This update is all about the rear disc conversion. Firstly, re-assembled the brakes and new handbrake cable:
Then got everything out of the boot, and started to wonder how on earth it was all going back on...
If you are wondering which part is the rear beam I keep mentioning, I thought I'd spray it blue to point it out... You can also see the replacement brake pipe section - cheers Richard Harrison!
I was going to rebuild the lot and raise the beam and diff plus trailing arms - this quickly seemed a dumb idea. Diff is probably 40-50kg, beam 10kg, trailing arm and hub around 30 each. So I put the beam up, and worked the diff up to it on a trolley jack. Tricky, but very doable, however it hurts when it falls on your hand... Lining up the propshaft early is a good idea as it's a tight fit to clear the diff bracket, and raise at an angle.
Even trickier is man handling a trailing arm and hub in to the correct position on the subframe. On your own. Not fun.
But, afer 3.5 hours, I got one arm sorted! Realised the spring rubbers are the wrong way round. Oh well no biggee, easy to change.
So on to the following day, full of optimism at getting the driver's side sorted. Little did I know this was going to be the worse job I've ever carried out...
I took this picture just to give me a break from the driver's side arm. At this point, the driver's side arm is not actually attached... the first 3 hours of the day's work were spent getting very angry, as the arm would catch on the bush metal inserts slightly and not go in! I just couldn't believe it.. Was the arm bent? Is that why it was being sold? I tried the arm in the old beam - same problem. I was getting pretty frustrated, almost at breaking point. I filed as much as I dared the bush inserts that were catching, still no joy. In the end I bent the outside of the bracket in the middle with pliers, just enough to slide the other side in. And when it did go in, I could have cried... Very knackering on your own and the worst job on the car so far. But she was in.
The next job was right there - the exhaust. It's a heavy thing, but this new trolley jack is like an extra pair of hands, so not too concerned. Upsettingly, the replacement beam doesn't have a mounting point for the mid point exhaust hanger. Had I realised this, I would have got the new bushes installed in the old beam. I'm sure a bit of garage welding will sort that though. So after 2 days work, we're now almost at the finish line for the back:
And I was out of daylight. But this is what all (well part of) the fuss is about - disc brakes! I'll need a second handbrake cable, as the one cable I got with the trailing arm set came without a metal sleeve. At £15 from eurocarparts, it's not a disaster.
Keeping the car on the axle stands until next weekend, for the grand lowering on to it's wheels after months in the air... I'll be pumping the new brake fluid in, bleeding the brakes with my new brake bleeding gadget I've had for months.