1981 S3; repairing modified lower links

[SciroccoEV]

Lower link modified for air ride. I'm putting the car back on coils and will convert to post '85 (adjustable platform) dampers, which means I can just remove the original platform to make the repair easier.

Cutting the MIG welds for the inner reinforcement was pretty easy, but there are a couple of spot welds that put up some resistance. There is some wear in the anti-roll bar holes, so I may swap the links side for side when I make the new reinforcing plates.

[jonwat]

I see no pictures 

[Sparky]

I do.

[jonwat]

Curious 

[sailorbob]

I don't, just 'spacer.png' links in their place.

[Sparky]

I'm a spacer, a starchaser.

[exeterjeep]

Just get a black and white sort of no entry sign..

[SciroccoEV]

OK, lets try it this way...

[Sparky]

Works for me!

[exeterjeep]

+1...

[sailorbob]

I can see the new ones

[snowrx]

I can see clearly now...

[jonwat]

Yep, I see the new ones too 

[SciroccoEV]

Since the car has finally made it into the workshop and is up on the lift, it's probably time for a little update. 

I decided these links were too much work to repair and whilst up at Lotusbits, bought a sound pair of much more readilt available and cheaper Elite/Eclat lower links. As I suspected and Mike confirmed, they're pretty much identical, apart from the lack of a spring platform (that I don't need anyway). 

They're only handed by the anti-roll bar bush cups, so swapping the links side for side (adding new cups) presents unworn holes. Lotusbits sell CNC machined replacement cups, but they're £20 each +vat. I was either going machine some myself, or machine a simple press tool, but I'm now looking at converting to a seperate tie-bar, with the anti-roll bar being removed of that duty.

[SciroccoEV]

I'm going a slightly different route in the end. I've decided to replace the anti-roll bar bushes with a spherical bearing, the same one that's used in the trunnionless conversion, an NMB ABWT10(R).

The lack of compliance in the shperical bearing means the anti-roll bar can do a much better job locating the lower arm under braking and gets rid of the short lived bushes.

To do this, I've machined a housing for the sheriacal bearing and used a piloted hole saw to open up the 3/4" hole in the suspension arm to accept it.

I've just got to weld the housings in and make up the top-hat bushes that mate the anti-roll bar to the bearings. 

 

[SciroccoEV]

[SciroccoEV]