Quote:
Originally Posted by The Mighty Quinn
Incredible work, Jon. All the pics really help bring the project to life (and can act as a useful aid to the rest of us).
Quick question if I may - All of my rear suspension/brakes etc. is new (fitted by my mechanic). But now I'm going round all the wheel arches etc. tackling surface rust and rust-proofing and so on - in a similar, though much less involved, way as yourself 
Having had a look underneath at the rear, it looks at though I'll need to drop the tank and subframe to tackle all the surface corrosion at work about those areas. So, is it a big job to drop the rear suspension (I have a garage and a pit, thankfully). Or, is it as simple as removing the top 4 strut nuts, then undoing the 4 subframe bolts and the 6 trailing arm bolts - to drop everything? Shouldn't have to deal with any seized nuts/bolts (as these are all new  ).
Might have to invest in a gearbox trolley to support all once it's worked loose..
Cheers,
Karl. |
Hi Karl.
First thing off would be the exhaust back to the Cat to allow the subframe and fuel tank strap to drop.
I would take off the calipers and place/hang to one side to keep the calipers and hoses safe.
Next I would disconnect the ABS plugs and wires sensor and leave the leads hanging but place our the way of harm's way. If the suspension has just been done then you could then remove the abs sensors.
Rear subframe wise it's really down to you on how you remove. When I took the old one off my car I took off the brake discs and hubs But I suppose you could leave them on.
I would leave the struts where they are and disconnect them on the bottom bolt.
I would then undo the trailing arm bolts. Your mechanic should have done a geometry alignment to make sure the rear wheels were running correct so mark carefully where the trailing arm plates sit
The main subframe is held on the 4 x main bolts. These are supposed to be replaced after use. That's up to you.
The subframe is quite light without the hubs and brake discs but I imagine these will make it heavier.
I lowered my subframe on a car jack as I was working off stands. The one thing to be weary of is getting the centre of balance.
The fuel tank can be dropped by undoing the 4 x strap bolts. Again the tank will be as heavy or light depending of fuel quantity. Again because I was working off stands I dropped the tank onto a couple of wooden pads so I didn't stretch the attached lines and cable. On a ramp you may want to make something up to drop the tank onto or disconnect all the attachments.
Bolting the subframe on was a bit tedious lining it up because I was working by myself.
I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of rust to be honest. Every spot weld had surface corrosion and where the fuel tank rubs the seat base. There was nothing nasty and having worked on this area on other British cars I have normally had to weld plate back in so MRG did a good job with these chassis.
Thanks for your comments and hope the pictures help. Let me know if you need more info/explanation.
Cheers
Jon