|
|
|
|||||||
| 8 & 10 cyl Bristol cars Type 407 onwards - restoration, repair, maintenance etc |
 |
|
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread | Display Modes |
|
|
24-01-23, 02:15 AM
|
|||
|
|||
David,
While you have got the suspension disassembled I suggest you examine the bolt holes in spring seat pans for stress cracks. I would also recommend that you mark the fulcrum brackets and scribe their position on the crossmember before removal Assuming the suspension hasn't been rebuilt in the recent past, the wedge/distance pieces which sit on top of the springs may need replacing along with the steel and rubber rings used to isolate the coil springs. Bristol Cars Services recommended using new turret nuts when re-fitting the wishbones (they are a special half-height turret nut). I wrote a few posts about my experience with the front suspension which you might find helpful http://www.bristolcars.info/forums/8...uspension.html Regards, Kevin 
|
|
24-01-23, 03:37 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Thanks, Kevin. All helpful except the flat area where the fulcrum brackets sit is rusted away. That's why the whole subframe has to come out for repair. Odd place to have rusted but that's the way it is.
I made a start stripping the parts today. Righthand shock and spring are out. I will check the pans as you suggest. David
|
|
25-01-23, 06:16 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
Quote:
Assuming the surviving lower spring seats are made of the same material as the upper wedge distance pieces, (they would have been orignally), then it is likely they have been replaced at some stage. Do you know much about the history of the car? Kevin
|
|
25-01-23, 06:16 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
The car is 408 Mk1 7023. Its history from leaving the factory to c.1990 is unknown to me. It was sat with no engine and transmission when Tony Crook took a prospective buyer to see it at somebody's house. The buyer was an Air Force Chaplain whom I have spoken to. He had the body restored and repainted in the UK in 1991. The work was not done by SLJ but they acted as project managers and I have various reports they sent on the restoration. The owner then brought the car with him when he moved to the Minnesota in 1992 and had a later 360 engine fitted with a period correct 727 gearbox. The chaplain sold the car, I think around 2000, and it seems it had 2 other owners before me. It was in West Virginia in 2001. I bought the car here in Florida from a gentleman who had it from 2009. He did a lot of restoration on the brakes but not the springs, etc.. I suspect the rust was missed in the 1991 restoration but it could be from salt in Minnesota. So far, there doesn't seem to be any other rusty area to the frame or this subframe but I will keep checking and there may be more visible once the subframe is out. David Last edited by dwomby; 25-01-23 at 06:38 PM.
|
|
27-01-23, 05:41 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
David,
It is odd that the rust is only in one spot, however it is an area that could hold some water if there was mud there and particularly if the car was parked across a slope. Add salt to the scenario and it could do some serious damage over time. Of course once the rust takes hold it would just get worse every time the car was driven in wet weather. I once lent someone a trailer who left it with inches of wet sand sitting in it for six months or more. It had almost completely rusted through the bottom of the trailer. Anyway, it's good that you found it and can now restore it. Another spot where the V8 cars are notorious for rust is around the top mounting points for the rear shock absorbers. Which is even harder to see! Kevin
|
|
27-01-23, 11:46 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
David
|
|
24-01-23, 06:02 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
I can confirm this! After sandblasting the spring pans, one had rust damage and both had stress cracks as described. I cut out all damage and reinforced the spring pans with new material on the stress points.
Regards Thomas Quote:
|
|
24-01-23, 08:24 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
I took the second spring out today.
I looked at the spring pans. They need proper cleanup that may reveal cracks but I could see no sign of any today. Amazingly, the lower spring seats both seem to be reusable. The upper wedges and spring seats are just not there at all. I do have new ones to fit when I reassemble. Try as I might, I could not get the spring pan to lower staying parallel to the wishbones (see pic) but it came down ok anyway. I know the Spax part numbers for shocks but can anybody identify this Koni that was fitted? David Last edited by dwomby; 24-01-23 at 08:32 PM.
|
|
24-01-23, 08:52 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Hi David,
My 411S5 was equipped with the same Koni shock absorbers. Maybe it is still the original, factory fitted, shock. I searched the internet today, but could not find any reference about Bristol and Koni shocks. Looking at your spring pan, I can see some corrosion around the center hole. Get it sandblasted and then repair it. The spring pan is made from a two layer steel material and moisture can penetrate between the two steel layers. Regards Thomas Quote:
|
Hybrid Mode
