Rear Suspension

[Jon Bradbury]

Are they high tensile bolts at all?

If I were you I'd always use 10.8 HT bolts for suspension mountings!

[Grim]

anyone got a size for this washer?

[Guest old_timbo]

Sorry for the delay - network was down, good ole NTL. Have posted a pic of the washers I removed, As you can see they are about 4" in dia. I replaced them with rectangular plates made out of some 3mm st. st. plate I had knocking around about the same size as the rubber mounts they butt up against. As you can see the bolts I replaced were badly worn. Only about 50% of the bolt head on one was left to the extent a socket would not grip on it any more.

[Guest old_timbo]

Here is the best shot I can get of the plates (hope you can see their shiney edges) and replacement bolts in situ.

[Guest old_timbo]

This shot shows the ride height. More than I though at about 6 1/2" There is only about 4" between the mounting bolts and the ground. Shot was taken with no one in the car and about 3 1/2 gall of fuel in the tank. With a full tank 13st driver 10st passenger and a boot full of shopping still can't get it to ground. Come to think of it it didn't ground with a 14st passenger on my bumpy test route either.

[Grim]

Thanks very much

I thini mine are as bad as that, which is why i'm hardly driving it at the moment (along with a duff speedo)!

 

Andy

[Guest Ken Brough]

my 2b used to ground out at speed with standard Sierra springs. I managed to get a pair of Cosworth rear springs and it is fine now.In fact they have been cut down a tad as well.

[Guest elgey7]

Old Timbo

I have extactly the same problem as you.

Did you just use a flat plate?

If so this does not cup the rubber does it?

I know that the frame is bolted solid but some support seams to come from the bush cup other wise we may as well just fit a normal washer?

Did you cut the rubber bush down flat at the bottom ?

One of the guys has drawings of replacement plates to use without the

rubber bushes altogether but you need them fitted top & bottom.

 

I'd be grateful for your info

 

Regards

Colin

[Guest old_timbo]

Colin,

 

Yes I just used a flat plate, about 4 x 3 1/2". I ground down the steel tube throught middle of the rubber so that the plate would sit flat without distorting anything when bolted up tight. It was already ground flat inside the car so that flat washers could be used there as well. The sombrero washers are scavenged from the front shocks I think. As far as I can see they just happen to be a handy size for the job at the rear, so no reason for their shape. There are two smaller rigidly fitted bolts alongside the big ones that require the Sierra mounting frame to be butchered anyway, so it all seems a bit belt and braces. Not sure how it is all mounted as standard in a Sierra. Must dig out the Haynes manual and see if there are any clues.

 

Tim

[Grizzly]

Hi All,

I'd like to do this modification on mine. Sorry, I don't quite understand though.

Do you just take a slice through the rubber bush and then replace the cup washer with something flatter?

Would it be OK to do this pre-SVA though, or should I leave it on the 'To Do List' for afterwards?

[Guest salty_monk]

Grizzly replace the cup washer with a flat one. You may need to grind down the support tube inside the rubber bush so it lays nice & flat.

 

A better mod is like Bill has done, welded a length of studding to a plate & then put that in from the bottom with a nyloc inside the car. Details on his website.

 

An even better mod is to get rid of the bush altogether. Grim has just done this on his 2b & reckons it makes a world of difference to the handling. Someone else did it on here a few months back too...

 

Dan

[Grim]

Grim has just done this on his 2b & reckons it makes a world of difference to the handling. Someone else did it on here a few months back too...

 

Close but no cigar. I've just replaced cup to washer on driver's side (passenger side done a while back), makes no difference to handling.

 

My handling improvements come from welding in a structural component to hold the trailing arm bolt, like timswait, rather than relying on the flimsy flexible flat plates in the chassis which bolt through this bush (and then the washer, in my case now almost completely redundant). I also had a painful looking crack along the length of said plate welded up.

[Grizzly]

An even better mod is to get rid of the bush altogether.

Thanks Guys,

I looked on Bill's website as that's where I thought I'd seen this issue addressed in detail - but couldn't find it.

Does anyone know how these bushes are secured in? They don't seem to want to just fall out do they?

Will Mr SVA man be OK if I embark on this modification?

[Guest Dan_Beeston]

Thanks Guys,

I looked on Bill's website as that's where I thought I'd seen this issue addressed in detail - but couldn't find it.

Does anyone know how these bushes are secured in? They don't seem to want to just fall out do they?

Will Mr SVA man be OK if I embark on this modification?

 

I think it's Colin Usher that originally developed this mod, check out www.colinusher.info

[Grizzly]

I think it's Colin Usher that originally developed this mod, check out www.colinusher.info

OK thanks. I've had a look at this on Colin's site and also found what Bill & Joey did. It looks like it'd be pretty difficult to remove the bushes with everything in situ. I think I'll do what the majority have opted for and just go with the plates.