Here we are, one week after the shock absorber adventure. It's still REALLY FREAKIN' COLD! But I have a day or two off, so let's get the rest of this front end apart before I forget what all the different parts are or where they go. Once again, this is a procedure that is better suited to video than photos. Plus my wife, Ali, was available and (sort of) willing to help out by holding my phone/camera. I really should apologize for the quality of the vids I've produced. I'm not a film major. Of course, if you have watched the videos, you also know I'm not much of a mechanic, either! Nonetheless, the front suspension is now out. And nobody got hurt (amazingly!) I wish that the last panic was not on a stat holiday, so I would have had access to the proper tools. Canadian Tire, which is a big auto-parts chain in Canada, has a program where you can borrow a tool, use it, and return it in a day or two. This service is free. However, I could not borrow the spring compressor on Jan 1st because they were closed. However, they are open now, and the spring compressor is available, making for a much safer situation. Still, there had to be a glitch. Normally, the spring seat would unbolt from the lower A-arm, allowing the spring to either a) drop down through the hole, or b) clear the "hump" on the spring seat and come out the side. A couple of the A-arms had bolts that were frozen, preventing the removal of the spring seat. This led to a more "persuasive" method of removal. No one ever said I was smart. But the front end is off now. The steering rack and column are still in place, for now. As are the rear springs and differential. But other than that, the car is basically down to the tub. VIDEO HERE: https://youtu.be/PWyMu7qpRcY
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Well then. So we had a bit of an unexpected time crunch fall upon us with regards to the Austin. I was phoning about yesterday, just trying to find information on different stuff and generally update my to-do list and timeline, when I happened to call Worldwide Auto Parts. The plan was always that Pete Caldwell would rebuild my old shocks, as he has a great reputation and has come highly recommended by pretty much everyone I've spoken to in the Austin Healey world. Since we are in the middle of a cold snap, I thought I'd make arrangements to have some of this stuff done during the winter, so it will be ready to install back onto the body when it is done. My discussion with Peter was brief (it was New Years Eve, after all!), but the general takeaway was that the new year would see new pricing. Fair enough, he hadn't raised prices in a dog's age, and deserves to make a living. However, he also told me that if I could get the shocks sent away in the next day or so, that he would honour his old pricing. PANIC! Now I've got to get the shocks off the car, boxed, and sent! One of the front shocks is already off (it was pulled while my brother and I were trying to figure out why the drivers' side front suspension was staying compressed even after the weight of the engine was removed.) Turns out the front shock itself was frozen solid. OK, so one shock is off, but that still leaves three others on the one car, plus the two shocks on the new front end. My original thought was to send all six shocks, and if the frozen one was too far gone, no harm done. My review of shipping rates later changed that, and I wound up sending the two original rear shocks along with the two working shocks from the new front end. The biggest issue with all of this is that in the normal progression of front end disassembly, the shock absorber is most definitely NOT the first part you want to remove. This led to some... interesting... solutions to problems. So there I was, outside in my unheated garage on New Years Day, swearing happily away at the Heirloom Austin suspension. I don't have many photos of this, but I do have the process on video. The vids are broken down into two parts... Front and Rear. I'll do a step by step description in the Technical (tips and tricks) section of the website shortly. Until then... VIDEO HERE: Getting Our Shocks Off, Part 1 - REAR https://youtu.be/Y7oLBS-RiZg Getting Our Shocks Off, Part 2 - FRONT https://youtu.be/l7CYNYRbwkc |
AuthorMy name is Ash. Archives
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