Front suspension - spring pads
Discussion
Hi all,
I am guessing these round rubber pads are now rarer than rocking horse ****. My are borderline or worse..
I've read through some old posts (c2005) suggesting they may not be required, but I'm wondering what the conventional wisdom is these days, and whether people have come up with alternatives or just gone without?
Thanks!
I am guessing these round rubber pads are now rarer than rocking horse ****. My are borderline or worse..
I've read through some old posts (c2005) suggesting they may not be required, but I'm wondering what the conventional wisdom is these days, and whether people have come up with alternatives or just gone without?
Thanks!
Decided to go with the existing pads after all.
Next challenge is getting the lower wishbone back in place. I've made myself a you beaut Steve Heath spring compressor per the Wedge Bible instructions. Problem is that I can't get the lower wishbones pivot pin in because the chassis and arm holes won't quite line up. I don't want to manhandle it to much because the spring is under a lot of pressure.
The guidance was to use a couple of trolley jacks to move the lower arm and chassis around until the holes line up, but when there's nothing in the chassis (like say, an engine) to weigh it down it makes life a bit difficult.
Anyone come up with a method that works from personal experience??
Next challenge is getting the lower wishbone back in place. I've made myself a you beaut Steve Heath spring compressor per the Wedge Bible instructions. Problem is that I can't get the lower wishbones pivot pin in because the chassis and arm holes won't quite line up. I don't want to manhandle it to much because the spring is under a lot of pressure.
The guidance was to use a couple of trolley jacks to move the lower arm and chassis around until the holes line up, but when there's nothing in the chassis (like say, an engine) to weigh it down it makes life a bit difficult.
Anyone come up with a method that works from personal experience??
Hi,
Just done a complete rebuild of the front suspension with all new parts (apart from the lower wish bone rubber's) I used a set of standard spring compressors on the to compress the unit a then slid some M16 thread bar with a plate on each end to hold in place, then remove standard spring compressors.
Make sure the plates are rounded at a diameter just bigger that the spring as the top plate needs to go up through the upper wish bone.
Connect upper and lower ball joint job done.
Please be very careful as the spring is under massive pressure and very dangerous as it will be right in front of your boat race!
Cheers
Just done a complete rebuild of the front suspension with all new parts (apart from the lower wish bone rubber's) I used a set of standard spring compressors on the to compress the unit a then slid some M16 thread bar with a plate on each end to hold in place, then remove standard spring compressors.
Make sure the plates are rounded at a diameter just bigger that the spring as the top plate needs to go up through the upper wish bone.
Connect upper and lower ball joint job done.
Please be very careful as the spring is under massive pressure and very dangerous as it will be right in front of your boat race!
Cheers
Thanks Bob. When you say the top plate has to go through the wishbone I don't follow. The top of the spring seats in the chassis shock tower. How are you getting the spring to seat at either end if you have steel plates in the way? Also are both wishbones already on the chassis when you install the spring?
here's mine. I can't get the lower wishbone to align with the chassis pivot hole.
here's mine. I can't get the lower wishbone to align with the chassis pivot hole.
Edited by 440Interceptor on Sunday 27th September 11:31
Quick update. Both front springs are in place! So are all my fingers, teeth and other essentials.
I used a hybrid of Steve Heath's and Bob's (thanks Bob!) methods to get it done, using 2 spring compressors (yes they do work on Wedge front springs, just!) and a threaded 12mm rod up the middle of the spring and bolted through the shock tower. The benefit here is that the compressors do the compressing, rather than the nut on the threaded rod, so you don't risk stripping the thread (not or rod) under the pressure of the spring. You just take up the slack on the rod as you screw the compressors up. Once its compressed enough, the rod and nut take the train as you remove the compressors. Also gives you redundancy in case either the compressors or the rod fails.
The tricky bit was getting the pivot pin in place. With a bare chassis there was no weight to act against the trolley jack. Luckily I have the whole thing sitting on a long wooden pallet with wheel dollies underneath. I used 3 tie down straps to tie the chassis to the pallet then jacked up the lower suspension arm. Very fiddly and I even used a fourth strap to pull the arm exactly square so the bolt would go through.
Oh, and if you've painted your springs, you'll (like me) be touching them up after the compressor arms have scraped the paint off...
Toby
I used a hybrid of Steve Heath's and Bob's (thanks Bob!) methods to get it done, using 2 spring compressors (yes they do work on Wedge front springs, just!) and a threaded 12mm rod up the middle of the spring and bolted through the shock tower. The benefit here is that the compressors do the compressing, rather than the nut on the threaded rod, so you don't risk stripping the thread (not or rod) under the pressure of the spring. You just take up the slack on the rod as you screw the compressors up. Once its compressed enough, the rod and nut take the train as you remove the compressors. Also gives you redundancy in case either the compressors or the rod fails.
The tricky bit was getting the pivot pin in place. With a bare chassis there was no weight to act against the trolley jack. Luckily I have the whole thing sitting on a long wooden pallet with wheel dollies underneath. I used 3 tie down straps to tie the chassis to the pallet then jacked up the lower suspension arm. Very fiddly and I even used a fourth strap to pull the arm exactly square so the bolt would go through.
Oh, and if you've painted your springs, you'll (like me) be touching them up after the compressor arms have scraped the paint off...
Toby
Tasmin24v said:
Good man...I used to use those guys for my 280i parts...Always came up trumps, Although i couldn't find those previously....Cheers...Ziga(Now book marked)
mrzigazaga said:
Apparently they were to stop the rattling and clunking of "Metal on metal"...Don't think i could bear it ..What with my front end wobbling about as well, That would just tip me over the Wedge...
I don't understand that - whole car weight rests upon the springs, so I don't see how they can move - If Cortina didn't have them, (and it's same arms after all) how can it matter ? Unless front geometry is different to Cortina (I don't think so, but....)Anyone got an answer ??
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