What Diameter Tbs With 19mm Arb 1.6gti

[Ricardo 0]

Hi

Just rebuilding my 1.6GTi beam and the TBs measure 18.1mm dia whereas the older seized in set I have are 18.9mm.

 

In Service Box three sizes are listed 18.1, 18.5 and 18.9 for the GTi (21mm for van).

The ARB is 19mm

The car was originally lowered 40mm with standard GTi shocks. Stnd mounts too.

 

...Could I use the 18.1mm TBs for a softer ride with rear lowered by 30mm and stnd mounts or...

Use 18.1 with Grp N mounts lowered 30mm?

Would there be much difference or would the car sit about the same lowered 30mm with 18.1mm instead of 18.9mm TBs.

 

The ride previously was quite stiff but the beam bearings had turned to 'mush' although there was still movement!

Advice yet again much appreciated...

Cheers Richard

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

Personaly I'd fit the 18.9mm ones if at all possible. How seized in are they? I've never failed to get a torsion bar out yet.

 

I think service box is just being non-specific with the torsion bar lists for the GTi because the lists are the same on both GTi & Non-GTi pages.

 

When using the 18.1mm bars the car will sit lower with the same shock bolt centre settings due to the softer spring rate, possibly not by much but they will allow more movement.

 

Of all the 205 GTi beams I've stripped I've never found a set with 18.1mm bars fitted, infact all of them have had 18.9mm ones iirc.

 

My STDT beam had 18.1mm TB's & a 16mm arb when I stripped it for rebuilding.

 

Is this the original beam for your car or has it been swapped before?

 

The group N mounts won't make any difference in ride height on the rear beam unlike at the front.

 

Graham.

[Ricardo 0]

Cheers Graham,

I will use the GTi bars, I'll go and see the mechanics from the garage to heat/press them out. I tried gripping the bar in the vice and hitting the arm.

The smaller bars are off a non GTi, thanks for the service box advice! It was the fact that the orig 18.9mm bars are well stuck (one in the crosstube the other in the trail arm). The orig trail arm that has the bar stuck is now a scrapper (the shafts are knack'd anyway) and has started to deform from lump hammering it!

The ARB is stuck in the plate one end, will this make it too hard to assemble if it won't align properly when setting the ride height? (although I will set it at the same as before).

I could slice through the crosstube to the splines with an angle grinder to remove the orig bars but obviously not on the crosstube I want to use. I need to remove one smaller bar yet from the trail arm.

I can't fing my 2 legged puller adapter so any other removal suggestions? I tried the small bolt inthe end to pull it through or just to get it started but it was far too tight and didn't want to strip it.

Sorry to go on...

Richard

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

Get the trailing arm around the torsion bar as hot as possible, this really does help shifting the bars. If you are not bothered about the trailing arm then put the other end on a piece of wood on the floor and then belt the trailing arm downwards to get it off the torsion bar splines. Make sure you have removed the offset washer.......

[Ricardo 0]

Jobs a gud un! Cheers chaps. Didn't have heat but sledge hammer my wife's steady hand and wood (and verniers to make sure my efforts weren't futile)

Once I knew it moved there was no stopping it! And no damage

 

Now then should I go for the Grp N mounts?...mmmm

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

The ARB is stuck in the plate one end, will this make it too hard to assemble if it won't align properly when setting the ride height? (although I will set it at the same as before).

Just mark which end it is & refit it in the same direction, then you shouldn't have any problem aligning it once the beam is lowered. The ARB should still sit the same at any height if only one end plate has been removed.

 

To get the torsion bar out of the centre tube you could use the now scrap radius arm. Clean the splines on the torsion bar & in the radius arm so it fits nicely back together & the fit them together on the centre tube. Refit the offset washer & a bolt (or a larger washer & longer M8 bolt outside the radius arm torsion bar hole)

 

Then with the centre tube held securely hit the radius arm to get the bar moving in the centre tube splines. Try soaking it in some Plus gas or similar decent penetraing oil for a day prior to this.

 

Graham.

[Ricardo 0]

Ok got it all apart. Used an old motocross fork leg tube as a slide hammer along the ARB to get the plates off!

Now I'll get mi bits ordered and then after my week in the sun....