I plan on a suspension refresh over the next month or so,
I have a set of Gaz adjustables which I intend to have refurbed.
I'd like some advice before I start to take my car to pieces!
Bushes, balljoints, drop links, Track rod ends, tie bars. Do these all NEED to be replaced? If not how can you tell?
I also intend to have the hubs and wishbones blasted and powder coated.
Do I need new bolts all round? Who on the forum does these and what exactly do I need to order? I just dont understand all the different names for these bolts etc
How the hell do those silly tab bolt things come off?
What else would you replace when doing a suspension refresh? Like brake lines etc?
Where is the cheapest place to find quality balljoints, I recall something about an allen key...?
In fact where would you source these parts if you were buying? I would also like to buy as much of these parts from forum members who do business as a way of giving a little something back into the comunity.
I darent ask the dreaded bush question but I need answers!!! I have read a lot on here about the bushes, I ideally want something I can just put in the hole on the wishbones without having to pack the centre with grease or mess around too much, something for everyday use on bumpy roads (If there was such a clasification I think I live on an E class road, the locals think my car is a lawnmower because it trims the grass that grows up the centre of the road!!).
I have airtools and a press. I think I will need them! Also need a bush removal tool and a balljoint removal tool. I think it's one of the elise _____ ( cant remember the name) places that sell them, any advice on which ones to get or are they
?
I'm really getting my teeth into working on this wee car now, maybe I will grow a set and actually remove my clams sometime soon (it's the one thing I'm really scared to do).
I really appreciate all the help everyone here has given me in the last while. It's not a joke to say I spend hours on the forum everyday and have done now for a few months, I'm a little compulexic, recently learned how to put a picture on here!
(thanks 2.2) my post count is small because it seems that there is always someone much more knowledgable than myself to give an answer. Maybe someday I will be able to provide others with something as usefull as the help and advice I've been given.
Thanks in advance for your replies,
Waggy.
If you want to have your wishbones powdercoated, you will have to remove the bushes as they can't take the baking temperature of the powdercoating oven. You can do this before or after. There is a wide choice of bushes, OEM £280ish, polibushes at around 160-200 (includes for example nylatron and powerflex) and a couple of alternatives. I went with seriouslylotus' bushes which are made by the same manufacturer as OEM and are slightly cheaper. Rubber bushes (OEM and SL replacement) are a little harder to refit as they have to be torqued up with the suspension under load (in other words at the correct ride height). Poly bushes can be torqued up with the suspension at any height.
To powdercoat, it is recommended that you start with (fine) sand blast or glass bead blast to remove oxidation.
If you do that, it is better to remove the ball joints, and since you've got as far and gone to the effort of removing the wishbones you might as well change the ball joints. Ball joints come in a variety of guises. You can have OEM for about £25 each, delphy patern for about £15 and a lower quality delphy for around £8. I would recommend eliseparts or seriouslylotus for ball joints.
The tabs on the rear suspension bend off easily with a small screwdriver
Therefore, so far, you've taken it all apart and you're going to change the ball joints and the bushes. You might as well get the uprights powercoated while you are there. Do do that you'll have to take the hub out of the upright, the three bolts are usually pretty tight. Your air tools will come in handy here. You can't blast or powdercoat your hubs, they will either be reused after a little clean up or replaced with new. Yep you've guessed it, i replaced with new. Again elise parts, or OEM.
Your rear toelinks will look horrible next to the new suspension, so you'll want to change them too. Its a good idea anyway, they fail sometimes. OEM is fine and Aston Vauxhall on here can get them for around £150. I went for the uprated Elise-Shop one at £250.
All the bolts will be rusty, you have a choice, you can get them cleaned up or you can replace with new. There are a variety of kits out there, eliseparts do one, as does elise shop as do I.
You don't need to do anything to the brakes, you can come back to them once you've finished the suspension refresh. I would add braided hoses as a matter of course and a good set of pads, and i wouldn't paint the calipers, they will look horrid very quickly.
Finally, since the above is quite expensive you might as well add a nice set of gaz golds, nitrons etc 
Hope that helps,
JG
:
Bushes £200
Balljoints £160
blast and coat: £100
Toe links: £250
Hubs: £350
Nitron NTR: £1200
CF Kit: £700
bolts: £45
shims+abs brackets+rear locking tabs: £65
front top shock spacers: £20
=£3090
