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I had adjusters installed into my 181 beam. While looking at my Thing Shop 181 service manuel before reinstalling my torsion leaves I noticed that it said that the thinner torsion leave must be on the bottom of the stack on a 181. One of the outer most leaves with a detent is thinner than the other. My Dad recalls that with type1 leaves the outer most 2 leaves with a detent are the same thickness.
Upon reinstalling the leaves it was impossible to get the thin leave on the bottom of the stack and have the torsion arms in the correct position. No matter how I did it the thin leave had to be on top to be able to have the torsion arms in the correct position. When I put the thin leave on the botom the arms were in the very, very lowered positon. I had the adjusters installed to raise the front end. With the thin leave on the top it is in perfect positon to raise the front end from high to higher, like I wanted it.
My question is why is it impossible to get the thin leave on the bottom, and why does it need to be on the bottom? Is it because the sway-away adjusters are made for type1 leaves? Or is it because of the way the adjusters were installed?
I just put it together with the thin leave on top of the stack, will it be O.K.?
Very, Very stressed!!! Please help!!!

The depressions for the grub screws must be shaped right, so I guess you are not shuffling the stack, just rolling it over and/or flipping it end-for-end.
From here it sounds like the adjusters may not be installed correctly. They should work on Things - the stack has to have the same shape as a Beetle stack of you wouldn't be able to put 181 arms on a bug.

I can get the arms into the correct position, it just so happens that the thinner leave has to be on the top of the stack for this to happen. I never would have thought anything of it, but then I seen the page in the manuel. It says that the thinner leave must be on the bottom but not why. If I were to put type1 leaves into the beam it would not be a issue because they do not have a thinner leave. I think that it has to do with the way the adjuster insert was made. It must be because of the position of the setscrew hole and adjuster hole. It was just not possible to put the damn thin leave on the bottom.

Anybody here with adjusters in their Thing beam? Do you remember if you were able to have the thin leave on the bottom?

do you know for sure you have a thing beam?
and thing arms?

Yes, it is a Thing beam, I bought it from Vince not long before you took over. And they are Thing arms.

I am experiencing the exact same thing. My thin leaf has to be on top for the grub screw dent to be in the right postion. I took these out a few days ago to clean things up and I didn't think to look at how they came out.

I've looked at these things and tried various ways to reassemble them, but it just won't work with the thin leaf on bottom.

Another question, my leaves are slightly twisted, meaning that they don't fit flat against each other. They were like this when I took them out. I think that this may make them a bit difficult to get the arms back on. Would this be cause for replacement?

Thanks,

Brian

Do you have adjusters installed on your beam?

No adjusters, just a stock Thing front beam.

I went ahead and put it together with the thin leaf on top.

Hope that that is ok...