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Removal of the old strut is pretty straightforward -
undo the steering arms and bottom ball joints, then support the unit
and unbolt it from the strut top mounts.
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The ( Ford Capri 2-litre ) front suspension struts as
removed. As you can see, the springs are whoppers.
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First job is to remove them by fitting a set of spring
compressors. Don't try and skip this bit because tensioned springs are
very dangerous. |
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Once you've compressed the spring and taken the load
off the strut top mount, you can undo the retaining nut. |
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The shock absorber inserts have
to come out. So using an adjustable C-spanner, undo the insert
top fixing. |
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It's best to place a bucket underneath to collect the
oil that drips out when you remove the insert. Then you can pull the
unit out and bin it. |
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Next is to cut the old spring seat off, which takes a
couple of operations because of access. First slice round the bottom
of the seat. |
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Which should make the majority easily removable, just
leaving the base ring around the strut casing. |
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Very carefully, so as not to touch the casing itself,
cut a slot in the spring seat collar as shown here. |
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With a combination of bolster chisel and grinder,
eventually finishing with a soft pad, remove the rest of the collar. |
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This is one half of the
coil-over conversion components from Rally Design - collar,
adjuster rings and top spring seat. Make sure you remove the
adjusters completely. |
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To prevent MiG splatter from
damaging the thread, a good trick is to coat the collar with
WD40, which prevents stray weld from sticking. |
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Slide the collar over the
prepared strut top. It is a good idea to set the collar about
1cm from the op section. |
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Now you can tack the base of the collar in position and when you're
happy, fully weld it too. Although to prevent
distortion, weld in 1" strips at a time, swapping sides. |
The top spring seat hole is too small for the damper rod to pass
through it, therefore it needs drilling out to size. |
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With inserts fitted, you can
assemble the unit - adjustable spring seats first, followed by
the top seat. |
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Rally Design's eccentric top
mounts allow variable castor and camber settings within the top
mount aperture. |
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Once you've determined the correct position (this requires a bit of
trial and error) you can bolt up the top mount. |
Next pass the strut assembly up through the top mount
hole and into position. |
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You might need a hand to
support the bottom of the strut unit, while you refit the top
mounting nut. Either use a jack or a friend ;-) |
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The rest of the suspension can
now be bolted up - bottom ball joints connecting to the track
control arms, followed by the steering arms. |
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