WITW - Barn-find Final Edition

[strummagnet]

Originally Posted by MikkiJayne

Is that bushing squished like that due to the removal process or like that when removed? If its like that when removed is it due to the arm being fully bolted prior to the car suspension sitting normally, therefore under stress?

Originally Posted by MikkiJayne

Powdercoated exhaust hanger and tank straps, with new nuts.



Much better

After all the underside is done I can picture you reclining in your chair (under the car), shades on, tequila sunrise in hand and admiring the view......

[MikkiJayne]

I may or may not have done that already with the front end

Originally Posted by strummagnet

Is that bushing squished like that due to the removal process or like that when removed? If its like that when removed is it due to the arm being fully bolted prior to the car suspension sitting normally, therefore under stress?

The outer edge being mangled is because I run a drill down it to separate the rubber from the metal sleeve. Usually they are already separated most of the way round, so the drill just finishes it off so it pops out. The small chunk missing from the sleeve at the top is from me trying to lever it out before releasing it with the drill.

I'm doing the opposite lower arm this evening so I'll get some more pics.

[MikkiJayne]

This is the other control arm. This is the split bushing, the centre of which just pops out with a screwdriver





This is the other one. You can see how the rubber is detached from the outer sleeve



Not detached enough to pop out though. The sleeve is so corroded that it just splits with the torque from the screwdriver



Drill round the edge - this was so bad it needed a single hole, and then the drill pulled itself all the way round



Removed



Sleeve left in place



Saw through it to relieve the tension holding it in



Sometimes one cut is enough. In this case it wasn't so I made a second cut and then punched the middle bit out, then the sleeve came loose and popped out.



On to the floorpan, prepping for the subframe to go back in. This is one of the holes from the self tappers used to hold the heat shields on, now with a rivet and seam sealer



Water tight



Same thing again but in the tunnel



Grind off the stump of the stud, then open out the hole while pulling it down with the rotary tool



Blind rivnut inserted, again with seam sealer



and a bi-thread stud in the rivnut, held in place with blue loctite so it won't fall out, but could be removed in the future if nedessary. There were four more like this.



This is the new brake hose bracket which will be bonded in place. I've removed the seal sealer and e-coat behind it so its clean aluminium on both sides. The little hole is coincidental and just happened to be in the stock I was using. This piece was going to be the mockup, but it actually worked first time so the hole gets to stay and will provide extra surface area for the adhesive.

[MikkiJayne]

Subframe today, but I started by glueing the brake hose bracket on so that could be curing. The adhesive has a nominal strength on aluminium of 22N per mm². The bracket has an area of 616mm² which gives 13552N of holding force in ideal conditions, or 1.3 tons. I reckon that should hold a brake hose



New bolts. I've used the D3 toe adjustment bolts as they're only 4mm longer than the D2 ones. I got mk5 Golf camber bolts, but unfortunately they are missing 8mm of thread on the end so aren't quite long enough. The D3 camber bolts are 10mm too long, so I may have to just get the Febest ones.

The two long ones on the right are for the outer toe rod joint, which are from an Amarok, and 5mm longer than the D2 bolts. We probably should have an alternative parts thread where I can list all this...



All assembled







It was about this point where my phone battery died, so no more pics unfortunately. I had to swap the headlight level sensor, and made a new arm for that at the same point. The rear dampers are painted and back in too.

There are a couple of jobs left before putting it back in the car - the diff mount bolts were on back order so those need swapping, new camber bolts as noted, and a few other bits of hardware. I'd also like to get the brakes assembled while its sitting on pallets and nice and easy to get to.

Finally, I need to make some alignment sleeves to line it up with the rear mounting holes, as the tool I made when I did Ricky D's doesn't work with the D3 bushes. Those are 20mm inner diameter, whereas the locating holes are 21mm diameter, so I'll print up some simple sleeves for these. There's no load on them as they are purely used to line it up, and being printed there's no issue leaving them in place.

[S81]

This is really pretty much a full refurbishment,are you looking at 300 plus hrs ?

[Ronin]

Nice touch with the carpet on pallets.
A typical workshop would probably just use 2 transmission stands or something and scratch the subframe.

[strummagnet]

Originally Posted by MikkiJayne

Subframe today, but I started by glueing the brake hose bracket on so that could be curing. The adhesive has a nominal strength on aluminium of 22N per mm². The bracket has an area of 616mm² which gives 13552N of holding force in ideal conditions, or 1.3 tons. I reckon that should hold a brake hose

The time and effort to 'do it right'

I would have just stuck a rivnut in there and bolted it

[tonupkid]

Presumably Rivnuts etc are not aluminium. Is there therefore a potential for galvanic corrosion in future, or does your use of sealant insulate he different metals from each other?

[MikkiJayne]

I have aluminium rivnuts where they are appropriate, and considered one here but I don't have a reference for what's behind this sheet metal so adhesive was the way to go.

Now covered in seam sealer



New fuel filter



The old one was dated 2002 so likely the original



This is the D3 camber bolt which is 10mm longer than it needs to be. Its ugly but it does the job.

[strummagnet]

Originally Posted by MikkiJayne

The old one was dated 2002 so likely the original

Changed at recommended intervals

I wonder what it looks like inside?