with me if you will
So my bus is lowered (Front: T2d K&L narrowed beam + dropped spindles, Rear: adj spring plates + narrowed track), and after driving it around for a year or more, and shearing the deep sump cover nut heads (twice), catching the tip of the Python tailpipe, and mashing the steering box (numerous times) on the speed-bumps of Surrey and its surrounding area it was time to take action.
And the action taken was to raise it up via the beam adjusters and spring plates.
All pretty straightforward stuff, and doing so resolved the deep sump/exhaust clearance issues, and had the effect of generating a bit more rake (which was kinda cool), but resulted in making the front (which wasn't really ever that soft a ride with 165/55/15 tyres) more harsh. I also noticed knocking sounds from the rear - which I tolerated/ignored for maybe another 6 months, thinking it was the battery not being mounted securely.
How wrong I was. The battery was clamped down securely - and after some investigation/advice it turns out that the knocking is actually caused by the rear shocks. Again, no problem I thought - I'll just get some better (and the right size) replacement shocks (gas ones, rather than oil) and improve the bus's ride/handling at the same time. But... putting matching shocks (Bilstein's) all round isn't a possibility due to the front already being at its highest point!
So as I see it, there are a few options I could choose:
1 - Relocate the beam adjusters so it allows the front to go up higher (and at the same time raise the back up to keep things level)
2 - Replace the dropped spindles with stock versions - which will raise the front up 3.5" in one hit
3 - Fit a slimmer deep sump and lower the back (keeping the existing shocks) and eliminating the knocking sound as the shocks will be operating at the right height.
Something else to throw in the melting pot is that I have been considering swapping out my current wheels (15" Enkei's) with the stock 14" steels - for more of a sleeper lock - but this in turn will lower the bus even more!!
I'd be interested in getting peoples thoughts/ideas, as I've no doubt been massively over-thinking this, and have lost the will to live LOL!
Cheers,
Mike
I'm somewhat frustrated, and feel the need to have a bit of vent/rant so bear with me if you will
So my bus is lowered (Front: T2d K&L narrowed beam + dropped spindles, Rear: adj spring plates + narrowed track), and after driving it around for a year or more, and shearing the deep sump cover nut heads (twice), catching the tip of the Python tailpipe, and mashing the steering box (numerous times) on the speed-bumps of Surrey and its surrounding area it was time to take action.
And the action taken was to raise it up via the beam adjusters and spring plates.
All pretty straightforward stuff, and doing so resolved the deep sump/exhaust clearance issues, and had the effect of generating a bit more rake (which was kinda cool), but resulted in making the front (which wasn't really ever that soft a ride with 165/55/15 tyres) more harsh. I also noticed knocking sounds from the rear - which I tolerated/ignored for maybe another 6 months, thinking it was the battery not being mounted securely.
How wrong I was. The battery was clamped down securely - and after some investigation/advice it turns out that the knocking is actually caused by the rear shocks. Again, no problem I thought - I'll just get some better (and the right size) replacement shocks (gas ones, rather than oil) and improve the bus's ride/handling at the same time. But... putting matching shocks (Bilstein's) all round isn't a possibility due to the front already being at its highest point!
So as I see it, there are a few options I could choose:
1 - Relocate the beam adjusters so it allows the front to go up higher (and at the same time raise the back up to keep things level)
2 - Replace the dropped spindles with stock versions - which will raise the front up 3.5" in one hit
3 - Fit a slimmer deep sump and lower the back (keeping the existing shocks) and eliminating the knocking sound as the shocks will be operating at the right height.
Something else to throw in the melting pot is that I have been considering swapping out my current wheels (15" Enkei's) with the stock 14" steels - for more of a sleeper lock - but this in turn will lower the bus even more!!
I'd be interested in getting peoples thoughts/ideas, as I've no doubt been massively over-thinking this, and have lost the will to live LOL!
Cheers,
Mike
