If it moved the rear of the body up and down relative to the pan, would that correct my body height issue on the passenger side. I should have taken some before and after photos, as I think you are correct.  The passenger side did sit lower and now sits higher. 

I hate to revive an old post, but I believe a couple of the most active members on the thread are still on the forum.  I have finally installed the coils and the ride is fanastic!  😛  The harshness I worried about is non-existent and the car is nimble on the roads. The only problem I face now is that somehow the driver’s side still sits lower tha…[Read more]

A fellow Rhode Islander, Royal! Congrats on escaping. LOL What I wouldn’t give to find one of those hardtops in a garage somewhere. Of course, the person that assembled my car figured that heat was unnecessary and removed all the components. That would probably be a good first step to fall driving.

Thanks, JuneyBug. Although I appreciate the help, my vehicle having IRS and having everything blocked off makes things a whole different animal. As an update, I decided to simulate correct spring positioning by jacking the right side of the vehicle up to be even with left. When I did, it seems that my camber issue resolved itself. Does that make sense?

I thought of the coil overs almost as a helper spring that would only take so much of the load until the torsion bar suspension kicks in. This mentality comes my history with helper springs in leaf suspensions on Jeeps, which of course are a completely different animal. I still don’t understand how the torsion bars have anything to do with my…[Read more]

I don’t think that the Gas-Adjust shocks would remedy my passenger side sag issue though, would they? After talking with you Royal, I was considering the set up that you have. I’m just not sure that I would have clearance for the top cup with my set up. Would correcting the height effect my camber? Has anyone done any adjustments to rear…[Read more]

Which size do you run on your Duchess, PMossberg? Mine have the original 6.00×15 tires. I just don’t want them to rub.

Looking at the picture of the Duchess suspended in the air, where was your hoisting point on the fiberglass body?

The thing I’m wondering is how wipers blowing a fuse would shut down the entire vehicle.  I was thinking possibly the voltage regulator?

For those searching the web for answers, I have found by searching that unfortunately, I would have to lift the fiberglass body off my car in order to access and adjust the torque bars. Considering that I have to do the floors in the future anyway, I may just run the car for the summer as is and make all necessary repairs during the winter months.

I tried to buy a set of tires at WalMart today. They wouldn’t put them on my car! They can only mount O.E.M. equipment and there are no records apparently for a ’71 Beetle. Just wanted to let everyone know before ordering them online.

It seems the rear shocks are bad. Trailing arms don’t seem to be bent. Has anyone here adjusted the splines on the spring arm in order to lift their vehicle? Any suggestions with camber adjustment? If the rear end is sagging by a couple inches on the passenger side, wouldn’t that in itself due to the geometry of the axle cause negative camber on…[Read more]

The tires I have on mine now are 6.00 X15L.  I sourced out a set of 165/80R15s from WalMart which were also Nexens.  Are reading that you have 185s on yours, will these tires be too small?  I’d rather have a larger tire if possible for handling reasons.BIGBAND392013-06-24 13:24:04

After a month of night of getting a few hours at a time at the garage, I finally was able to get my Duchess out on the road! Here is what she looks like now in comparison to the sad garage pick I posted earlier. She still needs replacement tires, the rear suspension feels loose, floor patching, and I want to find some chrome trim rings and baby…[Read more]

Although less evident in the picture, you can definitely see that the tire is tilting to the right. Pressure was a low on the rear passenger side tire, which could have contributed to some of the sloppiness. Even after properly inflating it, the car seems to sag on the right hand side. It’s times like this that I had a better grasp on geometry.

I’m sorry to pose such an open ended question. I just figured I would get an idea of what some other people have done to gauge different costs, successes, and the best route to take in the future. I realize that I could rattle can it or spend $10,000 dismantling the body and giving her a three stage. I appreciate some of the suggestions. As…[Read more]

So will the heat of the pans burn the fiberglass?  As for authenticity, I’m not particularly concerned for now.  I just want the car to be solid enough to tool around in for the summer.  If I can finagle some garage space in the winter, I might tackle the project of removing the body.  How difficult is it?  How many mounting points on the body…[Read more]

Does the whole body really need to be pulled to work on the floors?  Every thread I see regarding floor patching and replacement references removing the body.  Seems like quite the undertaking.

After dismantling the brakes, I found that wheel cylinders have no leaks and they and brake shoes are new. Still, they are 30 years old. Should they still be replaced? The brakes hardware was rusted, broken, and will be replaced. I’m also replacing flex lines and the master cylinder due to the fluid color. Are lines from the external…[Read more]

Because of the different shape of the body and fenders of the MG, does this change the way or make the replacement brake components any more difficult?   Any suggestions to a newbie? I have everything coming in tomorrow (shoes, cylinders, master, flex hoses). Hoping to complete the job within the week. 😀 BIGBAND392013-06-06 12:50:37