SpeedyC2

Well, an inspection over the weekend showed the (22 year old) front right strut to be bleeding fluid so I went ahead and placed an order for the Bilstein B6XT/RoW M030 spring package from Carnewall.

It would be great if I could go all the way and install the RoW (or RS) sway bars now as well, but budget concerns dictate these will come along later. Actually, I had hoped to replace all suspension bushings as a first step in the suspension refresh, but now this has come along and again budget and time constraints won't let it all happen right now. So at least I know I have guaranteed things to do in the future!

I have owned the car for a bit over a year now, and it's time I got my hands dirty working on it. I have reviewed a number of how-to's and threads here, and feel like I have a decent handle on the process. (I have done this work on a few other cars in the past...) Here's to hoping it goes smoothly.

I'm looking forward to the lower stance and better handling!

Raleigh993

I am in the planning stages of a similar project. Marked for future reference.

I saw the package with the sway bars and was wondering what else needs to be replaced while you're in there. I have seen a few threads that recommend A frame bushings, tie rod ends, and other rubber parts that need refreshing.

Good luck.

Endoman

All you need is on this site if you have not already found it, but it can be the start of a slippery and expensive slope.:-http://www.jackals-forge.com/lotus/

SpeedyC2

Been there! Thanks for the link, regardless.

SpeedyC2

How high a priority would anyone here put on replacing the front strut and rear shock mounts?

The car has 96K miles and all appear to be fine, and are not squeaking.

Certainly not cheap parts, but these do have to come off to replace the struts and shocks...

squidge

I'm about to install PSS10s and chose to replace both front and rear strut/shock mounts while I'm in there. If you don't mind some downtime, you could inspect yours once they're out and order only if needed, but at 20 years old I'm replacing factory rubber whenever the opportunity presents itself. But yeah, it adds significant expense. I'm also replacing ARBs with M030, along with new bushings, and new drop links front and rear.

SpeedyC2

^ Thank you.

Tlaloc75

I'm doing the same. Its a slippery slope, but I've decided to replace _every piece of rubber in my suspension. I don't want to have to do this twice, so I'm in it 100% the first time and then will enjoy for the next 20 years.

One thing I've learned is that visual inspection isn't enough to tell you if the rubber part, or ball joint, is worn out. The properties change well before its visually obvious. By the time you can see it, its past time.

squidge

I really want to replace all the rear arms as part of my install too, along with subframe bushings. I'm just not quite ready for that level of expense, and I want to do it with the Bill Verburg-approved combination of RS and OE parts. So for now, in the rear, it's shock mounts, drop links, ARB bushings, and anything I find visibly worn or broken. Gotta draw that line in the sand somewhere. I've also heard through the grapevine that those subframe bolts can be a real bitch...

These cars are such beautiful rolling money pits.

Tlaloc75

Lol, yeah the subframe has caused me some issues...

If you want to use visual inspection you can pull each arm individually and look at how the rubber is holding up. I found that all of my bushings had hairline cracks and the balljoints were very easy to move, though not loose enough to feel any play with my hands.

Subframe bushings looked best of the bunch, so if in doubt, those are the ones I think you can skip. The problem is once you have all the arms out, the subframe is just a couple of (sometimes tricky) bolts away.

SpeedyC2

We're ALL pulling for you!

And again, thanks to all for the information.