Damper Replacement

[RED BARON]

Hi. I am replacing my Dampers front and back, I have the car on twin axle stands also I have bought a pair of strong spring compressors
to remove both the spring for cleaning up as well as renewing the old damper.

My question is in two parts. First the manual said When Tightening The Lower Link Bolt it must ONLY BE DONE WITH THE CAR AT RIDE HEIGHT. What does this mean ? Is it that the spring must be at normal tension as if the weight of the car is on it so as not to twist the damper bush rubber when the car is back down on the floor.

If this is the case with the car already on stands can I just jack each side up in turn off the one stand just to tighten the lower bolt. As if
on the ground.

My second question is. The new dampers come that are adjustable with a knob on the lower part that can be turned up to 13 clicks. can
someone tell me is this just for road stiffness or is it for road height ?
If it is for stiffness how many clicks is it to replicate the old non-adjustable dampers ?

Regards.
Ian.

[Hawaiis0]

The adjustment knob is for stiffness. adjust until you are happy. everyone's bum is different

[AndyC]

Yes, this means the spring at normal tension (or length , whichever way you think of it), so as to have the bush correctly rotated when at normal resting position. The bush forms part of the resistance. It's not just car weight, I think you're supposed to have the equivalent weight of driver and half tank of fuel as well.

So, the car is on stands.
Where are they? If they are supporting the suspension in the same way that wheels would do, then your springs will already be at the right length (if you've got that weight in). For example, if the front stands are supporting beneath the lower balljoints, then that's the same effect as the front wheels being on the ground.
You can just jack the corner up to the point at which the suspension is appropriately compressed and tighten the bolts then. That means knowing the right distance between hub and wheel arch or some similar way of knowing.



The adjustment is damping effect. The more you tighten, the more resistance to movement. It will not effect height.

[DavidOliver]

Ian, while you are at it check the spring strength/rating. Springs fade with time and the only way to fix it is buy new, at 28 pounds each and no need to shot blast and paint old ones to me is a good deal.
If the car is on four wheels on level ground check the distance between top of tyre and body arch.
If on stands I would just put the car back on the ground.
There are finer ways of doing this but if this first check shows negative you need new springs anyway. Circuit racers may decide to check spring rate on new springs.
This check is important for front suspension, rear suspension depends on the depth of your pocket as long as clearance differences are not dramatic..

Dave the cog.

[MrCoolA]

I wouldn’t recommend car spring compressors if you are fitting coilovers as you don’t have a lot of room. I use motorcycle compressors.

[Pete Boole]

I use motorcycle compressors.

Pete

[CHRISYD]

I think with regard to the "clicks" on the adjustment knob, if you turn it fully anti clock wise, then turn clock wise about 6-7 clicks, that is about the same as standard damper were.

[RED BARON]

Thanks gents I put the stands under the front cross member, as the safest place and to keep it all level. I will put it back on the ground with wheels on and move it a little so that it settles properly.
Then measure the gap between the tyres and the wheel arches on all four wheels while I'm at it.

After checking the gaps will put it back on the stands and jack up off the stand each front side in turn under the suspension arm with the wheel on till I get the same measurement wheel to arch, take the wheel off before tightening the bolt to the correct torque.
Put it back down on the stand then do the other side the same way.

I was just going to clean and paint the existing springs but after reading here I am going to buy some new ones, to do a proper safe job.

When I fit the damper will set it to 6 clicks each side which sounds about halfway as standard.

Thanks again everyone for your help.
Ian.

[MrCoolA]

I use motorcycle compressors.

Pete

Spring compressors. And as you are aware I change suspension quite regularly

Sealey VS1824 Motorcycle Motorbike Coil Spring Compressor Installation & Removal https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 2651299409

[amarshall]

When I fit the damper will set it to 6 clicks each side which sounds about halfway as standard.

If you do a forum search, you'll find threads with suggested starting points for the most commonly fitted dampers - ProTech, Avo and Gaz. They're rarely, if ever, the same front and back.

[smithersoli]

I was recommended to roll the car a decent distance forward and backward and cycle the suspension a few times before finally tightening the suspension bolts to get out any residual twist in the bushes. Made quite a difference when i got it on a laser four wheel aligner as the first time i did it all up the car was on stands at the balljoints as i had tried to replicate ride height by jacking the wheels up as you suggest but it didn't quite work.

Trick for me was to find a friendly local kwik fit that is usually not busy on a sunday and had some guys there who appreciated a classic.

For a case of beer in addition to their standard laser alignment fee, I was allowed in the workshop and we took an hour to release and re-tighten all of the suspension components I had replaced at the final road height on their lift (so wheels on the ground) and adjust the camber and wheel alignment to perfect at the same time.

Car handles like a dream now !