Fitting Front Dampers (Shock Absorbers)

[Bumpa]

I'm fitting new Gaz adjustable dampers all round on my 1850HL. The rear ones were pretty easy apart from figuring out which way the tapered top mounting should go.

But the fronts!!! Tell me, there must be a simple way of getting the three bolts that secure the bottom of damper, the top link and the triangular plate into place. The whole assembly, once disconnected is just plain out of line. Two can be got in with reasonable simplicity, but lining up the third, no matter which one you leave to last, requires superhuman strength and cunning to get the holes to come in line.

Do tell the best way to do this. Please.

[Mad Mart]

Use a scissor jack.

[yorkshire_spam]

I've done this about 20 times in the last 6 months and here's how I do it.....
Note that 2 of the bolts are longer.... these are for the 2 upper fixings that go through the suspension arms.

1: Make sure the bottom "eye" on the shock is in line with 2 of the top bolts.... ie. as close to the right place as possible. If not your chances of rotating it on the car are close to 0.
2: All 3 bolts out of the shock<->top joint mounting, 2 triangle plates off the car....
3: Get the shock in place and the 3 nuts on the top plate on by a few threads.
4: Line up the shock eye with the correct (rear) hole in the rear most suspension arm, push 1 bolt through the arm, through the triangle plate and through the eye.
5: Add the second triangle plate and "wangle" the bolt through the front suspension arm
6: Add a nut to the bolt, but only a few threads.
7: Bolt #2 through the FRONT mounting hole (suspension arm, triangle plate, ball joint, triangle plate, suspension arm) and add the nut.
8: Leaver the back of the ball joint upwards until it lines up with the triangle plate holes - push the shorter of the 3 bolts through and add the nut. (To leaver the back of the balljoint up I put a long wrecking bar across the top of the caliper onto the underside of the joint)
9: tighten up the 3 nuts.

A bit hard to explain, but I hope you get the jist of it.

[Bumpa]

Thank you yorkshire_spam. Yes I did notice that two of the bolts are longer, but only after I had put the short one in the wrong place!

I shall follow your instructions today and see how I get on. It seems bizarre to me that everything is under such tension even when the suspension is unloaded.

I am pretending to be a Yorkshire man this week as I am on stage with an amateur company in a production of the musical comedy "Betty Blue Eyes", originally written by Alan Bennett and set in the fictitious Yorkshire town of Shepardsford. I'm a Londoner living in Scotland so it's hard enough for me, but its really funny to hear Ayrshire folk trying to speak like Yorkshire folk.

[yorkshire_spam]

Thank you yorkshire_spam. Yes I did notice that two of the bolts are longer, but only after I had put the short one in the wrong place!

I shall follow your instructions today and see how I get on. It seems bizarre to me that everything is under such tension even when the suspension is unloaded.

I am pretending to be a Yorkshire man this week as I am on stage with an amateur company in a production of the musical comedy "Betty Blue Eyes", originally written by Alan Bennett and set in the fictitious Yorkshire town of Shepardsford. I'm a Londoner living in Scotland so it's hard enough for me, but its really funny to hear Ayrshire folk trying to speak like Yorkshire folk.

I like a bit of Alan Bennett from time to time, but when it comes to "proper Yorkshire" I'm more of a J. B. Priestley fan (And if I can go see Priestley being performed by Northern Broadsides I'm a very happy man!)
Just don't say "eee-bah-gum" nobody says that.

[sprint95m]

If prizes were to be awarded for threads going the very far off-topic
this would surely be in the running!



Ian.

PS Mind you, it is none the worse for that .

[Bumpa]

I like a bit of Alan Bennett from time to time, but when it comes to "proper Yorkshire" I'm more of a J. B. Priestley fan (And if I can go see Priestley being performed by Northern Broadsides I'm a very happy man!)
Just don't say "eee-bah-gum" nobody says that.

Ah well, Alan Bennett doesn't include such hackneyed phrases in the story, and although he didn't write the musical show, it does lean heavily on his writing.

Thanks for your help, the front dampers are now installed and a big improvement on the 40 year old originals.

[yorkshire_spam]

Thanks for your help, the front dampers are now installed and a big improvement on the 40 year old originals.

You are welcome, hope the process advice was useful. I was actually thinking of either doing a video of it or writing it up with photos for the club magazine.... I was getting most annoyed with it until I figured out my method.

[TrustNo1]

Sorry to put this back on topic I'm sure I had answered this in depth but apparently not, my advice was very similar to Mr Spams but without the numbers.

[GTS290N]

.......I was actually thinking of either doing a video of it or writing it up with photos for the club magazine.... I was getting most annoyed with it until I figured out my method.

Yes please.

[AlastairC]

are the dampers you use specific to the 1850? Could I use them on a 1500 Toledo?
cheers
Alastair

[Bumpa]

Sorry to put this back on topic I'm sure I had answered this in depth but apparently not, my advice was very similar to Mr Spams but without the numbers.

Sorry, I don't know what you are referring to. Is there something in the archive that I missed?

are the dampers you use specific to the 1850? Could I use them on a 1500 Toledo?
cheers
Alastair

According to Rimmers catalogue they are the same for all models including Dolomite, Toledo and FWD types. I waited until Rimmers had one of their frequent 15% off offers on before I bought them. I bought kit RT1184G which has slightly uprated and lowered springs, plus the adjustable Gaz dampers. It's not cheap even with the discount, but does improve the car a lot, and my originals were shot.

[AlastairC]

Im over hauling the whole of the suspension both front and back so face the prospect of having to pay for new bushes and new springs and shocks all at once!

Im wondering if I might just replace the shocks for now, the car is relatively low mileage and it think the springs are likely to be in good enough shape to use for now. This car is a 1300 that will have a 1500 in it but I imagine the springs are the same for both the 1300 and the 1500.

Im told ARB's make a big difference to the handling but that may also have to wait for now- to spread out the expenditure a bit!

[Carledo]

Sorry to put this back on topic I'm sure I had answered this in depth but apparently not, my advice was very similar to Mr Spams but without the numbers.

Sorry, I don't know what you are referring to. Is there something in the archive that I missed?

are the dampers you use specific to the 1850? Could I use them on a 1500 Toledo?
cheers
Alastair

According to Rimmers catalogue they are the same for all models including Dolomite, Toledo and FWD types.

Especially for Alistair's benefit, the quote from Rimmers catalogue is popycock! Not that it's not there, the one size fits all bit!

Dunno about NZ cars, but UK Toledos (1300s all) have a front shock, spring and topmount, which is half an inch smaller in diameter than that fitted to Dolomites and the larger engined cars. So if you buy the Rimmers kit, you can use it, but you WILL need the bigger diameter topmounts from a larger engined car. These still fit the same mounts in the body, no problem there, but the mounts don't exactly grow on trees, they've not, to my knowledge, been remanufactured, so you will have to find some decent used ones. Not made of unobtanium, but not common as muck either!

Steve