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MK1 Helper Springs
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 10:47 am
by backwoods
Hey guys, there's an interesting thingie about cheap helper springs for MK1 Rabbit in the Free Advice link at
http://crustycrank.com/index.htm#menu
I'm thinking about doing this one myself, the rear on my Rabbit sags more than I'd like if I put heavy stuff in the trunk, and the shocks are near gone anyway. I do not want to lower the car any.
Are there any wierd "gotchas" to be aware of when replacing the rear shocks?
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 12:41 pm
by 82vdub
On a Rabbit, changing the rear shocks takes more time to find the jack and jack the car up than it does to change both shocks. It's really, really simple with no surprises.
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 10:27 pm
by 82rabbitdiesel
that is a great item. wish i would of seen that 3 months ago. i changed all my inserts and had no hidden surprises. here's the link to JCW, think i might have to take my rears out again.
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/Item ... 0000229572
Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 10:09 am
by backwoods
Thanks for the info, sounds like I ought to just get the parts and get right to it. I'm guessing I ought to get new rubber stops for sure. Did you guys find it necessary to replace the rubber parts in the upper mounting? They're not so cheap.
Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 12:39 pm
by 82rabbitdiesel
backwoods wrote:Thanks for the info, sounds like I ought to just get the parts and get right to it. I'm guessing I ought to get new rubber stops for sure. Did you guys find it necessary to replace the rubber parts in the upper mounting? They're not so cheap.
i replaced all of the rubber, front/back w/ poly, got it all from ebay as a kit, much cheaper than buying a piece at a time
It works great :-)
Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 7:06 pm
by backwoods
OK, I did the helper spring modification the way the crustycrank.com site said, except I did not do the nonwoven bag thing. The helper springs are a snug fit inside the Rabbit springs. I could not get them in until I thoroughly cleaned the Rabbit springs, and a light coat of oil is a huge help.
The car rides GREAT, not at all harsh as I was expecting. Heck, I thought it was too soft riding before. And now when I put a bunch of heavy stuff in the back it goes down only an inch or two instead of dragging butt LOL.
No odd noises either. Other than the strange orange color visible in the wheelwell, you'd never know. It was really easy and a big improvement.