Top Suspension Nut

[Hasbeen]

The new Spax adjustable front inserts for the 8 arrived yesterday, so today the job, & a few others, were started.

The Spax adjustment system means an extra long socket is needed to use the impact wrench on the top nut. I know I have one somewhere, I used it on them about 7 years ago, but the damn thing is hiding. I used a long ring spanner & a simple hammer to tap the spanner, to loosen the nuts both sides as the first part of the job.

One side strut off, the other will come off tomorrow. Then the big decision! Which of my friends will I honour by borrowing their spring compressors. They are one thing I have always been too miserable to buy. Besides, if you don't occasionally borrow something from your friends, you make it much harder for them to come to you when they need something.

How's that for rationalising?

Hasbeen

[sonscar]

I have no idea what springs are on my inherited car but I do not need a spring compressor to remove them,the free length is about 1mm shorter than the fully extended damper.Lucky? or what?.Still find my homemade tool useful for holding the washer to remove the top nut though,Steve..


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[Hasbeen]

That could be a bit of a worry Steve.

My 7 has stock springs at stock free length & spring rate, & the springs have to be well compresses to be free of the top spring mount.

This car, the 8 is lowered 1.5" with 30% stiffer springs. The springs are not under as much compression with the strut fully extended, but are still under considerable compression. Perhaps yours are the 200Lb springs we read about, which would have a much shorter free length.

Unfortunately I can't find a record of the free length of these, perhaps I didn't even measure it when we got them. When we take them off the struts, I'll measure them. That might be a little while, one of the gaiters has a hole in it, & we need bump stops so will leave the final stripping until we have the bits.

Hasbeen

[Hasbeen]

Just took a front spring off the 8. It's free lengthy is 13.125" as against standard length in 1977 of 13.885, so about 3/4" shorter.

These had to be compressed down quite a long way to be free on the strut.

This car is really too low. I had to fit 185 60 15s at the last tyre change, replacing the 185 50 15s to stop it hitting the ground with it's spoiler, & to be able to get it's exhaust over mild speed bumps.

Hasbeen

[unicorn]

This is the tool I made for just that job ironically it was made out of an old damper insert ( I don't like wasting anything ) and a thick piece of pipe with notches cut into it. Notches sit on the dished washer and the hole is plenty large enough for me to get at the nut with a socket