lowering a 1986 340 1.4

Post by **foggyjames** » 28 Nov 2004 09:48 pm

If they're the four on two metal plates, beware - those are your rear leaf-spring mountings!

cheers

James

Post by **Ali** » 28 Nov 2004 10:02 pm

lol shit, i undid all of those and then climbed under the car to look for the others! As i dont really know what im doing i think i'll just leave it how it is!
Ali

Post by **foggyjames** » 28 Nov 2004 10:26 pm

As luck would have it, its the other way around - you'd have to jack the car up to have problems! But do be careful

cheers

James

Post by **Ali** » 29 Nov 2004 09:52 pm

Think ive managed to pursuad parents into buying all the lowering parts for xmas

any ideas on how long dave would take to get the blocks in as i should be going ahead with it as long as insurance doesnt go up too much! Guess i'll have to phone him to confirm a price?
cheers
Ali

Post by **foggyjames** » 29 Nov 2004 10:06 pm

Good work! He was talking in terms of getting them made by his machinist once he had found the plans. Yes, probably best to give him a call. I think I found them for sale somewhere else, but I can't remember where.

Are you budgeting for springs / blocks only, or are you going for shocks too? If you want to improve the handling, I strongly recommend you get saving the notes and replace at least the front shocks. There are several options for gas shocks...and none of them are as costly as the (very nice, but unavailable for the 300) Bilstein range. If you get another 300 you can transfer these parts of course, and there will probably be a resale market...

cheers

James

Post by **Ali** » 29 Nov 2004 10:16 pm

unfortunately i think i can only pursuad them into just the lowering for now, they think its a waste on such an old car so gettin them to do this is hard enough, and its my dads insurance so cant do anything he does approve of

im not really pushing the car that hard on the roads (wel not race track style anyway, althought the tail did slide today

) so hopefully should be a little flatter round the corners and just look a bit better
Ali

Post by **SteveP** » 29 Nov 2004 10:23 pm

Well the springs alone have got to be an improvement on standard. I think I shall be buying new suspension when the funds permit... likely to get new shocks/springs all round - not sure which yet. Ali, you'll have to let us know how you get on with the front springs, I'll probably source mine from the same place. My car seemed a bit understeery in the wet the other day hmm.

Steve

Post by **foggyjames** » 29 Nov 2004 10:31 pm

SteveP wrote:My car seemed a bit understeery in the wet the other day hmm.

Off or on throttle? Up to a point, the 300s are designed to understeer...with decent rear tyres you've pretty much gotta be at WOT to get the back to step out.

cheers

James

Post by **Ali** » 29 Nov 2004 10:32 pm

hmm cant say ive ever really had understeer problems, only the once in the dry

when booting it into a corner stabbing at the brakes and then hitting the gas, probably just bounced the weight transition to the rear! Due to mine being 1.4 i only really have oversteer in 2nd in the wet but has slid out on a large busy roundabout in 3rd

think i worried the cars on my outside a bit! How much are we looking at for a full set of shocks then? As long as the handling is no worse and oversteer is still controllable im happy

ALi

Post by **foggyjames** » 29 Nov 2004 10:35 pm

The ride will be a bit stiffer, but the 'handling' overall will be greatly improved with shocks too.

I think sports gas shocks are £40-60 a pair...but that might be front only. Al (Black_360_GLT) found a complete set last year, but I forget where / how. Gimme a few days and I'll track them down.

cheers

James

Post by **5lab** » 29 Nov 2004 10:35 pm

the larger engined cars suffer from understeer more than the small engineed ones - i ragged the fook outta nessy (my 1.4 car) for the best part of 18 months, had the rear out many many times but never drifted straight on.

Post by **Ali** » 29 Nov 2004 10:36 pm

Yeah i dont think my rear tires help matters, when i purchased the 400 series alloys they came with 2half worn tires, one brand new tyre and one with sidewall damage so i purchased one new tyre (all budget allowed) and put the good ones on the front (thought steering would be more important than power)
Ali

Post by **foggyjames** » 29 Nov 2004 10:39 pm

5lab wrote:the larger engined cars suffer from understeer more than the small engineed ones

Yup yup - the weight of the redblock tends to encourage the car to go straight on...

....but then you've told me what tyres you put on Nessy...I tell you...it makes all the difference! The trouble with oversteer is that its all well and good when you've got plenty of space to play with, but the last thing you want is the back breaking out unexpectedly when you're alongside another car....which I've had before soon after I swapped to nasty rear tyres...

cheers

James

Post by **Ali** » 29 Nov 2004 10:42 pm

Not to worry james, im in no hurry, rather just see how it handles if all goes to plan around xmas. Pretty weird that the bigger engines understeer, i thought they'd be sliding out all the time, especially with more weight over the front end

Post by **foggyjames** » 29 Nov 2004 10:44 pm

Always put your best tyres on the back, no matter whether FWD or RWD. When I fitted the alloys my garageman was insistant that you put the best tyres on the front (despite my full knowledge of the conventional wisdom)....after nearly stacking the car the other weekend, I've decided who I trust from now on...

Incidentally Ali - did you get alloy wheel nuts when you swapped, or did you use the ones from the steels? I've found that the ones from the steels eat into the rim pretty badly...

cheers

James