IRS Camber

[Bill K.]

Car: '70 bug with 4 bolt trailing arm to spring plate attachment

Modifications: lowered 2.5" with 944 torsion bars

Problem: excessive camber (about 3 degrees), want 1-2 degrees; adding sway-away adjustable spring plates and need clarification on how to mount and modify the spring plate slots to reduce camber

Questions:
1. The sway-away adjustable spring plate has 3 slots and my trailing arm has 4 holes. The extra hole is toward the front and is threaded. Should I drill an extra hole in the spring plate, or just use the three bolts for mounting? Is the later model 3 hole trailing arm easier to adjust than the 4 hole? I'm planning on using just the 3 holes. Correct?
2. To de-camber, I'm planning on removing material from the tops of the two rear slots in the spring plate so the trailing arm can be rotated with respect to the spring plate about the front hole in the 3 hole triangle pattern. Correct? How much material should I remove? 0.05", 0.10"? I'm planning on enlarging the slot the same amount front to back along the top side of the slot only, for just the two rear slots.

Thanks for the help.
Bill

[mudman]

Other than aftermarket arm's Might want to swap arm's from side to side. I was told this help's with the camber issue's but will need to modify the shock mount. I really do not know if this is true, just what I was told.
If you can run aftermarket arm's, I know a guy that can build you a set to the speck's you want/need. He sell's the offroad arm's for about $350.00 a pair and can use the T-1 or the T-2 stub and bearing housing.

Mike

[Kafer_Mike]

Questions:
1. The sway-away adjustable spring plate has 3 slots and my trailing arm has 4 holes. The extra hole is toward the front and is threaded. Should I drill an extra hole in the spring plate, or just use the three bolts for mounting? Is the later model 3 hole trailing arm easier to adjust than the 4 hole? I'm planning on using just the 3 holes. Correct?

I had the same concern when installing Sway-A-Way adjustable spring plates on my '69 Beetle. Per SAW, you only need to use the 3 holes...

[gcorrado]

i also used only the three bolts and haven't had an issue.

i'm not sure about your proposed trailing arm mod to decamber. the trailing arm swap-over is a common solution, but is also commonly known to be a serious PITA.

[Bill K.]

Filing the spring plate slots to decamber is suggested here and found to work later in the thread here. I'm just not sure how much to take off and where...
Thanks for clarifying the 3bolt mount.

[gcorrado]

cool!

[Bruce2]

Filing the spring plate slots to decamber is suggested here and found to work later in the thread here. I'm just not sure how much to take off and where...
Thanks for clarifying the 3bolt mount.

Ya, what that guy said!

Instead of the bulky SAW adjustable spring plates, I recommend stock 944 adjustable spring plates. Have a look at them next time you're in the junkyard.

[Bill K.]

Bruce -- so do I have the modification correct? Just enlarge the rear two slots on the upper side all the way across the slot? How much do I need to take off to decamber a couple degrees? I already have the SAW plates and want to get it right the first time. Thanks!

[Bruce2]

Bill, you have it right. But why limit yourself to just the rear holes? I'd do all 3. File the forward hole down and the rear ones up. 2-3mm should do it.