Raising the Rearend

[bbob203]

had the coupler c clamp thing on my mk2 jetta for over 8 months is works great. idk about rabbit springz but I had to use a spring compresser to get it back together. I think I'm gonna take them off and shorten the couplers about an inch or so because the only way my car rides good is when I have weight in the back other wise it rides like it has a straight pipe in place of the shock and spring.

[bbob203]

[ORCoaster]

ToddA1,  Yes I do have access to some O'Rielly's here on the coast and up in Portland.  I just was hoping to slide under the car last night, Yank the spring/shock combo, and do this in like 30 minutes.  Well, it was getting dark out. 
SO it was more of a crap I can't do this moment. 

I will continue to get the right tools or springs for the job, I have a spare weekend coming in the Portland area and they might just have some other options at the pick and pull. 

Thanks for the shots.  DAS

[burn_your_money]

If you are doing this on a mk2 or mk3 all you need is 2 hockey pucks. Drill out the center so it fits around the shock and put it on the shock on top of the perch and then put the spring on top of that.

It won't work on a mk1 because the spring diameter at the bottom is too large.

The car I did this on has been running for at least 2 years now as a delivery vehicle so it gets a lot of miles.

[billybobf]

I absolutely agree with springs not spacers! any type of spacer that is not riding in the stoke area of the shock is going to have a bad affect on ride, you are going to be hitting your bumpstops if you are carrying more weight, while a stiffer spring would put your shocks back in the appropriate area of their stroke, so you will still feel the same ammount of travel before hitting your bump stops, assuming yours are still on there!

[bbob203]

If you are doing this on a mk2 or mk3 all you need is 2 hockey pucks. Drill out the center so it fits around the shock and put it on the shock on top of the perch and then put the spring on top of that.

It won't work on a mk1 because the spring diameter at the bottom is too large.

The car I did this on has been running for at least 2 years now as a delivery vehicle so it gets a lot of miles.

I just might have to try this out. how is the ride of it? how much weight have you loaded it with?

[clbanman]

http://www.vwdiesel.net/forum/index.php?topic=3698.0

[burn_your_money]

Unloaded the ride was pretty harsh but I was using mk3 VR6 springs and shocks in a mostly stripped mk2 Golf. I think I had mk3 2.0 springs in the front. When I had a load it was much better. I regularly towed a trailer or hauled an engine in the car. Usually the engine rode shotgun with the seat removed but that wasn't always the case. I think it would be a lot better with the stock springs. Now that the springs are a lot older, and the guts of the car are put back in it, it's not bad, still stiff though.

[ORCoaster]

Got it up and will test the ride back to Portland this afternoon.  Seems to have picked it up more than I thought but so far it is still unloaded.  We will have to see when all the "necessary stuff" gets inside.

[R.O.R-2.0]

Unloaded the ride was pretty harsh but I was using mk3 VR6 springs and shocks in a mostly stripped mk2 Golf. I think I had mk3 2.0 springs in the front. When I had a load it was much better. I regularly towed a trailer or hauled an engine in the car. Usually the engine rode shotgun with the seat removed but that wasn't always the case. I think it would be a lot better with the stock springs. Now that the springs are a lot older, and the guts of the car are put back in it, it's not bad, still stiff though.

would you suggest mk3 springs for the back of a mk2 that often tows?

ive got ~150#s of stereo/tools in the back of my GTI at all times, and i often tow a trailer with it as well.. i have stock GTI springs in the rear, and cut stocks in the front. i use my car as a truck..

ive been wondering if mk3 2.0/VR springs would be better than whats there now? ive got a full interior, haul passengers, and often times as big of a load as the car is..

the guy at the scrap yard was pretty shocked when i rolled up on the scales @ 4700#s... 8v power baby!

(car is 2400#s with me, full of gas, empty trailer)

[ORCoaster]

R.O.R.  That is nearly a ton of crap you were hauling.  8V or not I would seriously be more concerned with stopping than going. 

Car did well on the ride.  Once full load it still had pretty much 3 inches of air between the top of the tire and the bottom edge of the fender.  I could pass 3 fingers  between them.  This is with the 155 80 13's so I think it will be different when I go to the winter tires and jump it up to the 165 70R 14s they were the ones rubbing last winter fully loaded with 1200 lbs of stuff in the car.

Yeah I use mine like a truck too.  Get that back seat the heck out of there. 
What good is it anyway?  Can't drive from back there.

Now to fix the air leak on the WVO side.  Kind of low powered on the long hills sucking all that air into the pump. 

[burn_your_money]

would you suggest mk3 springs for the back of a mk2 that often tows?

With that much weight you might even want to look at Passat wagon springs. 

I never compared new springs to new springs. Everything I owned had billions of miles on them already so an accurate comparison is not something I've done.

[R.O.R-2.0]

i dont roll that heavy often.. just that i HAVE done it, and it stopped fine. you just had to anticipate stops..

[ORCoaster]

Yeah, out in the boon toolies you can plan for that.  I wouldn't try it here in Portlandia.  

[ORCoaster]

Decided to down load the phone tonight and remembered about finishing this off.

A bit more lift than expected 



Oh, Jackstands and such need to come out of there.

So on the level it was still kind of high. But this was to be able to load heavy and not have to worry on it.  Plus I run taller 14 inch tires in place of these 13's come winter. 



Could not really show the daylight in the shadow of the wheel well.


And the actual lift mechanism?


OK All Done for now.  DAS