1978SC Front Suspension Refresh

[78sc]

Thought I'd start a thread for a suspension refresh that I started a couple weeks back.

It started with some slop in what turned out to be a loose shock inside of my strut. Thanks to you guys & Chuck at Elephant Racing, determined I had Koni's for Bilstein's. I was also missing the linear bearings (bushings) inside the strut and the top wiper seal.

So, while the struts are at ER getting fixed up with some new Bilstein inserts, I decided to freshen up some things "while I was in there", wife loves that phrase! Going back through the service records that came with the car when I got it, it looks like shocks, ball joints, tie rods ends were last installed in 1984.

She has been good to me for many miles so it's time to give a little back. Here she is not long after I picked her up in 2003.





I decided to try out the ER bushing package. Thanks to many of you who have done this project already and shared your experiences, it came apart rather easily. Heat really did the trick for my ball joints.



I got the ball joints and A-arms off tonight and it has been like Christmas with boxes with Pelican tape on them arriving this week. Now to get things cleaned up a bit and ready for when my struts/shocks come back.

I'll post some more pictures as I go. If you guys have any advice for "do this" or "don't do that", I'm open!

[paulmose]

Phil,

I just finished this on my '85, can't believe the difference, one of those "why did I wait so long?" things.

I used stock ER bushings, followed their instructions, it really is not that hard.

My only tip concerns using a gauge of some kind to align the bushing mounts, I kinda created my own alignment (I'm cheap) using my bench and a drafting triangle, worked perfectly to record the way they came off the car, then to re-align the mounts to the body when re-installing.

When I took it to Texas Track Works they only set the toe, the rest was spot on, lucky me.

And I used lots of Dawn!

Good luck

[wgwollet]

Nice job, thanks for info.

[78sc]

Thanks paulmose. I'm looking forward to my project completion.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[78sc]

So, while inspecting the torsion bars, I found a couple of rub spots. They were covered in grease which I cleaned off for the inspection. How bad are these spots?

[aoncurly]

I had similar scratches on my torsion bars and replaced them with used ones. I recommend replacing as the scratches can create a stress concentration riser and ultimately lead to cracking. Actually, Chuck at Elephant Racing did mine and got me replacements.

[Liam O]

Originally Posted by 78sc

So, while inspecting the torsion bars, I found a couple of rub spots. They were covered in grease which I cleaned off for the inspection. How bad are these spots?

I wouldn't be that concerned with that, once the new bushings are installed they won't rub any more, put some protection on them and move on.

[wrxnofx]

Mine looked similar. I degreased and painted those areas to reprotect. Once the paint was dry I regressed them and reinstalled.

[Reiver]

Those don't look bad but it is not the rubbing that will lead to a fracture in and of itself. (the rubbing from collapsed bushings)
Any pitting from rust , scaring from prior rubbing is the location a torsion bar will develop a stress fracture while doing it's job of suspending/torqueing along its axis.
A torsion bar, if never abused, should last indefinitely.
A collapsed torsion bar, mentioned/seen in other threads, started out as these are...compromised.
Now, those aren't bad but.....you can get nice used ones for about 70 bucks each if you look.

[Jase77]

Phil,

I am doing the same job on my 77S at the moment. One of my torsion bars showed a similar mark but other than being caked in old grease, dirt, flakey paint and some surface rust they are good to re-use. I have clean them, removed the old paint and they have the first coat of primer on them at the moment.

How about your steering rack? I didn't even think about looking closely at it until I removed everything else under there and I am so glad I did. It felt OK whilst driving but when I removed it and started to strip it down it looked like it had been on the Titanic for the last 39 years. Full of rust and crap from the road, knackered dry crusty bearings and in desperate need of an overhaul. I have got all of the replacement parts needed and will hopefully get it reassembled this week.

Good luck with the rest of your project.

[thorloki]

Please continue with this thread, I will be following closely since I am gathering parts to do my 77.

[RDM]

Originally Posted by thorloki

Please continue with this thread, I will be following closely since I am gathering parts to do my 77.

Me, too. My '80 is apart in the garage waiting for struts to come back from Bilstein, hardware to come back from the plater, and metal to come back from the powdercoater.

[mreid]

Use a torch to heat up the ends and they will slide right off (use channel locks to pull them off, not your dick skinners - they be hot!). Then heat the ends of the arms and pull the rubber bushings off. They heat up and stink, but it is by far the easiest way. I'd then have the arms blasted and powder coated. You already have the best sway bar end mounts. I had to weld mine on. Then follow the ER instructions for epoxy in the inner bearing races to the arms. I also highly recommend the spherical washers to make alignment of the arms easy. Have fun!

