Well, don't they look smart eh ! Bought these spots from Guy on the DOC Owners Forum, and together with some new rear springs set off for sunny Essex to see Andy. Andy had very kindly offered to help with some work on the car , and I need all the help I can get!
The job in hand was to replace the 2 rear springs, mainly because the car was not sitting square at the back. This had been pointed out a couple of weeks ago when having new tyres fitted. When I purchased the car nearly 2 years ago, i discovered the previous owner had fitted 2" lift springs and shocks - and that was the total extent of the "Lift" job. The car wallowed round corners like an old 2CV Citroen, and I hated it. A friend soon after removed the lift springs and fitted Standard Disco rear springs - which were secondhand, and left the 2" Lift Super Gaz shocks in place. This has been fine for nearly 2 years, but now the O/S rear was sitting down by about 3".
After discussing the issue with Andy Flemming from Staffs 4x4 and a few others on the DOC Forum, i elected to get Bearmach Blue HD Standard Height Rear springs to replace mine. In the end and after a slightly protracted delivery, i got them from 4Muddy feet for £60.00 incl. P&P. When it came to fitting them, I got Andy (in Essex) to help. I'm never that confident when you need to get both sides of the car up on axle stands before you can start work. As it was we had a jack under the towbar as well as 2 trolley jacks. Luckily Andy also has some cordless wrenches making life a whole lot easier. The initial set up took most of the time. Then it was a case of one side at a time:
- Release nut on bottom of shock absorber(19mm), with trolley jack supporting the axle / spring
- Release 2 bolts on the spring retainer plate (17mm), while still supporting axle
- Release support from trolley jack - slowly allowing spring to expand fully
- I then stood on the hub assembly while Andy removed the spring
- With New spring in place and retainer bolt done up, the trolley jack was then used to compress the spring , enabling the bolt on the bottom of the shock to be reconnected.
By the time I got close with the camera, the new spring was in and everything bolted back together! Happy that all was ok, we started on the offside rear, simply repeating the sequence from the nearside. This time I snuck in an extra pic (!), this showing the axle with spring and retainer removed, and all ready to take the new spring.
- Again, I stood on the hub while Andy slotted in the spring. Whilst doing this side he brushed the bump stop lightly, and it simply fell away from its mounting bracket ! So if you have an extended bump stop lying around that you dont want, let me know ok!
All in all, it was not a difficult job. What i need to take on board is that you need to be safe and stay safe. I'm looking round now for some nice substantial axle stands, and maybe a second trolley jack.
As detailed earlier in the posting, Andy wasted no time in wiring up the spots for me. These turned out to be fitted with 130Watt bulbs, and luckily I had some 25Amp fuses to hand which Andy had calculated I needed. All the old wiring was efficiently and speedily removed before I had my lesson in how to install spots ! Night time testing will be underway soon.
For the wishlist, I've added a new N/S headlight unit, and maybe some uprated bulbs.
There's always something to be done, but I'm learning all the time, and am continually grateful for all the help and advice i'm getting through the online forums.
Hope to meet you at some shows later in the year, and I hope you enjoy reading the blog.
If you want to submit an article relating to D1 200tdi's , drop me a line to :
goingdizzy@hotmail.co.uk
TTFN
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