MadaboutKitcars

Bearing in mind they are at full droop i think those shocks will be fine by the time its on the ground with the weight of the body on, not sure you can even get a shorter rear shock anyway, others may know different though.
Mac

You shouldn't find the standard shocks to be a problem, just lift the hub until the bolt holes line up.

You might find the ride a bit hard with a full spring stack fitted though. I initially took out the three loose leaves and got very firm rear suspension - perfect for track use but too hard for the road. I've now removed the next stack of leaves too and the ride is much more supple, allowing faster progress on the road without the wheels hopping off the tarmac.

It's all trial and error though, so good luck finding a suspension setup that you like

Thank you Mac, thank you Towed ... will remove a few leaves and put a bit of weight on it. Ordered new wheel cylinders & fitting kits from Canleys. Should get the back end finally rebuilt next week end. Then I can turn it round and start on the front suspension. Watch this space.
Towed ... I see you had another change to get 602 out with some "friends" ..
Have you got all the Goodwood mud off yet

Mud still appearing in all nooks and crannies, but should shake some of it off on the run to Snetterton on Sunday.

May or may not have the secondary radiator fitted by then, it arrived yesterday and I'm aiming to make the mountings over the next day or so. Just waiting for seven metres of 32mm hose to arrive so I can plumb it in. Side exit exhaust will also be going in over the next couple of days.

Good luck getting your rear suspension rebuilt, work so far looking top quality.

Whatever you do don't order the shoe hold down kit from Canleys, the quality is rubbish, even worse when i called up to politely inform they of the fact there answer was "we know but its all we can get!"
Call WH Classic Motor Spares on 01952 605115, they still have the original Girling parts in stock (as of 10 minute ago, i called and checked) SP1006 £8.50 + £1 p&p, more than the chinese knock offs but worth every penny.

Shoe hold down kit

Oh dear Viatron ..... thanks for that. I had best give Canleys a call as I've already ordered this item. Will update here when I have some news.
Slarti

I would cancel if you can, the springs in the Canleys kit are too long and too hard, this combined with the twist lock being made of chocolate gave me hours of fun chasing pinging little parts all over the workshop. The kit above took about 2 minutes a side..... Draw your own conclusion
Mac

Thanks Viatron
I've now cancelled the shoe retaining set with Canleys and reordered through WH Classis as suggested. I'll post some photos when the stuff arrives to help others.
Thanks for your advice.
Slarti

Rear Brakes!

Retaining clips/springs arrived and I've at last rebuilt one side & drum is back on. Thanks Viatron, they certainly were easy to put on.
Have removed the top four leaves on the spring ... didn't need the extra long studs after all ... The shockers now fit easier.
Tomorrow I should be able to get the rear end all back together & have the Old Girl staning on her own back wheels again. Then I can ter her around & start on the front. That is all IF the current wife doesn't have other ideas
More photos to follow
Slarti

Nice one, I should have let you try the Canleys one first then you would have really appreciated them :-)
Looking good

Rear brakes all fitted & back wheels now on again. Turned it round in the carport and ready to attack the front suspension.
Now that I've taken the top four leaves out of the spring the extra long studs seem a bit .... well .... too long. Might clean up the old studs and put them back with new nyloc-nuts.
Think I'm going to invest in a big floodlight so that I can work a bit more through the darker evenings.
Wish me luck.
Tirtone: I'll give your brother a call this evening and arrange the return of your hub puller ..... plus a little something in it for your trouble. Cheers ..
Slarti

Location

Slarti

I notice that you have noted your location as Surrey/Sussex border as of course are we.

We are in South Nutfield near Redhill are you in this area?


Peter

Hi Peter
Not exactly .... but not that far away.
Haslemere, south of Guildford. A couple of miles from the Hindhead Tunnel.
I'm sure at some stage we could meet up.
Regards
Slarti

Looks like your rolling chassis is coming along nicely.

The floodlight sounds like a good idea, as I know working by streetlight isn't great.

Good luck, Paul.

nice work, keep at it.