[78sc]

Thanks for the thoughts & opinions guys. It has been a fun little project so far!

Originally Posted by Jase77

...How about your steering rack? I didn't even think about looking closely at it until I removed everything else under there and I am so glad I did. It felt OK whilst driving but when I removed it and started to strip it down it looked like it had been on the Titanic for the last 39 years. Full of rust and crap from the road, knackered dry crusty bearings and in desperate need of an overhaul. I have got all of the replacement parts needed and will hopefully get it reassembled this week.

Good luck with the rest of your project.

Good thought, I haven't really looked at it that much, but will take a closer look while everything is apart and I'm waiting for my struts to come back.

Originally Posted by mreid

Use a torch to heat up the ends and they will slide right off (use channel locks to pull them off, not your dick skinners - they be hot!). Then heat the ends of the arms and pull the rubber bushings off. They heat up and stink, but it is by far the easiest way. I'd then have the arms blasted and powder coated. You already have the best sway bar end mounts. I had to weld mine on. Then follow the ER instructions for epoxy in the inner bearing races to the arms. I also highly recommend the spherical washers to make alignment of the arms easy. Have fun!

Did this exact thing with the torch yesterday...they came off really easy! Spent the rest of the afternoon stripping and cleaning the arms and then painted them. Also picked up some JB weld for the inner bearing races.

The part of this project that gives me a little worry is the suspension height & wheel alignment. I spent a lot of time last night reading threads on alignment, ride height (the mythical "Euro Height")...I'm less concerned with how the car looks, but more with how it handles. I've kept the spindle height the same. Since this is the first time I've worked on the suspension, I'd like to have someone experienced do the alignment & corner balance, but I'd like to find a Porsche shop who knows these cars.

Any shop recommendations around the Oklahoma City or Tulsa areas?

[Luccia at Pelican Parts]

If you do decide to change out the Torsion bars sway-a-way and Elephant Racing make some great upgraded ones HERE that you can check out. They continue on the next page. Keep up the good work! Looking forward to watching the progress.

[Craig_D]

Originally Posted by paulmose

...I used stock ER bushings, followed their instructions, it really is not that hard.

My only tip concerns using a gauge of some kind to align the bushing mounts, I kinda created my own alignment (I'm cheap) using my bench and a drafting triangle, worked perfectly to record the way they came off the car, then to re-align the mounts to the body when re-installing.

And I used lots of Dawn!

Great tip for someone replacing rubber bushings with rubber bushings, but since he's using PolyBronze bushings, that isn't necessary at all (they rotate easily, unlike rubber bushings which are in a fixed position).

Cheers, and good luck on your rebuild.

[78sc]

So, that took longer than I planned! Unexpectedly lost my dad to cancer last summer and focused on family matters for a while.

Recently had some motivation to finish up this project with the help of my daughters.

Ended up doing a bit more than I had planned, but that's part of the slippery slope....or something like that!

Just got it back from the alignment shop on Friday and very happy with how it drives....200+ miles happy!



Decided I couldn't put her back together without replacing bearings & re greasing the steering rack.



Figured I would replace the fuel pump also. Now I have a spare.


Really like this picture...all the front suspension bits.


Following the instructions from Elephant for bushing install.


A-Arms installed.


Strut installed with new inserts.

[78sc]

It was time for new brake pads and the disks were getting down there, so I figured might as well replace them also.



Never tried one of these before, all I have to say is wow, I like!




Getting some expert help from my 6 year old.


Replace front shocks....must replace rear shocks.


My three year old, ready to hit the road.


Flying through the Oklahoma prairie. I love driving this car!!

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by 78sc

It was time for new brake pads and the disks were getting down there, so I figured might as well replace them also. :::

Getting some expert help from my 6 year old.


My three year old, ready to hit the road.

... and in about 10 years she'll be "pinching" the keys!

(Great looking daughters. Mine are all grown up. 2 Girls 27 & 28 this year, 1 boy, Just turned 21)

[78sc]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

... and in about 10 years she'll be "pinching" the keys!

(Great looking daughters. Mine are all grown up. 2 Girls 27 & 28 this year, 1 boy, Just turned 21)

Thanks, time passes fast and they grow quickly. I will be happy to teach 'em to drive it when the time comes!