jjbyron

Its a 79 928 and I've updated the shocks and springs. I've done the front and the passenger rear, but the drives' side is giving me trouble. I can't get it lined up to get the pivot bolt back in. I've tried jacks to hold it in place and compressing the shock but to no avail. Does anyone have any other techniques? Please share!

borland

You must be trying to install the lower shock mount 180 degrees out. If you look carefully, you'll see the shock mount is welded at an angle. WSM shows the correct assembly orientation.

jjbyron

Yes, I figured that out, unfortunately not before I jammed it in there...now I got a stuck, bent pivot bolt I'll have to get out somehow. If I wouldn't have made that mistake I could have finished all 4 shocks and tie rods in one day. Now this is going to take several.

Has anyone ever had to sledge out a pivot bolt?

sigh...well hopefully someone on this site can learn from my mistakes!

borland

You should be able to reinstall one of the lock nuts. Then with a wrench on the nut, work the pin out by rotating it in the same direction as if to tighten the nut while pulling the pin in the direction of removal.

928 Internationl should have a good used one if you distroyed yours.

jjbyron

It might help to remove the heat shield. Do you know if I have to remove the rotor to get it off? I can't find it in the shop manual. Thanks a lot for the help, btw.

borland

Yes, the shield bolts on from the front, so you need to remove the caliper and rotor.

With the car on jack stands, you need to support the lower control arm with blocks or jack in order to assemble the pinned joint. So, removing the rotor helps reduce the weight handling required for the pivot pin disassembly/reassembly. Also, the brake line to the brake caliper could be easily damaged if not removed and hung inside the wheel well.

jjbyron

The bolt came out okay without a sledge or removing the rotor. It is ever so slightly bent, though. With a light tap it will roll on a flat surface for a foot or so without a noticeable warp, but eventually stops as it rocks into a curve. I'm going to install it like this, but do you know what the ride symptoms are of a bent pivot bolt? If I notice when I'm driving I'll order a new one before I get it aligned.

Thanks again borland. I owe you!

borland

$35 plus tax & shipping for a good used pin here....

http://www.mailordercentral.com/928i...928 331 641 01

jjbyron

Just an update for anyone doing a search on this topic:

The pivot bolt came out easily. I took the front 22m nut of and threaded it on to the back on to create a locking nut. Then used an air wrench reversing, spinning the entire pivot bolt while I tapped LIGHTLY on the other side with a hammer, occasionally tapping on the shock and other knuckles. Luckily the bolt was slightly bent (perhaps 1% bow), but slipped it back in and it seems to ride fine.

A trick to getting the chock to line up straight to insert the bolt was to use a tiny bottle jack at and angle, enough to compress the shock but also move it in the direction so that it lines up. It take a few attempts to get the angle correct, but otherwise works well.

If anyone else has questions about a suspension install you can pm me and i can send some photos and pics of the tools I used.

Thanks to everyone whop helped.