Scottish Elises

I replaced my offside rear wishbone bushes yesterday and also replaced the ball joints while the wishbones were off the car. Frankly it was a pigging nightmare what with siezed bolts - took me an hour to get the damper off as the upper bolt was freely turning inside the nyloc nut but not unwinding - and inaccessible bolts - lower front wishbone bolt is inaccesbile because the sump is in the way. The solution to the 2nd problem was either remove the sump, or disconnect all 4 engine mounts and jack up the engine, or remove the bracket that attaches the whishbone to the chassis. I tried the engine mount removal but didn't have a bit that fitted one of the capheads and the other was inaccesible due to the exhaust manifold and even if I got around that I doubt I could have raised the engine high enough to get at the bolt, so removed the bracket with wishbone attached which wasn't easy due to access. However, I'm now left with a problem - when I disconnected the front torque bar I noticed that the rearmost securing bolt into the gearbox only needed a few turns before it could be removed although it was tight. Anyway, when I tried to refit it, it only barely catches the thread but as it tightens up it pops back off the thread. I think it's a combination of a slightly damaged thread and the bolt is a bit too short. However, it turns out the bolt is an odd size for the type of bolt it is, it's an M10 1.25 flange headed bolt (like a Duraloc I think - I assume it's an anti vibration bolt?) I've been advised that I can use an M10 cap headed bolt and schnorr washer to achieve the same thing. Hopefully this will be ok. However, if the thread is fubarred what are my options?

Secondly...

I've decided that I need a proper 10 ton floor press as using a vice to press anything in or out doesn't work so well Any recommendations? I've found a fairly cheap press on ebay here:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-12-Ton-Hydrau ... dZViewItem

I'm only going to use it a few times per year so don't need to spend a load of money on one, just worried that it's cheap for a reason.

Ta
Kelvin.

we took the sump off to get to that bolt, was a bit easier as it was up on ramps at the time anyway

If the thread is deeper than the bolt you have then you should be able to line up a tap of the right size and retap it. As the thread is already made, I think you will be better off with a blind tap (i.e. one that has a square end rather than a tapered one). Just make sure you get it into the original thread and don't start cutting a new one.

If the thread is fubared then helicoil type of thing is your only solution. You'll need good access to the hole in the gearbox for that!

Cheers,
Robin

I'll not be doing it again in a hurry that's for sure. 12 hours it took me to replace the bushes and 2 ball joints and I was so stiff yesterday I could hardly move.

BTW, the press looks fine - very similar to the one we used to change your wheel bearing at O/P Neil Of course it could be total rubbish and spew hydraulic oil each time you use it, but seeing as how a similar product from Machine Mart is about 300 quid, it's worth a punt I think.

Cheers,
Robin

I e-mailed Geary about the flange bolt for the torque bar. I'd forgotten he does the kits now so seemed reasonable that he might have the bolts too. Turns out that they don't use this kind of bolt any longer and use the cap head/schnorr washer instead which he's going to send me. Hopefully it'll bolt straight in and no need for me to wreck the thread using a tap and then jam it up using helicoil

Just need a damper mounting bolt now.

Thanks
Kelvin.

I think I've worked out what the problem is.

I'd forgotten that at some point on Saturday I did manage to tighten the bolt back up and only had the problem once I had redone all the the other engine mounts. Oddly enough a fellow Honda converted owner down here was having exactly the same problem which seemed odd. Anyway, if you loosen off the nearside engine mount a touch I can tighten up the torque bar mount then tighten up the nearside engine mount.

Cheers
Kelvin.

The more I see of these conversions, the more I am impressed by the quality

Cheers,
Robin

LOL. Indeed.

I'm going to fit the longer bolt that Geary is going to send me anyway.

What I also realised today is that if I had the oil cooler fitted I doubt I'd have been able to get at the bracket that secures the wishbone to the chassis as the oil cooler pipes run round that end of the engine I think. Given that I really ought to fit an oil cooler, in the future that whishbone will be even more of a PIA to get out. That said, those bushes have done 60,000 miles so it won't be for while yet.

Cheers
Kelvin.

Refill with cheap oil frequently

Cheers
Robin