PlastererPete

Aaah yes I suppose they don’t 😁 Reading further down the thread I see the battery monitor doohicky aswell. Certainly makes more sense to have it more accessible and near the electrical hub.

I just use the 12v cigarette lighter socket on the bulkhead.

Nice idea! Although that particular coilover doesn’t need any locking system at all. Its got its own organic thread lock 😂

You drove through Rayleigh high street as I was crawling up Crown Hill.

Yellow with black “caterham” stripe on the sides, aero screen (I think). Saw you guys coming through rayleigh high street heading towards rayleigh weir. I was the guy in the grey focus looking and gave a thumbs up.

Little update to this incase anyone has issues in the future. Contacted CC and got hold of Darren the parts guys. He’s going to speak to the purchasing dept about ordering some. No idea how long that will take. In the mean time I took a punt and ordered a locking ring from “Evans & Son Rally Spares” just to see if there were aftermarket parts that would fit. It turns out that a Collar for a 2.25” coil spring with a Bilstein Thread fits like a glove. A tad thicker than the original but it works. It’s blue because that was cheaper than a black one and it wouldve ended up in the bin it it didn't fit. Oh and excuse the work socks 😆

I’ll have to try and get the spacers off the bottom of the joint and get it in the vice. But as with everything, it’s been on there since 2005 and not exactly willing to come apart. All part of the “joys of motoring” my dad used to say. As a backup plan, I’ve messaged Bilstein to see if they sell the locking rings separately and given them the part number stamped on the body. Just incase I resort to cutting them off. Edit:- Managed to get the locking ring off but the spring “cup” started to crack free but just wont budge anymore. Looks like I’ll need replacements as its heading more and more to cutting them off

Don’t congratulate me yet. Just tried heating it with electric heat gun and no joy. Got it laying in a mechanics mat and all my weight (16st 🤫) on both opposing spanners and it just will not budge. Wire brushed the hole thing aswell to make sure then threads are clear. Any other suggestions?

Well got home and tried again and no joy. I’ve now taken it off the car. That top nut and bolt was worryingly loose. I know these are light so don’t need to be torqued up like my transit but still it was worrying. Hopefully now i can get the damn thing moving 🤞🏼

Thanks gentlemen. Looks like I’ll have to take the boot carpet out on the bulkhead to get access. I’ll take a look later and see whats occurring.

Bottom fixing isn’t too much of an issue. It’s the too fixing that worries me. Being a novice on sevens I haven’t got the foggiest how to get access to the top bolt and unsure if the nut is captive or not.

I’ll see what I can do tomorrow. Removing from the car will be the last resort as its a whole can of worms and really want to keep the car useable until winter.

Theres not an awful lot of room to get any leverage. Shes been thoroughly doused again, i’ll soak it again before work tomorrow and hopefully I’ll have some success tomorrow evening.

Tried both at the same time in both directions then one at a time in both directions. I’ll soak it well again this evening with plusgas and give the heat a go tomorrow. I’m dubious of the heat as I’m unsure if it’s just oil filled or oil and gas. But i’ll be careful. Thanks for the help and suggestions as always.

I’ve given the spanners a few taps with the hammer. I’ll try again tomorrow and resort to a drift and see how it goes. As far as I’m aware they haven't been touched since 2009. Just hoping they aren’t corroded together.