I removed the IRS on my S2 2+2 on the weekend. It was easier
than I expected. One man job. I used the HF hydraulic
ATV/Motorcycle jack others have recommended.
Follow the sequence in the manual
The IRS came out the rear
I jacked the car up so that the fuel-tank sump was 18
inches off the floor using an ordinary trolley jack. That
gave sufficient room to pull the IRS out the rear with the
jack at not quite its lowest height
I placed axle stands just forward of the trailing arm
mount, but obscuring the view of the safety strap bolts slightly
I also used the trolley jack for safety in addition to the
axle stands. And eventually the ATV/motorcycle jack too
My car has a stainless steel exhaust and I was able to
just remove the last few feet. I needed to loosen two clamps
joining the pipes to the mufflers just forward of the IRS.
Loosen also the bolts joining the tail pipes to each other,
so you can articulate them a bit to break the connection
To remove the trailing arms from their front mounting
points, first remove the safety strap and then re-install
just the large bolt all the way into the cup
Then use that main bolt as a fulcrum for whatever lever
you can fit in the circular gap at the bottom to prise off
the cup from the bottom. If you can find something small yet
stout as a lever, this can be easy. (Others have posted
suggestions.) It took less than a minute for one of them to
give, much to my surprise. A screwdriver may just bend and
not do the trick
I used lots of PB Blaster sprayed on the top outside part
of the cup.
After disconnecting the prop shaft, I was able to rest it
on the sway bar. no need to tie it up.
Disconnecting the handbrake cable and pin is pretty easy
The flexible brake hose is disconnected at the front
connection first, by turning the cone-shaped nut while
holding the hex nut with a 2nd wrench. Access to this is
easy, especially after the trailing arm is out of the way
I used rope to tie the IRS to the ATV jack. Several loops.
One on the rear of the cage and one on each side
I placed the jack slightly in the front of the IRS cage
based on reports the IRS would flop forwards
With the rope and the placement of the jack, the IRS did
not roll forward (or back)
I used the manual�s approach of leaving the rear rubber
cage mounts on the car. Start with front mounts. The front
ones will come away with the IRS when you lower it. You may
need to adjust the jack height up or down slightly to get
everything to release
Lower the IRS slowly, say an inch the first time. Then
check that nothing is caught up. For example, check the diff
pinion flange does not catch the sway bar on its descent.
Then lower a few more inches, and so on
rolling the IRS around on the jack was easy–
Liam - US-Spec '69 S2, 2+2, 4-spd, ps, ac
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
In reply to a message from ozusa sent Tue 29 Mar 2016:
One thing I found was helpful was cutting slots in the ends
of the safety strap bolts so the shank could be held with a
screwdriver allowing the nut to be removed and refitted
without getting into the interior of the car.
The original message included these comments:
I removed the IRS on my S2 2+2 on the weekend. It was easier
than I expected. One man job. I used the HF hydraulic
–
Geo Hahn 1969 OTS 4.2
Mt Lemmon, Arizona, United States
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
In reply to a message from ozusa sent Tue 29 Mar 2016:
Good to hear. It’s a job that seems to really scare people off the
first time, but like the torsion bars it really inn’t that
difficult.–
The original message included these comments:
I removed the IRS on my S2 2+2 on the weekend. It was easier
than I expected. One man job. I used the HF hydraulic
In reply to a message from Geo H sent Tue 29 Mar 2016:
A simple idea to cut the slots. On the 2+2, the access to
the bolt heads in the cabin is pretty easy (under the
carpet behind the front seats) but the slots would be
easier.–
The original message included these comments:
One thing I found was helpful was cutting slots in the ends
of the safety strap bolts so the shank could be held with a
–
Liam - US-Spec '69 S2, 2+2, 4-spd, ps, ac
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
In reply to a message from Geo H sent Tue 29 Mar 2016:
George that is a neat trick, thanx for posting the note and
the pic about sawing a slot in the bolts.
Started to say that you have a good looking rear end but
decided not to.
Bruce–
The original message included these comments:
One thing I found was helpful was cutting slots in the ends
of the safety strap bolts so the shank could be held with a
screwdriver allowing the nut to be removed and refitted
without getting into the interior of the car.
–
Bruce Harless, '64 S1 ots
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
In reply to a message from ozusa sent Wed 30 Mar 2016:
The slots are a good ides.
Thinking about how to make things easier how about welding
the bolt heads to a piece of steel strap so both fit in
their respective holes and are tied to one another and
cannot turn.
Simple to do with a rudimentary jig spacing the bolts apart
properly, a short length of steel - say 1’’ X 3’’, around 16
gauge and wither braze or weld the bolts in place on the
strap. Drop that assembly in from the cabin, spin on a
couple of nylocs from below and Bob’s your uncle.–
The original message included these comments:
A simple idea to cut the slots. On the 2+2, the access to
the bolt heads in the cabin is pretty easy (under the
carpet behind the front seats) but the slots would be
easier.
–
John Walker, 1969 E-Type Coupe
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
