coilovers

[NATONEIL]

This is the procedure I used to remove and check the suspension unit bushes. Looking at the wear I will now replace the bushes every 5000 miles. My procedure follows the build sequence I used building my car.
Jack up the car and support on blocks or axle stands.
Remove the road wheel.
Wind out any suspension ride height adjustment, this removes any tension on the spring
Undo the suspension top bolt and withdraw it, taking car not to loose the spacers
Undo the support plate from the lower wishbone, Drop the plate and then undo the lower suspension bolt.
Push out the bush centres and then the poly bushes.
To replace them, heat the new bushes in boiling water and push in. They are stiff but fairly indestructible.
Connect the suspension unit to the bottom plate. The damper dial faces inwards. Torque the lower bolt to 50ftLb
Offer up the lower plate to the wishbone and bolt in.
Lift the lower wishbone using a small jack and bolt in the upper bolt remembering the spacers (50ftlB)
Wind in the height adjustment, (I have 12 turns at the front, for more detail about ride height, see separate thread)
Replace the wheel.

[lowebird]

Neil,

I have been looking at my bushes today and they all look o.k. so far however you must have been reading my mind as I was wondering if the replacement procedure I had come up with could be correct.
You have now confirmed that, thank you.

Reg

[lowebird]

Further to the "coil over" saga, I contacted AVO on 01604 708101 and spoke to a very helpful chap re. these items. They don't make/sell harder bushes stating that they may compound any wear problems. Further, when re-fitting new bushes, a smear of grease on the fixing bolt is a good idea. They also sell the "C" spanner ( 2.25" ) for £7.00 + VAT inc p&p.
I am going to wait until the end of the season before taking on the full check having just spent hours under the car doing the grease nipples, only the front bearings to go and my shoulders are killing me. Must be getting old !!!

Reg

[NATONEIL]

Reg

Do not leave it too long mine were shot and I fear that I will have to replace the dampers because of metal to metal wear. Not this month because I have just spent £680 on 4 new tyres

[4jagsjohn]

Hi Guys. As I am lucky enough although retired (sort of) to have a machine shop and workshop I am thinking of having a go at making maybe out of a plastic called polypenco or similar ( which I have used to make various componants in industry ) some split type bushes for the coilover bushes to replace the red poly bushes at present supplied. I have observed that the wall thickness of the present bushes is extremely thin. Also the reason for the softer polybushes is to reduce vibration and road noise etc but with the nature of our cars not being one of quiet and refind motoring a more solid and harder wearing componant may work. I have just renewed all my bushes with the red ones but I may well when I have made some of my own swap a couple and see how they go. This is just an idea I am sharing with you and may take some time to prove its worth but if it does it may be a solution to a problem not dreadful but a nuisance one. Also split bushes will be much easier to fit. Cheers John. N. B. Hope to make it next month to meet up also another friend with Suffolk wants to come as well.

[jagss100]

Hi All
John let me know immediately he discovered his problem with his front coil overs so I checked mine at 14k miles and found that although not as bad as John's the bushes were shot (not quite through to the metal) and the shockers were worn and leaking.
I have a very good classic car repair/refurb company near me called Moorland Classics (North Staffs- Details available if you leave me a message) I visited Moorland Classics and they came up with the bump stops on the attached photos
The rubber buffers are from a MK2 and fit to the upper wishbone.
The tricky part (which was beyond me) MC made up two stop brackets on each side welded to the chassis which the rubber bump stops hit and stop the coil overs bottoming.
My Suffolk has done over 17k miles and no sign of wear/oil leaks on the shocks and there does not appear to be any wear on the bushes but will check them further in the spring pre MOT, will let you know then!

[jagss100]

Since Moorland Classics fitted bump stops (as my previous post on the Bulletin) and fitted new front shock absorbers/bushes I have covered just over 4000 miles
Annual service/MOT today showed no sign of wear on my shock absorbers or top or bottom bushes.
Bump stop improvement seems to have worked !

[NATONEIL]

What sort of shockers did you fit?

[lowebird]

Neil,
I was speaking to Robin at the Eastern Day event on Sunday and he has sorted his problems with the shocker bushes. If memory serves, I think he said that the company that supplied the original bushes had now supplied him with new ones with an internal metal sleeve. Shock, horror, he has also washed his car!!
It might be worth a 'mail to him or a follow up here.
You would have enjoyed the show, there were more SS100's than we have ever seen together in one place, I think I counted 6 plus 2 "C" Types and a "D" Type. Roger was there sporting his new "face lace".
Robin also asked whether we were doing another Snetterton Meet this year, I said I hope so but could I still park adjacent to you all, maybe speaking through an interpreter?????

Reg

[NATONEIL]

Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen who get their nails dirty.

I am hearing lots of noise from my front end again and I am thinking it is probably my bushes. I know some of you have fitted different coil overs/ softer springs what have you fitted, what sizes etc etc. I am of a mind to go for a softer setup. For those who have met me I am quite large and the roads in Lincolnshire quite bumpy and so I am considering longer dampers and springs to increase the ride height and will also move away from Blockley tyres to stop the car squirming on the overbanding in Lincolnshire's roads.

What do you suggest?

[NATONEIL]

Just a quick update on my trials with coilovers and bushes.
Readers of this thread will have seen how bad my lower bushes were when I changed them last year. Having done 7000 miles since then, I took the opportunity of a lull in the rally season this week to inspect the bushes again and have been pleasantly surprised.

Despite knowing there was a little damage to the metal bush centre and the shock absorber when I changed the poly bushes last time, this time I have found very little wear. Although I have been keeping my tyre pressure at the lower end of the range I suspect AVO might have had a poor batch of poly bushes.

However, during the inspection I discovered that one shock absorber was leaking and consequently have changed both the shock absorbers. The initial fitment was AVO 120/085 but this time I am trying a 13 inch unit with the same springs (130/090) which gives me a slightly increased ride height for less turns on the ride height adjustment which seems to give me a softer and slightly more progressive springing.
I will update again in the winter.

[NATONEIL]

In 2014 I wrote about polybush failure in this thread. Since then I have fitted longer front dampers and used less spring preload and have not seen so much front axle polybush deformation. However while dealing with a damper leak at the rear I have discovered that I have have the same problem with the rear, after 27000 miles every the lower damper polybush is shot and the resulting metal to metal contact means I now need to replace all 4 dampers (approx cost £560).
We decided in this thread that owners should check the front bushes annually / every 5000 miles. I now would like to suggest that owners bit the bullet and check/ change the rears every 2 years /10000 miles as well. A new bush is a few pounds, a new damper will cost about £130.