BongoBerry
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- Dec 16, 2006
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Hi guys
Tomorrow I am setting the challenge of swapping over my rear springs and then adjusting the torsion bars accordingly.
Having not done this before and only having worked on motorbikes I have started a good old fashion search through the various threads looking for the information I need. I hope to make a nice set of instructions for myself, a guide if you will, that will set me right for the day. I'll state in advance that most of the terms used to describe parts underneath a car mean very little to me.. i am sorely tempted to label them all
So far I have found...
http://bebrs.pie-dabas.net/Webs/Terrano/R20/ relevant sections FA RA
Rear Springs
"If you drop the bottom mounts of the rear shockers off the axle will drop far enough for the springs to fall out - take care not to over extend the brake line though.
Also you need to reset the load compensating valve to account for the lift - see manual.
Section BR (Brakes) page 12 + 13. "
I thought I had seen a decent posting of how to remove the springs, but I cannot find it.
Torsion Bars.... (lots to read on this one)
"if you look under the motor(front end )you will see 2 long bars running from the wishbones to about the centre of your motor.on this end there are 2 adjuster bolts(19mm bolt head)you need to wedge a spanner on the nut on top and turn the bolt with a 19mm socket
clockwise to lift the front suspension.
this has to be done with the motor on the ground and a nice level surface.
measure the gap from the centre of the front hub to the bottom of front wheelarch to get an even height on each side."
OR
"to move the adjusters on the torsion bars first i took the weight off the front end by jacking up and resting on axle stands.undo(anti clockwise)the adjuster until the bolt comes totally out.next i pulled back the dust cover(adjuster end of torsion bar) marked the adjuster and torsion bar with a paint marker.removed the circlip which was under the dust cover and tapped the adjuster off the torsion bar.then using the paint marks on the bar and adjuster for reference i moved it round(so the adjuster was as low as i could get it)4 splines which gave me about another 50mm of thread to use on the adjuster bolt.put the circlip back on and pull the dust cover back into place.then put the long adjuster bolt back in,run the nut on to desired height then put the lock nut on and job done.take it for a drive and see what you think.i left mine to settle for a week then re-measured the ride height and re-adjust if needed."
Tools you will need.
19mm open ended spanner,
a ring spanner 19mm ( I used a 3/4 AF spanner... perfect),
a 19mm socket and long bar.
Procedure.
use open ended spanner on lower nut and slacken top nut.
Tighten the bolt. I found it easier to tighten the bolt at the bottom rather than the nut.
Tighten the lock nut after the procedure.
You can do this while the vehicle is on the ground.
If you count the flats turned while tightening I found the following..
24 flats ( 4 complete turns of the bolt) raises the vehicle approx 19-20mm
at the front.
I still have to raise it a bit more but I'll see how she handles.
Also need to adjust headlights.
If you have any tips, or premade guides/pictures you have done yourself I'd love to see them
Cheers
Adam
Tomorrow I am setting the challenge of swapping over my rear springs and then adjusting the torsion bars accordingly.
Having not done this before and only having worked on motorbikes I have started a good old fashion search through the various threads looking for the information I need. I hope to make a nice set of instructions for myself, a guide if you will, that will set me right for the day. I'll state in advance that most of the terms used to describe parts underneath a car mean very little to me.. i am sorely tempted to label them all
So far I have found...
http://bebrs.pie-dabas.net/Webs/Terrano/R20/ relevant sections FA RA
Rear Springs
"If you drop the bottom mounts of the rear shockers off the axle will drop far enough for the springs to fall out - take care not to over extend the brake line though.
Also you need to reset the load compensating valve to account for the lift - see manual.
Section BR (Brakes) page 12 + 13. "
I thought I had seen a decent posting of how to remove the springs, but I cannot find it.
Torsion Bars.... (lots to read on this one)
"if you look under the motor(front end )you will see 2 long bars running from the wishbones to about the centre of your motor.on this end there are 2 adjuster bolts(19mm bolt head)you need to wedge a spanner on the nut on top and turn the bolt with a 19mm socket
clockwise to lift the front suspension.
this has to be done with the motor on the ground and a nice level surface.
measure the gap from the centre of the front hub to the bottom of front wheelarch to get an even height on each side."
OR
"to move the adjusters on the torsion bars first i took the weight off the front end by jacking up and resting on axle stands.undo(anti clockwise)the adjuster until the bolt comes totally out.next i pulled back the dust cover(adjuster end of torsion bar) marked the adjuster and torsion bar with a paint marker.removed the circlip which was under the dust cover and tapped the adjuster off the torsion bar.then using the paint marks on the bar and adjuster for reference i moved it round(so the adjuster was as low as i could get it)4 splines which gave me about another 50mm of thread to use on the adjuster bolt.put the circlip back on and pull the dust cover back into place.then put the long adjuster bolt back in,run the nut on to desired height then put the lock nut on and job done.take it for a drive and see what you think.i left mine to settle for a week then re-measured the ride height and re-adjust if needed."
Tools you will need.
19mm open ended spanner,
a ring spanner 19mm ( I used a 3/4 AF spanner... perfect),
a 19mm socket and long bar.
Procedure.
use open ended spanner on lower nut and slacken top nut.
Tighten the bolt. I found it easier to tighten the bolt at the bottom rather than the nut.
Tighten the lock nut after the procedure.
You can do this while the vehicle is on the ground.
If you count the flats turned while tightening I found the following..
24 flats ( 4 complete turns of the bolt) raises the vehicle approx 19-20mm
at the front.
I still have to raise it a bit more but I'll see how she handles.
Also need to adjust headlights.
If you have any tips, or premade guides/pictures you have done yourself I'd love to see them
Cheers
Adam