But it's too damn cold to go out & take another.
The pass side Bilstein insert inner shaft. That's missing chrome
& metal. It's not bent or anything, just a bit of spalling..WTF?
We're gonna find out how good Bils warantee is. These are only a year old....give or take.

Since you and Bil seem to be related, I'm sure he'll take care of you

QUOTE (Jeroen @ Dec 9 2005, 04:26 AM)

Since you and Bil seem to be related, I'm sure he'll take care of you

Took me a minute. Duh...

QUOTE (maf914 @ Dec 9 2005, 05:55 AM)

QUOTE (Jeroen @ Dec 9 2005, 04:26 AM) Since you and Bil seem to be related, I'm sure he'll take care of you Took me a minute. Duh...

QUOTE (J P Stein @ Dec 8 2005, 09:38 PM)

But it's too damn cold to go out & take another.

I'll 2nd that!

you need a quick lesson on how to fucus... er, ah fOcus

..........b

QUOTE (Bruce Allert @ Dec 9 2005, 06:16 AM)

QUOTE (J P Stein @ Dec 8 2005, 09:38 PM) But it's too damn cold to go out & take another. I'll 2nd that! you need a quick lesson on how to fucus... er, ah fOcus ..........b

The effin' camera is an auto-unfocus.
I don't do close up much & it shows.

What can cause that kind of damage on the strut?

Bill P.

QUOTE (nine14cats @ Dec 9 2005, 07:23 AM)

What can cause that kind of damage on the strut?

The strut serves the dual puropose of an upper link or arm and as the shock/spring connection. JP's got those big tires. Can enough force be transmitted from the tire to the strut to cause side load damage to the shock rod?

My money is on chronic cone collision contusions...

(Kenny ducking and running)

Ken

QUOTE (kwales @ Dec 9 2005, 08:41 AM)

My money is on chronic cone collision contusions... (Kenny ducking and running) Ken

Every piece of FG body work exposed to coneitis has at least one fracture or missing chunk so I can't ignore your conclusions.....but piss on ya anyhow.

The position of the defect is about where the rod passes into the insert body at static ride height. That strut is sloppy body to insert.....and is gonna get roundfiled.
I haven't got the other side apart yet to see if it's an epedemic.

It would be a dull winter if you didn't have a problem (or two) to solve.
Shouldn't you be looking at plane parts right now?

QUOTE (J P Stein @ Dec 9 2005, 11:21 AM)

QUOTE (Bruce Allert @ Dec 9 2005, 06:16 AM) QUOTE (J P Stein @ Dec 8 2005, 09:38 PM) But it's too damn cold to go out & take another. I'll 2nd that! you need a quick lesson on how to fucus... er, ah fOcus ..........b The effin' camera is an auto-unfocus. I don't do close up much & it shows.

The Camera should have a Macro setting for Close up shots.
Not sure type of Camera but if you have a selection dial where it has picture of Mountians, Persons Head, little figure running , u want to select the one that looks like a flower when u take the close up shot

So was the damage caused by rod-to-insertbody interference, or rod-to-strutcollar contact? Are you using the right strut collars for that insert/strut combo? Maybe the insert is slipping under the collar so the rod bears down on the side of the hole (in the collar).

-Ben M.

Bils have this rod down inside the strut body. There is nothing there except the rod, bumpstops, & large dia insert that the rod goes into. The mounting point to the body (strutmount) is up top. We need a better pic, me thinks.

Joe....yeah, I had it on "flower" not "mountian"
It's one of them ultrasonic (I think) range finder thingies......note the focus below on the name tag. I'll finger it out...prolly need to dial in some Kentucky windage.

I still want to know why you're not looking at Bill's plane parts?

Lunch time at Bill Boeing's plane place.

I'm such a freaking moron sometimes. I knew bils were upside down. I need to get some sleep. My brain needs to defragment.
-Ben M.

Uh-Oh! JP AXing planes now???

Yer fly'n as it is... you wanna leave da ground & kill sumpin?

.....b

Better pic.

Better pic X 2. Me thinks my strut housings are toast.
I wonder if there is any way to rebuild them....

Ya,

There is regular chrome and hard chrome. Hard chrome is great for shafting and wear but it is a bitch to put it on right. Regular chrome is the crap they put on those JC Whitney bumpers. To do hard chrome right you need a layer of copper (copper colored), a layer of nickel (shiny shiny) and a thick layer of hard chrome (chrome is clear). John Treffers of Treffers Precision Shafting in Phoenix was the only guy I found could do beautiful hard chrome on computer printer shafts.

I'd look at that sucker under magnification.

Got a microscope at Bob's place and a way to take an in close pic for an autopsy? I do a lot of my analysis that way.

Ken

Hey! where did that second pic come from?

Actually, JP, looking at the ends of the shaft shows the plating stopping before the end of the shaft. Definitely looks like a case of plating going bye bye.

