Lancia Beta Forum

Hi all
I got a few hours free so I'm swapping the struts from an 82 coupe to a 79 spyder.
I'm going to do it as a full unit swap. 24-5-15
Any advice or things to watch out for?

Not teaching you to suck eggs but just the standard things such as a good visual inspection of the strut assembly (inc spring), the strut tunnel and internal tops and a physical check of the top mount bearings. Use new nylock nuts of the correct standard when reassembling the hub to the strut and strut top etc etc. Clean, etch prime, prime and paint if you think nessecary on any corrosion you find on the structural stuff (real two belts and braces stuff that though!!). Other than any problems there you should have a pretty straightforward task. I've never had a Beta with any unique problems in that area before. Good luck fella.

The strut top mounts and bearings are the weak point especially the bottom section of the mount which can rot badly, the bearings sometimes seize and are difficult to find this leads to stiff and inconsistent steering feel. The rubber pads top and bottom of spring do perish and become distended with age if the whole assembly looks ok and you are not too fussy probably best not to take it apart but simply swap over as cans and worms come to mind!

Thanks All
I'll see how it goes.
Is like a straightforward job .
I hope the donar bearings are okay!!!

Yeah
Easy off for both sets.
Just cleaning up the new ones and painting them.
Should the top mounts with the 4 bolts be able to swivel round.
Or are they meant to be quite static?

They need to move. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to steer?

The Mount is split into two sections short top section that bolts to the body shell then a longer bottom section with the flat bearing assembly between the assembly needs to swivel on the car pivoting at the bearing.

The tops are very stiff
I wonder should I soak them in diesel to try free them up?
The rubbers all look good but I'm worried about putting them in without some kind of lubrication.
Any suggestions of how to lubricate the bearing without taking it apart?

take them apart then clean and grease the bearing there's no other way. I suspect they are not going to be very easy to turn when assembled though as they are working against the spring/damper tension 

Thanks Rosso.
Any chsnce I can pm you and pick your brains! Phone call ?

 It's easy to do compress the spring then it can all be taken apart easily. You can pm me but I am having a traumatic time at the moment with various personal issues so phone calls are difficult in the week. Tbh I'm a real amateur with limited engineering skills not sure how much I can assist really.

That's the encouragement I needed!

Yeah I had a look.
I've spring clamps, I'll need two pairs so I can use bits from both Springs if need be. Is there any particular method to undoing the top nut and how do I stop the plunger from turning.

Have also just had a look and wishbone rubbers are pretty bad I wonder how hard it is to replace. Any comments anyone?

 I think there's a special tool for holding the top of the strut but a bit of improvisation can go a long way, I don't remember too well tbh but honestly it's not rocket science.

The problem with the wishbone bushes is usually that both the bushes and the bolts are rushed solid.

There is a thread on here under 'suspension' about doing this I think. I've heard of people burning the bushes (sic) to get them out.

The bushes can be burned out and then the casings cut through to release them. The can sometimes be smashed out with the FGH but burning and cutting is usually quicker. Then new bushes can be driven in with a vice.

Alternatively you can fit Ferrari 355 Bushes from Polybush into the old casings. I'm running that setup at the moment. It seems very good but I want to put a few more miles on before I recommend it and detail the procedure.

If the bolts are seized into the sleeves you may need to remove the A/R bar to get a drift onto the end of the rear one. Access is a little tight otherwise. Sometimes an old chisel under the head (which you can get to) is enough to start them moving.

The struts are proving troublesome.
The top of the strut seems to be rusted onto the plunger.
The nut lost it's thread.
I'm going to get another set of clamps to ensure that the spring is safe.
The two clamps shifted to one side of the spring
Those springs make me very wary.
I locked it in a shipping container until I get the third clamp on it!!
Can I undo the clamps fully and let the spring decompress fully?
Thanks for all the feedback
Huw.

If the top nut is still on then yes.

When you say the nut has lost its thread what do you mean? If it's rusted in place you can't have stripped the thread yet!

There's no easy way to hold the damper rod to stop it turning. With old dampers I usually drill the nut and split it with a cold chisel - making sure the spring is well clamped first.

First treat the thread with WD40 or any similar penetrative liquid. Compress the spring well until the top munt is loose, ensure the clamps are secure. Now I used a large hydraulic wrench to block the damper concaved washer and loose the nut ideally with an impact gun or long lever.
I have dismantled several struts using this method.

Struts new came today from Bilstein.
They were put in tonight and all went well.
Thanks for all the input.
Got the loan of a good spring compressor.
Made a world of difference.
Bearings were fine.
Greased up.
Fit them now Thursday.
The driving day gets closer!