Help ! Changing standard bilsteins to adjustable

[Steve Waite]

All:

Somebody must have incurred the same problem -

How do you dismantle standard bilsteins (97 roadsport) to fit the CC adjustable platform kit ?

From looking at previous threads I assume that you have to unscrew the Eye end from the Shocker Piston ?

How bl**dy tight are they !

How do you hold the Piston without damaging the chrome ?

Advise please, 7 in garage on stands !

Many thanks

Steve...

 

 

[Ged]

From a vague memory, there should be no need to remove the eye. If you ever need to remove the eye you must take the spring off first. Then put a strong screwdriver through the eye and undo the locknut, these are threadlocked.

1, Remove damper and spring unit from car and measure distance between spring pans.

2, Fit spring compressors, or some other cobbled up Heath Robinson affair that may cost you serious injury..

3, Compress spring until the top spring pan can slide down the rod and be wriggled free.

4, Remove spring and remove the compressors from the spring.

5, Remove lower spring pan upwards and over the eye.

6, Fit new adustable pan, you may need to move the circlip to get the right range.

7, Fit spring, set adjustable collars towards the lower setting, then fit top spring pan.

8, Adjust lower spring pan to compress the spring, same as original is a sensible starting point.

9, Repeat another 3 times and refit to car.

[virden]

Hi Steve,

I did this on my 96 S3. Assuming you are on standard road springs you will be able to replace the rears with some ingenuity and a little brute force. I did it my kneeling over the upright unit and compressing the spring by means of large screw drivers, and simply sliding the spring cap off.

 

The fronts were a different problem, my springs were so tightly coiled I could not get any form of spring compressor in between them. In the end I took the fronts to my local engineering shop who made a sleeve with two bolts protuding inwards to fit over the unit and then used an hydraulic press. Far safer and I guess the only way for uprated fronts.

 

Good luck

 

I went to Santa Pod and my world changed forever.

[Allen Payne]

The top "eye" end does just unscrew but mine where very tight. I held the shaft in a vice, and used a screwdriver through the eye to undo it - but the vice needed doing up very, very tightly to grip on the chrome shaft.

[Steve Waite]

Gents:

Thanks for the replies.

I've removed springs, circlips, Upper spring seat & Rubber Bushes, but the lower spring seat can not be removed over either the upper or lower "Eye Ends".

These are approx 35 mm dia x 24 mm wide. The threaded sleeve for the adjustable platform will not slide over the eye ends either.

Front springs removed with purpose made spring compressor.

Rear springs removed by pushing down on lower spring seat & removing circlip.

 

Now off to heat up Upper Eye end & try to break thread lock.

 

Will advise on progress.

 

Steve...

[Paul McKenzie]

Steve,

To remove the eye...which is tighter than a tight thing....you need a special tool to extend a very strong bar through the eye ...the special tool is called a "petty strut" and I have known some people, who obviously didn't understand it's correct function, to actually bolt it to the FIA bar

 

Paul

[Steve Waite]

Cheers Paul.

I know what a petty strut is, newark !

 

I was looking for a slighty more constructive answer, as to how to dis-assemble the eye end from the Piston & perhaps the best method of heating the eye end without effecting base the materials & the chrome plating on the Shock absorber chrome.

 

Cheers mate...

[Paul Richards]

Gripping the shaft in a vice - Be careful not to damage the shaft. I use a couple of pieces of alluminium to protct the shaft from the jaws of the vice. You need to really tighten vice hard.

 

Paul Richards

Area Representative - L.A.D.S. (Lancashire and District Sevens)

LADS Website

Growing old is compulsory - Growing up is optional

[Paul McKenzie]

I wouldn't try to heat it

 

As indicated you need to grip the shaft in the vice...very firmly . I used rubber jaws in the vice..Paul's use of ally sounds like a good idea. Either way I came close to actually breaking the (very substantial) vice

 

Paul

[Irrelevant]

Caterham dampers are fun aren't they

 

An alternative to using a vice for the shaft is to use a vice for the eye itself and then grip the shaft with a decent set of stillsons (at the top where it will be hidden behind the bumpstop if you slip).

[Steve Waite]

In case of any future searches -

Thanks gents for advice.

Done it !

Use large metalwork vice, tightened as hard as possible, with folded over sandpaper with the vice jaws locating on the chrome piston rod under the bump stop.

Use a Trolley jack bar if Bushes removed, or long coal fire type poker if bushes still fitted, to undo the eye end, no need to apply any heat.

Clean threads with brass wire brush & use lotite / stud lock when re-assembling.

Steve...

[Rob Walker]

Steve,

 

The chrome rods need to be held in a hydraulic press with about 10 tons pressure on them to hold whilst you put a tommy bar through the eye and unscrew. IMO you are wasting your time attempting to do this in the vice all you will do is damage the rods.

 

Rob