Front Suspension Overhaul

[stormduck]

Good day chaps!

My recent MOT revealed a leaking driver's side damper. So it's my intention to whip the shocks off, send them to BG for refurb, off which i have just emailed. Just a note, I emailed Mark Fish first, who basically said use BG as they have the market covered for this job.

While taking the dampers off, after reading the very long sachs post, I am extremely tempted to replace the top mounts with solic ktec items, also new lower ball joints that they sell seperately from the whole arm, and poly anti roll bar bushes as mine a quite cracked. I'm not sure what the the front wishbone bushes are that they sell, as it's been a long time since ive been poking around that part of a car.

Do people with experience think this is all a good port of call, and/or is their anything i've missed out to consider??

Cheers! dave.

 

[Sam_K]

MF would have probably charged you about twice for the job though!

I havnt experienced all of these together but im guessing that it would make the front almighty stiff, saying that, next time i have my suspension off i will prob do the same (want some top mounts where i can adjust the camber :wink: )

urm other things could be braided hoses?re paint the dampers?

Sam

 

[liam1610]

I have finally got a set of dampers booked in for 16th May, im currently running vehicle on old dampers however have a lower mileage set in the garage that are in better nick that im getting re-built.
Im planning on also getting the casings and reservoirs shot blasted and painted due to corrosion so BG have arranged to stripped them same day then me to take the casings away and get them done by my friend then drop them back off once completed, just not sure on what colour to do them, one thing says keep them standard silver/grey but due to them being a second set i still have the old ones that will be sitting in my garage.

Anyone ideas on what colour may look good? Also does anyone know if when they do the adjusters they change the colour of them too?

 

[hoolio]

Most of the new adjusters I have seen have been blue.

BTW I love my solid top mounts.

 

[keith185]

My adjusters are red, just been refurbished. Must be whatever Sachs have done the batch in.

 

[bearne1]

Mine were blue, wonder if there is any difference other than colour?!

 

[keith185]

Mine were blue, wonder if there is any difference other than colour?!

Ben at BG did say that the deafualt rate was at 20 clicks on mine rather than 22 so could be slight variation?

 

[stormduck]

Alright sam, well he thought he knew someone the last time i saw him who might be able to do it cheaper, but with BG covering the market and him probably being busy I imagine he let it go. Wasn't aware you could adjust camber from top mounts...mark fish does his own top mounts, apparently the cost of them relates to the quality of the bearings used in them. This is probably the only area i'm unsure about, do you know of any others on the market? I read in a post someone had taken their shocks off to find the standard top mounts contaminanted with grit which is the primary reason i thought of replacing them. I got the brakes sorted last year, but i guess a re-paint wouldn't go amiss

liam - I was thinking this and have asked BG the question if they have anybody nearby who can do it. I live too far away to muck about like that, but it's the only way of the dampers standing a chance of not rusting again. Wire brush, rust treatment and hammerite is just not as good as blasting, zinc coating and powder coating...the rust just comes back through within weeks. Post up how your experience went and if you live nearby BG and fancy a little job on the side let me know!

hoolio - what ones have you got?

oh yes must be de-pinned, didn't someone say in the big sachs post that Ben explained to them there was a different adjuster than usual been fitted and the clicks hada different rate of adjustment?

much appreciated people!

 

[hoolio]

The bearing on the original top mounts is a pretty poor affair and when they were removed after less than 10k were caked with grit. I think I posted a pic sometime. Anyway I have a pair of combrake(?) mounts which were fine but both have now moved and if AST had had stock I would have got Tom at Jms to fit those when I had the service though the new Ktec mounts look very good.
Btw I don't think you can fit adjustable camber mounts with the setup on the T.

 

[liam1610]

The only camber adjustable top mounts i know of are AST however they also adjust the caster too, so ideally only option for camber alone is via bolts, the top strut bolts are easy to access and iv fitted eibach ones to mine, people state that they aren't strong enough however this is now the second vehicle iv used these on and i cant fault them. Bear in mind that as suspension deteriorates so does your wheel alignment.

I will post up with experiences once iv got the dampers done, but i had no hesitation in shot blast and painting its the only way im going to protect the dampers long enough to last. Btw im not local to BG i live in West Sussex so its around a hour n half or so drive but as Martin said he will get them stripped in the day then it works out around the same amount in petrol there and back as it is postage so why not drive.

Will grab a few photos before and after. I think iv made a decision on colour and i will try to keep standard however this may change by the 16th

 

[hoolio]

I didn't think the adjustable camber mounts that AST do were compatible witn the Sachs?

 

[liam1610]

Well as far as i know top mounts as standard are clio v6 mounts, they share the same part number, so if the ast's fit a clio v6 then they will fit the sachs.

 

[hoolio]

Fair enough but when I was looking into it a while back was advised would need to change the setup to coilovers etc and only the fixed ast stm would fit, oh well. Maybe worth checking again.

 

[liam1610]

You may well be correct all i know is the top mount for a clio trophy is the same as the ones from the v6, i had to get some top mounts sorted a few weeks back, managed to get a pair from euro car parts for £55, compared to renault asking for i think it was £40 for just the one i couldn't complain and there identical to what i took off even down to the code stamps.

 

[Matbrown]

You may well be correct all i know is the top mount for a clio trophy is the same as the ones from the v6, i had to get some top mounts sorted a few weeks back, managed to get a pair from euro car parts for £55, compared to renault asking for i think it was £40 for just the one i couldn't complain and there identical to what i took off even down to the code stamps.

Part number please?
Full kit?

 

[liam1610]

Part is without the top nut & built in bush this is the only extra part you get with the renault unit's.

Kit consist of 2 top mount bearings & 2 top mount rubber bushes and is made by SKF.
Part Number:
VKDA 35607 T

Or Euro Car Parts Number:
669 70 0010

Managed to find a picture.

http://seekpart24.com/skf/suspension-st ... vkda35607t

 

[Matbrown]

Cheers.

 

[liam1610]

Oh was going to mention hoolio you was rite in one aspect with the ast top mounts, there is 2 types, check out kam racing

http://www.kamracing.co.uk/renault/rena ... o-mk2.html

 

[stormduck]

oooo those AST ones look lurvely, and i'll be able to ditch the camber bolts. Nice one.

Liam no worries, I live 2 and a half hours away so it's too far, plus i won't have a car to drive there! I'll see what happens.

 

[keo]

How will the AST top mounts perform compared to oem ones? Apart from being able to adjust them. I was going replace mine with oem, but is it worth going the AST route? They seam a better quality item