38 replies to this topic

[grizzler73]

The coils question gets asked a lot on this forum, the general consensus is always the same "don't fit coils to a road car" they are way too short and at the wrong angle. The rising rate affect of the cones is what makes a Mini a Mini on the road. I am utterly baffled why people fit coils.

[Cooperman]

The coils question gets asked a lot on this forum, the general consensus is always the same "don't fit coils to a road car" they are way too short and at the wrong angle. The rising rate affect of the cones is what makes a Mini a Mini on the road. I am utterly baffled why people fit coils.

+1

[Xinarin13]

So... after 2 weeks of not being able to drive Dusty and dealing with the nightmare of trying to ship something larger from the UK to Japan (or to Japan through the U.S.)... I have a po box, and nobody will ship heavier objects here apparently... I have finally gotten Dusty back on the road today. 

​I will get pics up or something later I am sure, right now I am exhausted! Today I spent 8 hours replacing the springs up front with rubber cones, replacing 3 of the 4 ball joints, (gave up on the last one til later... I couldn't use a lift bc the bay was being used by someone replacing his engine and tranny... he has been there for 3 days now ugh, and it is the only bay here that my mini will fit on... the other bays don't have long enough arms to reach the subframe, so I will replace the last ball joint when I can get it up on the lift) both front knuckles, and I managed not to break or lose anything (Oh please tell me I didn't... Don't let me find something wrong later, I am sooo tired).

​For the record, getting the little bolts out to remove the big bolt/pin that retains the suspension arm (the one holding the knuckle) is a                                      ! MY GOODNESS! I never want to do that again. I think I bit off more than I could chew for one day while working on the ground with jack stands, one jack, and essentially in the dark... in a poorly lit bay (the floor bays are outside, we had an overcast day and then the sun went down... didn't get done til 7pm... the light above was pitiful and their helper lamps were pathetically dim and had very short cords so they were basically useless). I got so freaking frustrated that twice I felt like crying... then I remembered that I am a manly man doing manly things around other manly men working on their manly cars, and I pulled myself together. Everything is in the way of everything and it is hard to get tools on anything.

​How do you guys get to the little bolts holding that  big bolt/pin in? it seems like it is so buried in there that you would have to remove half of the engine bay to get to them... I disgracefully bent back the metal so I could access the bolts with the tips of my fingers, and heaven help me if i dropped one of the lock washers or bolts... or my spanner. THANK GOD FOR RATCHETING SPANNERS!!! I would still be there with bloody fingers trying to get them back in... oh, and I definitely would be crying at this point .

 

I am done for the day... I am going to sleep. I got the grease off me, cleaned and put my tools away, got dinner for the wife, started a load of laundry, took a handful of ibuprofen, and now I am going to bed and sleeping for a very very long time. See you guys on the other side.
 

[Cooperman]

Well done. You will be delighted with the results.

[GTRMikie]

My wife has a Paul Smith limited edition which is fitted with fairly new rubber cones. There is also a Mayfair in the family which the kids learnt to drive in which I “play with”. I fitted coil springs to this just to see what all the fuss is about. I’m a bit concerned by some of the pictures posted in this thread, but what I will say is that when ever the wife has a ride in the Mayfair, she always says “I wish my car was as comfortable as this”

[Spider]

​How do you guys get to the little bolts holding that  big bolt/pin in?
 

 

To get to those on the radiator side, if you remove the grill, you can come in from the front with a 1/4" Drive socket set and loads of extensions. The ones on the other side, from the top, though I know on some of the later cars, there's other things in the way.

[Xinarin13]

 

​How do you guys get to the little bolts holding that  big bolt/pin in?
 

 

To get to those on the radiator side, if you remove the grill, you can come in from the front with a 1/4" Drive socket set and loads of extensions. The ones on the other side, from the top, though I know on some of the later cars, there's other things in the way.

 

Yeah, lol. There are definitely some other thins in the way. I did try to go from the front... pulled the grille off and had a look, but I couldn't even see the bolts, much less get to them. I have a system now, but it involves lots of time, small movements with a ratcheting spanner, and being really good with your fingertips

[Spider]

. I did try to go from the front... pulled the grille off and had a look, but I couldn't even see the bolts,

 

 

 

See them ???  Heheheheheheh,,,,,,,, See them?????   That's funny

 

Braille is the only way !!   

[Xinarin13]

 

. I did try to go from the front... pulled the grille off and had a look, but I couldn't even see the bolts,

 

 

 

See them ???  Heheheheheheh,,,,,,,, See them?????   That's funny

 

Braille is the only way !!   

 

Lol, I gotta remember that... working on Dusty is like reading Braille... Figure it out.