Another assembly update

A bit more progress.  It’s getting close to getting off the jacks now.  Just a bit more work on the brakes (front RHS hub needs machining as the run out was too much).  Rear RHS brake lines still to be fitted and then Stevo can come over with his bleeder kit and secret but special brake fluid.  Some A/C hoses need cleaning and then we’re pretty right to get it rolling.

Here’s the pics as at today.

Refinished Parts

Not a paint booth but good enough for this job!

It’s been a while since the last post.  Since the most recent update I have been slowly completing the refinishing of  all the various bits and pieces.  I’ve done alot of it myself but in the end I had Phil at Auto Coupe look after the important mechanical parts.  In particular he did the following:

• Split calipers, blasted, replated, assembles, baked and fitted rebuild kit.  One piston was replaced but the others were OK.  These will work like brand new.
• Blasted front hubs and coated with clear.  New wheel bearings packed and greased. New rotors to finish off.
• Blasted trailing arms and coated with clear.  New wheel bearings, new handbrakes shoes.  Hubs also blasted and new bushes fitted where the trailing arm attached to the torsion bar tube.  Again, as good as new.
• Spring plates blasted and replated.  Old bushes removed and new urethane ones fitted.  I had asked about squeaking for this style of bush but Phil assures me that use of the correct grease and they’ll be no issues.  There was a bit of surface corrosion that you can’t completely remove but the performance is not affected.  To me they’re still an 8.5 out of 10.
• Camber plates cleaned and painted.  Not replated because of the attached rubber bush.
• Front control arms blasted and repainted.  New bushes (urethane) fitted.  Phil also fitted the ball joints to make my life a bit easier on the assembly.
• Blasted, cleaned and replated bolts, clips and various other hardware items.  Phil then bagged and labelled which I assure you is much appreciated!

Still to come from Phil are the powdercoated sway bars, stone tray, crash bar and tow plate.  He is also supplying urethane sway bar bushes all round.

All the other parts are close to done.  I have stripped and repainted the struts.  My first real project with 2K paint and the results are pretty good – certainly good enough for the struts and rear shocks.

Other parts such as the washer bottle, fuel overflow bottle, fuel filler pipe, rear fender brackets have been done.  No pics but they’ll be shown when I start putting the car back together.

At the moment I am refinishing the oil tank (in POR15) and at the same time will replace some of the oil lines – the old ones are looking every bit of their 27 years!  I need new ones when the SSI’s go on so I am doing it now while everything is apart.  Yet another ‘while you’re there’ project.

Enough words for now. The pics do the talking anyway.

Not a paint booth but good enough for this job!

Close up of front strut. Not bad for 1st ever 2K paint job.

Front hubs came up the best. Look new to me. Very happy!

A Arm blasted and painted. New urethane bushes fitted and ball joints torqued up.

Trailing arms blasted and coated. New bushes pressed in.

Rear hub looks great. New handbrakes shows as well.

Sprin plates blasted and replated. New bushes!

Bolts and hardware bagged up. Camber plates and drop links painted.

Brakes split, blasted, plated, baked and new seal kit.

I like shiny things….

Now on my 3rd delivery of new parts.  Thought I’d lay them all out as a record of what I am replacing.  This is all new stuff, some of it for cosmetic reasons, some of them are direct replacements (OEM of course) and some are upgrades.  The main upgrade are the torsion bars.  On advice I have gone for a 21/28 combination.  Apparently this is as hard as you want to go for street and will shift the balance toward oversteer – the point of this is to compensate for the factory dialed in understeer.  Hopefully this doesn’t make this car too tail happy!!  Before I install the rears I’ll have to see how the upgrade from 24 to 28 affects the spring plate angle.  Could be a thread topic of Pelican.

There’s plenty more new bits like bolts, screws, nuts, washers but I am yet to add these top the glory box.

Project – Rear Suspension

I am tacking this project at the same time as the front.  It seems like the natural thing to do, but now I have nearly the whole underside of my car on the ground.  Looks like a skeleton lying there!!

This project will include:

1. New sway bar bushes
2. New trailing arm bushes
3. New spring plate bushes – desperately needed, car handles more like a boat!
4. Clean/blast trailing arms
5. Blast/POR15 sway bar and brackets
6. New drop links
7. Blast/replate dust guards
8. Blast/replate spring plates and cover brackets

Also going to rebuild and replate the calipers – may as well!  ‘While you’re down there’ as they say…  This will justify a separate post as it’s a fairly major job in itself and also includes replacing flexible brake lines and remaking some hard lines.

So far all going to plan except can’t get all the bolts out of the trailing arm.  No nut or spring plate attached but bolt is stuck in.  Also, torsion bar is stuck in the spring plate.  Still trying to figure out to get this out.  Mechanic says remove the cover on body but this means pulling of stone guard decal, which means more $$$.  Might need to do this but resisting for now!!

Here are some pics of progress to date.  Much more to do.  Note the iPhone level app to double check the unsprung angle for when I refit the finished spring plates.