After hearing a loud bang on a bumpy country lane the other day I checked the suspensions and found out that both front bump stops are missing
Apparently the inner front wings had some welding in the past and the bump stops were not put back in.
As I haven't been able to locate the mounting holes could anybody take pictures of their bump stops from below the wing and from the top under the bonnet, from each side, and post them so that I can figure out where the bump stops go?
Thanks, that helps but I would be keen to seen the pictures if you've got the time.
Is it normal to have a 15mm thickness between the top and under sides of the inner wing where the bump stops go? I thought that was just botched welding.
15mm!!!! The metal should be 1mm thick. Acounting for 2mm overlap on any lap welded repairs the metal should be only 2mm thick unless the area has been patched 14 times!
Errrr - NO! That is botched something - maybe not even welding! There are a couple of layers of metal there - but not 15mm. Essential to have these bump stops in place (and the little rebound stops too) otherwise the lower arm clatters the engine bay floor and huge forces are put on the front dampers, and of course heavy distortion where the suspension leg hits the inner wing!
There are actually two sheets of metal with a gap of about 10mm in between where the bump stops go. I suspect that the DIY enthousiast who did that just welded a patch from below. Because of this I'm not sure I will be able to fit the bump stops in the correct position.
Mine were just glued on but as my suspension was soft it was almost riding on them so I took them out.
I suppose its acceptible to cut down the original ones?
Mine were just glued on but as my suspension was soft it was almost riding on them so I took them out.
I suppose its acceptible to cut down the original one
All rubber bump stops are glued to their mounting plates which should then be bolted to the car. When they fail it's usually because the rubber falls off the plate which remains on the car.
No, it is not acceptable to cut them down. The suspensions should be reset to the correct height. Adjusting the torsion bar settings is straightforward if you follow the procedure detailed in all the workshop manuals.
Because the suspension is then over-travelling and the lower arms will batter into the engine bay floor causing all sorts of stresses and strains - and the dampers will be overtravelling too. If they come up against their internal end stops - that's when the mounting bolts take a hammering. So - NO - it is NOT acceptable to run without bump stops or to cut them down!!
In my opinion its perfectly acceptable to half the height of the top bump stop, if you have a lowered car. We have never had a bottom arm hit the engine bay floor, nor the inner arch.
With gas /oil dampers you can do away with them completely if the unit contains its own bump stop. Mind it needs to be correct for this partcular application and not just' it fits so I'll use it ,school of thought'.
This also applies to the rear axle bump stops.
Ahh - now I do endorse cutting down the rear bump stops (but not eliminating them) - there is plenty of over-travel in the standard lever arm dampers at the rear
I would simply cut off the bodged repair panel and butt- weld in a new piece to match the original curve of the inner wing at the top. Mount the bump stop at the point where the top of the trunnion would meet the tip of the new bump stop rubber.
Ah, good stuff.
Probably explains how one of my front dampers managed to work its way 'wobbly'.
I'm replacing the entire rear suspenion anyways so i'll adjust the front at the same time. At the moment the cars level as both the front and rear suspension seams to be duff in equal measures.
OK, confession time. My car has no bump stops at all, it didn't have any when I got it and I've not fitted any since. It did come with telescopic dampers at the front though so I'm wondering if they have internal bump stops. You're now going to ask which telescopic kit is fitted, well I don't know -it was like that when I found it guv.
