How to adjust ball-joint front beam?

[veedbya]

I have a 74 standard beetle with a new complete front axle beam assembly. I needed a new beam, so I went with adjustable for the heck of it. How do you adjust it??

There is a stud with a plate and two nuts on it on both the upper and lower tubes, but when I loosened them, they shot down to the lowest setting (under pressure from the torsion springs??). Now I don't know how to get it back!!! Please help!!

[boschmann]

I take it that the beam was on the car & the car was on the ground at the time you loosensd the nuts. You probably have to raise the front tires off the ground to release the spring tension to get the stud back up.

[veedbya]

Actually, the car was on jack stands. It makes sense for that to happen if it were on the ground, but since it wasn't I was confused. I thought if anything, with the car in the air, it would go to the highest setting instead of the lowest. Do you think something might be wrong???

[boschmann]

Well, itdoes make sense as the spring tension is still there even if the control arm is all the way down against the bump stop. I haven't played much with the adjustable beams. You'll have to find a way to push the adjuster back up, having the wheels off the ground wuill help. You may have to unload all the spring tension by letting the control arms past the stops, but that seems like a pain. There should be a way to put pressure on the adjuster to get it back up.