Front Suspension Strut (2)

I am quite getting into this being oily lark. After what seems like years (coz it is!) doing bodywork, it is nice to be working on mechanical things again.

Last time we met I had just put together the new strut, but couldn't finish the brakes as I needed new pistons. Well, they duly arrived and I had a box full of bits to play with.

The pistons were more fiddly than I thought they would be, but in the end they went in ok with a bit of extra brake fluid to help them over the seals in the calipers. It was lovely to see the new brake pads, shims, split pins and retainer-thingies all in place and bolted to the strut.

So, today was all about stripping down the other suspension strut, ready to do the same job all over again. I don't have the parts yet to complete the rebuild, but I did enjoy taking everything apart.

The two ball joints took a lot of heat and hitting with a splitter to seperate them from the mechanics of the sub-frame, but in the end they relented and came free. That left me with the strut, which was very tired.

I had already removed the spring, and incidentally was amazed at how the bump stop under the gaiter had absolutely disintegrated. Hub and disc, and then the disc shield were all removed to make it lighter, and then I got on with the horrible job of removing the top collar/nut which holds the damper in place. This took an awful lot of heat but eventually it came free.

I must admit that I like stripping things down, and one of the things I have learned is never, ever throw anything away until it has been replaced by its new counterpart and confirmed satisfactory. And so it was today that my box full of new bits became the box of grime, and started to fill.

Having removed and split the calipers, the pistons just wouldn't budge. Hitting them with a hammer did make them move, which gave me hope of a successful outcome plus had the added benefit of squirting residual brake fluid three feet into the air each time. A combination of compressed air, mole grips (they will not be re-used - the pistons, I mean. Mole grips will have a place in my heart forever) and rather a lot of foul language saw them eventually come out.

So, the calipers went into the box of grime ready for next weekend and I got on with the job of cleaning and painting the bare strut. As before, I used a wire cup brush in the angle grinder and it came up well. A coat of etch primer, followed by satin black from a can saw it looking lovely.

I should say that I regret painting the other (completed) strut in Hammerite. Is it just me or has Hammerite gone off the boil recently? It is incredibly gloopy yet has the covering capacity of tracing paper. Plus, of course, the strut should have been satin black all along. What was I thinking? Oh well, this TR7 will have one gloss and one satin suspension strut. I hope that baffles her new owner long after I am gone. On that note and just for fun, I might leave a note in the strut where the damper goes: "John woz 'ere."