Managed to spend a whole afternoon in the ManCave ... started to strip down the front calipers to put new seals in. Trouble was getting one of the pistons out !! One of them came FAIRLY easily with an airline ... but the other ... well .. it was pretty firm as the saying goes. Trouble was the outer seal was missing and water had got in so it was d*mned near rusted in. With a little persuasion and a fair bit of WD40 I managed to tap it out with a small screwdriver and a little tapping hammer.
I will replace all 4 pistons as one is beyond help whilst the other appears to have a hairline crack ...
Onece the pistons were out I got my fifteen quid steam cleaner out before painting it up with nice red brake caliper paint. Not looking bad if I say so myself.
More pictures to follow soon.
I rolling chassis by spring is still looking possible.

Slarti

It's over month since my last post .... bet you thought I'd given up !
No, I've been beavering away (if you'll pardon the expression) in my flood-lit cavern (just like Santa's Grotto) and the front end is nearly complete. Front calipers are all nicely painted and fitted with new pistons & seals. I cust JUST two and a quarter inches off the front springs .... I can always cat them down if it doesn't like right. But a little bit of advice from all you guys (and gals ... if any) about the ARB. From my 1147 cc Herald the ARB is half inch and doing a bit of research on Canley's website it would seem that only the Spit 1500 had a 7/8ths bar. ... my question is, is it worth searching out the thicker bar as my engine is so small anyway. What difference is this likely to make on handle-ability and ride comfort? .... answers on a postcard ! Mr Towed .... I understand you put the bigger ARB in but then again you've got 6 cylinders to support. ... Any ideas?
Photo's to follow once I've got this sorted .... promise.
Keep the faith
Slarti

onwards and upwards chief . any progress is progress. one step at a time. gently gently catches the monkey. and all that stuff. you get my drift tho eh cousin?

In answer to the ARB question, its to increase the front roll stifness, this page is very good reqding
http://auskellian.com/paul/links_files/performance_enhancements.htm#Install_a_Stiffer_Front_Anti-Sway_Bar

Thanks for that Viatron ... good bed time reading
I think I will suck it and see by putting back the existing ARB then change, adjust and take further advice if it handles like a pig when completed.
Pictures to follow soon.
Slarti

Hi Slarti, nice to see you're still beavering away in the background.

I uprated my arb to the late spit thicker bar after removing another leaf from the rear spring and fitting 150lb front springs. This has given me an agreeable compromise between ride and handling - it now feels more like a taught road car than a rock hard racer - and you can actually drive it faster on the road because it's no longer thrown off line by mid corner bumps. There's still almost no roll in the bends and the front tyres are a lot less likely to skid under heavy braking as the front end now just squats down a couple of inches and grips.

As you're using a lighter engine it's probably a good idea to try it with everything you've already got first, then make changes if you want a softer/harder ride later. Everything's easy to get to and the parts are cheap so it wouldn't be a problem to make retrospective changes.

Having said that, assuming you have a standard rear spring stack and not a swing-spring, I would recommend you take the top three 'loose' leaves out, plus another leaf from the next stack down while the body's off the chassis. Trust me, your knuckles will thank you for it later!

With 175/80/14 tyres that will give you the correct ride height at the back without needing a lowering block and endow the rear axle with a firm, rather than bone jarring ride.

A lot of people get seduced by talk of 'uprated' 330lb springs and expensive, branded shocks. imho there's no need to spend loads on the suspension on these cars, they're so light and low that they handle really well on Standard (pun intended) shocks and springs.

Good luck.

Hi Mr T. Thanks for the advice. Another leaf coming out of the transverse spring this week-end as suggested.
Might be a bit slow on postings over the next week or so. My son's car this time; a Peugeot 206SW Estate .... suspension bushes bu**erd. From the worshop manual and various forums it seems easier/quicker to replace the back axle and torsion bars as one unit. Not a job I am particularly looking forward to .... but I might get a bottle malt for my troubles
Keep the faith
Slarti

At last ! As far as I'm concerned the chassis is finished New bushes in the axle, new bolts all round; new pistons & seals in the front calipers; new slaves in rear brakes .... etc .etc. A good clear up in Santa's grotto and ready to start on the bulkhead and engine/gearbox. The only thing standing in the way of Sammio progress is my son's Peugeot 206 which need a replacement rear suspension ... Oh well .... onward & upward. Meanwhile a few photos to confirm progress. Happy Christmas to my readers... both of you
ATB
Slarti

Thanks. Happy Christmas to you to!

The chassis looks very nice. I like the red touches. Great platform to work on.

Regards,

Michiel

Looking mighty fine Slarti. Keep up the good work.