Tackling the Suspension Refurbishment

When I started dismantling the suspension, I knew a complete overhaul was firmly on the cards. The old polyurethane bushes were well past their best. They were so heavily degraded that they quite literally crumbled in my hands as I tried to remove them.

The real headache, however, came from the construction of the old bushes themselves. They featured steel sleeves that had completely fused with the mounting bolts over the years. This turned what should have been a standard tear-down into a highly labour-intensive nightmare. Almost every single bolt had to be carefully angle-ground or cut out just to free the components from the chassis.

Once the old metal was finally liberated, I had all the suspension parts shot-blasted right back to bare metal. To keep them protected against the elements for years to come, I applied a solid base of Armaguard rust prevention primer, followed by a heavy-duty U-Pol Raptor topcoat.

Putting it all back together was incredibly satisfying. Absolutely none of the old hardware went back on the car. Every single bolt was replaced with brand new fixings, along with fresh ball joints and bushes all round. The front suspension was also fully rebuilt with a completely new set of needle bearings to ensure the handling remains as sharp as it was intended to be. It took a massive amount of effort, but having a clean, rust-free and perfectly moving suspension setup makes all the hours of grinding completely worthwhile.