Bilstein Escort Cup Suspension Install Procedure
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I was going to post a word document procedure for this install with lots of pictures, however it far exceeds the size limit for posting. If anyone would like to see it, just PM or send me an E-mail. Even after zipping it is nearly 6Mb.
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Heres the link, right click save as to download!
http://thedge.info/rennlist/hosted/U...0Procedure.doc
http://thedge.info/rennlist/hosted/U...0Procedure.doc
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Very nice write up - thanks!!
Related question (not trying to steal thread) ... Any of you guys ever strip out the allen socket at the top of the strut shaft? And what do you do to remedy that? Just happenned to me recently on another car - I positively used the proper allen head socket and can't believe how easily it stripped out (don't think it was me becasue the other side was just fine...). I felt it happenning and was in dis-belief! I got things torqued down properly, but don't know what I'll do if I ever have to take that stuff off & put on again...
Related question (not trying to steal thread) ... Any of you guys ever strip out the allen socket at the top of the strut shaft? And what do you do to remedy that? Just happenned to me recently on another car - I positively used the proper allen head socket and can't believe how easily it stripped out (don't think it was me becasue the other side was just fine...). I felt it happenning and was in dis-belief! I got things torqued down properly, but don't know what I'll do if I ever have to take that stuff off & put on again...
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Very nice write up - thanks!!
Related question (not trying to steal thread) ... Any of you guys ever strip out the allen socket at the top of the strut shaft? And what do you do to remedy that? Just happenned to me recently on another car - I positively used the proper allen head socket and can't believe how easily it stripped out (don't think it was me becasue the other side was just fine...). I felt it happenning and was in dis-belief! I got things torqued down properly, but don't know what I'll do if I ever have to take that stuff off & put on again...
Related question (not trying to steal thread) ... Any of you guys ever strip out the allen socket at the top of the strut shaft? And what do you do to remedy that? Just happenned to me recently on another car - I positively used the proper allen head socket and can't believe how easily it stripped out (don't think it was me becasue the other side was just fine...). I felt it happenning and was in dis-belief! I got things torqued down properly, but don't know what I'll do if I ever have to take that stuff off & put on again...
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You really should counter the shaft when taking the nut off, you can damage the internals, or worse you can fracture the shaft with an impact gun, seen it happen before. If the allen is stripped I use a small strap wrench in between the coils of the spring, or I wrap the jaws of a set of slip joint pliers with alot of electrical or duct tape and put them in between the the coils, sometime the shaft still spins but not as fast.
Semper fi
Semper fi
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Heres the link, right click save as to download!
http://thedge.info/rennlist/hosted/U...0Procedure.doc
http://thedge.info/rennlist/hosted/U...0Procedure.doc
Thanks for posting this for me. I guess I was not following my own post as I never received any mails saying there was another post. Do you think we could post this in the "How To" section?
Thanks for the compliments as well, I hope this can be helpful to others performing this swap. I wish the rears were as simple. I will try to make a write up on that as well, but have not made up my mind on what to do with the torsion bars.
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This has nothing to do with the suspension installation, however just in case someone would try to mimic my powder coated hubs, DON'T! At least don't put any powder coating on the contact area with the rim. We use hub centric rims which created a nightmare the next time I tried to remove the rim. I noticed no problem installing the rim. I am not sure exactly what happened, but it was like the powder coating cold welded the hub to the rim and I almost never got the rim off. I thought I was going to bend one of my expensive new HRE's. Just a note to the wise from someone who has suffered the mistake before.
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This has nothing to do with the suspension installation, however just in case someone would try to mimic my powder coated hubs, DON'T! At least don't put any powder coating on the contact area with the rim. We use hub centric rims which created a nightmare the next time I tried to remove the rim. I noticed no problem installing the rim. I am not sure exactly what happened, but it was like the powder coating cold welded the hub to the rim and I almost never got the rim off. I thought I was going to bend one of my expensive new HRE's. Just a note to the wise from someone who has suffered the mistake before.
The temperatures needed to bake the powder coat on soften the aluminum considerably.
That was a big mistake.
Persoanlly, I'd replace the hubs.
The hub is probably bent, which is why you couldn't get the wheel off.
I have a used set of M030 hubs you can have for $250 shipped. You should buy them.
TonyG
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Not to mention the most important reason not to powder coat your hubs: They are aluminum!
The temperatures needed to bake the powder coat on soften the aluminum considerably.
That was a big mistake.
Persoanlly, I'd replace the hubs.
The hub is probably bent, which is why you couldn't get the wheel off.
