[T3] Coil, Calipers, and Front Beam

[Adriel Rowley]

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> From: topnotch at nycap.rr.com
> To: type3 at vwtype3.org
> Date: Sun, 3 Jul 2011 10:59:13 -0400
> Subject: Re: [T3] Coil, Calipers, and Front Beam
>
> If the front end was hit hard enough to bend a tie rod the beam is probably
> bent too... which is probably why someone was getting rid of it.
>
It was off a Squareback someone else parted to build there type three, then 
sold it to the man I bought the parts from.  Apparently it has had a pan 
swap, but other than that, looks fine to me.  Guess another case of SoCal 
stupidness. ;/

I checked the length of the beam with a strait edge, and there is not any 
bend to it.  To me, that is a good sign right?

> Easy to tell though, it will bend the torsion arms first, pull the lower
> arms AND bars as a unit and see if the bar protrudes thru the arm on the
> inner part of the arm in the center of the opening, if its just a bit off
> your probably OK but if its near the arm on one side the arm is toast. And
> probably the beam too, You can also check the condition of the inner
> bushings this way too...you cant really tell about those without pulling the
> arms out and if the beam wasn’t regularly greased or was lowered they are
> usually toast. IF these are bad it wont hold an alignment.
>
The torsion bars are equally set in the arms, is that what you are talking 
about?

I do not have the tool to separate the ball joints or a breaker bar, and the
extension is elsewhere.  So, tried pulling the entire side a one unit, but the
torsion bar is moving only a bit.  When I pulled the bolt out of the torsion 
bar, had fresh V.W. grease and can see some in the gap between the arm and 
beam.  I cannot get enough force on the end of it, as the tires absorb the 
impact.  So thinking about just swapping the beams so as have a more stable 
place to work.  Is this a good idea?

Worse comes to worse, I did buy it for parts.  This time, using zip-locks and
labeling them. ;)


Thank you,
Adriel