TWiR 1986 S3 TWR

[KiwiDave]

All those new parts Dave ...you will notice a difference with the new suspension, (you probably do it as a matter of course already) I always put grease on the bolts/nuts when re-assembling components so they come apart easy if there is a next time, good time to do it at the moment, anything else to do?

Sound advice there Pete.

There's always going to be a 'To Do' list but finishing off the rear end has been a long time coming. I'm making a start at getting things put back together.

[KiwiDave]

Progress is slower than I would like. Refitting the upper arms is a lot more difficult than getting them out. Getting everything to align properly takes a fair amount of persuasion and a selection of enforcement tools.
The drop link hardware arrived from RockAuto. Annoyingly, the new bolts are shorter than the originals. This means that when everything is stacked and mounted, there is no room at all to fit the nut.



Not to worry, I've ordered a pair of adequate length bolts from eBay and they should be here in a couple of days.

Removing the retaining plate for the sway bar bushes revealed a bodge. The original captive thread has been stripped so a coach bolt (or what's left of it) has been substituted with a nut on the end.

[KiwiDave]

Getting there slowly. A bit of a fiasco trying to get the correct size bolts. Went M10 to match the stuff from RockAuto and everything fitted except for the bushes. I've reverted back to the OEM spec (M8) and gone slightly longer (170mm vs 165mm) just in case.

Tidied up the old crush tubes and used the chunky washers from the RockAuto shipment.





SuperPro poly bushes





Energy Suspension sway bar poly bushes ... thanks Pete




Just sorting out what to do about the sway bar bush support plates (missing captive nut) and sway bar mounting plates (rounded/damaged studs and bolts. Won't be long now.

[spirit r]

Dave......why the different coloured poly bushes? Different stiffness?

[KiwiDave]

Energy Suspension poly bushes come in two colors, red or black. There is no difference apart from the color, Thomas.

Almost all of the bushes on the car are Energy Suspension and most are in black. Pete kindly supplied me with a pair of rear sway bar bushes that just happened to be red. The Watts Link bushes are similarly in red.

The front drop link bushes are also in red. I sourced these from the US way back in 2012. They are Chevy Camaro items but listed for SA/FB as well.

SuperPro poly bushes are only available in blue and I had a set of rear drop link bushes in my spares department. Also installed in the idler arm.

[KiwiDave]

Some more progress ....

Last minute change of the replacement drop link bolts from this (A2)



to this (8.8 high tensile) to match OEM spec









The captive nut on this side had been drilled out and substituted for a coach bolt.



Now replaced with a grade 8.8 bolt and nyloc nut.



All that'a left now is to find replacements for this pair of troublemakers ix bolt into a captive nut, 1x nut on a stud


They weren't in the best of condition before they came off and are now both rounded on most points. I ordered M10 replacements but the thread pitch is incorrect so I'm visiting a specialist shop tomorrow with the little buggers in hand.

[spirit r]

The german TÜV would say turn the screw upside down Dave I would say do what you whanted to do.

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[Hobbawobba]

Good shout on swapping from stainless, to mild high tensile aye. You don't want stainless to be under load as it's pretty brittle

Good work bro! Heat and WD40 is your friend

[DKWW2000]

Great work Dave, looking good, a spray of (this time of year Warm/Hot Old diesel Engine Oil/White spirit will work wonders at stopping any further surface rust & seep in to all nooks & crannies, nothing better (& cheaper). If done every couple of years builds up like sticky underseal, get a all in one paint/decorators suit & a mask, also keeps bolts/nuts from seizing

[KiwiDave]

The german TÜV would say turn the screw upside down Dave I would say do what you whanted to do.

20210211_063800.jpg

This is the way that mazda says it should be mounted Thomas. Would I win this argument at the German TUV?