I have a used set of M030 hubs you can have for $250 shipped. You should buy them.
TonyG
The temperatures needed to bake the powder coat on soften the aluminum considerably.
That was a big mistake.
Persoanlly, I'd replace the hubs.
The hub is probably bent, which is why you couldn't get the wheel off.
I have a used set of M030 hubs you can have for $250 shipped. You should buy them.
TonyG
Thanks for the suggestion and offer. I was up in the air with powder coating the hubs as well. After considerable research and reccomendations from various builders, I went for it. I requested that they not be baked at the normal 400 but backed down to 350. Remember there are pressed in hardened steel races as well to help hold concentricity. I don't "feel" the hubs are bent or warped, and here is why: I was lucky enough to only install one side before realizing the problem. Before assembling the opposite side, I removed the powder coating from the hubcentric contact area and there were no problems at all. After removing the original wheel and performing the same procedure, it feels normal as well now. With that being said, I have never actually driven the car with these hubs installed. Too deep in the middle of a giant overhaul, that has lasted forever. You very well may be correct, only time will tell. I doubt if the car will be running for another year or so, but I am hopefull for a quicker turn around. Need to find a job first!
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Hey,
I still don't know. So much depends on the hubs. So much so, that I replaced mine (which is why I have a set for sale) with the cnc billet set from Racer's Edge "just because...".
>>>Remember there are pressed in hardened steel races as well to help hold concentricity. <<<
Assuming for the sake of the argument that the races contributed to the the strength of the hub (and I don't BTW) >>> The races are only in the center of the hub which will have zero affect, strength-wise, on the area of the hub where the wheel studs are located...
Not that your powder coater is dishonest... but how can you trust that the oven was only 350F? And will 350F soften the metal?
I'm no metal expert by any stretch of the imagination BTW.
Maybe someone with some metal expertise could step in.
TonyG
I still don't know. So much depends on the hubs. So much so, that I replaced mine (which is why I have a set for sale) with the cnc billet set from Racer's Edge "just because...".
>>>Remember there are pressed in hardened steel races as well to help hold concentricity. <<<
Assuming for the sake of the argument that the races contributed to the the strength of the hub (and I don't BTW) >>> The races are only in the center of the hub which will have zero affect, strength-wise, on the area of the hub where the wheel studs are located...
Not that your powder coater is dishonest... but how can you trust that the oven was only 350F? And will 350F soften the metal?
I'm no metal expert by any stretch of the imagination BTW.
Maybe someone with some metal expertise could step in.
TonyG
Hi Tony,
Thanks for the suggestion and offer. I was up in the air with powder coating the hubs as well. After considerable research and reccomendations from various builders, I went for it. I requested that they not be baked at the normal 400 but backed down to 350. Remember there are pressed in hardened steel races as well to help hold concentricity. I don't "feel" the hubs are bent or warped, and here is why: I was lucky enough to only install one side before realizing the problem. Before assembling the opposite side, I removed the powder coating from the hubcentric contact area and there were no problems at all. After removing the original wheel and performing the same procedure, it feels normal as well now. With that being said, I have never actually driven the car with these hubs installed. Too deep in the middle of a giant overhaul, that has lasted forever. You very well may be correct, only time will tell. I doubt if the car will be running for another year or so, but I am hopefull for a quicker turn around. Need to find a job first!![burnout](https://rennlist.com/forums/graemlins/burnout.gif)
Thanks for the suggestion and offer. I was up in the air with powder coating the hubs as well. After considerable research and reccomendations from various builders, I went for it. I requested that they not be baked at the normal 400 but backed down to 350. Remember there are pressed in hardened steel races as well to help hold concentricity. I don't "feel" the hubs are bent or warped, and here is why: I was lucky enough to only install one side before realizing the problem. Before assembling the opposite side, I removed the powder coating from the hubcentric contact area and there were no problems at all. After removing the original wheel and performing the same procedure, it feels normal as well now. With that being said, I have never actually driven the car with these hubs installed. Too deep in the middle of a giant overhaul, that has lasted forever. You very well may be correct, only time will tell. I doubt if the car will be running for another year or so, but I am hopefull for a quicker turn around. Need to find a job first!
![burnout](https://rennlist.com/forums/graemlins/burnout.gif)
#15
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One of the people I asked about the effects of powder coating an aluminum load supporting element was a senior engineer where I worked at the time. He has a PhD in metallurgy sciences. Of course, that does not necessarily make him correct, but I took his word for it. I could always place a dial indicator on them while rotating them on the spindle, this would at least give me a good indication of run out.