My SuperFlex experience

["Matthew Dooher" <matthew.dooher@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

My 164 was in critical need of a new set of front shocks but I had a
problem..... the cheapest I could get was $500NZ each. being a member of the
financially challenged club of New Zealand I decided to try elsewhere. As
luck would have it I had a relation going to the UK where such things are
available from Demon Tweeks for only $280 NZ each (OK they might only be
Munroe's but anything was better than my 9 year old 70 k miles originals)
and most importantly no postage to pay.

I decided that if I was spending that much I should also get a set of
SuperFlex bushings. All the parts arrived on Friday so I decided to fit them
on Saturday.

Saturday Morning
I put the car on axle stands and removed the road wheels. I decided the best
thing to do was loosen all the shock absorber mounting bolts while the
control arm was still in place. This helped to avoid unnecessary stress on
the tie rod ends etc. Then I tackled the ball joint. Got the nut off ok but
I didn't want to use a ball joint separator because I needed to reuse the
joint. I had separated ball joints successfully in the past when I owned a
Triumph 2500. In those days I used a large pry-bar and a hammer. So I
decided to do the same here. I wedged a wrecking bar between the control arm
and the hub, applied a bit of pressure, then hit the side of the ball joint
with a hammer.......... POP ...... whew it worked. Next remove the nut
holding the end of the sway bar and try the 2 bolts holding the front of the
control arm to the body. Bugger.... can't get the socket in there someone
put a sump in the way.... down to Repco to buy 2x 17mm spanners. Mine only
went up to 15mm Got the spanners and undid the  two bolts no problem. The
rear ones came off easy as pie. then I just undid the shock absorber and
lifted it out. I discovered that the hub and disk are very heavy to hold in
one hand. A plastic bucket placed right way up so the disk sat in the top
held it perfectly. Then I did the passengers side. much cleaner..... must be
that leaking cam seal....maybe next weekend

Saturday afternoon
Time to remove the old rubber bushes
Ok only one thing really works here. Acetylene Torch. I spent the next 4-5
hours turning 4 Rubber blocks into soot. the rear ones came out fairly
easily but being  lot bigger created the most mess. All you need to do is
keep burning until the area won't burn any more. Then once the housing is
cool wipe it out with a gas soaked rag. Easy .... The front ones needed a
bit more work the inner shaft wouldn't press out so I heated the housing
until the rubber basically oozed out the ends and burned away as it came.
The front ones also have a stainless steel sleeve that must be removed I
used a coal chisel for a start but without much success. Then I heated the
housing around the sleeve and tried again...... success.... you would wonder
what all the fuss was about.

Sunday Morning
Time to install my new pretty blue SuperFlex bushes.
I expected the front ones to be the most difficult .... not so... they went
in easy as pie I just coated them in molybdenum grease and pushed. I didn't
even need a press.

No matter how much I tried I couldn't get the rear ones in. Not even using a
press, they were just too big. Luckily I have access to a lathe. I machined
up piece of plastic with an internal taper that fitted on the housing. (The
housing is basically just a collar of metal separate from the control arm.)
I coated this, the bush, the housing, the press, me etc in moly grease and
pressed the bush right through, small end first. Once right through I was
able to remove my plastic bit, turn the collar upside down and press the
bush back till it popped into place.

Sunday afternoon
put the control arms back on and start the shock absorbers.

No I won't tell you all about that. just that if you ever replace them
1) as you remove the spring part from the shock ease the lower bearing out
of its housing don't let all the balls fall out on the garage floor. :)
2) the dust you find trapped inside the rubber used to be a bump stop so
have a replacement handy

Anyone with any questions, advice or comments about my boring post fell free
to mail me


Matthew Dooher
1989 164 RHD
Dunedin, New Zealand
Phone 	+64 3 479-7968
Fax	+64 3 479-7584
E- mail 	matthew.dooher@domain.elided
http://www.otago.ac.nz/Zoology/staff/md.html

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