Suspension Refresh

[Tug68]

Suspension tear out replacing all bushing’s and cleaning it all up making it pretty should be fun.

[66cal912]

Good times, a lot of work, but well worth it. I did mine about 15 years back. Went with Elephant racing urethane spring plate bushings and uniballs. Rides great with that combo. Be sure to use shim stock on the urethane bushings in the spring plate bushing retainer to take out extra slop, when I went to install mine there was a lot of slop between the urethane and the stamped cup, in communicating with Elephant I think they later started including shim stock to take up that gap/play, I used stainless steel shim stock from Mcmaster Carr. You should be able to find a place that will gold zing plate all of your parts at one time to get a uniform finish, brake backing plates, fasteners, etc. Be sure they bake all the fasteners and swaybar links to deter any hydrogen embrittlement. If the plater doesn't know what you are talking about when you ask that they do that, find another plater, who does.

Biggest challenge is setting the rear hub roller bearing preload with the Porsche crush sleeve. It's a one shot deal on the crush sleeves reaching the proper torque setting which I believe is around 290-300 Ft*lbs, but be sure to look it up in the Porsche Factory 930 manual. I remade the factory tool that clamps that bolts to the hub and pushes against the ground to reach full torque, but you can make a plate that goes on the hub, and welds to a bar or tube for the same result. I wouldn't recommend using an impact gun as I m sure many have had to resort too, you wont know what torque you are at and may overdue the preload on the bearings. I would hand torque while using the dial indicator to achieve proper torque verses endplay as noted in the manual. You'll also want to use a very high quality grease, as you don't want to have to really get into those rear hub bearings ever again. I recommend Lucas high temp Hub Grease, or some of the products available on the host site. Be sure to use the proper CV joint grease if your going to do the axles at the same time. Either the one here, https://www.pelicanparts.com/More_Info/2003.htm?pn=2003-M19&bc=c&SVSVSI=0751

Or a Swepco or Krytox CV joint grease, the GKN stuff maybe OK too, but I don't have experience using it, mainly Swepco or Krytox, that I think the host site used to sell.

Also the CV joint boots that are available in the Porsche style for 930 CV's I've found always seem too small and want to slip off the CV during install or shortly after some miles. I went with a larger motorsports style boot for offroad racing 930 CV's that allows more articulation in the bellows and glued the boot and clamped it to the CV to prevent it from slipping off. The glue was recommended by some old desert racers and I've never had a grease leak yet in the 15 years. The glue was a tan or clear colored rubber to metal weather strip adhesive, if still available pretty sure a 3M product, here is a black version: https://www.grainger.com/product/3M-Construction-Adhesive-5-fl-2KVC4
You can get the 930 larger style boots here: https://www.mckenzies.com/collections/drivetrain/products/930-934-cv-boot-straight-flange-mount-empi-86-9301

Pics below are my parts during prep and install. If you have access to a large Ultrasonic tank, it will really clean up the aluminum rear arms. Then clear coat them with clear gloss or matte paint, to seal the aluminum from grease, oil and corrosion.

I also rerouted the Thermostat oil lines while I had this apart to utilize European style or later model exhaust manifolds so I had to make some large diameter wrenches to get the lines on and off the oil thermostat housing as that area was very tight. You may have experienced this already pulling yours apart.

Good luck and have fun, if you have any questions, just hit us back on hear, many others have threads doing this same job with a lot of details if you search this turbo section in the forum.

[kevinkross77]

That sounds like a blast, Alan! Doing a full suspension tear-out is such a rewarding job—especially when you’re aiming to replace all the bushings and give everything a nice, clean refresh. It’ll make a huge difference in handling, responsiveness, and overall feel once you’re done.
A Few Tips for Your Suspension Overhaul:

Upgraded Bushings:
If you haven’t already, I’d recommend going with polyurethane bushings or even delrin for the control arms, sway bars, and rear suspension. They’re firmer than stock rubber but will give you that more precise feel without being overly harsh. It’ll tighten up the ride without sacrificing too much comfort for street use.
For the rear suspension, if you’re doing the whole kit, ERP or Wevo have some excellent options. They offer a good balance of street comfort and track performance, depending on how firm you want it.

