Here is the day 2 update. Didn't get the post up yesterday because of the server being down. I cleaned up the spring plates and installed the Neatrix bushings. The clean up added a of time to the job, but I think you will agree it was worth while. 
The large hex head is the eccentric bolt that will be used to perform fine tuning of ride HEIGHT later on. This shot compares the old 25mm rear bars (black) with the new 27mm bars (white). The size of the bar is stamped into the end and they are marked for Left and Right side. 
I'm doing my Micheal Jackson impression with the glove. I used that to coat to the bar with grease. The new rear bars are about 35% stiffer than the old. The new 21mm fronts are about 55% stiffer than the old 18.8mm fronts. The factory has kept the fronts at 18.8mm since, I believe, the late 60s cars. The rears have gotten progressively stiffer over the years, reaching 25 mm on the Carrera and 26 mm on the late turbos. The rears went together pretty easily. I set the factory adjustable springs plates in the middle so I could adjust either direction for fine tuning HEIGHT and corner weight. This shot shows the springs plates going in. 
The key to doing this right is getting the proper angle on the spring plate so that when loaded you have (approximately) the correct ride HEIGHT. Fine adjustments are made with the eccentric bolt. You will note the pencil marks on the wheel well. One is where I marked the position of the plate before I dissasemble. This was used as a point of reference when putting it back together. Scribbing that mark is VERY important, it would be hard to do this without that reference point. The second mark was scribbed after installation. The difference in angle will result in the change in ride HEIGHT. I carefully compared the angle difference on driver and passenger sides to make sure they were the same. This is supposed to be the hard part. You take a guesstimate on the angle, put it all back together, lower the car and see what you have. Then if it not right, you jack it up and do it all again, and again, and again until you get it close to right. Fine adjustment can be made with the eccentric bolts. I got lucky and hit it right the first try. Here is the fully assembled wheel well: 
The cleanup was well worth it. Can you hear my brakes? They are screaming to be detailed. That is coming up. You can also see the SSIs that I previously installed, and the previously detailed valve covers. I put the wheels back on and checked the rear HEIGHT. Close. I tweaked the eccentric bolts a couple times to dial it in. These eccentric bolts have a total adjustable range of around 3/4 inch. They are great for fine tuning, but to make any serious ride HEIGHT change you must re-index the t-bars. Note, the early cars did not have adjustable spring plates. The process of setting ride HEIGHT is much easier with the adjustables. I recommend upgrading to adjustable when you do this, either factory or aftermarket. Note, turning the eccentric bolts on factory adjustable spring plates requires a special wrench. It is a regular hex head, but it is thinner than a standard wrench. The wrench must fit between the spring plate and the inner wheel well, a standard wrench is just too thick and won't fit. Order the wrench before you start this project, it is available from a variety of Porsche specialty suppliers. You will need it. With the back end out of the way, I dived into the front. This is a much easier job. Easy to get the tbars out, easy to adjust. Here is a shot of the removal: 
This is a simple matter of removing the tbar adjusting caps (left side of image) and withdrawing the bar (right side of image). You do need to move the sway bar out of the way. Installation is "the reverse of removal" as my Hanes manual is so fond of saying. I also popped in a steering rack spacer to reduce bump steer. 
The spacers are the shiny and thick washer looking items. You can also see the turbo tie rods that had been installed previously. The front went really fast, maybe 1 hour. 'course I didn't do any detailing. Adjusting the front HEIGHT is very easy, you just turn the bolt on the tbar cap. I had to tweak it a few times to get the ride HEIGHT correct. The tough part about adjusting the ride HEIGHT is that every adjustment changes all 4 wheels. You need to think about all 4 wheels before deciding to make an adjustment, and consider how your change will impact the 4. That was it for day 2. Day 3 will be corner balancing and final re-assembly of the rockers. ------------------
Chuck - '86 Cab, '77 Targa, Family Truckster IP: Logged | 
