Lan-suspension new shock absorbers and springs front and rear

De Q,
I found it helpful to secure the base of the blue plastic cover to the strut with a black zip tie. Because the diameter of the strut is smaller than the blue cover, you may need to place a piece of thick rubber or plastic tube in between in order to take up the gap. With the cover secured, you can significantly reduce the amount of debris that can damage the shock and seals. You may have done this but it was not mentioned.
Drew
 
For others doing this in the future, there is a nut tool available from Bilstein for a few bucks (or I'll mail you mine to use), it's visible in the picture just above the strut box next to the wrench:

IMG-20111210-00134.jpg
 
afeustel said:
De Q,
I found it helpful to secure the base of the blue plastic cover to the strut with a black zip tie. Because the diameter of the strut is smaller than the blue cover, you may need to place a piece of thick rubber or plastic tube in between in order to take up the gap. With the cover secured, you can significantly reduce the amount of debris that can damage the shock and seals. You may have done this but it was not mentioned.
Drew
Click to expand...

hi Drew, no i did not come across that idea
nice tip
thank you !
 
Thanks for the great photo description

I did my struts this year, a similar process to yours and worked it out as I went, however I wish I had your picture log to follow beforeni started. Well done and thank you for preparing it so well.
This winter it is the rear axle and suspension and perhaps the clutch. Is there a DeQ quality description on how to do those?
C
 
Cornishman said:
I did my struts this year, a similar process to yours and worked it out as I went, however I wish I had your picture log to follow beforeni started. Well done and thank you for preparing it so well.
This winter it is the rear axle and suspension and perhaps the clutch. Is there a DeQ quality description on how to do those?
C
Click to expand...

not yet, i am afraid,...:roll:
 
Hello DeQ, I wonder if you would be kind enough to post a picture(s) of the exact sequence of the assembly of the strut washers at the top where the bearing goes on. Because I am so smart I neglected to mark the exact positions when I re-assembled mine and I am having a problem with the handling of my girl in that she does not want to "return to center" after taking a corner. I have slowly ruled out all the easy corrections and now will be replacing the strut bearings and want to be sure I only have to do this twice :). Luckily I have access to all the proper equipment so it's just a matter of a few hours. You seem to be at about that stage. BTW, I am grateful for your time spent posting all these pictures-much better than the manual!!

Peter
 
Peter Coomaraswamy said:
Hello DeQ, I wonder if you would be kind enough to post a picture(s) of the exact sequence of the assembly of the strut washers at the top where the bearing goes on.

Peter
Click to expand...

i am afraid, i can not
it is mounted and impossible to take pictures, ut i can produce a drawing

the red arrowed are structural washers
the green are sealing wahsers sutiable to keep the grease inside the beating, so take care of the position for a proper installation





THINKING A LITTLE ABOUT WHAT YOU SAID I NOW REMEMBER A PROBLEM THAT I FOUND:

find also this that is a WRONG DRAWING ! not the drawing itself but the combination of drawing and text in the description of parts



BE CAREFUL THIS DRAWING IS INCORRECT !!!

the washers 4, and 5 presented in this drawing are swaped, as presented washer 4 is described as the sealing washer, and 5 is described as the structural one, but that way the INSTALLATION IS INCORRECT !!!!


YOU MUST SWAP, WASHER 4 IS ON TOP OF WASHER 5 !!! washer 4 must close the bottom of the bearing to close the grease

there are a lot of errors in this drawing, first is that according to the manual section (see first picture) you should install two sealing washers one up and another in the bottom, and parts 18 and 19 are odd, the real thing is that all is part 18 but it is upside dowm
 
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NOTE, THIS IS EDITED



a question on rear assembly

funny that on the blue manuals there is not a description of the rear spring/shock assembly area, the only one that appears is the e3, and the odd nivomat system

so i checked this drawing: (THIS DRAWING IS OK)



the question is part number 11, in my opinion this part is represented upside-down

