Okay, got everything installed, but cant get the rear bolt holes to line up on both sides. I tried placing a jack on the back of the irs to rotate the prop shaft down, but i cant get it to move. Looks like there is plenty of slot left for some movement. Looking at it from the right side, it looks like the irs needs to rotate clockwise. Any ideas?
Hi Steven,
Iāve been successful in following the procedure in the Bentley manual. Affix the rear metalflex mounts to the body in the back and to the crossmember in the front. Jack it up by the center plate and attach the rear mounts first, then pivot the front of the crossmember into position to attach the fronts. Tapered alignment bars will help.
Jim
Iām wondering if you installed the mounts backwards. That bevelled corner looks like it was made to fit flush up against the bodywork, but the witness marks on the paint seem to indicate it once went the other way. And the rubber portion of the mount seems to have a bit of an offset to it, so if turned around it might reach those holes better.
Not sure if it will help, but I had issues replacing my IRS and ended up using a ratcheting hold down to draw the IRS into place.
Jim is correct, one set of mounts go on the body, the other on the IRS cafe. Even then, it will take a bit of āpersuadingā to get it together especially if the mounts are new.
I see what you are talking about, but I thought the dog eared part faces that way. If I flip it around, wonāt the square edge of the mount hit that corner of the body?
Mike says: āā¦but I had issues replacing my IRS and ended up using a ratcheting hold down to draw the IRS into plaā¦ā
Seems to me that would leave a lot of torque/pressure on the mounts, resulting in early failure.
LLoyd
In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible.
George Orwell
The mounts look like they are in the proper position (beveled edge to the frame). May be confusing the paint line on the other side made by the shims that are usedā¦ Iāve installed the rear suspension per the book (front mount on the cage, rear mount on the body) and with both mounts attached to the body. In both cases I have had to use some sort of long lever to position the cage. It will move more than you expect. And while you are doing thisā¦make sure the top damper/shock mounts have the bolts feeding in from inboard, with the ānutā on the outside. Donāt ask why I knowā¦ JS
I used a bunch of Phillips screwdrivers from the freebie Harbor Freight collection I have. Pointy enough to get started then hammer them home - replace one at a time with bolts.
I had the same problem and while trying to position them I had one delaminate, it was not a good day!
I then bought metalastic ones and did some minor hole slotting on the cage to take some of the pressure out of the rubber. My car had been rear ended so some of the holes may have been off.
You had a brand new one delaminate? That was not a good part!
Steven, I did mine recently, all by myself. Yours are mounted correctly, re: the angled portion. However, as Jack says above, itās best to mount the forward brackets to the IRS and the rearward ones to the frame. Also, I clamped mine to a trans jack which raised the IRS straight vertical which made it much easier since I was by myself. I may have just gotten extra lucky, but mine went it easily with the use of screwdrivers as position holders.
Mark
Yes it was a new part. I think the failure was due to a poor part combined with lots of force.
I ended up using a motorcycle jack for mine. At first when you guys posted about the mounts to the. ( IRS on front, frame on back), I got worried that I screwed it up and did the reverse, but thankfully I did it right. I think itās just binding and even though I used a breaker bar to gently coerce it, I was afraid of bending / denting anything. When jacking it up, the car is rising along with the irs. Iām going to attempt and reposition the jack further in back to see if it rotates the 1/2" I need. Since nothing is in the car, I donāt have any weight, so it might require standing in the boot. That should be interesting.
Iāll just mention that I think originally the mounts may have had the bolt heads to the inside, i.e. nuts visible looking into the wheel well. But I donāt know that it really matters.
When I used my cheap HF screwdrivers to line it up I did not insert any of the last 4 bolts on one side until I had all four positions secured with screwdriversā¦ that gave me some wiggle room. Once the holes are close enough that a thin Phillips can get through then it is just a matter of levering the last bit.
Good idea. That might give me a bit more room. Right now I have all bolts inserted in the front part.
itās what I did, bit of a struggle but it does workā¦also agree with the tapered bars comment.
Iāve used a combination of HF screwdrivers and aligning (tapered) punches. Sometimes I have had to resort to a using a hammer to drive the punch in so the holes align. I donāt tighten any of the fasteners until all the bolts are in place and the big end radius arms are loosely bolted in place. Then I put the jack under a piece of 4X4 in the center of the IRS cage and jack the cage up until the car is about to come off of, but is still supported by, the jack stands. Then I tighten all the bolts.
Donāt tighten the bolts securing the small end radius arm bushings until the weight of the car is on the tires. You might want to use the mid laden setting hooks.
Absolutely.
This is not a delicate procedure. If it doesnāt line up use more force.
Would it make sense to leave all the bolts loose until all have been inserted into their respective holes? Would it help any?