Samurai 20V Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 Just did a full overhaul on mine with new OEM arms, difference is astonishing.. Car rides so much better.. Feels tight and balanced, the ride height went up cos the old one was so worn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Wilson Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 If the ride height went up it's because you pre-loaded the bushes and they now have a huge amount of permanent torsion in them, so won't last long. The inner bush through bolts need tightening with the full weight of the car on the tyres, after rolling to and fro a few yards, for a few times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samurai 20V Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 (edited) If the ride height went up it's because you pre-loaded the bushes and they now have a huge amount of permanent torsion in them, so won't last long. The inner bush through bolts need tightening with the full weight of the car on the tyres, after rolling to and fro a few yards, for a few times. Oh no, that sounds serious. Can you be a bit more specific on which bolts need to be tightened in that fashion? All the inner bolts (connect to the subframes) lower & upper arms for the front and the rear? The front has shown the larger increase in ride height, this was right after the car was completed. I have driven 750kms and it is now as below. Edited February 11, 2018 by Samurai 20V (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samurai 20V Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 (edited) These are the before and after pics, best ones I have, sorry. Edited February 11, 2018 by Samurai 20V (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Wilson Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 All the ones on the chassis ends of the arms, (mainly the ones with the adjuster cams on them). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samurai 20V Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 All the ones on the chassis ends of the arms, (mainly the ones with the adjuster cams on them). Thanks Chris.. Will check them out again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jellybean Posted February 12, 2018 Share Posted February 12, 2018 Stunning looking car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samurai 20V Posted February 12, 2018 Share Posted February 12, 2018 Stunning looking car! /QUOTE] Thanks mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samurai 20V Posted February 12, 2018 Share Posted February 12, 2018 All the ones on the chassis ends of the arms, (mainly the ones with the adjuster cams on them). Chris, spoke to the mechanic that did the job for me, he had marked the positions of all the old arms, he tightend the new ones back in the very same position. He had supported the arms from below to line up to that position. Will this be ok, or do you think I still need to tighten with the car on the ground? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rider Posted February 12, 2018 Share Posted February 12, 2018 Chris, spoke to the mechanic that did the job for me, he had marked the positions of all the old arms, he tightend the new ones back in the very same position. He had supported the arms from below to line up to that position. Will this be ok, or do you think I still need to tighten with the car on the ground? So long as the arms were raised to the ride level prior to tightening then the bush will be set to the optimal position. I raised the hubs on a hydraulic table up to the ride level so it doesn't have to be on the ground to get it raised ready to tighten. Your mechanic says he raised the arms prior to tightening so you have nothing to worry about. I'd maybe just double check when he said he marked the position is he definitely referring to the arm ride level and not the adjustment cam position for the alignment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samurai 20V Posted February 12, 2018 Share Posted February 12, 2018 So long as the arms were raised to the ride level prior to tightening then the bush will be set to the optimal position. I raised the hubs on a hydraulic table up to the ride level so it doesn't have to be on the ground to get it raised ready to tighten. Your mechanic says he raised the arms prior to tightening so you have nothing to worry about. I'd maybe just double check when he said he marked the position is he definitely referring to the arm ride level and not the adjustment cam position for the alignment? Thanks mate. He used a transmission jack to support the arms. He marked the cam position and the arm ride level, then tightened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnk Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 Should really be done with the weight of the car on them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samurai 20V Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 Did some reading, still not sure which method is ok. To be safe will loosen and re tighten with the car on the ground. If I do so, do I have to recheck the alignment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rider Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 Did some reading, still not sure which method is ok. To be safe will loosen and re tighten with the car on the ground. If I do so, do I have to recheck the alignment? If you loosen with the road wheels sat on the ground, good luck with tightening up again as the ground clearance to the lower arms is what - 20cm? You really need to do it on a 4 poster or over a pit, which is why I used a hydraulic table to raise the hubs as I don't have either of those. I can't see any difference in a hub raised on a platform to one with the weight of the car bearing down if its at the same level when the bolts are tightened. If you loosen off the adjusters then yes, you'll need to get the alignment checked so if it needs doing then take it to an alignment shop who can loosen, set and tighten all in one go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samurai 20V Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 If you loosen with the road wheels sat on the ground, good luck with tightening up again as the ground clearance to the lower arms is what - 20cm? You really need to do it on a 4 poster or over a pit, which is why I used a hydraulic table to raise the hubs as I don't have either of those. I can't see any difference in a hub raised on a platform to one with the weight of the car bearing down if its at the same level when the bolts are tightened. If you loosen off the adjusters then yes, you'll need to get the alignment checked so if it needs doing then take it to an alignment shop who can loosen, set and tighten all in one go. Plan was to take it to an alignment shop to do it. I agree with your theory, but reading the comments on here and some on the net got me paranoid, rather just do it to be safe. Will let you know if the ride height does change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rider Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 Plan was to take it to an alignment shop to do it. I agree with your theory, but reading the comments on here and some on the net got me paranoid, rather just do it to be safe. Will let you know if the ride height does change. Be worth taking a spare adjuster bolt and nut with you as they have half threads and are set to a high torque, I managed to strip one just as it reached the torque setting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samurai 20V Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 Be worth taking a spare adjuster bolt and nut with you as they have half threads and are set to a high torque, I managed to strip one just as it reached the torque setting. Have spares of the rear and front, will do so. Thanks for the suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samurai 20V Posted February 17, 2018 Share Posted February 17, 2018 (edited) Report back.. Had the car on an alignment ramp today, loosened all the bolts with the cam plates. moved the car forward & backward, pulled down on the body as well. Had the alignment reset. Measured before and after, 1cm lower on the front, 0.5cm on the rear. There was defintely some preload in the bushes, glad I did this. Thanks to Chris W and the others that suggested to do so. Edited February 17, 2018 by Samurai 20V (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Wilson Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 No worries, the bushes say "phwew, thank you" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samurai 20V Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 No worries, the bushes say "phwew, thank you" Defintely they do.. Would have been a waste of money not doing it the right way. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burna Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 That's a great outcome, and well done to CW for spotting the issue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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