hi guys i just got a 1989 340 1.4, 81k on the clock.... its pretty mint and has been well looked after, well i thought so any ways..

after getting it back to mine i swapped the insurance over and took it for a spin, after about a mile or so there was a loud clunk closely followed by the smell of burning rubber and then my tyre blew out.. yep you've guest it my spring plate has collapsed on the front passenger side. any ways can i by them new or is t a case of second hand?

Alex

You can buy spring cups, but you need to be able to weld

In here 340 was actually first one to classify for spring cup welding, not possible in all cars, but for 340 and 360 that is possibility, they don't cost a lot compared to what whole strut is, but it does require indeed welding and one need to take old one out too properly, so that strut is not weakened, of course regulations there might be different, here they examine welds etc visually.

I had close call with this one but I was at MOT station where they did notice how poor shape those were, they did look ok, but did not took too well for ironbar they used, had corroded quite badly, luckily there was less than 1km to mot station from home and garage I used was half way, so I did avoid bursting a tyre.

When you are at it, it is great opportunity to put new front shocks in and also springs as those are not good forever either, with new springs and shocks I found ride to become better, loads better, but then again front shocks had nothing inside of them, but at MOT they were considered better than rear shocks which at the time were new ones

Gas shocks are not very expensive these days and struts need to be taken out anyway so there is not much more work if replaced at same time, that is why worth to put them while front end is apart. Oh and always both sides, also those spring cups, better put new one to other side too even if it would be now tolerable, sorting out those are going to be good for another 10-15 years then, depending of course where one drives and how much.

thanks for the help mate.. where can i get a new spring cup from?

and as for the shocks and spring do gsf still do these?

Used to be Hadrian panels but someone said they are out of stock at the moment? Worth a ring at least. After that Klokkerhiem (sp, the Finnish chaps will know) make them.

Chris, this one?
http://www.klokkerholm.com/

I have never heard of such, but what I have not heard of would fill few libraries.

Looks likes that is Danish company.

Send Hadrian an enquiry anyway - that way they might be tempted to get some more in stock

Klokkerholm makes rust repair panels for the 300-series:
http://www.klokkerholm.com/xProductCata ... oup=633918

and supplies to various dealers such as Hadrian:
http://hadrian.dominohosting.biz/hadria ... gory=VOLVO

or Skandix:
http://www.skandix.de/en/

There's lots of info on this site on spring cups, try a search ..

Cheers

Tom

Cheers gents, it was Marko (fuse) who I think posted about it originally, so guessed it was Finnish!

I think we need one sticky thread that is entitled "Sources of parts" or something like that, I have totally missed this bit of info, hmm, maybe we already have such thread and I have missed that too?

First post should contain all the info with links and everyone should reply to thread with links and info they have, thread started would then maintain the first post so that all can be found there, I think it would be quite nice

Members only, but I believe George has some Chris.

Anyway, I was thinking of sorting out an exchange strut scheme. Take in a rusty repairable one and send out properly welded one nicely powder coated.

Might also be possible to sort out a replacement top cup program so folk can do the top bearings too.

I know that here are some companies that do things with rubber, I think that I will ask how much for that strut top triangle thing that is above top cup, but I have no idea what such would cost at the moment, I think it is worth to look those in UK too as postage etc would be more humane for UK members.

They take old rubber out and put new rubber in, that should be more cost effective than making whole part from scratch.

That is one of parts that is quite important for handling of these cars. Estonia is good to keep in mind because they are usually quite flexible and prices are lower than here for example, don't know how awful shipping is to UK from Estonia though, here to UK price is astronomical, UK to here is quite expensive but I think our prices are bit much for anything.

If there would be more of us, then China would be good place, especially as shipping container from there to here cost as much as shipping single part from here to there, must be direction of wind really...

I think the rubber top mount is being worked on at the moment, hopefully they may go into limited production.

macplaxton wrote:Members only, but I believe George has some Chris.

Anyway, I was thinking of sorting out an exchange strut scheme. Take in a rusty repairable one and send out properly welded one nicely powder coated.

Might also be possible to sort out a replacement top cup program so folk can do the top bearings too.

He certainly did... my membership has lapsed though :s

I've been thinking about doing a top cup replacement scheme, I think it's hugely important. What I've been thinking more is a moderate sized fly press and making tooling to do top cups, bottom cups etc. Self sufficiency in 300 ness, it'd be like the good life only more metallic

Just out of curiosity I did made similar sized object in 3d and uploaded it to 3d printing size, from 2mm thick stainless steel such would be bit over 150€ as of today, prices will probably drop in next few years, but there is no really telling how much, it is however interesting to check what they are costing today.

Chris, if you are planning to use press, then it would be clever to have it so that there is possibility to change 'molds' as so many of things can be pressed. Those spring cups are however quite thick material, do you think you can cold press them without hydraulics?

But building hydraulic press is not really that difficult, one just needs to locate abandoned railwaytrack to get good strong I-beams, pump from old truck, maybe you can hook up old car motor to it, hydraulic cylinders are left lying around at every construction yard, only thing is that they stupidly did attach them to silly machines

I used to once have japanese car, wheel bearing broke and went to garage to get it replaced, they had some small hydraulic press, manually operated one, while trying to pray bearing off he managed to bend frame of it, but he then did go to local factory and used their some XXX ton press to pray bearing off. Lesson of story, when making press, better make it stronger than needed

You'd have something like a medium sized fly press, that would have changeable tooling then. You make up the tooling to fit the press and do the job you want to do.

It's not a small undertaking by any means, there is a reason that currently only 1 manufacturer does them. The investment on that tooling is huge compared to the rest of the job. As to thinkness, I can't remember what it is now. I used to have to heat 5mm steel bar when flypressing brackets out of that but as you say, hydraulic presses are not expensive anymore, most saxo owners need them to change bushes