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spring removal

 
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alan a
Alfa Arna


Joined: 09 May 2005
Posts: 13

PostPosted: Mon Oct 24, 2005 9:51 pm    Post subject: spring removal Reply with quote

im wanting to change the springs on my 33 accept almost all of the bolts/nuts are dead!! just cant seem to undo them. i tried to spray crc on them bt this doesnt seem to work. any ideas or know how to get around this??

cheers alan
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alan a
Alfa Arna


Joined: 09 May 2005
Posts: 13

PostPosted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 4:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

also it anyone has a diagram explaing how to take the springs out that would b great. because im not sure what i have to unbolt and which bits i should do 1st etc...

thanks alan
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Ken McCarthy
Alfa Sprint


Joined: 16 May 2003
Posts: 153
Location: Brisbane, Australia

PostPosted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 6:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Alan

If you don't know what a spring compressor is and how to use it, get some advice or have someone do it for you. The springs are under compression. If they are released without being contained in spring compressors you are risking serious injury. If you survive that, you will not get them back together.

Please be careful.
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Ken McCarthy - 16V Sprint
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bobbber
P4


Joined: 14 May 2003
Posts: 2162
Location: The Greatest Town on Earth - Swadlincote, UK

PostPosted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 9:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ken is not messing around. This is a SERIOUS subject.

You could REALLY take your head clean off.

Bob
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alan a
Alfa Arna


Joined: 09 May 2005
Posts: 13

PostPosted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 10:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

yer ive been shown how to use a spring compresor but im not sure what to unbolt 1st and when i need to put the spring compresor on.ive searched the web but cant really find any decent info on the steps to take when doing the procedure. i jst bought new springs and dnt have enough money to pay for installation. i am confident to do it myself though....
so if anyone knows of a good site etc theat would be very helpful

thanks alan
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Eddie W
Alfa 33


Joined: 31 Jul 2003
Posts: 375
Location: new zealand

PostPosted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 10:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I thoroughly endorse the above advice. DO NOT release the springs without using compressors, and take careful note of the relationship of the springpan etc (photos would be ideal) as it is possible to get the offsets out of sinc which makes life difficult.
Regards Eddie
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A LITTLE FURTHER A LITTLE FASTER
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bobbber
P4


Joined: 14 May 2003
Posts: 2162
Location: The Greatest Town on Earth - Swadlincote, UK

PostPosted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 10:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Funny Eddie - reminds me of when I did my Strut Pan bearings the first time.... took both sides off at the same time - and then had absolutely NO idea which bits were for which side, or which way round it all went! Laughing

I learnt my lesson that day! Took 2 days to get it all right again! The Haynes Sud Manual showed the set up though.
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gritsop
Green Cloverleaf


Joined: 23 Apr 2003
Posts: 766
Location: Ekali, Athens - Greece

PostPosted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 12:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi,

Undo the 4 nuts on the engine bay that keep the strut & spring in place. (right and left of the battery and servo more or less). Pop out the ball joint of the steering bar and undo the 4 screws that hold the shock to the wheel hub. Now you have the spring/shock assembly out;notice a big nut in the centre of the top mount. This will release the shock from the spring PROVIDED you have used the spring compressor. Compress the srping only by little amount so as to feel the top mount loose.
Then you can undo the central nut and take out the shock from the spring.

Having the spring left on its own undo the spring compressor so as to use it in the new springs (which is the reverse preocedure).

As a security precaution work behind the lower mount of the spring so that if something goes wrong , the spring will pop to the opposite direction and not towards you. It is better to hit a wall than you.

Regards,
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Thanassis Gritsopoulos
1991 Alfa 33 1.4 IE
2001 Alfa 147 1.6 Distinctive

http://www.alfa-restoration.co.uk
Parts Shop: www.alfa-restoration.co.uk/shop
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paulhide
P4


Joined: 20 Dec 2003
Posts: 1607
Location: Oh Beautiful Billingham

PostPosted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 2:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you can't pop open ball joints (you'll need a splitter) can be much easier to undo steering arms from the steering rack, but make sure you do them up just as tight as when you took them off as this can affect tracking a little, although the tracking on the 33 isn't that accurate anyway. Wink
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http://www.alfa-pages.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=5188
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paddy granger
Alfa Sprint


Joined: 12 Aug 2003
Posts: 248

PostPosted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 8:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Although I can imagine the risk involved of removing springs, my mechanic made it look like the easiest job in the world. He used his own hands to compress them Wink Then again, he probably does it every day.

Maybe it was easy for him, having a air drill to do up the main nut at the top?

All the same, be carefull mate. The warnings are serious.
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alan a
Alfa Arna


Joined: 09 May 2005
Posts: 13

PostPosted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 8:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

thanks for all the info guys. hopfully ill be installing the new springs soon!! just waiting on the spring compressor from a friend

alan
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alan a
Alfa Arna


Joined: 09 May 2005
Posts: 13

PostPosted: Thu Oct 27, 2005 3:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

is the bolt on the bolt on the steering arm ball joint supposed move, or have i broken it Sad
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Ken McCarthy
Alfa Sprint


Joined: 16 May 2003
Posts: 153
Location: Brisbane, Australia

PostPosted: Thu Oct 27, 2005 4:46 am    Post subject: is the bolt on the bolt on the steering arm ball joint suppo Reply with quote

Alan

Not sure what you mean. The ball joint on the end of the steering arm has a "bolt" coming out of it with a tapered section then a threaded section. The "bolt" is able to move in the ball joint to allow for suspension movement. The tapered section fits into a matched taper in the end of the steering arm on the hub carrier. This is the joint that is usually difficult to release. When the nut is tightened on the end of the "bolt", the tapered sections should lock together and not move relative to each other so the only movement is in the ball joint. Sometimes you have to hold them together to get enough friction in the taper to hold the "bolt" so the nut can be done up.

Have I covered it?

Regards
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alan a
Alfa Arna


Joined: 09 May 2005
Posts: 13

PostPosted: Thu Oct 27, 2005 8:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ye thanks that was what i was reffering to. how do you get this out though?? i just compressed the springs enough so i didnt have to completley remove the shocks (as i couldnt get it out) Embarassed
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Ken McCarthy
Alfa Sprint


Joined: 16 May 2003
Posts: 153
Location: Brisbane, Australia

PostPosted: Thu Oct 27, 2005 11:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Alan

You need a small wheel/gear puller but finding one that will fit is difficult. Alfa have a special tool but I made one up using a piece of rectangular steel tube, a bolt with the end ground to a cone (the end of the "bolt" on the ball joint has a small depression to locate it) and a nut. If I can dig up a drawing of it and maybe organise a photo, I will email it to you (be a couple of days). Once you can put some force on the taper (in a direction to separate it) it will either come apart by itself or with a light tap with a hammer on the end of the steering arm. You have to be careful not to damage the ball joint itself.

By the way. It is easier if you remove the whole spring and shock assembly from the car, put it in a vice and then apply the spring compressor and separate the spring. It is only the centre nut on the top of the shock absorber that retains the spring. The three or four smaller nuts around it retain the assembly in the car and can be removed safely.

Keep going. It is rewarding once you have done it.

Regards
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Ken McCarthy - 16V Sprint
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