Realistic times to do suspension?

porsche4life · porsche4life's Garage

I'm going to start attacking my suspension in the next few weeks. All new bushings, torsion bars, struts, springs, etc.

Realistically how long am I looking at? Like can I do the rear over Labor Day weekend?

Anybody got any tips that aren't mentioned in clarks?

962porsche · 08-24-2010, 08:01 PM

i build about 4 944 cup and spec cars a year . it will take about 3 8 hour days to do front and rear . now how much and how far are you going to dig into it . you are plaining to reindex the rear t-bar . one spline on average will drop the rear about 32MM . what bushings delron or metallic ? are you going to balance to car ? then becouse your asking i would say you have not realy worked to much on porsches suspensions so add more time to the job . do you have a lift or are you going to do the job on jack stands ? then there is the alignment ?

porsche4life · porsche4life's Garage

Yes I have a lift. I will trailer it and have it aligned and corner balanced.

Going with Delrin Bushings, Honestly the TB indexing is what has me scared. Just seems like a lot to potentially mess up.

porsche4life · porsche4life's Garage

I'll be putting these on the front...

Koni inserts with 250lb springs.

I've got all the bushings that come in the SPEC packages that Paragon sells. I ordered them separately so I could get delrin at the front of the Aarms.

962porsche · 08-25-2010, 04:52 AM

the t-bars are no big-e ! becouse you will have the t-bar apart when doing the rear bushings . just mark them were they were when you take them apart .up front what camber caster plates are you going with ? with some of the camber kits there is a little lip were the strut pokes thru on the strut tower that shouls be removed thats if there a sandwich tipe plate . are you also in stalling a strut tower brace ?

Rasta Monsta · Rasta Monsta's Garage

Two consecutive weekends for the rear. After you drop and disassemble it, you'll have the week to get the bushings out, rezinc all your fasteners and your springplates, replace the wheel bearings, and powdercoat the carrier. Then you can slap her back together the following weekend.

The fronts are easy breezy.

ernie9944 · ernie9944's Garage

^^ Talking about rezinc Josh over RL is the guy to see.

porsche4life · porsche4life's Garage

Holy wow!

I can do the wheel bearing when I do the brakes right? The brakes are going to be done later in the year. I just don't have the money right now.

I'm not doing camber plates right now. I know that is probably a mistake but I simply can't afford another 800 bucks... I'll get them and a strut brace later on.

I'm not just reindexing the Torsion Bars. I am replacing them with 27mm units.

As far as the zinc plating goes. I'll pass on that. Any parts that are in bad shape will be dealt with, but rust isn't much of a problem on this car and I don't go in for bling.

All Zing! No bling!

krystar · 08-25-2010, 08:51 AM

you ARE reindexing when you're replacing. because if you don't, the ride height will be much higher since the spring rate is going stiffer.

at the very least u should wire wheel everythign clean and rattlecan with rustoleum or something.

porsche4life · porsche4life's Garage

Obviously if I am replacing I will be reindexing. I can't mark the old ones and put them back the way they came though.

Like I said. The hardware will be dealt with when I get in there and see what they look like

Rasta Monsta · Rasta Monsta's Garage

Well, after you remove the spring plate bushings, you will also have removed all the rust inhibitor off of the spring plates. . .you really should recoat. It is not expensive to do. . .my guy charged me $45 for my spring plates, all suspension fasteners, all handbrake hardware, and a bunch of engine fasteners.

I wouldn't skip the bearings, either. They are somewhere around 10,000x easier with the trailing arm removed from the car.

But, whatever. . .you're just going to risk your car and your life driving the crap out of it, right?

porsche4life · porsche4life's Garage

I'll look into the bearings... They can't be that hard on the car...

You do realize the nearest place to have any coating done will be over an hour away. Its not like I can drop this stuff on my way to work... I would have to take a day off on both ends. Not exactly cost effective. I will make the determination while I am in there. This car rarely sees rain and lives inside. OK does not salt even if I did drive in the snow.

Rasta Monsta · Rasta Monsta's Garage

/advice_render 0
/thread_plonk 1

fiat22turbo · fiat22turbo's Garage

You do realize they have several services that will come to your door and pick up packaged materials and deliver them to a location of your desire for a nominal fee. This same group of services will also deliver packages to your door as well.

Honestly, to do it correctly, you'll need to spend at least a couple of weeks with the car apart if you're going to do it all at once. Especially if you have to send parts out for refinishing.

If you don't have a spare car, then you'll need to break the project up and do one end at a time and acquire spares that you can prepare ahead of time.

porsche4life · porsche4life's Garage

I have a spare car so that is not a problem. My dad will start getting antsy however if the car is spread out all over his shop space for several weeks.

Rasta in a perfect world I would have it all replated.

jamesjedi · 08-25-2010, 02:06 PM

Keep in mind that if you go to low, your control arms will no longer have the correct geometry. Lowered cars have an increased risk of failure of the control arms.

porsche4life · porsche4life's Garage

I'm not lowering much. I already have a hard time getting it on the trailer. OK roads suck so I don't want to knock a hole in the oil pan either....

962porsche · 02:50 PM

you still can mark were the old t-bar was so that you have a starting point for the new t-bar . a hack saw or a cut off wheel will put a very little mark on the t-bar housing in line with the old t-bar . even when its refinished you can still see it . you could do the bearing at some other point in time there real ez to do when the car is together and if there ok now there is no plus to do them . the only real thing you should do if your not going to do a full detail (refinishing ) to the parts. which unless your a hack you should not be beating up the finish thats there. is when you remove the rubber from the new t-bars for the new delron bushings is sand were the old rubbers were and put some etch primer and some paint on that part . you will only want to drop the car from an inch to an inch and a half . to low and its not your oil pan but handling . you need suspension travel when it comes to making a car handle . when a car is to low it lessens shock travel making it ride more on the bump stops . that will make the car skate after you run out if suspension travel . it sure seams to me you do know were your going and how you have to do the job .

jerryw · jerryw's Garage

Reindexing or changing the T-Bars isn't complex but attention to detail and test fitting is time consuming. Using a lift we have done a set of T-Bars in a day using the procedure on the 944Spec website developed by Joe Paluch. The key is the measurements and the spread sheet that will give you the new settings.

racer · 08-25-2010, 07:22 PM

It will take longer than a 3 day weekend

Invariably, you will run into an unseen issue.. like missing a key bushing or fiting.. or that a part sent wasn't the correct one.. or that you wrench your back.. etc etc. If a guy who does several of these "cars" a year says its 3 ( 8 ) hour days, I'd double that for someone who hasn't done this before.