Cleaning and Refurbishing:
If you’re cleaning things up, make sure to inspect all of the suspension components (control arms, shocks, sway bars) for wear, corrosion, or any issues. It’s a great opportunity to clean up any dirt or debris that’s built up over the years. Abrasive blasting (if done carefully) can be used to clean up parts before painting or powder-coating.
For the shock absorbers, you can either go with a factory replacement or if you’re looking for more performance, something like Bilstein HD or Koni adjustable shocks might be a good way to go, especially if you're keeping the car street-focused.

Alignment:
Once everything is back together, getting a proper alignment will be crucial. Given the upgrades, you'll want the car to track straight and have that responsive feel. A good alignment will make the world of difference, especially on the high-performance tires you’ll be running.

Rebuilding the Sway Bars:
If you’re tackling the sway bars too, swapping out the bushings with something like adjustable sway bars from companies like Tarrett or Bilstien could give you more control over handling and balance. Adjustable bars let you fine-tune the car’s behavior, which is great if you ever decide to track it or just want to dial in your driving dynamics.

Keep It Pretty:
Refurbishing the suspension is also a good time to throw in a little TLC. Cleaning and coating parts will not only make the suspension look sharp but also help with longevity by preventing corrosion. It’s always great when the underside of the car looks as good as the top!

[Jeff NJ]

Looks fun! I did similar 10yrs ago. At that time, Billstein offered a service where you send them the shocks/struts and they rebuild them, so it still has the original ones, but brand new internals, on your car. Was very happy with their service.

[Tug68]

Thanks guys! I’m not wrenching so my guys are disassembling and reassembling all said parts. I am working w Elephant Racing and they are doing all bushing installs on control arms and trailing arms also all refurbishment on them as well. I am sticking with all stock bushings and shocks and front inserts will be new all around. I’m sure it is going to be much better then what it is now as all parts are 37 years old. Will keep you updated on progress!

[krasuskyp]

Waaaay coooool, Tim! Good show. Will look 'n feel soooo good when done. I've only yet done some of my rears (coilovers/poly swing's), front is on the to-do list in the coming season or 3 heh heh.

How many miles you up to now there? Rolled 80k here 8)

[Tug68]

Hey thanks Paulie, yea should be so much better then the washy feeling that I had driving it. I just turned 60k. Hopefully putting some more miles and smiles when this weather breaks!

[Tug68]

I got some parts back from the powder coating shop. Things are slowly progressing!

[Alan L]

You will be surprised how much of a difference it makes - getting rid of old rubber bushes etc.
I used Elepahnt racing bits too. Before that my thing handled like a jellyfish.
Alan

[slow&rusty]

Good job!

I went through the identical re-fresh a few years ago:

[Tug68]

Most of the parts back from Elephant Racing. Still waiting on nuts and bolts and spring plates to be finished by plater.

[krasuskyp]

comin along nicelike there dewdie!

[krasuskyp]

comin along nicelike there dewdie!

[Tug68]

Thanks for the double niceness Paulie!��

[Tug68]

Last pieces to the puzzle:

[Tug68]

Some progress

[Tug68]

[fourblades]

That looks awesome, Tim!

That is a lot of work, I know because I did all the same refreshing. It will be worth it because your car will ride like new again.

Who did the plating work? I am amazed at how they separated and sealed the small parts. How long did it take them to get it back to you?

John

[Tug68]

Thanks John, Elephant sent it out to get plating done. It took a week to ship to them then the process took a little over a week to get done then a week in ground shipping back to me. I’m in NY so it’s going cross country.

[gsxrken]

Good for you, Tim. I did all of this back in 2013 with Rebel Racing bits but at the time couldn’t/wouldn’t wait the time it would take to replate everything. So I saved 3 weeks I cannot remember 12 years ago and now I hate these sort of reminders. Thanks Tim. ;-)