Hi All,
Having come back from the gym this morning, and with the sunshine out, I thought I would just get on with the removal of the front suspension.
Having jacked up the car and got the front on axle stands, I removed the wheels and decided to replace the brake pads first. That was a battle that I didn’t enjoy at all, and I needed to resort to drastic measures to remove the pads. As some will know, the Brembo retaining pins can become difficult to remove/ceased at the rear of the callipers, after a period of time. This was the case today
After using a punch, WD40 and a bit of heat, none of them would budge. I know that the retaining pins are roughly 60 quid new but it’s something that I’ll just have to take on the chin, if my repair plan doesn’t work.
So, I got the Dremel out and made two cuts in each of the pins. The first cut was completely cut through and the second one was partly way through; enough so that it would bend and be easier to repair later on.
With the cuts made, the fronts of the pins came out with very little effort, as expected. The rears required a big whack with a solid bar, but they also came out.
With the pins out, the pads came out and they were replaced with some new ones.
My Mrs popped to Halfords for me to pick up some chemical metal. I have used this to marry the pins back together. We’ll see if this sets solidly. If not I’ll have to buy new retaining pins (very likely). I’ll make the call tomorrow. Someone might suggest other ways of getting round this, but I couldn’t see any other option. Nothing would budge at all… I then gave them a good clean, and will touch them up if needed before putting the wheels back on.
I then undid the hub/strut nut holding the suspension leg on the driver’s side. I used the usual technique for undoing rusted bolts (wire brush, WD40 and heat). Eventually that budged. I then remove the tie rod arm from the arb. This bolt nut wouldn’t budge after three heat cycles, so I got the grinder out. Success
Then I removed the nut holding the ball joint to the hub. Hard work
Looking at the wishbone and particularly how the front bush is mounted, I’m just not sure I can get them off. I’m thinking I’ll replace everything else, and when the car has its new front tyres fitted and tracking done, I’ll get the guys to switch over the wishbones. A bit defeatist but I just think it’s a little far beyond my reach.
I’ll potter in the evenings after work with a hope that everything will be in at the weekend. I’ve got to loosen everything on the passenger side first, then I’ll remove the front suspension struts and go from there.
Thanks for reading