9 replies to this topic

[andywaller]

hi ya i really want to lower the rear of my mini today just to level out the ride height. i only want to go to about 3/4 of an inch so i dont have to buy new dampers but i also dont want to buy hi-los and have heard you can do it by cutting down the rear trumpets.

any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated.

p.s this is only for a while until i can afford dampers and hi-los

[andywaller]

i have started to strip the suspension down now i have got the dampers of but cannot seperate the rubber spring from the strut any ideas please help. i have tried soakin in WD40.

[Leonard]

i used a screwdriver between the two parts as a lever. i think i also got angry and held the trumpet and hit a tree until the cone came off. could you put a long piece of studded bar through the nut on the cone and push the trumpet off of it by turning the bar?

[Leonard]

dont get too angry with it tho because the trumpet is soft aluminium

[dklawson]

Sadly, a rod through the cone to unseat the trumpet won't work. Anything small enough to pass through the cone's nut will be small enough that when you strike it... it will only unseat the knuckle joint and drive it out. You can cautiously apply heat with a small torch near the cone/trumpet interface. When it's hot, remove the flame and spray the joint with WD-40 to quench it and wick the oil in. Then try the "tree whacking" method. Repeat several times. You can also use a chisel between the cone and trumpet in combination with the WD-40 and heat... but I like Leonard's suggestion to hit a tree!

With all that said, are you planning on putting in new cones? If you are, expect that the car will be even HIGHER than it is now... before you even touch the trumpets. When you cut the trumpets it's important that you try and keep the ends square. I forget the magic formula... the one that says "for every mm you take off the trumpet the car will be lowered by X mm." If you're putting in new cones you may want to wait a couple of months before you shorten anything anyway. If no one posts the numbers here, search the Mini Spares message board.

[andywaller]

hey thanks very much i have done one side now and am just stuck with the knuckle joint on the other.

[Guess-Works.com]

knuckle joints are easy, get a drift or punch, needs a bit of weight, but small enough head 1/4 or 3/8". put down the strut, and then hand over the top, and shake like a cocktail shaker, you'll be surprised how quick the knuckle comes out.

as for removing metal of the strut to lower the car, on the rear it is a 1:3 ratio, therefore if you want to lower the car by 3/4" then take 1/4" inch off the strut, for reference on the front it's 1:5, so 1/5" inch lowers the car by 1"...

[andywaller]

thanks for the advice i am well chuffed 25mm drop at the rear evened everything out and looks really cool. and the biggest bonus is that it cost me nothing.

[BlAck0ut]

I am thinking about getting this done, I have a set of unofficial HiLos but I'd rather not use them. Like your car MOWOG the rear end is much higher, I was planning to fit new cones and GAZ shocks all round, but decided against it as it would take a large chunk out of my budget.


This seems like the best method, will I need to buy new knuckle joints as the old ones would have to be taken off the struts when they are being cut?

[andywaller]

it certainly is a cheap way to lower your mini. i took of 5mm which lowered my car 25mm and i am still running standard dampers. as yet they have not bottomed out and i did go for a bit of a cruise down southend and they were fine over the speed bumps!

as for the knuckle joints i found that mine were ok and the plastic cup was still intact. i just greased them on reassembly. however i suppose this would depend on the car. i was also being a bit of a cheap skate because i was bored and wanted to do something to my mini for free. :tongue: