Vorshlag Spring Perch "Lower Spool Change"

The Vorshlag upper spring perches built for use with our various camber plate designs are unique to each spring diameter, style, and strut shaft design. When changing from one set of struts to another you may need to buy and install a new pair of "lower spool pieces", and sometimes additional parts are changed out up top. This is a simple set of instructions to change the lower spool pieces from one design to another, using simple hand tools. When building these here at Vorshlag we have a custom fixture and arbor press to do this quicker, but this method works and allows us to only send the small parts you need so you can do the work yourself, to save "downtime" for the car.

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vorshlag > An example of a common Vorshlag upper spring perch. This set is made for a BMW E46 M3 to use a factory style spring and a Koni strut.

You can see the double row radial bearing (blue seal), lower spool piece pressed into place (gold colored), and the upper spool pieces sitting below (these go into the top of the camber plate's spherical bearing and match up to the very top of the strut shaft). The strut top nut sits on the top flat surface of this upper spool.

vorshlag > Example of just a few of the lower spool pieces we make. These are used to allow our camber plates to fit snugly on various strut upper shaft profiles.

vorshlag > A common BMW lower spool: 22mm-to-14mm shaft transition, 45° tapered shoulder

vorshlag > Steps to change the lower bearing spools:

Find a round cylinder to push out the lower spool piece. In this case a 16mm Craftsman deep well 3/8" drive socket was used - it fits perfectly into the inner diameter of the spool piece.

vorshlag > The 16mm socket inserted into the back of the spring perch and sitting flush against the lower spool piece.

vorshlag > Support the spring perch on a vice or other solid surface, allowing room for the spool piece or even the bearing to push through. If you can support the bearing surface then only the spool will pop out.

vorshlag > The spring perch is supported and ready for a hammer

vorshlag > Tap out the spool pieces and/or the bearing from the spring perch.

vorshlag > Here the double row radial bearing is being supported in the vice with room to allow the spool pieces to be pushed out.

An example of a common Vorshlag upper spring perch. This set is made for a BMW E46 M3 to use a factory style spring and a Koni strut.

You can see the double row radial bearing (blue seal), lower spool piece pressed into place (gold colored), and the upper spool pieces sitting below (these go into the top of the camber plate's spherical bearing and match up to the very top of the strut shaft). The strut top nut sits on the top flat surface of this upper spool.