DIY: Hopeless project.

[Rascal21]

Help!!

It`s been a while since I updated this thread, I was hoping to have a video ready, but things did not turn out the way I hoped they would.


I need research help from people way more knowledgeable about suspension systems than I am...

The thing is, I finally got to the point where I could take the car for a test drive last friday!

Not 100 meters down the road, going 2nd gear idle (DEAD slow) because of oncoming traffic on tight road, in a car that has been off the road for 5 years, the right side coilover SNAPPED clean off just beneath the tophat/camber mount, then fell forward, as the car was still rolling (I am used to knocking sounds in that car, being an ex rally car), the bolts that connects the spindle to the steering arm snapped as well, so the whole strut, wheel and brake assembly simply fell off, making a mess of the LCA balljoint

Everybody is fine, everybody who saw and stopped and was curious had a good laugh (Including me, at the time), nobody was hurt, no crashes occured etc and I`m glad experience has taught me to be cautious

The car is fine luckily, dented fender (Easily fixed), and I`ve overhauled the front suspension bushings for polyurethane ones, awaiting balljoint now, but the Bilstein insert is keked.

This is the only forum I know of where there is a gathering of Bilstein users who KNOW what they are talking about

The thing is, I dont have time or money to adapt the entire setup to a OEM-like coilover setup.

Firstly, finding matching struts is a pain as evidenced by my topic where we couldnt find out EXACTLY what spindles my car has, only knowing it closely resembles TE71 (Inner wheel bearing diameters are different) but the strut assembly, the way the coilover is installed on the spindle, is more resemblent to that of a FWD setup where its bolted to the strut with 2 bolts (As you`ll see in a pic below).

Secondly, keeping the brakes I have and just going with AE86 struts, I would need special disc spacer bells and caliper brackets etc for fitting the CP2270 Closed Back calipers to AE86 struts, this kit ALONE retails at more than I make per month.

So I have to make do with what I have and get similar coilovers based on dimensions taken from the still intact Left Side front coilover, I dismantled as much as I could without using violent means and I am hoping someone here might have an idea as to how this can be identified and if it or its equivalent is available:


I`d even be happy with el cheapo normal strut-like dampeners so long as they fit the bottom brackets dimensions (64,5mm spacing, 16mm diameter bolts), I can always modify the camber plates with a drill or something at a workshop. Wont even have to be Bilstein, I`m THAT desperate