Fitting AVO's.....some questions.

[cjs]

I'm just fitting some new AVO's to my Griff, everythings going well however I have a question.

Is it better to fit the shocks with the Damping adjuster up towards the wheel or down towards the road? Which position makes access for adjusting easier?

Also the existing fixing nuts bolts are all a bit rusty so I was going to use new however they are not M12 thread as I thought. I have got some M12 however the shank is slightly thiner giving a bit more play in the bushes, is this a problem? Any one used new bolts and what did you use? Does anyone know what thread the standard bolts are?

Thanks

Chris.

[antonyj]

I cant quite remember the bolt size, seem to remeber it being a UNF thread.

I WOULDNT FIT M12.
I think the thread used is for a reason, it is finer than M12.

Someone will be along to confirm the thread , then get yourself along to an ironmonger and get the new bolts with shiny new nyloc nuts.

Gotta be better in the long run.Things should be right on running gear.

[Martin_s]

cjs said:

Is it better to fit the shocks with the Damping adjuster up towards the wheel or down towards the road? Which position makes access for adjusting easier?

I'm not familiar with AVO shocks, but normally you can't just fit dampers whichever way up you fancy!!

They are designed to give different response in bump to rebound, so inverting them will cause cause all sorts of chaos with your suspension.

As a general rule the main body of the damper, with the adjustable spring seats (and, I'm assuming, the adjusters on it) is at the bottom (wishbone) and the rod end at the top (chassis mount).

[David H]

Martin_s said:

cjs said: Is it better to fit the shocks with the Damping adjuster up towards the wheel or down towards the road? Which position makes access for adjusting easier? I'm not familiar with AVO shocks, but normally you can't just fit dampers whichever way up you fancy!! They are designed to give different response in bump to rebound, so inverting them will cause cause all sorts of chaos with your suspension. As a general rule the main body of the damper, with the adjustable spring seats (and, I'm assuming, the adjusters on it) is at the bottom (wishbone) and the rod end at the top (chassis mount).

I don't think he means up or down mate, I think he means adjuster on front or backside (the damper turned around).

But I don't know the answer anyway, sorry

The Bolts are UNF I think, as was said. I'm not sure where to get these from either, I would like a complete new set for wishbones and dampers before the suspension goes back together but not to sure where to purchase from. Maybe a dealer will have these in stock?

Sorry I wasn't much help. Anyone care to shed some light?

[Martin_s]

David H said:

I don't think he means up or down mate, I think he means adjuster on front or backside (the damper turned around).

Doh! Sorry!

Yeah, that makes sense now you explain it.

TGFT. Had me worried for a minute!

[GreenV8S]

The bolts are 1/2" UNF roughly 2.5" long.

The damping is the same whichever way up you put them (compression is still compression) but most dampers are fussy about being the right way up. The normal orientation is with the damper body at the bottom and the rod at the top.

>> Edited by GreenV8S on Tuesday 24th May 00:09

[Martin_s]

GreenV8S said:

The damping is the same whichever way up you put them (compression is still compression) but most dampers are fussy about being the right way up.

This is true...logic circuits obviously weren't working last night. Still, as you say, fitting them upside down can definitely upset them, if they aren't designed for it.

Irrelevant, mind you - I simply misundertood CJS's oriinal post.

[cjs]

Sorry maybe my origonal post was a bit misleading! I know which way up the shocks go its just weather the damper adjuster is better facing the wheel or 180deg around facing down towards the road.....so anyone out there with Avo's who can help?

1/2" UNF looks about right, I'll have to try and source some, there are about 3 different lengths though! The most important length seems to be at the bottom front where the bolt has to fit within the wishbone.

Chris

[Tony N]

Mine are fitted with the adjusting screw facing the centre of the car and can be reached by feeling around the side of the wheel.

[David H]

cjs said:

Sorry maybe my origonal post was a bit misleading! I know which way up the shocks go its just weather the damper adjuster is better facing the wheel or 180deg around facing down towards the road.....so anyone out there with Avo's who can help? 1/2" UNF looks about right, I'll have to try and source some, there are about 3 different lengths though! The most important length seems to be at the bottom front where the bolt has to fit within the wishbone. Chris

It was mis leading, but cleared up about 5 posts up!

The problem with the bolts is getting the correct length unthreaded bit. Do TVR use standard bolts or do they specify the length of the unthreaded part?

>> Edited by David H on Tuesday 24th May 17:54

[GreenV8S]

David H said:

Do TVR use standard bolts or do they specify the length of the unthreaded part?

The bush is 1.5" wide so you need bolts with a grip length of 1.5" plus the thickness of two flanges (roughly 1/4" on mine). A 1.75" grip length will be about right as long as you fit a decent thickness washer under the nut. One of the rear mounting bolts on the V8S is so tight they left the washer off, the grip length is reduced by 1/4" for this one.