fitting adjustable ride height platforms

[julians]

My car has the bilstein shocks on it, but no adjustable ride height kit. The chap I bought the car off had the kit but never got round to fitting it.

 

So now I'm thinking it would be a good time to fit it (What with the 13" wheels turning up soonish), so can anyone give me a good step by step guide to fitting this kit, I've just taken it out of its package and all there seems to be is a threaded tube and two large rings that screw onto the tube (one is gold and other is sort of dark greenish)

 

Thanks

 

Julian

[Peter Carmichael]

Before you do anything, measure the open length between the spring seats on the existing arrangement. With the adjustable platforms, you want to be able to adjust from below this length to above this length.

 

You have to get the existing spring seats off. This is more tricky than you might imagine because the springs are preloaded. I don't know how much by, so it may be possible to release the piston-end seat by hand pressure. Chances are you will need a decent set of correctly sized spring compressors to do it safely and by the book.

 

I never do it safely and by the book because in my experience spring compressors are as dangerous as any other option - they are not immune from slipping.

 

With the damper still on the car, and with the car's weight on the spring/damper , I tie the endmost coils of the spring to each other with several loops of 550 lb breaking strain, non-dyneema/non-spectra kite line (in fluorescent pink). I then jack the car up onto axle stands (under the chassis, not under the de Dion tube) and dismantle while the spring is held in a compressed state by the string. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REMOVE THE STRING!!!

 

IIRC, the threaded sleeve does not fit over the bushed eye on the end of the damper piston. There is a hex nut on the piston underneath the flat washer that the end seat located on. This is locked to the eye. To undo this, you need to grip the eye in a vice and undo this hex nut with a spanner, allowing the damper body and piston to rotate freely.

 

Next, examine the two threaded seats. You will use one as the lock ring and the other as the retaining seat. They are for different internal diameter springs - 1 7/8 inch and 2 1/4 inch. Spin them onto a copaslipped sleeve in the right order.

 

Place the sleeve over the damper body so that it locates on the circlip. Examine to see that this gives an adjustable range from below where you expect to above it - if it doesn't, you will need to move the circlip to another groove in the damper body.

 

With the sleeve on the body, reassemble the eye onto the end of the piston, using a threadlock (Loctite 242). Slip the (still) compressed spring over the damper body and locate it on the fully slack adjustable seat. Locate the piston-end seat on the other end and slowly wind up the adjustable seat until the spring is lightly compressed. At this point you can untie the string/remove the spring compressors.

 

Repeat for the other three corners.

[julians]

Thanks for that, but I have a question.

 

Where does the circlip come from, is this already on the damper or should it be included with the adjustable platforms?

 

Will there already be several grooves in the damper for locating the circlip, or will I have to have one machined into it. Somebody has mentioned that this may need doing.

[Red SLR]

Peter - I like how you say - DO NOT REMOVE THE STRING..... you should have just said, at this point take a big pair of cutters and ..... just for a larf.

 

Any way Julain - if you want I can bring my car round to your place for you to have a look at if you want as I have the kit fitted.

 

Simon.

 

X777CAT

[julians]

Thanks for that Simon, theres no hurry, so I may as well wait until I see you at anglesey in March.

 

[StewartG]

Peter, the thought of you restraining your springs with string makes me wonder if we should start a biggest faux pas' section. I know I've made some almighty cock ups and obviosly others have too. I have this picture of the string fraying and the springs launching themselves through the garage wall or the string loosening and having too buy a spring compressor to get them on again, all of which is bound to happen on a sunday night, when all the shops are closed, it's snowing, your other car is out with your other half and you've booked a track day tomorrow... oh and dinner's ready at your mother in law's on the other side of town.

[Red SLR]

Ok - just let me know, the weather is suppose to be good all week so I can call round if you want.

 

Simon.

 

X777CAT