Installed rear monoballs and polybronze springplate bushings, some observations

[Elombard]

I installed these over the Thanksgiving Holiday. I allowed 6 hours to install and 2 hours to re-align the rear (at home).

Wishful thinking, I think I had about 18 hours in it and I have not started the rear alignment or corner balanced.

Important notes:

In most of the posts I have read the monoballs were being installed in aluminum rear bananas. I thought I would put them in the OE steel ones and switch them out when I find the right deal on some Aluminum bananas. The reason I mention this is the freez the monoballs heat the arm trick works well for most. Not for me! I think I remember from school that steel is not nearly as sensitive to temperature change as Aluminum. Or maybe I did not heat the arm long enough....either way it was very dificult infact I broke my vice installing them!!! I ended up beating them in carefully.

This was a piece of cake however compared to getting the arms back in the chassis mounting socket (on the car next to the tranny). They just would not slide in no matter what I did. I ended up beating them and that formed burrs in there which had to be filed down!!! Arrgh. I finally used a big bar and "opened the sockets up" a bit so they would slide in. I highly recommend test fitting the monoball with out the arm attached until you get it to slide in. It does not need to be that tight a fit because it will close back up when you tighten the bolt down.

One trick here, I loosly attached the shock to the bannana arm while I was fighting it. This supports it but lets it move freely in all directions so you dont have to hold the dang thing up the hole time on your chest.

Also, I had to take the arms all the way off, I heard of people installing these with the arms still part attached but it would be tough. Removing the arms means removing the rear calipers and rotors so you can get at the parking brake cable to detach, of course all of the spring plate hardware has to come off and the shock as well.

If you are considering this install please search some other posts there are a number of other "problems" people ran into removing the busings from the banana arm. I did not have these problems because my car had the weltmeister bushings installed by the PO. They just fall out of the arm where as the stock bushes can be a real PITA to remove.

I guess a moral of the story is you definitley do not want to do this twice. If you have any early car and entertain the aluminum rear bananas, do it at the same time if you can swing it. It will be a cold day in miami before I attempt this again.

No advice on the rear spring plate polybronze, they are a piece of cake.

How does it ride!!!

Fabulous, no squeaking and it reacts much better over bumps. Also the rear end feels a little softer, not in a bad way just more compliant - even with the 30mm T bars. I can really feel the difference and the alignment is still whacked!! I dont notice any additional noise but my car is pretty loud.

I just wish I would have done the AL bananas at the same time. I bet the additional un sprung 10 pounds out of back is huge!

Have fun and let me know if you have questions or school me on better methods.