Suspension refresh advice

[Daveb99]

The previous owner of my mustard S1 did a full suspension refurb and fitted Superpro bushes.  I know there are other factors in play, dampers, springs, tyres, pressures, but having had 4 previous S1's on OEM bushes, I can’t really tell any difference.   They certainly aren’t harsh in my experience.  Hope this helps..

[russelld]

I have the Eliseparts rose joints and no increase in harshness that I noticed. They allow the wishbones to pivot smoothly up and down without the self centering you get with the rubber OEM  joints.

 

This is the kit : https://www.eliseparts.com/shop/steering-br-suspension-1/bushes-bearings/ep-tuning-wishbone-bearings/

[DeanB]

So the refresh has begun!

The wishbones have been media blasted and are a little pitted in places but not too bad. I am glad I didn't leave them for another year though.

I have painted them with 2 coats of gloss black POR15. It was very easy to put on so didn't take as long as I feared it might, and I'm pretty confident of the coverage. I was told by the supplier to put the second coat on before the first was fully dry so that's what I did.  Hopefully it wont chip or fall off (powder coating would have been easier but it chips and water gets underneath...).

I have also bought a quick rack, which should be nice 🙂

I decided to go with the Eliseparts bushes - their standard ones. Very similar to oem, apparently, but a lot cheaper.

Excited!

[Phil S1]

Oh how that brings back memories 😁 

I notice you have painted the bores Dean and I'm wondering whether that may make fitting the new bushes and ball joints a bit tricky?

[DeanB]

There isn't much paint inside the bores Phil, so I hope all will be fine. If not I might need to get to work with some fine grit!

[Phil S1]

If you only have a thin layer in there then you may we'll be fine Dean.

Good to see you giving it a go anyhow 

[Alex B]

Good work Dean. That poor car is become more and more the garage queen!

 

I had a quick rack on my S1, it certainly made the turn in sharper.

[Daveb99]

It all started when he asked to borrow some detailing stuff at Lotus 70 😂

Nice work Dean.  Worth fitting stainless castor shims when you refit (M10 x 40mm), with plenty of really sticky grease to print any creaking noises etc in future.   Don’t forget the corrosion block 👍🏻

[DeanB]

What corrosion block is recommended please chaps?

Alex i drove your s1 at Blyton (maybe when Chris had it, i can't remember) and absolutely loved the steering which is why i went for the quick rack.

[DeanB]

Oh, and for the record it ain't gonna be no garage queen!  All this work is so it will be better to drive (also to stop the wishbones rusting away of course).  I'm aiming to do more track days with it.

[Daveb99]

ACF50 is widely used and easy to apply with the aerosol.   I think the grease that’s just called Corrosion Block is probably going to stick better and is less likely to wear or wash off...

[Daveb99]

Also for the grease to put on the castor shims and bushes Dean, I’ve had Rocol Sapphire Grease recommended to me - also ideal for the ARB bushes etc:

Rocol 12171 400g Sapphire Grease - Blue https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0055KD0YS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.spwEbMWD4M45

[DeanB]

I've already used ACF 50 on the aluminium chassis.  Gav will be putting it back together so I expect he will grease everything up.

[Lithopsian]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the bobbins in the wishbone pickups.  These are essential to prevent corrosion of the chassis.  When new, they were nicely coated and isolated from the chassis with glue to prevent galvanic corrosion.  Many of them have lost their coating now and started to rust, and the small separation from the chassis can mean galvanic corrosion.  If your bobbins are not black and clean, this is a good time to de-rust and paint them.  Ideally take them out, possibly even replace them with new.

As for the shim washers, stainless ones will obviously stay shiny for longer, but zinc coated washers give better protection against galvanic corrosion that can occur when you get damp crud in there connecting the chassis to the washers, at least until the zinc is gone.  I think too many people think stainless is the answer to all their corrosion problems, but in some cases it will make things worse.  I'd rather replace the washers every 10 years than have the aluminium pickup points perforate.  Standard 38mm or 40mm penny washers are fine for the front arm, but best to stick with the small washers on the rear if you have the OEM-type rubber bushes.  Larger washers will transfer load the the chassis instead of letting the bush deform, and the chassis is potentially not strong enough to take this under extreme conditions.  That's annoying since they are not a standard washer size and the real Lotus ones are expensive.  On non-rubber bushes, penny washers should be fine on both arms.

ACF-50 or corrosion block grease is an added protection, but only lasts a year or two, maybe less under harsh conditions.  I don't apply it to general areas of the chassis as they don't need it and it just attracts dirt.  Useful on anything steel, especially where there is steel near aluminium.  If you do spray it on, wipe it down afterwards as thick layers will just make a sticky mess.  The grease is handy for fixings, use it on everything that will be unfastened every few years.  For stuff that is not going to be touched for another 15 years, a proper anti-sieze might be better.

[DeanB]

19 hours ago, Lithopsian said:

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the bobbins in the wishbone pickups.  These are essential to prevent corrosion of the chassis.  When new, they were nicely coated and isolated from the chassis with glue to prevent galvanic corrosion.  Many of them have lost their coating now and started to rust, and the small separation from the chassis can mean galvanic corrosion.  If your bobbins are not black and clean, this is a good time to de-rust and paint them.  Ideally take them out, possibly even replace them with new.

As for the shim washers, stainless ones will obviously stay shiny for longer, but zinc coated washers give better protection against galvanic corrosion that can occur when you get damp crud in there connecting the chassis to the washers, at least until the zinc is gone.  I think too many people think stainless is the answer to all their corrosion problems, but in some cases it will make things worse.  I'd rather replace the washers every 10 years than have the aluminium pickup points perforate.  Standard 38mm or 40mm penny washers are fine for the front arm, but best to stick with the small washers on the rear if you have the OEM-type rubber bushes.  Larger washers will transfer load the the chassis instead of letting the bush deform, and the chassis is potentially not strong enough to take this under extreme conditions.  That's annoying since they are not a standard washer size and the real Lotus ones are expensive.  On non-rubber bushes, penny washers should be fine on both arms.

ACF-50 or corrosion block grease is an added protection, but only lasts a year or two, maybe less under harsh conditions.  I don't apply it to general areas of the chassis as they don't need it and it just attracts dirt.  Useful on anything steel, especially where there is steel near aluminium.  If you do spray it on, wipe it down afterwards as thick layers will just make a sticky mess.  The grease is handy for fixings, use it on everything that will be unfastened every few years.  For stuff that is not going to be touched for another 15 years, a proper anti-sieze might be better.

Thanks for this, it's really helpful.

I plan on keeping a close eye on the wishbones and mounting points in particular - i take the wheels off quite often to clean underneath anyway so there shouldn't be a lot of crud hanging around, and I am going to avoid using the car altogether when there is salt on the road.

The good news is the bobbins look in very good order and the chassis too.