EDITED: WRONG, PART 11 IS CORRECTLY POSITIONED HERE, TOP MUST BE THE THICKER SIDE

HERE IT IS A NICE SCHEMATIC DRAWING FROM A FORUM MEMBER,


1655312099399.jpeg
 
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I agree with DeQ, I also believed that the diagram was incorrect so put them back as he states below.
Regards
C
 
NOTE: ALL OF MY PICTURES HERE ARE WRONG, POSITION OF TOP RUBBER MUST BE EXACTLY OPPOSITE



rear shock absorbers

once the rear wheel arch support was prepared:



and the small rubber suports in place: ATENTION: Wrong position, must be exactly the contrary, so must be wider on top, and must be introduced from inside trunk





doing the rear shocks had been more complicated that expected, the most difficult thing has been to introduce the lower end of the shock in its place (the M14 bolt)

it is very tight and the problem is that the angle of access is not the same, so it is almost impossible to introduce it

so after some struggle, i decided that the only possible way was to reduce the lenght of the shock, thus to compress it:





then it was much more easier to introduce it:



and then loose the rope and recover the normal length



NOTE: WRONG AGAIN, PICTURE MISREPRESENTS POSITION OF RUBBER PART




top washer


nut, 28 N.m


 
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Agree shock must be compressed, I used this metal plumber's tape stuff from Lowes that comes in a roll. After it's compressed you hammer it on then take it off and the shock will de compress up to the top, aim it just right and it will carry on up through the top mount hole:

IMG-20110812-00500.jpg
 
DeQ, This is awesome, I should be performing both front and rear operations this week- thanks so much. If I have any confusion I will post pictures with questions. Also, I learned about the correct rear top bushings only recently, I can see by your pictures that you are doing it correctly the first time :). Somehow it would be nice to let everyone know that the rear shocks need that "special" bushing, not the ones that come with the Bilsteins. (eliminating noises-one clunk at a time)

Cheers!!
 
Peter Coomaraswamy said:
DeQ, This is awesome, I should be performing both front and rear operations this week- thanks so much. If I have any confusion I will post pictures with questions. Also, I learned about the correct rear top bushings only recently, I can see by your pictures that you are doing it correctly the first time :). Somehow it would be nice to let everyone know that the rear shocks need that "special" bushing, not the ones that come with the Bilsteins. (eliminating noises-one clunk at a time)

Cheers!!
Click to expand...

hi peter, you are welcome

thank you for your words, yes, it is not a difficult task, but when you are down there, alone, all the questions are big as the ocean, and you do not know what to do, that is the reason of sharing this here

yes, the set of bushings that comes with the bilstein rear shock can not be used, it is a very big difference between the hole in the body and the diameter of the bushing plate, no good !

you must use the original pieces from bmw
 
front strut assembly left side

well, trying to finish it during this weekend:

front left:

i placed it in a small rolling platform to help introducing it in its place



tilt it and lets go into the wheel house



pushing down the bottom suport, do not forget to remove the sway bar lower attachment



the three odd bolts: torque 80 N.m, and then safety cable all around



and a funny thing, when you try to reasemble the brake caliper, you will find that is impossible to fit it in the disk, you must open the pads a bit



use the adequate tool for it

 
ready to compare ?

before:
107n8rc.jpg


after carl nelson springs


before
289ambd.jpg


after CN springs


i like the stance very much

more actual pics




another one to compare, see now the before setting:
P2205772_zps0236a434.jpg






similar photo of before
P9305736.jpg








 
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DeQ, looks fantastic, It's a twin to mine! From all the posts it seems that yours is driven often. Way to go, and thanks for the instructions and pictures- I'm armed and dangerous now with a full stash of front end parts and rear upper shock bushings. I'm helping another forum member with his restoration down here in Austin- The second time around is allot easier :)

Cheers,

Peter C
 
Hey dQ, I'm impressed like always when you generate a "How To Do It" for the community.

The result looks quite great at the front end, but what happened to the rear ?
Looks way higher now than before. Or do the springs need some certain kilometers to sit a bit deeper ?

Great car, but imho it deserves the staggered 16s Alpinas :roll:

But that's just a matter of personal taste.

cheers

Ingo
 
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