Don't see how anything could hit both shafts at the same spot. I'm guessing the plating wasn't great (flash chrome) and let go. If magnified, you might see the nickel layer coming undone. If so, I'd become the cranky old fart from hell with Bilstein

Ken

When the suspension is compressed to normal height, those dings are right at the caps on the tubes....near as I can figure.
The upper bushings in my strut tubes are worn, apparently.
There is wiggle between the bushing & tube. Apparently, this cause the shaft to bind on the cap of the tube (deflection from straight) There is no visiable wear on the cap, but that's about all I can figure. My new (to me) strut housings have no wiggle when everything is seated.

I didn't have these problems with little (225) R spec tiars.....but I gots em' now.

I'll send em' off to Bill West to have the rods replaced & see if they put the screws to me.

Since we're on the subject of nasty little surprises, here's another. The ding in the A-arm to the upper right of the end of the ball jiont shaft is another one.
There is a matching ding on the boss around the wedge bolt
on the strut. I gotta get in almost full lock and move the strut out-of-line with the upper strut mount to make it touch.....it's a brand new last year ball joint, so I don't *think* the problem is there. Me thinks "things" are bending.

QUOTE (J P Stein @ Dec 10 2005, 06:10 PM)

Me thinks "things" are bending.

Christ! You'd bend too if someone torqued the upper half of yer body & yer sticky-assed tennie runners kept yer bottom half from slidin. Biggassed stickier n' shit Hoosiers = on rails slotcar effect. Yer power & yer drivin are too much for the lil bastich

.......and I luv watchin ya do it!

....b

The slop in the shox don't help, but I think the main problem is that gawd awful venue we run on. I was just reading that the SCCA's local AX attendance is way off....duh. Down form a regular 150ish cars to about 100 per event.....mostly due to having to run in the South Pits. Long time AX locals won't run there. It's a car breaker. I feel fortunate that these little problems are all I have....I saw one fella with collapsed front suspension....but it was a Japaneese car

QUOTE (J P Stein @ Dec 10 2005, 08:49 PM)

I saw one fella with collapsed front suspension....but it was a Japaneese car

Ya Ya, rub it in

No, I hear ya. that south pit (even the infield) leaves quite a bit to be desired.

Seeing numerous cars coming off the ground along with bottoming out says alot about the dips & mounds out there.
Trying to make a course around all that is near impossible.

Ya do what ya gotta do.......

.........b

I'll agree it's rough. That one storm drain looks like a 6 foot hole when you're headed for it. No more like the crater in St Helens. I remember seeing that thing coming up, with the front end pushin and sayin turn you mother. I had the proof in my shorts. It was long ride back to Gig Harbor.

Sorry to see you problems JP. You'll straighten it out. I got faith in ya.

Dave

Looking very closely at the hole thru the caps of the inserts
shown a problem. The hole has not been radiused/chamfered.....there is a burr running around the inside diameter. That must be some hard metal to scrape off chrome plating. I can't fix it cause I can't take off the caps......even if I knew how, those suckers hold in the pressurization. I'm gonna send in a note along with the shox & see if the folks at Bil. West will fix it.....we are related, after all.

Dave:
We've taken to sticking a couple of them big blue barrels in to those craters. At least they don't sneak up on ya now

JP,

There is a reason some chrome sticks and some doesn't and peels. Tht's why I recommended a microscope. Take a look at it at through a scope reveals a lot about failure. Bad chrome might shear at the interface and peel up without damaging the steel below. Bet $$ your place of work has a scope.

Ken

We do, but it ain't a real good idea to bring parts into work....
"they" get all pissy about that.
I can see what I need with a 10X mag. The base metal of the rod is gouged on one of em'.

There is an underlay plating...prolly nickel, but no copper.
The world wide "outsourcing" fad is killing quality/reliability.
Our new wing is being made in Japan...but those guys have their shit together, thank God......and we are a sub to those guys....go figure.

Bosche is making ignition parts in China and it shows....cept in the price. The copper electrode 911 dizzy caps are no longer made, I hear.

bummer jp. is the lower bushing (control arm end) of the sway bar shot too, or is it just the picture?

k

QUOTE (rhodyguy @ Dec 11 2005, 09:28 AM)

bummer jp. is the lower bushing (control arm end) of the sway bar shot too, or is it just the picture? k

Nah, it must be the pic...or your slant on life
The A arm isn't "shot"....just abused.

I've also noticed a wide disparity on the location of the strut mounts. With equal camber on both sides, the Drivers side is about 5/16 farther outboard than the pass side.....where as they used to be even. The shitbox is starting to show it's AX age I really thought the back end would be first to go to hell.

Investigate the possibility of installing all wheel steering Might take the stress off all those old parts!

Besides, what else ya have to do with yer time at hand?

....b