Torsion bar revisited (again)

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

either or Huw. Neal wanted to be different and chose the harder method.

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

i darent look... ignorance is bliss!

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

eh? Why would i try to undo the bottom bolts when the ones at the top are easier to get at and cleaner? these stuck top shock nuts are rather like the siezed headlight bolts arent they... came off for me no problem without even a hint that they might be difficult for someone else.

Cant use the scottish weather as a reason for the shock nuts either Wink

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

you need to fiddle with 2 spanners and even then sometimes they are siezed solid so out comes the hacksaw/grinder.

18mm bottom bolts has never not come out for me yet ecxept on the newer cars, the meganes etc some of them at least use a Torx bolt.

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

dunno what you mean about 2 spanners, mine was just a single nylock nut?

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

so anyway, as for the 4 nuts holding the bar on, i'll just loosen them till theyre right at the end of the studs, then smack the brackets to release them, torsion bar wont drop onto the floor then will it...?

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

aye but you need to hold the damper piston, if it spins round and round you knacker the damper.

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

didnt realise that... oh well, my dampers didnt spin, lucky there i suppose

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

wait till you try to tighten them back up.

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

done it before...

anyways... just hope it doesnt rain tomorrow... ill be proper screwed then.

have to not get hammered and stay out too late tonight, want an early start tomorrow. Getting my housemate out of bed to help might be problematic, but we work at the same place and he doesnt have a car so if he wants to get to work on monday im sure i can persuade him...

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

ok the rear beam is off, only thing still connecting it to the car is the handbrake cables.

how do i release these? i have seperated the ends of the inners fromt the linkage under the car, but the outers seem to be fixed to the little bracket thing.

is it best to release the cables from the calipers and then thread the ones on the other car back through the trailing arms when i put it on?

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

right well its all done now. Not a job that i would relish the opportunity of doing again, but not too bad. Amazing what you can do when youre under pressure Smile

ended up doing it all my lonesome, including lifting the beam onto the car, as my housemates are pussies and it was cold/wet/dirty out.

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

just been out for a spin to make sure nothing was going to fall off Smile

back end is MUCH firmer now with the konis on, didnt get time today to swap the front struts over so that will have to wait for next weekend Sad

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

good stuff.

the handbrake cables usually ain;t a prob, the caliper ends the trouble end, usually find bits of caliper come away with it.

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

oh yeah, my car now has the ABS bits...toothed rings on the rear Confused

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

what diff does that make? You normally find new discs come with the rings anyway

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

well for a start it means that the brakes on WOX wont work when i fit the other beam with no ABS bits back on there.

Oh well, guess ill be swapping them over at some point then.

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

easy swap, you know how or want a rundown?

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

well, a few tips might be nice, but i wont be doing it for some time anyway so no rush matey!

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

look at the rear pad swap tech article

take the carrier off as you would to change the pads. Pop the cetral cap off with a flat screwdriver. The breaker bar and 30mm socket undo the hub nut pull disc off then stick the other one on.

Easy

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

in fact I never took the thing off.

The carriers held to the caliper by 2 17mm bolts. Undo em and the pads and carrier lift off.